Sports as a Passion

¶ … start playing tennis?

When I was five. I took to it right away

When did it start getting serious for you?

When I had the chance to play for the city or county and then with middle and high school. My parents saw that I took to it really well and they enrolled me in lessons.

Do you think they pushed you too hard at all or were you entirely into it?

Oh, I love it. I had a passion for it right away. They stressed several times that I didn't have to play tennis if I didn't want to. But I always told them I loved it.

Do you think they could have spoiled it for you, in theory?

Yea…but it never came to that. They know better than to force that on me or anyone else.

Your best moment?

When I won my first tournament final…I was 12 years old.

Your worst?

I plateaued a bit when I was about 13 or 14…kept slamming into the same wall. Changed my mindset and it made all the difference. I was able to push even further.

Your advice for people that consider tennis?

Figure out what and how much you want from the sport. If it's just for fun, make sure it stays that way. If you take it too seriously and you're not willing or able to put in the time and effort, you will get frustrated very easily.

Tennis is a sport that bores many people but there are those that live and breathe it. Whether it is playing the sport themselves, watching the tennis pros of America and other countries over the years like Sampras and Graf, or a combination of the two, there are those that revere and cherish tennis as a passion. Many of those people are teenagers are younger and one such person sat down with the author of this brief report.