Art of the Artful Game of Tennis

Art of the Artful Game of Tennis

Describe a book, play, composition, poem, scientific discovery, technical achievement, myth, historic event or work of art that has inspired and intrigued you. You can assume we are familiar with the plot and details; instead, tell us what it means for you personally.

It's such a simple game, on its surface, whether that surface is clay, court, or grass. All it takes is a ball, a racket, and a net. And one's opponent. Yet the game of tennis can mean so much more. Tennis can be a life or death struggle to prove a player's sense of worth over another player. It can be an affirmation of all that is good in one's self. A good game of tennis can demonstrate a player's ability to triumph as an individual, against all odds. But the individual in a game like tennis can be filled with meaning, too, in the minds of the spectators, as the struggle of one person comes to represent the struggle of many other individuals.

In China, where I went to college, tennis became a way for me to express myself personally, as an individual and yet also to be a happier and more productive participant in society. Unlike sports where one is part of a team, whenever I was playing tennis, I felt as though I was accomplishing something as an individual. Tennis is a game that takes a great deal of hard work and technique and lonely practice. It is not a repetitive individual sport like running, or a sport that can only be played as a team like baseball. Rather, in tennis, one must perfect one's backhand, forehand, and learn tricky shots to confuse one's opponent.

Tennis is a game of the mind and body. Both the individual mind and body must be fused. One must always be thinking a bit ahead of one's opponent, on one hand. But on the other hand (no pun intended), one must take care, as with all sports, to protect the knees, the elbows, the chance that one might trip or hurt one's self, or that one's opponent might take advantage of a lapse in one's concentration.

Unlike other competitive sports between individuals, there is something strangely intimate about playing tennis. One looks into the eyes of one's opponent. Yet one is always trying to beat one's opponent. One sees the sweat, strain and struggle on the other person's brow. If one were not trying to win the game, one would almost feel sorry for that individual. Thus the game, in the eyes of the spectators can seem like a gladiatorial combat, rather than something clean and pristine played in tennis whites.

Also there are rules of good behavior that must be followed in tennis that are very unlike the rules of other sports. A good player must wear white, and look as fresh and crisp as if he was about to have tea, or to engage in a formal outing. A fair-minded player must shake his opponent's hand before and after the match, as if that person were a good friend, rather than someone whom he wished to beat. There is often an official in tennis who is supposed to be objective about whether the ball is in or out. But even if one thinks that one's opponent has made a bad call, or that the official has ruled one must smile and be conciliatory to that official. The rules of the game of tennis are not simply those that determine who wins and who loses, they are rules that govern the human face if not the human heart and attitude while one plays the game. One must show all spectators one is a good sport and provide a good example of sportsmanship.

Even while I was playing and winning college championships in China, I heard the names whispered of famous tennis players from the recent past. Jimmy Connors. Arthur Ashe. John McEnroe. Some of these men were famous for their anger and excesses. Others were famous for the diplomacy they brought to the sport. A woman, Billie Jean King, became famous for beating a man. She became, for spectators of the game, a symbol of the woman's rights movement, and her ability to triumph over all odds.

Tennis for me symbolizes my ability to channel my competitive spirit and my desire to excel as an individual into productive ends. A sport is often quite enthralling because for a brief hour or so, it demands one's full concentration. It makes one sweat and one's muscles ache, but for a few brief seconds one forgets all the cares of one's regular work life and the demands of one's family, friends, and the pressures of school. For a moment, all that matters is winning. Yet, curiously, after leaving the green or hard court surface or clay, one understands that there is more to life than winning, there is the satisfaction and physical joy simply of playing a good and fair, competitive individual game that provides excitement for one's self, one's opponent and all who watch.