Members of the West Ham United squad discuss their main hobbies away from the football pitch, explaining what sparked their interest and advising how fellow Hammers can get involved. Today, midfielder Tomáš Souček shares his love for Tennis...
What is your main hobby or interest outside of football?
Outside of football, I spend a lot of time with friends and family, as I am quite busy with football, but apart from this, I like to play tennis when possible.
How did you get into it?
I think it’s something I’ve always enjoyed since I was younger, and I even just enjoyed watching tennis. I used to play with my Dad, but now I play with many friends in the summer when I have time off, and I try to play as many times as possible, but when it's during the season, it's really tough. When I can find the time, this is the sport I want to play.
What do you like about it?
I think it's a good sport because you can stay on the move. I'm not, for example, a keen golf player because I want to move a little bit more. It's a good challenge when you play in pairs (doubles). I really like to enjoy hitting the ball, and I'm competitive, so it's good competition against other competitive friends.
Do you do it on your own or with others?
I mostly play with my teammates here and have played against Vladimír Coufal, Michail Antonio and Maxwel Cornet, and now I want to go and play against Alphonse Areola because he says he's really good, so I want to try and beat him.
Have you ever been to any big events associated with it?
I've attended Wimbledon, and late last year I went to Ultimate Tennis Showdown at the Copper Box Arena and played with Vladimír Coufal against Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur.
How much time do you spend on it outside of football?
Not a lot. I'm an amateur, and I just want to play for fun. I’ve never had any coach or anything like that. I just want to play as much as possible but with friends and have fun.
How good are you at it?
I would say at an amateur level. I am not so bad, but I would also say not very good. When I play against a good player, I normally get beaten.
How much would you recommend it to people who aren’t familiar with it?
I’d recommend it a lot. Tennis is a very tough sport because the connection with the racket and hitting the ball is not easy, so you need a lot of practice, and it takes time, but it's a very good sport. There are a lot of tennis courts nearly everywhere, so you just need to book one and have a person to play against, or you can even play in a group. It’s a really good sport, and I love it for sure.
