Hi and thanks in advance for consuming my content!
I’m Mel Kenny, a writer and brand strategist based in Brooklyn. I came up in media in the 2010s—before social media’s inflection point—writing about fashion and pop culture at Oyster magazine. I’ve been a for-hire writer and consultant for fifteen years.
Today, my day job is mostly developing verbal identity for various direct-to-consumer brands, and other stuff that can be filed under the broad umbrella of strategy. But! Hard Hitting is a receptacle for me to write critically about my favorite thing that can’t be added to cart: tennis.
I learned to play tennis at 7, competed across the state, quit as a teenager once I discovered boys and alcohol, and returned in the pandemic like so many others.
There’s a lot of writing about pro tennis. This is—for the most part—not that. I cover recreational tennis and the pursuits, fixations, and frustrations of the everyperson.
Despite the gaps in my resume, tennis is my biggest commitment in life, probably. If time invested correlated with consistent skill, I wouldn’t need this newsletter.
The sick sad truth is I’m sometimes pretty good, and other times, wild and unruly and spectacularly bad. I’ll think I’ve worked out a kink, only to excruciatingly revert back to the erroneous thing the next time I play. If I were to plot these ups and downs on a graph, we would quickly see me for what I am:
Consistently inconsistent
In my defense, this affliction is shared by many longtime recreational players. We’re embroiled in niggling error cycles, though hopeful for the day it all comes good.
I’m here to disclose all my technical shortcomings and descend into various spirals, with the hopes I’ll emerge a better player and that you might, too. If you’re looking for a good place to start, I’d recommend this existential confessional.
If you’re into any or all of this
…becoming a (free or paid) subscriber is of course a gorgeous way to be an ally. Simply hearting a post is cool too. Sharing one with a friend? Also cool! I usually make coffee at home but balls I gotta buy, so leaving a tip here is another option <3
Other places to find me/ my work
I write a column for Racquet mag called ‘See You In Court’.
Recent essays for Refinery29 here
I am of course on Instagram
A meme thing I started 10+ years ago, Tiny Gentle Asians
