Tennis was Sylvia Rodriguez’s first sport when she was in high school. It is a delightful hobby for her.
Sylvia Rodriguez’s passion for tennis is so intense that her husband, Mike, refers to her as “Mrs. Tennis.”
“I like the fact that you can compete at your own level, that you can meet new people and just get exercise in fresh air and have fun,” said Sylvia of the Village of Mallory Square.
She not only plays tennis twice a week in The Villages, but she also has several tennis-related knickknacks in her home and has attended major tennis tournaments throughout the world, including the French Open and Australian Open. Mike stated, “She’s a Pro.”
Sylvia began playing tennis while she was a senior in high school in Hamburg, New York. Sylvia explained that she noticed students at her school playing tennis and decided to take up a racket and give it a try with her sister and classmates.
“We had fun. We just went out, and we played,” she said.
Sylvia’s passion for tennis hasn’t waned, and she’s observed that it keeps her fit.
She used to play for fun in school and then quit, but she picked it up again in her 30s and continued to do so when she came to The Villages.
“I think she is a very good tennis player,” Mike said.
She has previously played in The Villages Senior Games, winning one silver and two bronze medals in the Senior Games’ doubles tennis competitions.
She now primarily plays for leisure.
She plays tennis with the Canal Street Tennis Ladies on Mondays at Canal Street Recreation Center. She plays with another group at Glenview Champions Tennis Club on Wednesdays.
For the past five years, Jean Creef of the Village of Liberty Park has been playing tennis with Sylvia and the Canal Street Tennis Ladies.
“She’s a very good player,” Creef said. “She thinks on the court. She has a strategy (on) how she is going to play the ball. “
Tennis, according to Sylvia, has kept her healthy.
“I feel that it has kept me active, and I am able to move,” Sylvia said. “I think I move better because I am keeping myself going, and it’s just good to be able to say, ‘Here I am still playing tennis.’’’
Tennis has helped her stay in better shape as she has gotten older, she claims. She plays with people her age or older, and they, too, are able to move around effortlessly thanks to tennis and other hobbies, as per Sylvia.
Mike refers to Sylvia as “Mrs. Tennis” because tennis is such a big part of her life.
Tennis wine glasses, tennis refrigerator magnets, tennis ball wine corks and various books on tennis players are among her tennis-related souvenirs at home. She also wears tennis jewelry, such as tennis ball earrings, whenever she plays.
When Sylvia watches TV, she usually does so to watch tennis. She’s also attended various Grand Slam tournaments, including the French Open, US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon, where she witnessed several live tennis events.
“I would definitely like to go to more tournaments,” she said.