How to Start Playing Tennis as an Adult in Australia
Never played before, or not since school? A practical four-week starting plan for adults picking up tennis in Australia, from your first racket to your first match.
By Two brothers in Melbourne, co-founder of RallyHub.
Picking up tennis as an adult in Australia is genuinely easier than most people think. The barrier is not fitness, age, or coordination. It is the awkwardness of the first month, when you do not know where to play, what to buy, who to play with, or how to dress up to a court. This guide walks through the first four weeks of an adult learner's journey so you have a path that actually leads somewhere.
Week 1: Buy minimal gear, hit a wall
What to actually buy
You need a racket and three tennis balls. That is it. Skip everything else.
For a first racket, the only rule is "do not go cheap and do not go pro". Spend between $80 and $200 at a real tennis shop (not a department store). Tell them you are an adult beginner. They will hand you a light-to-medium weight racket with a head size between 100 and 110 square inches. You can buy fancier later; for now, anything in that bracket is fine. We have a whole post on which beginner rackets actually deliver value in Australia.
Balls: a single can of three (around $8). Pressurised tennis balls die after a few hours of play, so do not bulk-buy.
Clothing: anything you would jog in. Court shoes are nice but standard runners survive your first month. Skip the headband.
Find a wall
Spend your first week hitting against a wall. Almost every council facility in Australia has a practice wall near the courts. Search "tennis wall near me" in Google Maps or check a council website. If your nearest one is 20 minutes away, drive there twice this week.
Wall practice teaches you the four things you need: how to swing forehand, how to swing backhand, how the ball bounces, and how to move your feet to meet it. Forty minutes of wall hitting beats four hours of social play in your first week.
Week 2: One coaching lesson
Book a single 45-minute private or 60-minute small group beginner lesson with a local coach. Tennis Australia's Hot Shots program runs adult beginner sessions in most metro suburbs. Cost is usually $30 to $60.
Tell the coach: "I am an adult beginner, I want one session to make sure my grip and swing are not weird enough to develop into bad habits."
That is the whole goal of week 2. A coach will fix your grip on the racket (probably wrong), your stance on the baseline (probably wrong), and your follow-through (almost definitely wrong) inside 20 minutes. Letting those errors set in for a year is the single biggest reason adult learners plateau.
You do not need ongoing lessons unless you want them. Most adult social players never take another lesson after the first one and improve fine.
Week 3: Hit with another beginner
Find another adult beginner and have a relaxed hit at a public court. Do not play sets yet. Just rally.
Where to find another beginner:
- A friend who used to play and stopped. Most adult Australians know one.
- The other people in your coaching lesson from week 2.
- A "Tennis for Beginners" Meetup group in your city.
- The local Facebook tennis group, posting "adult beginner, looking for someone at the same level to rally with".
- RallyHub if you can get an invite, set your level to 1.5 to 2.0, and filter to other beginners.
Aim for two 45-minute sessions this week. Try to keep a 10-shot rally going. By the end of the week one of those rallies will accidentally hit 15 shots and you will be hooked.
Week 4: Your first social session
Drop in to a beginner-friendly social tennis night. Most clubs and many council facilities run them. Look for "social tennis", "adult improver", "Sunday social", or "open court" sessions on club websites and Facebook pages.
What to expect at a beginner-friendly session:
- Eight to sixteen people, varied levels, mostly other improvers and beginners.
- Rotating partners every 6 to 8 games.
- A loose format with someone organising who goes where.
- A $5 to $15 visitor fee.
What to bring: your racket, water, a hat in summer, and the willingness to be the worst player on court for 20 minutes. Everyone there was once that person.
Five things that will make this easier
1. Lower your expectations for the first month
Most adult learners quit because they imagined themselves rallying smoothly inside three weeks and got frustrated when month one was mostly mishits. Tennis takes about three months of regular play to feel natural. Stick with it.
2. Hit at least twice a week if you can
Once a week is not enough to build feel. Twice a week is the minimum frequency where coordination starts to compound. If you can squeeze a third (a 30-minute wall session, a 45-minute hit with a friend, or a social night), even better.
3. Skip the gear rabbit hole
You do not need a wristband, a $300 racket, or court shoes in your first month. The pros use elaborate gear because they have already mastered the basics. Buying gear is not the same as building skill.
4. Find one consistent partner
The single biggest predictor of whether an adult beginner sticks with tennis is having one consistent person to play with. The standing-arrangement hit is what makes the difference. See our guide on finding a hit partner in Australia.
5. Read the court etiquette guide before your first social night
The fastest way to feel welcome at a new tennis court is to follow the unwritten rules. See our tennis etiquette guide for Australian social play. Most of it is common sense, but the first time you hit a ball onto someone's court mid-point and they look at you like you committed a war crime, you will wish you had read it.
What it costs
Total spend for month one, if you do not buy anything you do not need:
- Racket: $100 average
- Balls: $24 (three cans over four weeks)
- One coaching lesson: $45 average
- Court fees: $20 to $40 across four weeks
- Total: $190 to $210
That is significantly less than a month at most gyms, and at the end of it you will be a tennis player.
What comes next
After month one, the path forks. Some people want to join a club and play competitive pennant. Some stay permanently social. Some focus on doubles, others on singles. Pick what fits your life and energy. There is no wrong answer.
For most adults in Australia, the sweet spot is one regular hit partner plus one social night a week. That is roughly three hours of tennis a week, costs around $40, and is enough to noticeably improve over six months without taking over your life.
If you want help finding partners and tracking the matches you start playing, that is what we built RallyHub for. Ask us for an invite when you are ready.