Tennis is a relatively niche sport, and that means that a lot of people turn to the internet to find those who are huge fans of the game. This is a way for people to talk with other fans worldwide, and the best ones offer a good amount of insight overall.
To help avoid some of the ones that are a bit childish or inactive at the moment, these are the seven best worth checking now. Before ultimately signing up for a tennis forum or two, take a look around and read at first to get a feel for how everyone acts.
1. Talk Tennis (Tennis Warehouse Forum)
Tennis Warehouse and their message board’s unique thing is that it is linked to one of the world’s biggest retailers. Tennis Warehouse sells products from all the top companies out there right now, and most do not have a message board that is quite that active.
There is a decent amount of monitoring that some people might not love, but it is done to protect particular business interests. For example, anyone who posts leaks about new racquets or clothing coming out in the future might see the thread vanish by request from a company. On the positive side, active moderators do keep things pretty tame and organized overall.
It is also one of the best forums for learning a thing or two about tennis. There are certain sections where people will share videos, provide in-depth reviews on equipment, and so much more. There are even brand representatives who will chime in from time to time, which is great for those who might want to ask specific questions.
2. The /tennis subreddit
Part of the bigger Reddit website, the most popular subreddit that talks about all types of tennis is this one. It covers everything from the ATP/WTA tours to amateur questions. The talk begins to heat up around the slams, but that is a pretty active subreddit overall throughout the year.
One complaint that some people have about the subreddit is that there is a ton of talk revolving around the current big three on the ATP Tour. Indeed, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic are all talked about quite a bit every single day, but other players get there due from time to time as well.
This is one of the best subreddits to find some trending news and videos that might go viral that is loosely based on tennis as well. Some people are more casual fans, and that is exactly what they are looking for. Monitors are not as strict as Tennis Warehouse, so take a look around first before picking sides. Some might like a little more freedom, but there is the drawback of having to deal with annoying off-topic threads as well.
3. Tennisforum.com
The tennis community at Tennisforum.com is still very active, and there are some true, passionate fans of the game, encouraging people to participate in conversations. It is sometimes a little intimidating to join a new forum, since there are many people who can be snarky towards new people, but that never seems to be the case at Tennisforum.com.
Like any message board, there is a fair share of pretty standard places for discussion. However, some people take the time to do a lot of research and post exciting topics that a person will not find elsewhere. There also seem to be many teaching pros on the board willing to provide some tips people can use on the court.
4. Tennisplayer.net
The activity on Tennisplayer.net might not be as great as some of the others out there, but John Yandell runs the message board and shares tips and information with readers as well. It is meant for the player, but also the fan. Players can ask questions and get help from someone who has been around tennis for a while, or they can simply discuss what they want to about professional tennis.
It heats up a lot around the grand slams, but people will also chime in from time to time throughout the year. There is still a pretty active user base, but do not expect questions to be answered extremely quickly compared to some of the other options out there.
5. Talk About Tennis Forums
Talk About Tennis forums allow people to get the type of coverage and information they are looking for in one spot. Whether it is professional tennis or those who play recreationally, there are plenty of sections that allow people to talk about anything they want. It is also pretty active in other sports and even world news from time to time.
One of the cool things about Talk about Tennis is that they often run contests during the four majors. This allows people to stay competitive and try to predict who might win and who might have success in the major. All in all, it offers a pretty active area for people to feel welcome and ask questions along the way.
6. Menstennisforums.com
Since launching in 2002, menstennisforum.com has stayed pretty much the same as time goes on. It is still a very active community, even if the forum’s setup is a little stuck in the past. However, people are not exactly looking for flashy designs in order to get information on tennis.
As the name implies, this is a forum focused on men’s tennis at different levels. Whether a person wants to talk about the ATP tour or some of the best college teams in the United States, it is a great way to get information. It really provides some updated information for those people who might not be able to watch certain matches, as they will do some dedicated match threads from time to time.
There are still WTA fans n the site and some discussion occasionally, but it does seem like the talk heavily leans on the men’s game. Keep that in mind if looking for more WTA-friendly content.
7. YouTube comment sections under instructional and match videos
Some people might look at this as a bit of a stretch as far as forums are concerned, but the comment section on YouTube can sometimes be very informational. Sure, there are plenty of videos that have a bunch of useless comments underneath. Still, the more professional channels have some pretty good conversations that people can learn from and interact with other fans.
The appeal to exploring YouTube is, of course, watching the video that comes with the comments. Again, it mostly depends on the topic of the video that is there. If it is a technical video with a teaching pro giving tips, the discussions are usually pretty informative. If it is a video throwing hate towards players, the comments section might be a bit toxic. Browse with caution, but there are some great discussions out there that rival any traditional message boards.
