Sometimes, to really see where tennis could go, you have to look far outside the traditional court. Recently, a pop-up tennis initiative in the heart of Berlin caught my attention, not just for its appealing visuals or bold design, but for its spirit. The Beyond Berlin Club brought a court to a hotel courtyard, inviting people to play, move, and connect. No velvet ropes, no quiet signs, no whispered etiquette. Just tennis. Out in the open. For everyone.
Their mission is as fresh as their execution. They’re trying to merge the high-energy social culture of running clubs with the beauty and challenge of tennis. They’re not waiting for permission or perfect conditions. They’re removing layers of tradition that often make tennis feel slow, exclusive, and intimidating, especially for beginners. And maybe, just maybe, they’re showing us a glimpse of what tennis could become: mobile, playful, inclusive, and alive.
For those of us working in junior development, this should hit a nerve.
Because here’s the thing: tennis is a sport that teaches discipline, resilience, and problem solving. But somewhere along the way, we made it too serious. Too mechanical. Too concerned with looking right, scoring high, and moving up. We tell kids to grind. To be tough. To stay focused. But we rarely ask: Are they having fun?
And that question matters.
Bob Rotella, one of the most respected sports psychologists in the world, has spent decades helping golfers unlock better performance. His secret weapon? Happiness. According to Rotella, enjoying the game doesn’t just feel better, it works better. A joyful athlete is more relaxed, more focused, more motivated, and more willing to take risks. They learn faster. They bounce back quicker. They stick with the sport longer.
If this is true in golf, a game known for its solitude and precision, it’s definitely true in tennis.
When kids enjoy their training, they’re not just more engaged, they’re more present. They stop trying to be perfect and start trying to be better. They connect with the process. They start solving problems instead of avoiding mistakes. The brain relaxes. The body flows. And suddenly, improvement feels less like a chore and more like a game.
The problem is, too often we chase the opposite. We let UTR scores dictate training. We reward results instead of growth. We fixate on technique while ignoring feel. And we suck the joy right out of a sport that was meant to be played.
Maybe it’s time to take a cue from the streets of Berlin.
What if we made tennis more social? What if we prioritized environments that sparked joy and curiosity? What if we let players experiment more, smile more, fail more, and fall in love with the messiness of learning? What if we created mini courts in parks, in schoolyards, in unexpected places, just to remind kids and adults that tennis can live anywhere, and belong to anyone?
This doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means broadening the path. You can still teach discipline, strategy, and technique, but you can do it through laughter, through movement, through shared experience. Because when joy becomes part of the training environment, the lessons stick deeper. And the players stay longer.
To the coaches, parents, and players reading this: Let’s remember why we started. Let’s find ways to build cultures that don’t just produce winners, but people who want to keep playing. Let’s stop waiting for the perfect club or perfect court, and start designing environments that inspire.
Tennis doesn’t have to stay behind fences or follow old scripts.
Sometimes, the future shows up in a hotel courtyard in Berlin. And it looks a lot like joy.
