I haven't played a tennis game since Virtual Tennis in the arcades. I may have played the home version for the Dreamcast, and a couple of rounds of Mario Tennis, but that's pretty much where my tennis experience stops. A whole three weeks after release, I finally got my hands on the revival of simulation tennis games, in Topspin 2k25. Though I do find it fun, it's a bit challenging. So I have some words of wisdom, based on my own experience. You can find the full review here.
This is not a pick up and play experience. This is also not the Tennis you remember. The amount of different shots and volleys, and even the serves are completely revamped in this game. If you go in without the training modes, you're going to get frustrated. The customization module is pretty good, but know that you will be spending virtual currency if you're into that sort of thing. There's also 2k's version of a battle pass, to unlock more rewards. Finally, online play is quick and easy, and will tell you if you or your opponent has a bad connection, so you can blame all your terrible play on that, even though we know the truth.
If you want to watch a completely blind starter playthrough of the game, you can watch below. I do feel with a lot of practice, you'll be serving up opponents in no time, but that time may take an hour or two. Or three in my case. I got beat down by three opponents quicker than you can say "advantage". They showed no love. I guess I shouldn't have played people on the interNET until John McEnroe taught me all the things. I'm also out of Tennis jokes. Enjoy.
