I am a busy mother of two and never had much thought of or time for exercising. However once I took up tennis a few months back, I became hooked and now really love the sport. After going through the growing pains of learning tennis, I hope to share a few tips to encourage other new tennis players out there:

1) Just abandon all fear, and have passion and enjoyment when playing. Initially there were long moments of discouragement. But after many lessons I now enjoy all my lessons, and look forward to ffurther improving my forehand, backhand and serve...

2) Do initially find a qualified Singapore tennis coach so that you can properly learn the basics. The number of lessons you need to become proficient enough to play socially varies from person to person. Look towards getting bout 10 - 20 individual lessons and you should be in good shape for social matches. Normally, you should go for a qualified tennis coach i.e. someone with a Singapore Sports Council (SSC) level 1 coaching certification at the very least. Typically, these coaches played at club or national levels before and would have the right experience and relevant skills to advise you.

3) Find a group of friends with a similar passion for tennis, and meet them until you have a regular game going.

4) Observe the top players on television or at the courts, and learn from them. I enjoy watching my son's coach teaching him. I would take notes mentally, and try to replicate the strokes or outwit my opponent the next time I am on the court.

5) Should seek advice to buy the correct tennis racquet and to have optimal string tension. I am fortunate to have a tennis playing husband who helped me pick the correct racquet. Expensive racquets do not translate to better strokes. But a suitable racquet plus correct string tensions are most important.

6) Finally, perhaps the most important tip to share with you is: no matter what be relaxed and just enjoy your game. Have fun on the court :)