As a first year tennis player it is very intimidating to be surrounded by the best on the team. Having never played the game up until this year, it is awe inspiring how the game is played. With such power and position the ball flies over the net and strikes just before the boundary.

Being a first year senior, I do not have the luxury of having time. Time is of the essence, if I pick up any bad habits or make any critical mistakes in how I develop my game, the chances of me playing decrease exponentially. Therefore the pressuer created from such a sercomstance serpases any pressure that I have ever felt in a sport.

However, Regardless of the pressure, it is interesting to see the culture and etiquette behind the game. All of the finite things that you do and say, amount to a game that is built on control and poise.

Another aspect that caught the attention of my minds eye would be the way the game is played. Unlike other sports where you, for the most part are only playing against the other team, are playing both an external and internal game. Not only do you as a player have to defeat the other players on the other side of the net, but you have to not defeat yourself by getting frustrated. A player could very easily beat himself instead of the other player defeating him, which is a concept that is quite foreign to me since i only played basketball all my life.

All in all, the experience that I have gained from my time spent on the court thus far has changed me and made me feel like a new individual. Playing a sport that makes you think differently then you would otherwise creates a sense of new learning and opening up. It is truly a great thing and I hope others decided to try things similar to me.

By Fidel Machado-Perez