Every January comes and scores of people resolve to finally start using their gym memberships, to learn Italian for that summer dream trip, to pick up knitting so they can make everybody’s holiday gifts next year, or to cut back (if not completely out) their favorite food.

But why? That all sounds like nothing more than self-inflicted punishment. And the overwhelming majority of resolutions are ditched before January is even up anyway. Here at Court Theory, we’re focused on happiness and love of tennis for the upcoming year. So, here are some New Year’s tennis resolutions designed to bring you joy, style, and achievement on the court and beyond for 2025.

Go See Live Tennis

You don’t have to travel all the way to Roland-Garros — or even Indian Wells or the Miami Open — to have a great time (although it certainly doesn’t hurt). There’s an incredible amount of tennis we don’t even think about that’s just a car or train ride away.

Check out a nearby ATP Challenger event or a WTA 125 tournament. An entire level of pro tennis that many people don’t even know about awaits fans like you; the ITF hosts dozens of men’s and women’s events filled with incredible up-and-comers and held in smaller cities the main tour doesn’t reach. And, if those aren’t an option, think about high school, college, and USTA team tennis in and around your town.

Get outside. Meet new people. Cheer for the underdog. It will build your tennis community and do your tennis soul some good.

Find a New Fave

If you’re still recovering from your favorite player retiring in 2024, this might sound harsh — but it’s time to move on. Listen, we know how hard it is. There are still people struggling to get over all of Bjorn Borg’s retirements. But tennis is meant to be enjoyed. And what better way to convert that melancholy emptiness into new season excitement than by finding a new player to cheer on in 2025?

If you’re in the market for recommendations, try on for size 21-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the gentle giant of France who can serve bombs, smack his one-handed backhand, show soft hands at the net, and move much better than his 6’8” and 215 pound-frame would suggest. Consider Ashlyn Krueger, the 20-year-old American knocking on the door of the top 50, for her take-charge attitude which earned her wins last year over Mirra Andreeva, Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, and Caroline Garcia in addition to a third-round appearance at the U.S. Open.

Definitely take a look at Robin Montgomery, the 20-year-old Washington, DC native, for the competitive mentality we all wish we had; add on top of that her wicked leftiness, booming serve, and all-around court sense. If problem-solvers are more your speed, watch 20-year-old Alex Michelsen for a huge serve and a beautiful backhand, yes, but also his gamer’s mentality earned him wins over Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur last year.

And what happens if your new pick doesn’t size up to your recent retiree? That’s okay. They can’t possibly fill that void. But you can still enjoy the newcomers and get a fresh outlook on a post-[insert retiree’s name] tennis life.

Buy Some Tennis Art

Whether you love tennis courts in the landscape, capturing a historic moment, or a bit of tennis whimsy, starting — or adding to — a tennis art collection is a wonderful thing to do for yourself this year.

Perhaps this collage print by Catalan artist Març Rabal or David Foster Wallace wallpaper print at Racquet magazine would work well above your tennis-watching perch. Or maybe these historic images of players like Helen Wills and Arthur Ashe or New Yorker and Vogue magazine covers from the Condé Nast archives are more your speed. And, for those of you who have no wall space left, consider The Tennis Court by photographer Nick Pachelli.

Whatever you choose, there’s a reminder that tennis reaches well beyond a thing we do — it’s an aesthetic for daily life.

Read a Biography

Without a doubt, you’ll love tennis a little more this year if you spend some quality time with a few of the best tennis books that have ever been put in print. In 2025, here at Court Theory HQ we resolve to (re)read more tennis biographies and memoirs. At the top of the list are Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson by Sally H. Jacobs, The Circuit by Rowan Ricardo Phillips, and Levels of The Game by John McPhee.

You may have read the memoirs or biographies of your favorite players, but have you ever read similar works of their rivals? Whew, that can give you some perspective on your faves. If you’re interested in a duel, try Hana by Hana Mandlikova and Passing Shots by Pam Shriver. Or go with A Champion’s Mind by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi’s Open.

Show Some Grace

It’s a lesson we should have learned long ago. But in a world where quick reactions on social media are rewarded with attention, we’ve become ever faster and harsher with our criticism of pro tennis players.

Let us remember they are real human beings with real feelings and real struggles. Let us remember the damage that thunderous booing did to Naomi Osaka for simply having won her first major, the scarlet letter Vika Azarenka was forced to wear for a decade when she suffered a panic attack during the 2013 Australian Open, and the real reason Nick Kyrgios wore a compression sleeve on his right arm.

Without a doubt, there are actors and actions deserving of our criticism. Let’s just make sure our words are fitting for the offense. Doing so isn’t just for them. It’s for us, too.

Make Your Strengths Even Stronger

In previous years, you may have resolved to build up a weak backhand or to finally get out of your comfort zone on the baseline and into the net. But in a sport that is incredibly difficult to master, forget all of that and go all-in to make your weapons even bigger in 2025.

Are you on the cusp of becoming a servebot? Make it a reality! Do you already absolutely blister forehand down-the-line winners? Why not add in an inside-out forehand, too? Do you have the hands of a surgeon? More drop shots!

There’s no doubt you already get great satisfaction from executing your favorite shots perfectly, so make them even more unbeatable by improving them a little more. As for the shots that are dragging you down, don’t dwell on them — just let them be more of a long-term project.