I am a HUGE fan of this series now thanks to the anime. It really is an excellent series. Eiichiro is really a great protagonist and it's fun to watch him grow in his abilities.
Also, in the second season the matches get INTENSE. I was on the edge of my seat for all of them. And I was never interested in tennis when I started this! Now I'll probably watch some events. What can I say, my interests in baseball, football and basketball were all inspired by manga and anime, so looks like I'll just add this to the pile.
I recommend the manga too. I find it a bit easier than other shonen series to read, but my eyes definitely glaze over at the analysis talk. I've never been downright confused though. And this is coming from a ~N4 student. But it's extremely easy to follow along with the games as basically everything that's important technique-wise are loan words in katakana. They even announce the scores and end game in facsimile English.
Just read/watch it.
Also, in the second season the matches get INTENSE. I was on the edge of my seat for all of them. And I was never interested in tennis when I started this! Now I'll probably watch some events. What can I say, my interests in baseball, football and basketball were all inspired by manga and anime, so looks like I'll just add this to the pile.
I recommend the manga too. I find it a bit easier than other shonen series to read, but my eyes definitely glaze over at the analysis talk. I've never been downright confused though. And this is coming from a ~N4 student. But it's extremely easy to follow along with the games as basically everything that's important technique-wise are loan words in katakana. They even announce the scores and end game in facsimile English.
Just read/watch it.