I want to play tennis until I’m eighty. This is one of my biggest motivations to stay healthy and fit. However, in recent years, injuries have started to creep in, and I’ve learned that if I really want to play tennis until I’m eighty, I need to plan well and ensure I stay healthy and fit until then.

In the last few years, I’ve experienced them all—ankle injuries, lower back pain, wrist injuries, tennis elbow, knee pain, and even an Achilles heel injury. The wrist injury sidelined me from tennis for half a year, while the tennis elbow kept me off the court for a few months. The first time I experienced lower back pain, it was so severe that I ended up spending a night in the hospital. The Achilles heel injury forced me to use crutches for a few days.

To think, I’m only in my forties, and I still have a long way to go to reach eighty.

I’m not getting any younger, so I’ve had to make adjustments to my fitness routine. I’ve set a personal limit of playing tennis for a maximum of four hours a week. I’ve avoided hitting powerful flat serves and switched to more spin serves instead. I always play with wrist and elbow support. As a precaution, I keep cold compresses and painkillers in my tennis bag, alongside the knee and ankle supports I carry just in case.

I’ve also switched to a more flexible, arm-friendly racquet. I was using a Babolat racquet, and when I told a friend I was having wrist issues, he advised me to stop using Babolats because they’re known for their stiffness. I started researching tennis racquets with low RA (Racket Analysis) ratings. The lower the RA rating, the less stiff the racquet is, meaning it’s more arm-friendly since it transmits less shock and vibration to the arm. I eventually settled on the Yonex Percept 97, which has a low RA rating of 60. I’ve been using it for over a year now, and so far, so good.

After recently experiencing recurring lower back pain, I’ve started reintroducing warm-up and cool-down exercises before and after tennis. I’ve always known I should do them, but I used to view them as a waste of time. Not anymore. I once thought biking to and from the tennis court was enough, but injuries have taught me otherwise.

Right now, I think I’m in a no-injury phase, but I know better than to assume it’ll last forever. I need to stay diligent with my warm-ups, stretches, and schedule. Tennis is incredibly fun, but if I’m no longer fit enough to play, I’ll miss that amazing feeling.

Or maybe I should just find a hobby that’s less taxing on my body.

Blogging, perhaps.