Athlete of the Week

Birgit Berry has been living on Longboat Key for eight years, and during that time she has become quite the tennis-lover. Berry, originally from Connecticut, plays tennis at the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center and enjoys not only the exercise aspect of tennis but also the social connections. ***Check out the video below!***

How often do you play tennis?
Lately I’ve been playing tennis every day. I love it. I play in the morning … sometimes I play twice a day. I try to play as often as I can. I really enjoy it. It’s my exercise, my sport and it’s a lot of fun. And, it’s a social game as well.

What are your strengths?
The best part of my game is probably my steadiness in playing. I usually play forehand — I love to rally.

What skill do you want to improve?
What I need to practice more is to be a little bit more aggressive. Get to the net. Stay close to the net.

What’s the best advice that you’ve received?
I’ve gotten many good tips here … consistency, of course, is the key word in playing. So I try to play consistently. The other thing is to not rush my shots, be careful and take my time when hitting. There are so many things I go through before I play that sometimes it’s all too late until I hit the ball!

Contact Rachel S. O'Hara at [email protected].