For almost 50 years, tennis has been a huge part of Paul Fox's life.
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The tennis coach first picked up a racquet at the age of 16 and has pretty much played consistently since.
The only time he had an extended break from the game was when he received life-changing news in the late 2000s.
"Probably 12 and a half years ago, I got esophageal cancer," Fox said.
"I didn't get a good prognosis about living and since that time I just wanted to get fit again and I think that was the only reason why I'm still around because I tolerated all the chemo and all the big operations that I had.
"They've taken out two thirds of my stomach and four inches of my oesophagus."
It took Fox about two years to "get over" all the surgeries and treatments.
Nowadays, he has to watch what he eats and keep an eye on his blood sugar levels but he says: "Basically, I'm fully recovered you would probably say."
He started on the circuit "about five years ago" to challenge himself and Fox said he's hitting the ball better than he was 12 years ago.
"I just wanted to get back into life. I just wanted to see how I could push myself, I guess," Fox said on joining the seniors circuit.
On the weekend, he was one of 70 players competing at the West Tamworth Tennis Club Seniors Tournament.
Along with playing in the tournament, the trip to Tamworth gives Fox a chance to catch up with his son Tim who lives in town.
This year was his second time competing in Tamworth after he won a couple of events in 2020.
This time around Fox was going "not as good" but he still enjoyed himself.
"People from here came to our seniors tournament about two weeks ago and we're reciprocating by sending a few of our players over here. We've all had a great time," Fox said.
The number of entrants at the 2021 West Tamworth Tennis Club Seniors Tournament were the best they've been "in a long time" with 70 players putting their names down to compete.
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Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
