IELTS Speaking · 12

Yes, I play badminton a couple of times a week with friends at a local sports centre. In my country, football and basketball are probably the most popular, and you see people watching matches everywhere. Personally, I prefer playing rather than just watching, because being active helps me relax and clear my head after work. As a child I was quite sporty too; I used to swim in a local club and played a lot of football at school, so sport has always been a big part of my routine and my social life.

I'd like to talk about tennis, which is a sport I both play and love to watch. I started playing about five years ago when a colleague invited me to join a beginners' group, and I've been hooked ever since. These days I usually play on Saturday mornings at courts near my flat, and I follow the major tournaments like Wimbledon on television whenever they're on. When I play, it's normally with two or three friends from my old workplace, and we often grab a coffee afterwards, so it has become a nice social ritual as well as exercise. The reason I enjoy it so much is partly physical and partly mental. Physically, it's a fantastic workout because you're constantly moving, sprinting and changing direction, so I always feel energised afterwards. Mentally, I find it really absorbing, because you have to concentrate on every single point and think about tactics, like where to place the ball or how to read your opponent. That focus means I completely forget about my problems while I'm on the court. Watching professionals is enjoyable too, because their skill and the tension of close matches are genuinely thrilling. Overall, tennis suits me because it combines fitness, strategy and friendship, and I honestly can't imagine giving it up.

Some sports become more popular mainly because of tradition, media coverage and how cheap they are to play. Football, for instance, needs little equipment, so almost anyone can join in. I definitely think governments should invest in sport, because it improves public health and reduces medical costs in the long run. Technology has transformed viewing too; people now stream matches on their phones and get instant replays and statistics, which makes everything more interactive. As for salaries, I find some wages excessive, yet top athletes generate huge revenue and have very short careers, so high pay is partly justified.