How to Become a Tennis Player

Backhand. Forehand. Serve. Mind.

These are the four main things needed to succeed and most of all have fun in the sport of tennis. You play soccer for 5 long years on a team that didn't speak to you for a week after failing to make a save as the goalie in one of the biggest games in your team's season. Having your father be one of the basketball coaches was not the greatest idea to begin with, but you endure 2 years with that. Karate was fun, however, and it taught you discipline as well as getting you into shape. So what's the problem? Desire. You are about to give hope on sports, but then your mom takes you to Sportime over in Roslyn to learn tennis. There is instant chemistry between you and the racquet. The instructor tells your mom, "they are made for each other."

A few weeks later, you are introduced to your first coach, Ralph. He makes you laugh uncontrollably and has a certain quality that puts you at ease and makes you tense simultaneously. He's a devoted individual who loves what he does. On occasion, your personalities clash and you go through your ups and downs throughout the years together. Fast forward over a decade later and you've grown so much as both a tennis player as well as a human being. At 37, Ralph still has a certain youthful energy about him and as you've grown older the conversations have become more mature and personal. He's not just a coach, he's a brother, a father and you are so better off from having him in your life. He tells you what you don't want to hear because he cares. He's a loyal, strong, and true individual.

You're past the point of grip changes, tinkering, how high your toss should be, how high the ball should be over the net and so on. The games stops becoming one of mechanics, but rather a game of minds. It's inevitable that you face pressure in a match, or in any sport for that matter, but it's what separates the legends from the amateurs on how one deals with it. Do you choke or crack under pressure? Or do you believe in yourself and your game to produce the goods? Emotions are illogical quite frankly and so when we are able to control our mental and emotional state and we possess confidence then beautiful things can happen. You still struggle with this for you expect too much of yourself. You briefly saw yourself on lawns of Wimbledon competing for the championship or at the U.S. Open being given a 5 minute standing ovation for all your years of service to the fans like Andre Agassi, but that dream has died unfortunately. However, the game will always be a part of your life because you love it. You are very cautious with that word "love" but you don't hesitate when it comes to tennis. Keep on playing.