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I am sending an email to a friend/mentor. We have the same interest in tennis and during our past conversation, we said we would like to play together one day.

Is it ok to say "I am looking forward to our tennis battle"? anything wrong with the wording?

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    You're looking for match.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Nov 25, 2014 at 22:05
  • I know. But just want to put a bit sense of humor. Don't know if using "battle" is too much.
    – Jane Zeng
    Commented Nov 25, 2014 at 22:06
  • Oh yeah, as a little joke it's fine!
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Nov 25, 2014 at 22:08
  • If your friend is a native speaker and knows that you are not, (s)he will probably not get the joke, but rather think you just didn’t know the right word. If you want to make sure that (s)he gets that it’s meant to be humoristic, you can say, “Looking forward to battling it out on the tennis court with you” instead. That cannot be misunderstood as simply not knowing the right word.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Nov 25, 2014 at 22:12

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A battle sounds aggressive rather than humorous. How about duel, match-up, or showdown.

The late, great Howard Cosell used to come up with rhyming (or assonant) descriptions like "The Rumble in the Jungle" and "The Thrilla in Manila" -- they are actually funnier because they are a bit labored. Where is your match to be held?

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