Starting Out: Just Swinging Wildly
Remember my first tennis lesson? Total disaster. Grabbed some cheap racket from Walmart, wore sneakers more holes than rubber. Coach pointed at the court lines. “That white stuff? Don’t step on it.” Didn’t even know that rule. Whacked balls like trying to kill flies – half flew backward over the fence. Missed so many swings my arm felt like overcooked spaghetti next day.
Grinding Through the Awkward Phase
Showed up daily looking like a drowned rat. Rain? Still swung. Sunburn peeling? Kept chasing balls. Wore through three pairs of shoes that summer. My palm blistered so bad the racket grip turned rusty brown. Fixed three things religiously:
- Footwork: Drilled ladder exercises till legs cramped
- Serving: Threw 200 serves each morning before school
- Patience: Counted to 3 before hitting – stopped wild slaps
That Tournament Tipping Point
Entered some local juniors tourney expecting humiliation. Lost first set 6-0. Crowd started packing bags. Felt sweat dripping into my eyes between points – suddenly remembered coach yelling “FLOAT YOUR FEET!” during drills. Stopped planting like statue. Started gliding. Dropped my shoulders. Next thing? Won second set. Crowd sat back down. Third set felt like climbing Everest with toothache but grabbed match point with a lob shot even surprised me.
Champion Mindset Cemented
After that comeback? Everything clicked different. Didn’t care about trophies anymore – just fixing weaknesses. Obsessed over:
- Film sessions: Watched match recordings while eating cereal
- Mind games: Hummed songs during tense points to stay calm
- Injury avoidance: Stretched religiously even during Netflix
Final match of states? Opponent crumbled under pressure serves. Match ball came slow-mo. Smashed crosscourt winner. Crowd roared. Realized my shoes were untied whole time.
