I was about five years old when my parents took me to my first tennis lesson. I remember it as if it were yesterday, leaving practice with a smile that couldn’t be wiped off my face, like when you eat at your favorite restaurant for the very first time. As I grew older, I played in tournaments all over the country, spending the majority of my summer vacations training on the courts after school. However, as time passed, playing tennis felt like it was draining my energy, and what was once my favorite sport, became an unnecessary weight on my shoulders.
In my school, tennis wasn’t a very common sport since most of my classmates played soccer, basketball, or volleyball, which made me more eager to try one of those instead. I gave volleyball a shot, loved it for a while, then dropped out; then table tennis, then track and field, and the list goes on. In 2018, I reattempted to play tennis, yet, when I saw how behind I was compared to the other players, I became unmotivated and quit once again. By the time I reached high school, I focused on track, soccer and volleyball, so tennis faded into a distant memory from my childhood.
In the beginning of my freshman year of college, I developed a running routine at the UPRRP campus track, which is coincidentally next to the tennis courts. Every time I looked over, I felt a knot stuck in my throat, accompanied by the urge to play again. One day, after my usual running workout, I gathered enough courage and asked the tennis coach if I could join the practice. At first I was extremely nervous considering I hadn’t played in a really long time, but despite my expectations, it went wonderfully. Once I set my feet inside the court, I felt that spark inside of me light up again, one that had seemed to vanish many years ago.
The first months of training were hard. At times I felt angry, thinking if I hadn’t left the sport maybe I’d be performing at a higher level. However, I wasn’t willing to let this big opportunity slip away. After a few months, I started seeing some progress in my skills and technique, and suddenly, a possibility I’d dreamed of when I was younger didn’t seem so impossible: playing tennis in college.
The day of the tryouts was charged with many mixed emotions. Although I had low expectations for making the team, this was my chance to prove to myself that it wasn’t too late to start over; I had to give my dream of playing for la IUPI a try. A couple of months later, I got the news that I’d made the team! I couldn’t believe after so many years away from the sport, wondering what might’ve been if I hadn’t quit, I’d finally reached my goaI — showing me that hard work, perseverance, and discipline always yields results.
As for now, playing tennis feels just like it did in the beginning: a sense of joy and peace amidst all the chaos. Although at times it can be stressful to not receive the results I want, I find comfort in knowing that I rediscovered my passion for tennis; and I’m not willing to let go of it again.