Playing the UTR Matches and Seeing Tennis in a Realistic Way
I mentioned in my last post that I was going to write a bit about my experience with UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) matches. I played two more of them this month, in August, and I won one of them and lost the second one. But both matches were very good and competitive. The second match even brought my UTR up a little higher, despite my loss, because it stayed competitive and I reached the tiebreak of the match.
I'm often awed by how good the junior players are in these UTR matches. Although they are much younger than I am, they are already extremely skilled. It's very humbling to play them, and they always challenge me to bring my best game. When I play them, they fight for every point! I realized that although I'm developing my skills and consistency well, they have an advantage from having more match play and competition experience than I do.
Nonetheless, many juniors may not become successful as pros. What playing these younger people reminded me is that it can be really challenging to reach the top levels of tennis, even if you're as good as these juniors. As talented and skilled as these players are, even they will face a very long and difficult path to reach the top of the tennis world. The tennis industry doesn't really directly support a tennis player's career in the beginning; you're considered a self-employed person who must pay for most of the tennis-related expenses, including tournament fees, equipment purchases, healthcare, and so on. This is why you see successful tennis players usually have a big team who supports them on the road: it's very difficult to cover all these bases on your own.
So, as I've grown older, I'm seeing tennis in a more realistic way than I did in the past. I used to imagine that by 20 years old, I would be on TV and playing at a major tennis event like the US Open. In real life, that didn't happen for a lot of reasons, including COVID-19 and how it changed the world! But instead of growing upset about how those dreams didn't quite come true in the way I imagined, I'm learning to appreciate where I am at the present moment in my tennis journey. At 25, anything I achieve in the tennis world is icing on the cake - I just want to enjoy playing and do the best I can, while having a realistic view on what I can do.
When I finish my active tennis-playing years, I still want to stay connected to the sport, and I have no doubt I'll still play for fun. I may even go into coaching or training students in how to play tennis, or I might become someone's hitting partner. There are a lot of avenues I can choose in tennis even if I don't reach the echelon of the game as a professional tennis player, and I like keeping my options open for my future.
Taking a more realistic view of my tennis career doesn't mean I play half-heartedly or skimp on my effort. It just means that I don't set myself up for disappointment by having unrealistic expectations. Instead of pressuring myself to achieve major wins or goals at an early age, I'll accept where I am and do the best I can with the skills I have. This takes a lot of pressure and stress off my shoulders.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little recap about my UTR matches and how I'm learning to view tennis in a more realistic way. It's a valuable life lesson that I can take with me in other areas of my life, too. There's nothing wrong with having big dreams and great goals, but don't beat yourself up if they don't happen right away or in the way you imagined. Learn to accept where you are and go with the flow in life. I think things happen when the timing is right and when it's meant to be!