Everyone has a story. There is always something unique in everyone and wherever they are going. The way I see it, tennis is a complete vessel of connections, travel, and discovery. Without the sport, it would have been a whole other world. Because of it, curiosity and playfulness has developed, constantly looking for improvements, and feeling confident that anything is possible.
School was never able to provide the self-esteem or purpose as much as traveling for tournaments or trainings did (at least for me). As a player, getting picked up by what were “older strangers” to my friends were actually coaches that were working with me. Thankfully, I had those coaches around in my past. They were the ones who were there to pick me up, knock more sense into me (in a different way than my parents), and definitely showed me a different kind of love on the court, which to this day, I still remember. Now having transitioned into “coaching,” or in other words just being in tennis, has profoundly impacted the way I approach the world around. It gives a whole other meaning to expression.
As tennis is a very self-centered sport, your ego develops. The ego is a sense of self, your concept of who you are and how you fit in the grand scheme of things. This is where the focus is enjoyment. Fun is not by default the goal, but the byproduct. And it’s the number one reason kids and adults alike continue in playing the sport. And let’s be real, after everything that has happened in 2020, it’s the best, most fun, self-focused isolating sport there is.
Not only does tennis give me immense happiness, but I have also created some pretty amazing friendships in the midst of it. And here I am on the court, traveling, loving the process, loving the journey, and loving the game.
