Tennis: A “Love”-Hate Relationship
How did you first get into playing tennis?
My dad was a tennis pro so I grew up playing from a young age, as long as I can remember. Honestly, I can hardly remember times when I didn’t know how to play tennis. There are photos of me as a literal infant holding a tennis racket, and I started learning from my dad as soon as I could walk. It all came from a good place but it was definitely a little intense. Anyway, I tagged along with him everywhere he went and everywhere he taught so it was something that I sort of picked up over the years.
What was your favorite thing about playing tennis?
My favorite thing about playing tennis was getting to meet new people and getting to travel all over the place and going to all the cool country clubs and different tennis facilities. It was interesting to explore that part of the world.
What do you dislike about tennis?
It can get monotonous, practicing constantly. It’s very competitive, which caused a lot of mental stress. When you’re playing a match, it’s a very mental game as well as a physical game. It was always fun to play with my friends but it did start to feel a lot like a job when I started playing competitively and when I started applying to D-1 and D-2 schools.
When and why did you decide to stop playing competitively?
I stopped playing competitively after the Junior year season. I got injured and I wasn’t really enjoying it as much anymore and I didn’t want to play in college so I just kind of stopped playing. There wasn’t really an official time where I quit but I stopped playing as much and now I just play for fun.
You mentioned that you started playing mainly because of your dad. Were your parents supportive of your decision to stop playing?
They were fine with it in the end. My dad is just glad that I still play as a way to have fun with my friends. He definitely wishes that I played more but he understands that it’s not my thing.
Do you ever regret having stayed with tennis as long as you did?
No, not really. It kind of shaped a lot of the way that I am; so I do have that to thank it for I guess. It also made me better at a lot of things- athletics in general, and it got me to meet a lot of people and I got to have experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise.
Interview has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.
