Personal Narrative: How Tennis Has Affected My Life
1115 Words5 Pages
Throughout my life, I have been exposed to many different activities and experiences, all of which helped shape the person I am. However, one of the most important activities in my life, an activity to which I was serendipitously introduced many years ago, is tennis. It has given me countless opportunities and has taught me many life lessons that I would not otherwise have experienced. Many lasting friendships and memories were created as a result, as well. As I reflect back on the degree to which tennis has affected my being, I am in awe. For without it, I would be a completely different person. Let me start from the beginning: the point in time in which I was introduced to tennis. I was in the first quarter of my seventh grade year in middle…show more content… In my latter high school years, I was a veteran tennis player, with many tournament victories and a plethora of match experience. Regardless, I occasionally let fear impede my success on the court. One particularly cruel hardship I faced was in the middle of my senior year. I was playing excellent tennis in the months leading up to the high school season, and I continued to play well for the first couple of matches. However, the day before I had to play against a person who, although I knew I was better than, had lost in a major tournament the previous year. Fear and self-doubt crept into my mind, and I played the worst quality tennis, physically unable to hit the ball properly. In the weeks following that match, I, quite literally, forgot how to play tennis, letting apprehension and anxiety completely control my mind and body. This experience was devastating, not only due to the fact that I could not control my own mind, but also because I was letting others down. They, as well as I, knew of what I was capable; such self-induced failure was demoralizing. Somehow, however, I fought through this tumultuous experience and regained myself, producing some of the best tennis of my life at the end of the high school season. Looking back on this experience, I learned to never doubt myself and always remain confident in my