Sorry if you aren't interested in tennis...Yesterday (6th Feb) I went to my tennis club's social - a lunch of a cheese sandwich and a few hours play. When I arrived with my friends we got, as usual, strange looks and questions like, "are you looking for junior matches?" or "This is a senior day today" to which we had to say that we were quite aware of the fact and we were "seniors". Even so, we still had to be checked out and even after that they asked us if we could actually play tennis or if we were total beginners. During some matches - even after uprising a few of them that we could actually play very well - they still talked to us patronisingly.

My point is that this kind of thing happens in most tennis clubs. They are elitist and posh and don't like children. No wonder is it that Britain doesn't have any decent young tennis players making there way to stardom. Firstly, in most other countries tennis clubs are pay-per-play, and perhaps a modest yearly fee. I pay £150 a year - student rate, (it goes up a lot more when I'm 19) and also pay for any weekly large group coaching. I also have to pay for any "guests" I bring along (although no one checks that). Secondly, you have to wear white and proper tennis shoes (no one yet has noticed my Sketchers...!) etc etc and so have to spend quite a lot of money buying the correct gear.What happened to just playing for a bit of fun?? I worked out that if you wanted to be an amazing player, assuming you started from the age of 7 and had coaching 3 times a week and once a week in a group until you were 16, you'd pay roughly £46,296 if you went to Coombe Wood Tennis Club (Excluding money needed for clothes, racquets etc). No wonder we aren't producing any good players...tennis is such a snobby, upper class game!