Undergraduate / 'tennis was not just a sport to me' - self-confidence and sense of self through UC [4]

Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Tennis has infused in me determination and perseverance. Coming from a family of tennis players, this mentality has been passed on from my grandfather to my father to me and has become an integral part of my self-identity.

During a match, a tennis player not only has to think about hand-eye coordination but also to keep their emotions in check. Tennis has molded me into a more disciplined and confident individual. One personally eye-opening match was when I played against a nationally ranked senior.

I had begged my coach for a chance to play singles, meaning I would face my opponent alone. While warming up, I scrutinized her every move, searching for a flaw or weakness. Every time my opponent hit the ball, she would fill the courts with a cacophony of her grunting and her racket making contact with the ball. Where she had power, I had consistency and her air of indifference towards this match told me that she was overconfident.

At the beginning of the match, my coach's prediction that I was not meant to be a singles player because I lacked the mentality to withstand the pressure on court was correct. I was losing 4-0. I calmed my trembling fingers as I served for the last set. I tried to remember what I had noticed about her style of playing. I realized that instead of changing my playing style to fit hers, I should stick with my own, consistent way of returning the ball.

Upon changing my tactics, her returns began to feel different, almost hesitant. Slowly, I made my way back up until the score was 6-6, a tie. We played for a total of three hours and I had to win by two games before winning the match. Not only did I gain self-confidence in my skills but I also learned to be independent. In the end, the match boiled down to my mental strength and not to the preconceived expectations set by my team and coach.

Over the years, I realized that tennis was not just a sport to me, but rather an experience that I could expand upon and use in my daily life. For example, by holding onto my own playing style, I understood that even in daily life, maintaining my sense of self instead of constantly trying to mold to that of others helped me retain my self-identity. Even if there's no one in the world cheering me on, I need not listen to them because I control my own destiny.