You never know who is a tennis player. But as soon as you bring it up, there’s a certain light that ignites behind their eyes. A special bond. A secret society of people who just “get it”.

Tennis is an intergenerational sport. We’ve seen people in their 80s on the court, and we regularly play with our kids, the youngest is 5. It’s a sport you can play your whole life. It’s a great way to stay active, get some Vitamin D, fresh air, and quality time with friends and family. All while looking dope AF doing it.

My dad taught me how to play tennis when I was in high school. We spent many evenings after he got off work playing at the high school tennis courts. He would wear his after-work Costco jeans, shirtless because he didn’t want to get his polo sweaty. Picture Top Gun, except tennis. My dad was ripped; still is. Bonding with your high-spirited (read: bitchy) teenage daughter is near impossible, but my dad found a way and that way was through tennis.

Recently I came across another tennis dad. You can identify them by the way their eyes light up when you mention grass courts or Agassi, and if they’re old enough– Jimmy Conners. A group of 10 of us were out celebrating at a trendy outdoor downtown bar. We were talking about our tennis vacation in Toledo and then from across the firepit we hear “Thank God you’re not pickleball players” followed by “There are no truly great US tennis players anymore. Serena, Sampras, Agassi, McEnroe, Jimmy Conners, they’re all gone and nobody is stepping up to take their place.” We spent the rest of the night hosting “Tennis Talk” with our friend’s dad and got to hear stories about Wimbledon 1975, and hitting balls with a French junior pro tennis player (“I knew I couldn’t beat him but it was so great hitting balls like that again. I haven’t done that since college.”) The conversation went so well, I turned to my friend and asked “Hey Courtney, can I score your dad’s digits?” The funny thing was, she immediately said “Yep!” without any questions. I’m sure it’s because she knows her tennis dad is rad.

Tennis is an intergenerational sport. When you go to the courts you see people of all ages playing together. You see dads and moms playing with their kids, priests playing with nuns, pre-teen and high school kids, and beer league tennis players.

The thing that binds these people together is their passion for tennis. It’s a sport you can play your entire life and as my dad told me years ago–it’s good for your career, it’s good for your friendships, and it’s good for your relationships. When you play tennis, you’re part of a global community of people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds. And when you meet another tennis player in the wild, it’s like finding your new best friend.

And I found mine–Courtney’s dad.

Sure, being a successful professional tennis player who jet sets around the world playing a game in front of thousands of adoring fans is great. You know what’s not great? Crab claw, or when one arm is super shredded and the other looks like it belongs to a baby. Especially when you’re doing your trademark victory fist pump after scoring that winning shot. Once you spot one, you can never unsee this horror. So naturally, we are sharing this with you so you can share in our pain.

Who has your favorite crab claw? Post in the comments.