I really feel that tennis is such a thinking man’s sport, and that’s often overlooked. Perhaps it’s too cliche to say it’s a lot like chess, but you are often looking at least one shot ahead to plan your moves. So much of “winners” are the 2 or 3 shots before them, and not necessarily the execution on the smash.

As I have always said, anyone can play tennis, but only a few people can be good at it. It’s similar to golf in that respect, except that tennis is much more accessible and significantly less frustrating. If you get beat in tennis, you can always blame it on the other guy. If you shank a drive, you’ll have to start blaming yourself once all of your clubs are wrapped around tree trunks.

And you’re right, there’s something inherently more competitive about one on one sports. It’s a test of your individual skills and your will to win, reading your opponent and reacting to him. In team sports you have a coach that figures out all that stuff.