The local tennis community emphasizes the health benefits of sport during the national tennis month

Greenville, NC (Witn) – For many, playing tennis may be just a fun hobby or a form of movement, but sport has more than just physical advantages.

According to the US tennis association or Usta, 25.7 million people play tennis nationwide.

Like many sports, the Usta reports that tennis can improve the coordination of hand eyes, motor skills and physical endurance. However, the National Library of Medicine says that sport can also strengthen its brain, which leads to a cognitive decline and dementia.

Karen Barondes, a tennis player of the Baywood Racquet Club, says: “I took it up at the age of 35. I have had the challenge for over 20 years. I love to be outside. I have met some incredible people. I love the strategies in doubles and it is super fun, sporty, stops on her ledes.”

Since players and coaches celebrate May as a national tennis month, the tennis community reminds people of the health benefits of sport, both physically and mentally.

Kevin Brandalik, tennis director of the Baywood Racquet Club, said to Wit: “You get the cardio that everyone wants. People go and run. I also think one of the great things that people forget is the emotional and mental side. They interact with people; they work with a teammate.”

“It's just a fun game and a thinking game, although many people may not think of this,” says Barondes.

The National Library of Medicine reports that more than 55 million people worldwide live with dementia, and this number is expected to reach 78 to 139 million by 2030 and 2050.

While the NLM says that there is no curative treatment for dementia, the NLM writes physical activity as a preventive measure, whereby tennis is cited to increase brain health.

Brandalik says: “You say that nowadays a new study came out that states that tennis is a good sport to compensate for Alzheimer's and even a mental illness what is a wonderful thing. If you have to do on the pitch on your own if you don't have a trainer with you to handle them, how to go through, there is no better sport.”

Regardless of the level of life in which you are in, the tennis community encourages others to make it a swing.

“It is really a family sport. You can play from 5 to 95,” said Brandalik to Witn.

Barondes also says: “It's a fun time, and I hope that I can do it for more than 20 years and beyond.”

There are lessons for all age groups in the east. Some are Baywood Racquet Club, River Birch Tennis Center as well as Greenville Recreation and Parks.

To find the full article of the National Library of Medicine about Tennis and Alzheimer's, visit here.

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