A ‘love all’ for life: 85-year-old shows nothing is impossible

By Amitabh Sharma

One’s eyes were transfixed at the tennis court where people were hitting seamless backhand shots, some running around playing volleys, others training on perfecting their game. Among the agile youngsters, and the young at heart, was a gentleman in his tennis gear, gingerly holding the racquet with both hands and gently swinging it as the trainer lobbed tennis balls at him.

This elderly gentleman wasn’t as agile as the younger tennis enthusiasts, he stood at one spot and swung his bat. He, though, was attentive and watched the ball coming in his direction to take a swing at it.

Dennis, one later got to know, is 85 years ‘young’, a retired banker, widower and picked up tennis after his wife of 52 years recently passed.

“Tennis is not just a game for me,” he said. “It is a part of my life, since my wife passed, and my children are living their lives. I am an ‘empty nester’ and a game of tennis is where I get to socialize, meet new people … and of course … flex my muscles.”

Interestingly, he started playing tennis after retirement. He always loved the game, watched every major tournament, from the era of Björn Borg to Raphael Nadal, he’s followed tennis intently. But life just happened – between his demanding job responsibilities, raising his family, Dennis didn’t get a chance to set foot on a tennis court.

When most of his peers were shifting their gears to a slower pace of life, Dennis decided, despite his stiff knee joints and blurry eyesight, to move on a higher gear.

At first, his friends thought he was joking. “Winston, tennis? You sure you don’t mean dominoes?” they’d laugh. Even his grown children raised an eyebrow at the notion of their parent trying a physically intensive sport. But Dennis was undeterred. He bought a used racket from a colleague, dusted his sneakers, put on the sporty gear and headed for the tennis court.

It was an uphill task at the beginning, watching his younger peers throwing backhands, zipping from one end of the court to the other made him freeze. But his coach was understanding and patient, lobbing the tennis balls gently as Dennis hit them back.

It was a struggle, as much as tennis looked easy from a distance, it required a whole lot of agility and stamina. Dennis failed to hit most of the balls thrown at him, not to mention the aches and pains and creaking joints.

But, Dennis was determined, slowly but surely he became better in his game … after a few months, he was given a court where he could practice and play … it has been christened ‘Dennis Court’ (pun intended).

Over the months, Dennis shared, playing tennis has given him a stronger heart, more supple joints and improved his reflexes – but more importantly the game has given him a purpose in life. “This is something I look forward to,” he said. “I didn’t know how playing a sport is physically and mentally refreshing.”

He has become a permanent fixture at the courts.

“He is an inspiration to us all,” said Nicole, a banker in her 40s. “I want to be like him when I grow up!”

And Dennis is one who is a living example of the adage … ‘age is but a number’ … and as Jamaicans would say “Big up mi yute” … (this expression requires no translation we believe)

(The column Postcard from Jamaica appears every Wednesday.)

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