What to text on Hinge when she says she's back into tennis

A line like getting back into tennis after ten years off tells you she has a before and an after. Someone who stopped and started again usually has a reason for both, and that reason is the most interesting thing in the message. Did she play at school, in a club, with a partner who left? You don't need to dig for it, but the gap is where the real story sits.

The self-deprecating bit about her backhand is a signal too. She's inviting you to be a little warm about her being imperfect, not to rate her skill. Take the invitation lightly. She's showing you she doesn't need to look polished, which is useful information about how she likes to be talked to.

Getting back into something is an ongoing project, so the present tense matters. She's not telling you about a past hobby, she's telling you what she's doing this month. That means a question about how it's going this week will land better than a question about her childhood.

Pay attention to whether she mentions where she plays, who with, or how often. A line like I've been going to the public courts on Sundays gives you a place and a routine. Those are concrete hooks, and people usually enjoy talking about routines they're building.

When you send matters almost as much as what you send. A tennis message sent during her likely free hours, usually the late afternoon or the evening after a workday, reads as a conversation. The same message sent at midnight can read as filler, or as you being bored.

If she replies within a few hours, match her rhythm and keep going while the topic is warm. If she doesn't reply for a day or two, don't follow up with a second tennis joke. Wait until the next natural hook, like a weekend plan or a new thing you noticed, and let the thread come back to her.