Princess Kate’s love of tennis is well-documented. Not only does she regularly attend Wimbledon, she’s also patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and has even taken to the court with tennis pro Emma Radacanu.
The Princess of Wales has even ignited a love of the racquet sport in her oldest son, Prince George, so what is it that makes the royal love tennis so much? Remind yourself of the best royal Wimbledon moments of all time below…
As well as being incredible for your fitness (more on that later), Princess Kate’s passion for the sport could be down to how much she watches it.
“When watching someone doing something that you think looks great or they look great doing it, you are likely to imagine yourself doing that same activity. You may feel even more motivated and inspired to try it.” explains psychotherapist Naomi Magnus, who is working with Joules.
If you felt compelled to don your whites and grab a racquet after watching Zendaya’s sensationally sexy tennis film, Challengers, you’ll understand why watching the sport makes you want to try.
“Feeling motivated after watching a movie or seeing someone doing something you think looks enjoyable is connected to the idea of modelling,” explains Naomi.
“Modelling is where we copy how human beings learn and how we pick up new habits and new ways of being and this is how culture gets transmitted. So, next time you are watching a sports-inspired movie don’t be surprised if you feel the sudden urge to deck yourself out in head-to-toe tennis whites ready to become the next Serena Williams.”
Toning tennis
Of course, Princess Kate also likely loves tennis for its fitness-supporting properties.
“Tennis is a physically demanding sport that requires strength, agility, and endurance,” confirms personal trainer Amanda Place, who founded healthy living up Sculptrition. “Training like a tennis player not only helps you build strength and endurance but also improves your overall athletic performance,” she adds.
“Tennis players rely on their upper body strength for powerful serves and precise shots,” she continues, and hitting tennis balls with force will help strengthen Princess Kate’s arms, while dashing about the court will boost her overall fitness, too.
READ: Why Princess Kate was once forced to miss Wimbledon
“[By playing tennis] you can experience benefits such as increased cardiovascular endurance, agility, lower body strength, core stability, upper body strength, agility, and reaction time,” Amanda says.
Tim Benjamin of audio fitness app WithU agrees on the benefits of tennis, explaining: “Tennis based-workouts are a great way of developing all-around fitness: cardio, speed, agility and balance.
Tim compares tennis to HIIT, due to the short, sharp, movements that are used to move around the tennis court. “They are a great way to improve cardio and lung capacity.”
Here’s hoping Princess Kate is feeling well enough to play some tennis this summer.