Louis Desmarteaux says he doesn’t know why he has always been so interested in tennis, but says that he has a lot of respect for the sport, and for anyone who picks up a racquet to play it.
“It takes a lot of physical strength in order to play,” Louis Desmarteaux says, “and I guess I have always appreciated a good challenge.”
Louis Desmarteaux began developing his tennis skills at an early age. He eventually became a pro player, and is rated Level 1 by the United States Tennis Association. Louis Desmarteaux has competed in the Hampshire Hills Men’s Open and the Waterville Valley Men’s Open, among many other tournaments.
As Louis Desmarteaux observed, tennis takes a lot of physical strength, and it burns a lot of calories. And that makes tennis one of the best activities you can choose for keeping in shape. Tennis, first and foremost, gets your body moving, and that is good for both the body and the mind.
Experts say that people who play tennis for just three hours every week, and at a moderately vigorous intensity level, cut their risk of premature death from any cause in half. That was the conclusion of an internationally recognized exercise authority who studied more than ten thousand people over a twenty year period.
Tennis players also score higher in vigor, optimism, and self-esteem than non-tennis players, and they score lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety, and tension than do non-players. Furthermore, scientists at the University of Illinois say playing tennis may generate new connections between nerves in the brain. This can promote lifelong brain development. The reason for this is that, as Louis Desmarteaux knows, is that tennis requires alertness and tactical thinking, which is really good for mental acuity.
All that gets ratcheted up several degrees when the test subjects are competitive players like Louis Desmarteaux. Playing tennis at that level burns more calories than aerobic exercises or cycling, according to studies in calorie burning.
There may be other sports that can equal tennis in providing excellent health benefits, and some which can provide mental and emotional growth. But no sport except for tennis has ever been hailed by all disciplines as one that develops great benefits physically, mentally and emotionally.
“I have worked hard since as long as I could remember to become the best tennis player I can possibly be,” Louis Desmarteaux says today. He has also found a sport that will provide him with many years of excellent health.