How to get back into tennis as an adult (without joining a club)

You do not need to join a club to get back into tennis. Book a single Champs session for £12 through the FunTennis app, bring a racket, trainers and water, then turn up to a public court where a Host runs the whole thing. No membership, no leagues, no whites, no committee vetting your backhand.

I hear the same story constantly. Someone played at school, loved it, drifted away somewhere around exams or babies or mortgages. Now a decade has passed. They want to play again but every route back seems to involve joining something, committing to something or being judged by someone. So they do not go, another year passes and the racket stays in the loft.

Here is the honest truth from someone who has watched hundreds of returners walk onto court: the anxiety is the hard part. The tennis comes back embarrassingly fast.

Do I really not need to join a club?

Really. Champs sessions run on ordinary public courts, booked one at a time through the FunTennis app. You pay £12 for a place in a 90-minute session with 7 places, strictly first come, first served. Fancy going again next week? Book again. Life gets busy? Do not. There is nothing to cancel, nothing direct-debiting you out of guilt.

Clubs are wonderful for some people and I would never talk you out of one. But they should be a choice, not a tollbooth between you and the sport you used to love.

What if I have not picked up a racket in years?

Then you are our favourite kind of player. Rusty returners are the beating heart of Champs. The format is quietly designed for you.

Points are short. Everyone rotates constantly, so nobody is stuck opposite the strongest player all night and no single mistake gets any airtime. The Host feeds a fresh ball the moment a point ends, which means your mishit is forgotten before it has even finished rolling. Compare that with a traditional singles match, where every error sits with you through a long, silent changeover.

Your rally will feel wooden for about twenty minutes. Then somewhere around minute thirty a forehand you had in 2012 will come back unannounced and you will grin like an idiot. This happens so reliably we should probably put it in the terms.

The only real entry requirement is being able to rally. If even that feels distant, one casual hit against a wall or with a patient friend will wake it up.

What should I bring to my first session?

A racket, trainers and water. Genuinely nothing else. Balls are provided, the Host is provided, the atmosphere is very much provided. There is no dress code, so wear whatever you would wear for a jog.

Your ancient racket will do fine for the first few weeks. If you fall back in love with the game, treat yourself to new strings later as a reward.

What actually happens at a first Champs session?

You arrive at a public court and meet the group, usually seven players plus the Host. One end of the court is the champion end. Win points to claim it, defend it as long as you can, rotate out when you lose, queue up and plot your comeback. The Host keeps balls flying so play never stops.

You will play with everyone, not just whoever stands nearest. By the end of 90 minutes you will have shared points, near-misses and at least one ridiculous rally with the entire group. That is the real trick of Champs: adult friendships are hard to make, but shared competition shortcuts the process like nothing else. If you would rather ease in with something less competitive first, cardio tennis is a fair alternative, though returners are usually surprised how much they enjoy real points.

How do I handle the first-session nerves?

Three practical tricks. First, use the crowd chat. Every session has its own chat in the app, so post a quick hello and mention you are returning after a break. Someone will reply warmly, because someone always does. You will walk on court already knowing names.

Second, book the session more than a day ahead. A little runway turns dread into mild anticipation. Third, remember that everyone on that court had a first session too. Not one of them is grading you. Most are too busy worrying about their own backhand.

Worth knowing while you wobble: the health case for coming back is remarkable. Tennis is linked with longer life in major studies, possibly because of exactly this social side. The details are in our piece on what the science says about tennis.

How do I find a session near me?

Open the app. It maps more than 25,000 public tennis courts across the UK with Champs sessions marked near you. See spaces? Grab one, because places are first come, first served.

Nothing near you yet? Request a session at your local court, right there in the app. Nearby Hosts get alerted and requests are exactly how new weekly sessions get started. However long the racket has been in the loft, it is not too late. It is one £12 booking away from being back in your hand.