please point out if there are any grammatical errors or any points which should be added/omitted. is the essay good??????
"The biggest fear is fear itself."
I do not know where I heard these words or when.
But they were engraved in my mind through out the warm up. I had to fight the fear.
This was the first time I made it so far in a tennis tournament. Just one step to the finals and two to the under-14 city title. For me it was a double battle, one on the court and another in my mind.
My opponent was one of the top players in the city and seeded number one in the tournament. I had played against her twice before and lost both times. But that had only made me more determined to train harder and improve my game.
So here I was, better than the last time, more trained, more experienced. I knew I could win this time. Yet, in a corner of my mind there was a fear - a fear that I was still not good enough, a fear of losing. And this fear kept pulling me back from doing my best.
During the first hour, as desperately as I tried I could not clinch even a single game. It was the same thing over and over again. The game would be tied at deuce and then the fear would rear its ugly head. I would get so conscious about winning that I would always hold back and try to keep it safe. This would only result in another game lost.
The score was 4-0. During the break, I decided that it was now or never. Defeating the fear had become more important than the game itself. The next game started. Again, a deuce. Again, the fear. I pushed it away and just concentrated on the ball. This time, there was no holding back. And I got the game!
There was no time to celebrate though. 4-1. I needed 5 more games for the set and the match. The fear was still trying to push me down. But I pushed back. 4-4. The score got tied. 4-5. One game lead. Deuce. Match point.
The fear returned. But this time, it was not so huge. I just ignored it. The result? Game. Set. Match. I won the final match and the title too.
Now, the fear materializes time and again. It is always waiting to pounce whenever I have a hard task at hand or I am trying something new. But I just look past it. And then slowly, it just shrivels up and disappears, just like in the tennis match that day.
"The biggest fear is fear itself."
I do not know where I heard these words or when.
But they were engraved in my mind through out the warm up. I had to fight the fear.
This was the first time I made it so far in a tennis tournament. Just one step to the finals and two to the under-14 city title. For me it was a double battle, one on the court and another in my mind.
My opponent was one of the top players in the city and seeded number one in the tournament. I had played against her twice before and lost both times. But that had only made me more determined to train harder and improve my game.
So here I was, better than the last time, more trained, more experienced. I knew I could win this time. Yet, in a corner of my mind there was a fear - a fear that I was still not good enough, a fear of losing. And this fear kept pulling me back from doing my best.
During the first hour, as desperately as I tried I could not clinch even a single game. It was the same thing over and over again. The game would be tied at deuce and then the fear would rear its ugly head. I would get so conscious about winning that I would always hold back and try to keep it safe. This would only result in another game lost.
The score was 4-0. During the break, I decided that it was now or never. Defeating the fear had become more important than the game itself. The next game started. Again, a deuce. Again, the fear. I pushed it away and just concentrated on the ball. This time, there was no holding back. And I got the game!
There was no time to celebrate though. 4-1. I needed 5 more games for the set and the match. The fear was still trying to push me down. But I pushed back. 4-4. The score got tied. 4-5. One game lead. Deuce. Match point.
The fear returned. But this time, it was not so huge. I just ignored it. The result? Game. Set. Match. I won the final match and the title too.
Now, the fear materializes time and again. It is always waiting to pounce whenever I have a hard task at hand or I am trying something new. But I just look past it. And then slowly, it just shrivels up and disappears, just like in the tennis match that day.
