Tennis Starts with Love
In the Beginning...
I have been playing tennis since I was 10 years old. When I first stepped onto the court,
I was intimidated by other kids by age who had been playing since they were about 4.
I didn’t even know what a forehand was! I played on and off until 12, when I moved schools
to Hawken in Cleveland, OH. At Hawken Middle School we were required to play two seasons of
sports, so I chose to play tennis in the fall. Playing with a team introduced me to the
competitive side of the sport, which motivated me to work harder and learn new techniques.
During the season, the tennis girls become like a family. We practice together,
work out together, and create lots of new inside jokes. Often someone will bring speakers
and we put in our favorite playlist for practice. I have continued playing tennis
throughout high school and have participated in tournaments and round robins
outside of school. Here is a picture of me with my tennis friends:
Off the Court
A lot of my favorite tennis memories have been off the court.
This past season our team had to drive out to the middle of nowhere for a match, 2 hours
from our school. The match took forever because we had some close games and it was already
7 by the time we finished. On the way back to the highway, one girl spotted a Starbucks
and shouted at our coach Marla, emergency Starbucks stop!!! Our coach
cut across two lanes and pulled into the Starbucks, where we all piled out, sweaty and in
uniforms. The people in the shop must have thought we looked crazy, but we all ordered huge
sugary drinks anyway before hopping back in the van and driving home.
On the Court
Part of why I love tennis is because while we are a team off court,
on the court as a singles player I can get completely in the zone.
I play first singles so I am often in competitive matches where the
difference between a win or a loss is mental strength. When I'm playing a
match, I try to ignore the score and focus on each point. Usually halfway
through the first set I start getting in the zone , where all I
see is the ball. I'm not thinking, not worrying about the math test tomorrow
or what's for dinner, just watching the ball spin and hitting it back.
When the movement becomes almost mechanical yet smooth, I feel more relaxed
than ever.
Want to learn more about the game? Anyone can try it out! Tennis is great for all types of people and you can play it at any age.
Learn about the fundamentals of tennis here .
Want to go back to the beginning of my tennis journey? Click here