My teenage feel in tennis

Tennis was really life to me for most of my teenage life. I suppose everyone who played this sport since young would have ever dreamed, or even thought, of becoming a tennis professional, or at least representing their country. It is this immense satisfaction that you get from hitting a perfect shot at that sweet spot that makes it so addictive. There is a need to play every single day to get the endorphin level rocketing high.

Winning a game, a match or a tournament is a whole different thing. It is rather the effort that you put into training that really matters. The whole experience since starting tennis at the age of 12 has been really a major part of who I am today. Tennis, without realising it, moulded me and put in the personalities that came along with myself. It sounds really cynical, but then, here it is: the power of tennis.

My life has totally changed since I picked up my Wilson junior tennis racket, my first of the only two types of racket I have ever possessed. Both Wilson of course. I started putting real effort into tennis when I could hit the ball the way I wanted. Initially, I cannot deny that it got really annoying when I kept missing shots. Persevere...and soon later, with greater self-determination, I constantly tried to better myself.

It has then verged into what some people say, an obssession. This might sound quite extreme, but one has to experience the withdrawal effects of not playing for a single day, before judging this statement. There is a need to play, as everyday is different after all. Like education, it's a never-ending learning process. It's really a matter of how much practice one gets to be a good player. Of course, I really wanted so much to master my strokes.

Sadly speaking, I didn't get to be as good as I wished I was. I only got to a stage where I could represent Brunei in 2 Borneo Games (Sarawak and Sabah) and a few ITF tournaments. Even so, I didn't reach that far after all. It is true that there were local tournaments which I ever won. I really enjoy the satisfaction of all the experiences and the trophies I brought home.

Thinking back, there was also this point when I was really thinking about not studying so much, but going into a tennis school somewhere. But now, I reckoned that it was that sudden burst that made me think that way. It was really persisting in my head that tennis is the thing to do. Luckily, I was realistic enough to know what my priorities are. After watching the movie Coach Carter, I could somehow relate my experience to it. It is really worth watching, more so it is such an inspirational film.

I know many out there had or are facing the strong and deep feeling of playing tennis for life. I cannot deny that some may even feel a greater impact than me. I really understand how it feels. It is a sad fact that it is simply too hard to make a living out of their passion in tennis. Not many can make it. But to those who still can, continue struggling for it! So, the issue of overrating or overpaying tennis players is not that contraversial after all.

Coach Carter sends out a clear, pragmatic message: make education the priority and sports are really just co-curricular activities. It is realistically the right thing to do actually. Like basketball, it doesn't just take talents to play tennis. It takes more than talents. Even hard work alone is not enough to put one into the real tennis world.

Richard Williams has actually taken a similar approach in developing the Williams sisters: they had to score A grades to be able to even train. This is something to learn. Venus and Serena are currently pursuing their degree at the same time. This is not a discouragement to those who are fighting hard to play tennis. Instead, it is somehow a wake-up call: one needs to achieve a certain requirement or even sacrifice some things to play tennis. For me that time, it was sacrificing my sleeping and some of my socialising times, so that I was able to play as much tennis as I wanted, and yet maintained my grades in school. Not easy at all!

Having said that, I gained a lot from the whole experience. I call it "learning it the hard way". Yes...I wasn't able to break through into the battleground of tennis. But I have certainly became a fighter and believer through the game. I have stayed motivated and know my goals in life.

Before ending, here's a quote from the movie to ponder upon:

"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

(a quote from Marianne Williamson)