How Tennis Helped Me Learn Life Lessons
With tennis by my side, I learned so many valuable life lessons as I was growing up. Tennis taught me how to deal with losses, how to stay calmer under pressure, and how to be honest in difficult situations.
For example, when I was a kid, I sometimes faced players who liked to cheat a lot in the junior tournaments. I understand they may have been afraid of losing (especially if they had strict tennis parents that always pressured them to win!). So, a lot of these players would call a ball out when I knew it was in, or they would say the score incorrectly. It was really frustrating for me to face this as a kid, and I'd be so tempted to cheat right back! But I realized, even at that age, that losing my integrity by cheating in matches wouldn't build my character or my skills in the long run. I could win more matches by cheating, but it would hurt me and my opponents in the long run. I wanted to win fairly, not by manipulating them.
I also learned from the losses I had in the junior matches. I would be so upset at first when I lost - it was hard not to burst into tears. I think I was afraid to make mistakes in the beginning, because then I wouldn't feel good enough. But later, I realized as I grew older that losing a tennis match isn't a reflection on my worthiness. It's okay to lose and not win all the time! In fact, you can learn a lot from those losses.
I learned a lot from other tennis players and coaches in our neighborhoods as well. Sometimes I observed that some coaches had very harsh styles of training their students, and these coaches would sometimes punish the students if they didn't get things right. I realized that even though punishment seems to be effective in the short run to make students do what they want to do, it's not good for students' well-being or health in the long run. When students feel supported and encouraged, they learn so much more than when they feel afraid of their tennis coaches. When there's a trusting and respectful relationship between tennis coaches and their students, it's a much better experience for everyone.
For me, tennis told me a lot of stories and lessons that I remembered over the years. I would write notes about what I learned during tennis matches, and I'd make a list of my favorite players and how they inspired me. Arthur Ashe, Serena and Venus Williams, Nadal, and Federer were some of my favorite players! I especially admired Arthur Ashe's calm and composed behavior on the court, and I liked his good sportsmanship.
I'd like to end this by saying that one of the most valuable lessons I've learned from tennis is that even when life gives you challenges, you can find a way to navigate them. Just like a tennis match, you'll face ups and downs in life, but you learn from them, develop, and grow! Soon you realize that you can handle your challenges and find joy, peace, and fulfillment in your life.