The love for sport runs deep within the RISE family. One of the most popular sports among our crew is tennis - to watch and to play!

Last summer we sponsored WTA players at the Connecticut Open (check out our booth and team picture here!), and this winter we are sponsoring the New York Open to continue fueling our love of the sport.

We asked a couple of our teammates to share a bit about their love for the game and how RISE factors into our play:

There is something very refreshing to a tennis player when they pick up their racquet for the first time when they haven’t played in a while. Could be a week hiatus, a month or even a year...when you grip the racquet it slides back in the palm of your hand, like a warm cozy glove from the winter before. An extension of your arm as you effortlessly glide across the court - that’s how I feel. Maybe not always effortlessly for this momma AKA secret closet tennis pro wannabe... what helps my game tremendously though, and what quenches my thirst with the same refresher, is a RISE Nitro Cold Brew. In the summer months I’m an “Original Black with a dash of almond milk” athlete. In the colder months I reach for my Oat Milk Latte to give me that same burst of energy and drive, but with the warm idea of winter. You see - even a cold coffee by RISE gives you the same idea of warm and fuzzy. But in a light, clean energized way, so that I’m still on point for my game and don’t feel that heavy, groggy feeling that lattes typically make me feel...

And as ‘a secret closet tennis pro wannabe’ I also love watching the game. When my son came home to tell me he was learning about Australia at school, my first response was “great, well we must watch the Australian Open this week to learn more...and of course I will be drinking a RISE when I do!

Growing up in Chicago, I remember the first few times my dad brought me to the local courts. Initially, he didn’t let me participate - which turns out to be a great parenting trick to get your 10-year-old really interested in something! Sometime thereafter, thankfully, he relented. I received my first racket and was instantly hooked.

Quickly graduating from small rallies with my dad to lessons at the local club, tennis became a focal point of my middle school and early high school years. I played tournaments all around the country, earned a national rank, got whopped by a few guys that now play on TV and made the cut for NYU’s team. Tennis offered not only great exercise but a whole network of close personal friends and, post college, professional connections.

Today, I no longer play as frequently. Court time in Manhattan is hard to come by and crazy expensive. I expend my greatest energy towards helping build RISE. But on the few lucky occasions where I can play, nothing gets me more energized than a can of Original Black. Whereas the bubbles of carbonated energy drinks make me feel bloated and sluggish, RISE is smooth, highly caffeinated and delicious. It’s pure, natural caffeine without a looming sugar crash. It makes me think I might even win a point off some of the pros that we sponsor!

I feel the need to address this from a different perspective. My name is Eric, and I’m in Brand Development at RISE Brewing Co. and I’m writing this from the mind of an athlete who was never able to master tennis, no, simply perform at an acceptable level. Because of this, I had no right ever being on the tennis court, unless I was playing “soccer tennis” (Wesleyan University Summer Soccer Camp 2004 put ‘em up 🖐🤚🖐🤚). By the way - I still coach soccer two nights a week, and RISE is an amazing coach and parent pick-me-up on nights and weekends - but I digress...

Now, don’t get me wrong; I tried. I tried to respect the sacred sport of tennis, but I was bad. Really, really bad. I would play, every summer, at Holiday Hill Day Camp, and tennis was one of those sports they made every kid play. It was one of those fancy camps. Anyways, to say I was awful, would be an insult to all the other kids who were just awful. I’m not unathletic by any means. I played soccer my entire life at a fairly high level. I just could not grasp the sport on any basis.

All this, and I still have not gotten to the point ... to me, tennis players are other-worldly in more ways than one. They have to be physically athletic; both as agile as an NFL Wide Receiver and possess the endurance of an Ethiopian marathon runner. They need to be intelligent and have the ingenuity of an engineer, the poise of a brain surgeon, and the fearlessness of a Marine. All of these characteristics rolled into one makes up a tennis player. Then you have the best, who are able to express themselves, like a form of art, on the court. It makes for an amazing spectacle and I’ll forever respect all of the qualities it takes to be a great tennis player.

In reflection, I view the sport of tennis as noble and packed with grace. As my jumbled thoughts come to a close, I’ll admit I’m looking forward to the tournaments that RISE is sponsoring and most importantly, I admire each and every athlete for their commitment to their craft, and what it takes to be amazing.

I have never been a power tennis player, but I have always loved how social it is. My experience with tennis is mostly in the form of paddle tennis - typically in a doubles set with my parents and whoever is lucky (or unlucky!) enough to be the fourth. I’m typically the weakest on the court (when you only get out on the court a few times a year, it’s hard to get practice, after all!). That said - it’s all about the fun, the laughter - and, if I’m honest, it’s great practice for me to be patient with myself (as I’m such a competitive person, it’s hard to be the weakest one out there!). More recently, tennis has also been a game that brings my in-laws together. Like Ryan, my husband was a serious tennis player in high school, and we love to get out on the court with his younger siblings and parents.

What I love about professional sports is the collective effervescence of the experience - all of the fans out there, rooting for the players, enjoying their friends and family, and getting caught up in the spirit of the game. Getting to drink RISE and celebrate RISE at the games has only added to it - we’re out there hustling, practicing our pitch, and giving this company our all. And the players are doing the same in their game - and it’s awesome to watch, experience, and be a part of it all.

Growing up, the sport I most excelled at and understood was soccer.  It wasn’t tennis - in fact, I was so confused by the rules: love, deuce, set, game, etc. that I tried to steer clear of the sport until I couldn’t avoid it any longer. That was until one of my best friends invited me on a trip to Paris because she had won two tickets in the suite box at the French Open.

At the time, I was just excited to be going to Paris with a friend. To then have the opportunity to sit next to Roger Federer’s wife and twins while witnessing one of the greatest decorated tennis players of all time was unreal.  My friend and I laughed together at my novice questions about the rules, and how they contrasted with her undying love and expert knowledge of tennis.  Ultimately, those conversations brought us closer.

To this day, I still don’t completely understand the rules of tennis but I can confidently say that I have now grown to love the sport. Our friendship continues to be rooted in tennis experiences, whether it's attending the U.S. Open or having sleepovers and watching on TV with the fridge stocked full of cold, refreshing, RISE Nitro Cold Brew Coffee. It is the healthy fuel we use to make sure we have the energy to stay up and catch those late night and early-morning matches! Like watching tennis, the ritual of enjoying RISE during these times has become an integral part of our friendship.