Passion Has No Limits

Everyone in our sport has heard the statistics about how tennis players tend to live nearly 10 years longer than their sedentary peers and even longer than many other recreational athletes, including soccer players and swimmers. But sometimes life has other plans.

I’ve been a tennis professional at my current club for more than 25 years, and over that time, I’ve had the privilege of watching many of our members grow older while remaining active in the game they love. One student in particular continues to inspire me every single week.

Clark Broden is 84 years young and still captains one of our 70-and-over men’s teams. About 15 years ago, Clark began experiencing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, and for the past three years he has relied on a walker. Yet every week, he comes to the club for a 30-minute private lesson.

Of course, we’ve had to modify the way we train. There isn’t exactly a handbook for teaching tennis to someone who uses a walker. But despite the challenges, Clark has continued to improve his tennis skills while also getting valuable cardiovascular exercise and movement. I truly look forward to our weekly sessions. They challenge me as a coach to stay creative and continually develop new drills and ideas. More important, they remind me what determination and passion really look like.

We constantly hear the message, “Keep moving,” if you want to stay healthy. Clark is living proof of that philosophy. He hasn’t given up. He continues to find a way to stay active and enjoy the sport he loves. I’ve included a link to the “Match of the Century,” held at Heritage Palms Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, a recent 70-and-over men’s league match in which every player on the court was between 90 and 94 years old. The story was featured on Gulf Coast News and was even mentioned on national radio the following day.

My advice to every tennis player is simple: