With Wimbledon recently drawing to a close and Great Britain playing in the semi-final against Australia for the Davis Cup this September, many have been inspired to pick up a racket and find the nearest court to try their hand at tennis. But if this is the first time you've wanted to play – where do you start? Here's all you need to know about playing tennis in Birmingham...
Where to learn
If you've never played tennis before but have caught the Wimbledon bug it's definitely worth joining one of your local Tennis Clubs.
Benefits of doing so normally include discounted lessons, access to other facilities – such as an onsite gym and squash courts. Plus, if you become a member of the British Tennis Association, you have the chance to win tickets to watch Wimbledon the following year too!
Perhaps the most famous tennis club in Birmingham is the Edgbaston Priory Club. Known for its world renowned competition The Aegon Classic Birmingham, it has trained some of Britain's most promising young tennis players. Alternatively, you could try the Moseley Tennis Club, which was opened by American tennis start Melanie Oudin in 2013, or the Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society – the oldest lawn tennis club in the world!
If your enthusiasm for the sport continues into the colder months, two of the 12 courts at Sutton Coldfied Tennis Club are indoors. Just a couple of miles away is the Sutton United Tennis Club too, a club with a strong emphasis on encouraging young talent.
Where to play
If you're already a competent tennis player there are plenty of outdoor courts and other cheaper ways to get involved with the sport this summer.
In Solihull there are outdoor tennis courts in the Brueton half of Malvern and Bureton Park. Playing tennis outside is a great way to catch some summer rays and stay active, but beware: most outdoor spaces will share at least two courts in the same area at a time so be aware for tennis balls flying in from another direction!
Other outdoor tennis courts in Birmingham include Cannon Hill Park which has five courts, with three outdoor courts at Gilberstone Recreational Park in Yardley and three at Queens Park in Harborne.
Brummie Tennis Players
As the country's second biggest city, Birmingham has contributed plenty of talent to the current crop of professional tennis players from Britain.
Daniel Evans, originally from Birmingham's Hall Green, played in the semi-finals of the Zagreb Indoor Tournament in 2014 and entered the third round of the US Open in 2013.
Birmingham is also home to one of Britain's junior hopefuls, Emily Smith. Born and schooled in Sutton Coldfield, Emily began playing tennis when she was eight years old. Emily trained at the renowned Edgbaston Priory Club, and continued to do so throughout her education. In 2013 she looked set to play in the junior league at Wimbledon.
The Next Big Match
The last Grand Slam match of the season is the US Open, held across the pond in Flushing Meadows, New York. Catch the matches from August 31 to September 13 to see the likes of world number one Serena Williams headline a field of female players including Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova and, of course, Serena's sister Venus.
If you aren't quite up to Tennis, you could always scale things down for a game of ping pong instead.