I Didn't Teach Tennis to my Twins. I Let Them Fall in Love with It.
People ask me, “When did you start your twins on tennis?”
The honest answer? Before they could even hold the racket properly.
But here’s the thing. I wasn’t teaching them tennis. I wasn’t running drills. I wasn’t standing behind them going, “No, hold it like THIS.” I was just... letting them be around the sport. Letting them feel it. Smell the court. Hear the sound of the ball. Watch me get excited about something.
That’s the whole secret. And it works for any sport, any activity, any passion you want to share with your kids.
It Started with a Racket and Zero Instructions
They were tiny when I first handed them a racket. No expectations. No coaching. Just, “Here, hold this.” They dragged it around the house. Used it as a pretend guitar. Swung it at nothing in particular. Dropped it. Picked it up again.
I didn’t correct their grip. I didn’t show them “the right way.” I just let them be curious.
Then came the ball. Can you balance it on the racket? Can you bounce it? Can you tap it in the air once? Twice?
Some days they were into it. Some days they threw the ball under the sofa and went to play with something else. Both were perfectly fine.
The point was never “learn tennis.” The point was “this thing is part of our world now.”
They Watched Me Play Before They Ever Played
This part doesn’t get talked about enough.
Before my girls ever picked up a racket on a court, they came to watch me compete. They sat courtside at badminton tournaments. They saw Papa sweating, running, celebrating, losing, trying again. They saw other players. They heard the cheers. They felt the energy of competition.
Kids absorb everything. You think they’re just running around, eating snacks, being distracted. But they’re watching. They’re building a mental map of what sport looks like, what effort looks like, what joy looks like when you’re doing something you love.
When I eventually took them to the tennis court for a technique session, it wasn’t a foreign planet. It was familiar. They’d already seen something like it. The lines on the ground, the net in the middle, the sound of the ball. They walked onto that court like they belonged there.
Because in their heads, they already did.
The Court Was a Playground First
The first few times we went to the court together, there was almost no tennis happening.
They ran. Baseline to baseline. Side to side. Around the net posts. Along the white lines like they were balance beams.
And that was perfect.
Because what was actually happening? They were building comfort with the space. They were learning to move their bodies on a hard surface. They were burning energy and having fun in a place that would later become their training ground.
I didn’t rush it. I didn’t say, “Okay now let’s practice.” I let the court be a playground until they were ready for it to be something more.
At Three, Things Changed
When they turned three, I bought them proper rackets. Height appropriate. Light enough for their hands.
And suddenly, something clicked.
They were ready. Not because I decided they were ready, but because all the months of holding, swinging, watching, and running had built a foundation.
I started introducing simple drills. Not the kind you’d find in a coaching manual. Fun ones. The kind where they don’t even realize they’re learning:
Side running along the baseline. Just shuffling their feet, giggling, racing each other.
Running backwards. This one they love because it feels silly and rebellious. But it builds coordination and spatial awareness like nothing else.
Picking up balls from one baseline and carrying them to the other side. Sounds simple, right? It builds endurance, focus, and teaches them the dimensions of the court without a single lecture.
Throwing the ball. Over the net, against the wall, to each other. Every throw builds arm strength and hand-eye coordination.
Understanding what the lines mean, what the net is for, where you stand, where you aim. Not through explanation, but through play.
Basic strength stuff. Squats, jumping, running drills. Disguised as games because that’s the only way it sticks at this age.
The key with all of this? They were excited. They wanted to do it. I didn’t have to convince them or bribe them or set up a rewards system. They ran to the court. They asked for their rackets. They urged for “one more round.”
The Real Philosophy Behind It
Here’s what I want parents to understand.
I play tennis because it brings me genuine joy. It’s not a chore. It’s not “exercise I have to do.” It’s the highlight of my day, sometimes my week. And my kids can feel that. Kids are incredibly perceptive about what brings their parents alive.
If I had approached tennis as a skill to be drilled into them, with targets and benchmarks and structured coaching from day one, they would have felt the pressure. They would have associated the sport with obligation. And they would have resisted it.
Instead, I approached it as sharing something I love. Come watch Papa play. Come hold this racket. Come run on this court. Feel the sun. Hear the ball. See how happy this makes me.
That’s what made them want to come back. Not instruction. Not classes. Not a coaching program with a monthly fee.
Joy.
They fell in love with the feeling of being on a court, of moving freely, of swinging a racket and hearing the pop when ball meets strings.
They fell in love with idea of being like their papa.. even if for a few moments, even if it is only on the Tennis Court!
And now that the love is there, the skills will follow. At their pace. In their time.
What I’d Tell a Parent Who Wants to Start
Don’t start with a class. Start with exposure.
Let your child see you play the sport. Or just be around it. Let them pick up the equipment and do whatever they want with it. No rules, no corrections, no “that’s not how you hold it.”
Buy them the right sized gear when the time feels right. Not too early, not too late. You’ll know.
Make the first few sessions on the court about running and playing, not drilling and learning.
Introduce structure slowly. And only when they’re pulling you towards it, not when you’re pushing them into it.
And the most important thing? Make sure YOU enjoy it. If you’re stressed about their progress, if you’re comparing them to other kids, if you’re treating it like another item on the parenting checklist, they will sense that. And the magic will die.
This isn’t about raising the next Djokovic. It’s about giving your child the gift of falling in love with movement, with effort, with a sport that could stay with them for life.
That’s all it takes. Start small. Stay patient. Let joy lead.
💬 Let’s Redefine “Smart Parenting”
We’re Pankhuri and Ishan, parents to twin toddlers. At Life of PI Square, we believe parenting is easy when you trust your children and start at the right time.
Want to learn more?
Follow our journey on Instagram @lifeofpisquare and explore our approach to raising confident, independent kids at lifeofpisquare.com