By Colleen Kane
Enquirer staff writer

After watching Wimbledon last weekend, you've become certain that you're the next Maria Sharapova (even though you have a few years on the 17-year-old), and have decided to devote your life to proving it. Or maybe instead of beating the best of the tennis world, you'd be happy just to take that cocky sibling or friend down a notch.

Either way, you're going to need a place to practice, and before you drop hundreds of dollars on the sport, you want to make sure you have some shred of hand-eye coordination. The Greater Cincinnati tennis community knows where you can get started.

"The line the USTA uses is that it's a game of a lifetime," said Bill Lofgren of Queen City Racquet and Fitness Club. "You can start playing at 8 or 9 years and play until you're 80 or 90. It's fun at every level, and it's very easy to learn."

Karen Montavon, tennis director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, estimates between 8,000 and 10,000 people are involved in CRC's tournaments, leagues, camps and lessons throughout the year. Lofgren said his club is one of the largest in the area with about 3,000 members.

And people can find places to play all over Greater Cincinnati. The CRC lists more than 100 outdoor public courts that are available, almost all without court fees. TennisWelcomeCenter.com, a Web site designed to help newcomers get started in tennis, lists 28 Cincinnati facilities that welcome first-time tennis players. And Montavon said there are at least 13 private indoor facilities in the area that can keep you playing all year long.

How do you know what place is best for you?

Montavon said beginners probably want to start at local recreation centers, such as those in Blue Ash, Wyoming or Evendale. Parks and grassroots programs like that tend to be cheaper and offer many public programs. But their biggest downside is that they're open only during warm weather, while most of the clubs run year-round.

Brett DeCurtins, president of the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association and head pro at Beechmont Racquet Club, said the most important factors in choosing a tennis program are to make sure it has beginner lessons and that its teaching pros are certified.

Also, pick the club nearest to you because you'll "be more likely to play on a regular basis," Lofgren said. He recommends one of the 10 commercial indoor facilities in the area, many of which offer discounts on beginners' lessons through the Tennis Welcome Center.

"Typically, tennis is a very inexpensive game to play," Lofgren said. "A commercial tennis club might sound like a country club, but really it's closer to what you would pay to go bowling. ... Some people who haven't played before get intimidated by the clubs and think they need special clothes or equipment. But it's very friendly and very easy to get started."

DeCurtins estimates you can get a good tennis base for around $100. Rackets cost anywhere from $15 to $80, although you might want to hold off on buying one until after you've attended lessons and consulted your teaching pro. Group lessons run from $10 to $20 an hour, and many require you to commit to a specified number of lessons. Individual lessons can cost $35 to $60, depending on the pro, DeCurtins said. But the good news is that just six lessons should get a newcomer's tennis game up and running.

"That's a good foundation," DeCurtins said. "At that point, they can go out and play singles and doubles with other people."

Being competitive in tournaments, however, could take up to a year, depending on the person.

"I think it depends on the age, the athletic ability and the time commitment they want to put into it," DeCurtins said.

If you get hooked, you can join a club full time for $400 to $500 a year, with the added opportunity to be involved in interclub play, Montavon said. After that, you're on your way to playing like a pro. Or at least pretending to play like one.

E-mail ckane@enquirer.com