So, I have a little confession to make. That’s right! A confession. If you are a criminal you can ‘confess’ your crime to the police. Just like Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov did in Crime and Punishment. I feel a little bit like a ‘social criminal’. At a time when more and more people in Minsk are using the hashtag # stayathome, I decided to continue playing tennis.
Over the last six months I have always looked forward to my tennis on Tuesday evenings. I’m not a very good player and my overall level of fitness is terrible, but that doesn’t matter, I still enjoy playing. I suppose having some kind of physical exercise once a week is a thousand times better than zero times a week!
I used to play quite a lot of tennis when I was a teenager. Well, from the age of 13 to 16, to be more precise. It seems to me that tennis in this part of the world is seen as an elite sport, a sport for the rich. Well, this in my impression anyway. In one of my English classes a few years ago, I still remember a heated debate over which sport was more expensive: hockey or tennis. However, this is not so much the case in England. I’m not saying tennis is a “people’s sport” in the UK, but it is more accessible than here, in my opinion.
Rent for an indoor court in Minsk is about $20 for 1 hour and for an outdoor court it is around $10. However, in my native city of Birmingham, there were quite a few outdoor tennis courts available to use for free. All you needed was a tennis racquet and some balls. So, quite often, me and my friends would meet up at the local court and play for a couple of hours. It was possible for working-class children to play tennis. We were self-taught (this probably explains why I have terrible technique).
Playing tennis regularly again has been really enjoyable. Even when my ball goes out or hits the net, it is still a positive experience. This is why I didn’t want to stay at home. I can understand some criticism for being selfish. I’m not worried about myself and more concerned if I have the virus at the moment and then pass it on to somebody. I feel 100% healthy, but experts say it can takes a few days before you show symptoms. However, should we just stop everything? What if the treatment is worse than the disease? In other words, what if the paracetamol tablet is worse than the headache itself?
I do wash my hands regularly and take less trips to the shop but I still go out sometimes.
Having said all this, I don’t think I will play next Tuesday. I twisted my ankle 5 minutes before the end of the game and now I can’t run properly!