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Tag: tennis tournament

  • Lessons Learned Playing Tennis

    lessons learned playing tennis

    People often call tennis a lifelong sport. I can tell you that so far, it has been a lifelong sport for me. There are literally pictures of me as a baby next to a tennis racket. It was bigger than me at the time. When I first started walking, I would wander around the tennis court while my dad would hit with my mom. And here we are twenty two years later and I’m still hanging around the tennis court. I’ve learned a lot playing tennis, and in my recent match in a tournament, I was reminded of something really important. 

    Playing in juniors and high school was stressful for me. I felt like there was always an absurd amount of pressure for me to perform well at all times. My coaches, including my dad were always good to me, but I could just feel this competitiveness and urge for perfection always. It doesn’t help that I’m a perfectionist either. If someone else wasn’t pushing me, I was. I put a lot of pressure on myself to always be improving and always be perfect. That was really hard to maintain and I think I suffered in a lot of ways. I became frustrated easily and discouraged if I went on a losing streak. 

    In high school, I had been working with a coach for a while and he picked up on my spiraling and tension pretty quick. One of the biggest things I could take away from him was that if you’re not having fun on the court, then you shouldn’t be playing tennis. I’m not in a life or death situation on the court. I’m not playing for money (but even if I was, I shouldn’t beat myself up so bad!). I’m playing for myself to enjoy a sport I care a lot about. So, the most important thing is to let go of any frustration or anger or tension because in the grand scheme of things, tennis is a hobby. It may mean a lot to me, but it is not a lifestyle or anything extreme. It is a passion of mine and it should be treated as such! 

    It’s kinda funny to look back on my high school tennis career. I qualified for state my first three years and then I just missed it senior year. I was absolutely devastated. But, I kept playing. Practically the second I graduated from high school, it was as if a massive weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I think it wasn’t even a month or two after high school finished, and I was hitting with another one of my coaches and she asked me what had changed. Apparently I looked much more relaxed on the court. I looked free! She was right too. I had realized that competition is great and all, but the key to really improving and enjoying the sport was to have fun. When I stopped worrying about every little thing and the competition and the things I can’t control, I was a totally different tennis player.

    This mentality has helped me immensely as I’ve come into the adult tennis world. I’m still competitive and I still want to win, don’t get me wrong. I still want to get as good as I can, but at this point, it’s all just to see how far I can go, move my body, and have fun!! If tennis is a sport that I’d like to pursue the rest of my life, I sure as heck better have fun doing it. 

    So, the lesson to be learned here: be kind to yourself and remember that your passions are your PASSIONS for a reason. You love what you’re doing and it’s supposed to be fun. Keep it that way!! Have a great week. 

  • Revealing the True Colors of Your Opponent

    For the past few months, I’ve played in a lot of tournaments and seen all kinds of tennis players. Along with those tennis players, came a variety of personalities and attitudes. One thing that frustrates me about some tennis players is their lack of self-control, class, and sportsmanship.

    It’s hard to understand why some girls appear as sweet and friendly when they’re up and turn into jerks when they lose a game or even a single point. As soon as your opponent pulls out their claws, you know you’re in for as show. They start yelling at themselves, hitting themselves, abusing their racket, and using profane language. They lose all sense of control and even begin making bad line calls. They might even start questioning your calls.

    This can be hard to cope with on the court, especially when you’re winning. It can be difficult to keep yourself optimistic when your opponent is acting like an animal. When I played a girl like that in the past few weeks, I struggled to keep the anger that was building inside of me contained. I was able to because I was disciplined and had class, but that wasn’t the case for the girl on the other side of the net. While I may have been winning for a while, I let her ridiculous actions get the best of me and had the match slip from my hands. So what.

    A lesson came from that match and it is something I’ll never forget. Regardless of the outcome, I know I outclassed her and acted like one should on the court. If your opponent begins acting like a monster, ignore it, be yourself, and kill them with kindness. Allow your opponent to dig themselves a hole and self-destruct. Never let that kind of silliness get to you. When you play your best and ignore your opponent’s actions, you’re going to succeed.

    Just remember this, play with class. If you choose to lose self-control and respect for your opponent and yourself, remove the “c” and the “l” and now see what you are.

    revealing the true colors of your opponent and tennis