At the age of 5, my mother placed a tennis racket in my hand. Picture this: a 5-year-old rambunctious boy wailing an oversized racket at anything coming his way. That was me.
My mother wanted her sons to be well rounded; throughout my adolescence, she placed an emphasis on academic and athletic excellence. As I got older, I began to take lessons consistently at a local club. Lesson after lesson, I started to develop a certain fondness for the sport and sincerely enjoyed being on the tennis court. I recall hitting balls inside my living room, to my father’s disapproval, and breaking countless windows in the process.
By age 10, I began to play local tournaments. I started to win many matches, and consequently collected a plethora of trophies. Tennis, perhaps, came naturally to me and I recollect my coach telling me, “Doug, you’re quite talented and athletic. You have good feel around the court.” There was something about tennis that I really enjoyed; perhaps, it was the individual aspect of the sport that basketball or soccer did not offer or the importance of a strong mental game needed to win matches.
I continued to play local tournaments, and won a large majority of the matches that I played. As a result, I was highly ranked in the tri-state area for my age division and also nationally. I started to compete in tournaments across the United States. Many of my weekends, winter vacations, Thanksgivings were all spent in a hotel or on the road with my parents who sacrificed their time, money, and effort for my tennis -- hoping that tennis would help me in gaining admission to a prestigious college.
Things changed. When I was 15, I began to lose interest in the sport. I flirted with the idea of quitting tennis for good, as the sport caused me so much pain from losing (I began to lose frequently). This continued because I didn't practice as much as my peers did. I often asked myself the benefits of playing a sport such as tennis and what good it would do for me in the long run. There are many reasons for why I had these feelings, ranging from simply burning out to a desire to have a social life. The most obvious reason, however, was the mere fact that I could not tolerate losing. I had nobody to blame when I lost but myself.
The perfect way to characterize my relationship with tennis is: love/hate. I loved it when I won, especially when I was competing in 100-degree weather – not only battling my opponent but also battling myself (tennis is very much a mental game). However, I hated it when I lost and felt like it was the end of the world when I did. I had to learn how to cope with the highs and lows that came with sports, specifically tennis.
I firmly do believe everything happens for a reason. My erratic relationship with tennis has gotten me to the point where I am today; I am currently playing tennis at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. At the end of the day, tennis helped me get into college.
Colby’s tennis program competes in the NESCAC conference, which is arguably the strongest Division 3 conference in the country. Not to mention, Colby is a top-notch academic institution as well. Today, I have a newfound love for the sport -- a love that I reacquired at the start of my college career.
Amidst the lows, I am forever indebted to the sport of tennis and what it has given me. It has taught me lessons that have greatly shaped my character and who I am as a person. More specifically, tennis has taught me how to be resilient and the discipline to balance academics and athletics. It has also taught me how to learn from mistakes, to take risks, have a killer instinct, and the true meaning of hard work.
Throughout my tennis journey, I have also been fortunate to form lifelong friendships. I was able to meet truly amazing people that have inspired and motivated me to be not good, but great. I am forever indebted to my parents for introducing me to tennis.
Tennis is not only a passion of mine, but rather it is a way of life. After I graduate college, I hope to continue to play. Who knows where this journey will bring me? I might meet my future spouse through tennis, or I might get hired by an employer because of it.
So far, it has been one hell of a ride.
