the Steeply–Poutrincourt colloquy: what the sport actually demands of a body
which are the agility, the reflexes, the short-range speed, the balance, some coordination between the hand and the eye, and very much endurance. Some strength, with particular importance for the male. But all these are achievable by the period of puberty, for some.
Context
Poutrincourt gives the body-spec straight from sports science: "the agility, the reflexes, the short-range speed, the balance, some coordination between the hand and the eye, and very much endurance," plus "some strength." The striking part is the last clause — "all these are achievable by the period of puberty." Unlike hockey or football, top tennis needs nothing a gifted adolescent body doesn't already have, which is exactly why the sport can consume children: the physical instrument is ready years before the person is.