Hitting With Alex Tan

Hitting With is a portrait series where we meet friends of the Palmes Tennis Society who share our love for tennis while excelling in their creative field. Today, we hit with LA-based creative director Alex Tan at his local tennis court and at his newly opened spot, cafe-bar hybrid space of Café Tondo, photographed by Jack Bool. Follow Alex and explore more of his work here.

What initially got you into tennis?

I took a few lessons as a kid and would occasionally hit with my dad, but I was much more interested in football. It was a good time to fall in love with FC Barcelona. I spent most of my adolescence playing competitively, and tennis more or less disappeared from my life.

Years later, after tearing my hamstring playing in a recreational football league in LA, I picked up a racquet again. I’ve played at least three times a week since the beginning of 2022.

And what made you stick with it?

I’m enamored by the journey of tennis and everything it takes to improve, both mentally and physically. As adults, we don’t get many opportunities to be bad at something, much less willingly put ourselves in situations where we might fail. I think that’s a healthy dynamic to make space for in your life.

What's the best and worst thing about your game?

I get the most compliments on my forehand and footwork. My serve tends to surprise opponents, too. My volleys still find the net no matter how many instructional videos I watch, and it takes about three times longer to find my backhand than my forehand.

But generally, the worst part of my game is consistency. I’ve come a long way in the patience department, but I’m still tempted to rip it every chance I get.

What has tennis taught you on and off court?

What feels increasingly true across life, work, and being on court is balancing effort without forcing the outcome. Swinging faster is less important than staying loose. Working harder is less important than working on the right thing. It’s easy to get caught going nowhere fast.

Does the visuals of tennis influence your graphic work in any way?

Most of my work is contextual, so what inspires me depends on the problem we’re trying to solve. What I find interesting about tennis is how layered its visual culture has become.

Because it’s a sport that celebrates individuals rather than teams, there’s an incredible range of personalities, playing styles, and expressions of personal taste. From the way players dress to the way they move, everyone develops their own visual language. The reference points within tennis feel endless and it still feels like I’m discovering something new each day.

It seems that a lot of creatives are into tennis. Why do you think this is?

There may not be a more creative sport when you really break it down. Tennis is an endless exercise in experimentation, problem-solving, and adaptation. Every opponent presents a different puzzle, and every player develops their own way of solving it.

Even the smallest decisions become forms of personal expression, from the racquet and strings you choose to your technique, playing style, and temperament. There are a million ways to play this game, and no two players ever do it quite the same way.

On court Alex wears: Logo Pique Polo in White with Logo Shorts in Dark Green and Logo Pique Polo in Dark Green with Ball Sweatpants .

Off court Alex wears: Deuce Oxford Shirt in Blue Stripe with Lucien Ripstop Trousers in Charcoal and Coarse Trousers in Black with Cotton Knit Polo in Off-White.