Tennis is a sport of the mind. It’s also the game of life.
It teaches you how, with the loss of a point, or a choke when you’re up match
point, that you need to dust yourself off and keep going. Over the years, I’ve
realized that the lessons that I’ve learned in tennis mimic that of reality.
I’ve dealt with pressure and with pain, and realized that work ethic really is
what makes you stand out from the rest, not arrogance or the way you hit the
ball.
It’s sometimes good to look at the big picture. It is important
to see that while right now we’re worried about not winning that match, or not
hitting our forehand just right, it all about what you learn from the process
at the end. Very few of us will actually go pro. It’s time to take that into
consideration and realize that in essence, what our job is on the court is to
practice our mindset to approach both the game of tennis and the game of life.
Tennis helps us get there. It represents how we fall in real
life, and our ability to pick ourselves back up. I’ve had times where I’ve hit
my lowest low, not playing well, not winning matches, practicing so hard but
yet not reaping the benefits. There were times when I wanted to quit. I wanted
to, but I leaned on the support system I had and learned then and there that
this happens, and this is normal, and that this will heal with time. I’ve had
moments where I was winning match after match, and loving playing, and thoughts
like “How long is this going to last?” would creep into my mind, not allowing
me to enjoy the high points in my career. In retrospect, I am proud of what I
did, but in the moment, it was scary and risky. It’s the same thing in life.
I suggest every player, whether you are just starting or a
competitive player or anything in between, take time every once in a while to
reflect on what they have done with their tennis, and what they have learned,
and what they will continue to focus on and learn in the future. Know that
tennis is very similar to reality and it’s a good training for the moments that
you will inevitably cross in the future.
