When it comes to sports video games, tennis doesn’t tend to produce classics.
Perhaps it’s because you can’t pick and build your team. You cannot employ tactics; it’s just a case of hitting a ball over a net and hoping your opponent doesn’t get it back to you. The first video games were loosely based on tennis; Pong was a simple back-and-forth game that thrilled people back in the seventies. It’s considered such a classic that CNN reports a home Pong prototype recently sold for $270,000. That’s an awful lot for a video game.
Tennis might not seem the most attractive of games to play on a console, but it is enthralling in real life. Summer sees the third of four Grand Slam tournaments take place, and arguably one of the most famous. Wimbledon captures headlines around the world, and this year is no different. There are no ranking points in the competition this summer thanks to the expulsion of Russian competitors, and as always, there’s a British hope for a title. Emma Raducanu is among the favourites in the Coral tennis betting odds to take the women’s singles title after winning last year’s US Open. She’s a poster girl for the game right now, like Gabriella Sabatini and Anna Kournikova were once. With pop star looks and real ability, they inspire tennis fans.
That inspiration often leads to people wishing to emulate their heroes on video games. Let’s face it; few of us are fit enough to play tennis to a good standard, but perhaps if we find a video game, we too can lift the Wimbledon title? As we’ve explored, there are few really good tennis titles out there, but there are some worth investigating.
Here are three of the best tennis games, all perfect for quenching your tennis thirst this summer.
Matchpoint – Tennis Championships (2022)
It’s always tough to judge new games by old standards; titles we know were good fifteen years ago are, simply because of the age, not going to be as good as their modern rivals. It’s like asking Steffi Graf to play Emma Raducanu today and expecting Graf to win. Therefore, the latest tennis game on current generation consoles, such as the PlayStation 5, must be among the best. Graphically, it’s better than any game that has come before, but we can’t tell you much more because it’s not out until July. That still makes it the perfect fit for your summer tennis session.
Top Spin 4 (2011)
If you’re so impatient you can’t wait for the latest release, then Top Spin 4 is the game for you. It dropped on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and delivered some of the best gameplay on home consoles. Even today, it stands up to modern games, and whilst the roster is outdated (Raducanu was nine when it was released), it is still a great game. There is a modern spiritual successor, Tennis World Tour, but the 2018 release just doesn’t quite achieve the same levels of playability.
Virtua Tennis 2 (2001)
Graphically, Virtua Tennis 2 is a long way behind modern titles. It came out on PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast, and it certainly shows its age in terms of how it looks. However, the fundamentals of tennis are simple, as shown in 1972 with Pong, and Virtua Tennis captures those perfectly. It handles like a dream, on clay or grass, and has just enough features to feel modern, such as a slice shot. What’s remarkable is you can play as the Williams sisters, who can still be found on court today.
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