Question for You: What Led You into Tennis?

As a writer, it’s easy for me to babble on about my thoughts and ideas. But the most important part of writing is listening and taking in what the people who make the comments have to say.

So here is my question to you: What made you like tennis? Was it because you were just flipping through the channels and stumbled upon a tennis match and became interested? Or do your family members play tennis?

There are so many possibilities as to how we get ourselves into things, and I want to know your tale of how tennis became a part of your life.

To share, here is my story:

The first time I saw a tennis match was back in 2004. My father was flipping through the channels when we landed on NBC’s live broadcast of the Wimbledon women's final. Serena Williams versus Maria Sharapova.

It wasn’t three minutes 'til I said, “What a boring sport! It’s so easy! All you have to do is put the ball over the net.”  If I had known then when I know now, I would be on the WTA Tour playing in Wimbledon myself, but alas, that is not how things work in this complicated universe.

It wasn’t until six years ago in March that tennis happened to fall into my life again. My childhood friend called me one day and said that he had a special coupon that was given to him from the tennis club he played at. The coupon stated that he could bring a non-member to play in a group lesson for free. I mulled it over for a few minutes and decided accept the invitation. Why not? I was completely new to the tennis world and I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.

I went down to the courts and tried to mimic the other kids in my group. In the end, I had a lot of fun and decided that tennis would be a fun sport to learn.

The next time I went for a lesson, I wanted to give up. I wiffed every single ball and my confidence was waning faster than Superman saving Lois from a devastating death. I cried the entire way home, moaning to my mother. When we got home, she sat me down and gave me a long talking to. She said that I should play tennis to make new friends and just to do some sort of athletic sport besides equestrianism.

I wasn’t very happy about the idea but with that push, I tried again.

Now, six years later, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without tennis. It would be dull, that’s for sure. But after something like that has happened in your life, it makes you wonder and take things more into consideration.

I know it’s just a sport and that I shouldn’t get so philosophical about it, but it means a lot me. It has helped me to gain so much experience, not just in the sport but in life as well. I have learned I need to stand up for myself and become more independent.

Another important thing that tennis has brought is the friends that I have made along the way. I can’t imagine not knowing the ladies on my tennis teams, the guys and gals at the club and my best-in-the-world coach.

I want to be on the WTA Tour. That is my aspiration, and I don’t care if people say I started too late in the game. I am going to fight and work like a dog to get what I want. Even if I don’t succeed, I would still be happy I tried.

So after this perpetual blather, I would like to know your story. Say what you like and what you feel. I am very curious as to how you got into the sport. We writers may create our own output, but the readers (other tennis lovers) are our real critics.

Whether you play tennis or just like it as a spectator, I thank you for supporting the game and for coming on these kinds of tennis pages to read our work and sharing your own opinions. Thank you!