Holding court: Super Senior Tennis hopes to combine fun, friends and fundamentals of the game

The appeal of picking up tennis — even at an advanced age — goes beyond physical activity.

It’s also about making connections.

That’s a significant part of the philosophy behind Super Senior Tennis, a program in its 16th year that offers lessons for people 60 years and older. The target demographic is beginners or players who are just getting back into the sport.

Holding court: Super Senior Tennis hopes to combine fun, friends and fundamentals of the game

“It’s a lifetime sport. I know people into their 90s that are still playing. It can be enjoyed at any age,” said program director Joe Felice. “I’d say about 75% of the people that get into the program did play some when they were younger and want to get back into it. There’s still some straight beginners, too.

“The neatest thing to me that has come out of this program is friendships and camaraderie that’s developed. These people, a lot of them have never met each other, and then all of a sudden they’re getting together even during and after the program. They have their own little groups that develop out of the program.”

Felice, who previously worked as the tennis pro at Albuquerque Country Club for 25 years, has been in charge of the program since 2014. He’s one of three pros, along with Wendy Thomas and Don Larrichio, who offer lessons at three separate locations: Sierra Vista West Tennis Center, Arroyo Del Oso Tennis Courts and Highpoint Sports and Wellness.

“I really try to only use certified tennis professionals (who) have a lot of experience and have experience with seniors,” Felice said.

The program costs $65 for 12 weeks. The first half consists of bi-weekly, one-hour lessons because many of the players have never picked up a racket — or at the very least, it’s been quite some time since they have.

“What I do is each lesson I concentrate on one particular stroke,” Felice said. “So we’ll start with the forehand, backhand and the volleys and then the serve and putting them all together with volleys and overhands. … Most of these people are playing doubles, so we get into actual playing situations with drills that we do. … We get into all aspects of the game through the six weeks of lessons.”

As the participants begin to separate themselves, more advanced players will be grouped together on different courts.

The program then transitions into round-robin play for the final six weeks.

During these sessions, which usually involve doubles play, teams will rotate opponents frequently, allowing them to experience different players and meet more people.

Over time, teams are matched according to their aptitude.

Having a high fitness level is not important, as sessions typically begin with stretching and a light warm-up. However, there is plenty of room for advancement, both in terms of skill and stamina.

According to Felice, one previous participant began the program weighing around 300 pounds with no prior tennis experience. Over time, he evolved to where he was playing for a United States Tennis Association national championship on one of Felice’s league teams.

“For a guy like this, a straight beginner, all of a sudden to go to a national championship, he was just so thrilled,” Felice recalled.

While not everyone will reach such lofty heights, that isn’t necessarily the primary objective. The idea is to learn something new, dust off old skills and make new friends.

“I really encourage people that think they’re a little old to get into it to get out and try it,” Felice said. “It’s amazing how much fun they can have. And it’s a good opportunity to meet other people.”