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Call this the X-games of tennis. Or maybe it’s the sandy alternative to the clay court.

In any case, beach tennis – a cross between badminton and beach volleyball – is the nation’s newest summer sport, with an increasing number of people slamming a depressurized tennis ball over a volleyball net, hoping it lands in the in-bounds sand.

While there are no Williams sisters or Roger Federers- at least not yet – since the sport’s introduction to the U.S., more than 25,000 people have played official beach tennis, according to Beach Tennis USA. Approaching its fourth season, organizers say its popularity continues to grow.

“It’s a simple but beautiful game,” says Marc Altheim, commissioner for Beach Tennis USA, who introduced the sport to the U.S. in 2005. “It’s easy to learn and easy to play. It’s a good alternative to regular tennis.”

Beach tennis is actually easier to pick up than traditional tennis, says Phil Whitesell, a two-time Beach Tennis USA National Men’s Champion.

“I think the hacker can pick this sport up quicker because you don’t have to worry about the bounce,” says Whitesell, the head tennis coach at College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. “A lot of times people have trouble with the bounce. Most people can get up to the net and volley and bat the ball around.”

However, the game is one small part of the beach tennis experience.

“It’s sport-tainment,” says Altheim. “We understand that these days there is an entertainment factor when people go to whether it’s a hockey game or basketball game, you hear the music playing. For our sport it works so well because of the whole beach vibe. It feels fun. You become part of the experience.”

Altheim discovered beach tennis while vacationing in Aruba in 2004. But the idea to bring beach tennis to the U.S. wasn’t born until later. He was watching beach volleyball when he had a revelation.

“I said, ‘Why not beach tennis?”‘ he said. “I decided to launch the sport in the United States. I bought a truck, hired a staff and went from Charleston, S.C., north and introduced the sport to America.”

The response has been amazing, especially since there is a burgeoning interest in alternative sports. People want something that is less serious, he says.

“We want to encourage people to play the sport and then become fans of the sport,” he says. “Hopefully, that will help us make it an Olympic sport, which is really our goal.”

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