Post-COVID Tennis – Social Distancing On the Court

Post-covid tennis is going to be awkward for a while.

If you have been wondering about the dos and don’ts of tennis after the lockdown, you are into unchartered territory.

Clubs typically don’t have a checklist for that.

After months of doom and gloom, there appears to be some light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. While media coverage of new COVID-19 cases and deaths continues, the worst seems to be over.

There’s talk about getting communities back to, what I assume, would be a new normal. That would suggest gyms and racquet clubs would open. Perhaps, in a phased manner.

Of all the facilities and activities offered by fitness clubs, tennis seems like a sport where some level of social distancing can safely continue. After all, opponents are mostly on the two ends of the court. Even doubles players rarely break the Government guideline of staying two metres apart.

While the concept of a sterile tennis club facility is impractical, a better-safe-than-sorry approach seems prudent and acceptable. You don’t want some random pandemic spoiling your plans to play tennis and live longer.

Recently, the USTA has come up with a few guidelines to help clubs and players ease back into tennis after the lockdown. Through this post, I will paraphrase some of USTA’s tips and recommendations to help you decide if you are ready for post-coronavirus tennis.

Note: The recommendations below are loosely based on USTA’s guidelines for “Playing Tennis Safely,” and are not meant to be health or medical advice.

Follow the advice of the local health authority

Before you head out to a community court or to your tennis club, make sure that your city has approved sporting activities such as tennis to resume. Compliance and common sense are key to ensuring a safe environment for everyone.

• Adhere to Government advisories and regulatory requirements.
• What applies to one community may not apply to another.
• Phased approaches may apply to the reopening of your city.
• Try and play with family members or others that you deem safe.
• At least three weeks of conditioning is recommended before participating in tournaments.
• Avoid the courts if you exhibit COVD-19 symptoms or have been in contact with someone infected with the virus.

Worried about touching tennis balls?

As a layperson, you would think that tennis balls handled by sweaty players, would be a real cause for concern.

There is cause for cautious optimism on this front! Here are two statements from the FAQ page of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

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A few key safety tips and recommendations from the USTA’s website are shown below. While some of the recommendations may appear disruptive, you will probably agree that it is only a sign of the times that we live in.

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Now, is probably a good time for tennis ball manufacturers to bring out more coloured balls that can help with social distancing on the tennis court.

And, if another layer of protection will put your mind at ease, you can always try wearing golf gloves on the tennis court.

People are less judgy these days.

From handshakes to racquet bumps

Greetings, courtesies, and high-fives will have to be replaced with non-contact or verbal equivalents. Even before the lockdown, players had resorted to thumbs-up signs and racquet bumps to acknowledge another player’s performance on the court.

To explore more options, you can check out this Harvard Business Review article titled “How to avoid shaking hands.”

A new accessory in the gym bag – Hand sanitizer

While most clubs have hand sanitizer dispensers, it’s probably a good idea to start packing your own. It will be just one more accessory along with your compression socks, kinesiology tape, and elbow braces.

Disposable gloves for high-traffic contact surfaces

Walking into a tennis club wearing rubber gloves may look dorky. But then, two months ago, I thought wearing a mask while walking the streets was dorky.

If you play at an outdoor facility, there may be fewer contact surfaces to worry about beyond access door handles to the courts. An indoor court can be more challenging. From access code keypads to lockers, and door handles to railings, many high-traffic contact surfaces are unavoidable.

Disposable surgical gloves from a Dollar Store may come in handy.

Stay clear of the water cooler

This one is easy. You can always bring your own bottle of water to the tennis court and avoid any contact with the club’s water fountain. Water cooler conversations can wait.

Showers, Hot Tubs, etc.

In the short term, the showers, steam room, and other facilities at a club are probably things that one can manage without. That would mean no more pre-game warm-up routine in the hot tube. Warming up courtside is probably better for you anyway.

That about sums it up.

As you can see, tennis after the lockdown will be awkward at the beginning.

How long will it take to get back to normal?

We will find out…