If there is one area that iPhone games are lacking, it is the sports genre. Every single game that comes out is some iteration of a tap defense, puzzle, card, etc. I needs me some sports. Real Tennis 2009 attempts to break into this overlooked arena, and falls a little short in doing so. The game has an impressive selection of players. They are obvious knock-offs from the real players, but that is expected as there is no way they could afford to pay Roger Federer for his likeness. There is also a variety of surfaces to play on, game modes, and online play. This game sounds like an ace, so why is it a double fault?

The controls here are not good. As you can see from the picture above, the D-pad is on the screen and the button to the right is used for ball striking. Ball striking, hehe, is not the issue as the button’s functionality is spot on. Moving your player around the court is a chore. Moving back and forth is difficult, but moving from front court to back is a disaster. You lightly tap on the D-pad and your player darts to the left. Darts. Now 90% of the right court is wide open. Guess where the incoming shot is going? If you can get near the ball, you have a great chance of winning the point. Unfortunately, you will lose most matches not because you missed shots or had poor returns, but because the player was just so far out of position. This games needs a control update and then I would recommend it to any tennis fan. Until then, I’d let this one bounce by.