"I came to tennis late, awkward and for reasons that had very little to do with the sport itself," writes 'The Island Club' author Nicola Harrison The first time I picked up a racket was under mild duress. It was October 2020 and I had just moved from Manhattan, N.Y. to Manhattan Beach, Calif. We were deep in the COVID-19 pandemic and I knew it would be a long time before I'd be around people long enough, or comfortably enough, to start making friends.