Personal Narrative Essay About Tennis

Loving the Racquet

I stand in the ready position ready to return my opponent's serve. Sweat drips down my arms and face like rain on a window. The sounds of the crowd cheering and roaring are just like a pack of lions defending their turf from an intruder. I tell myself to focus. Before the match we read this quote, “Losing is not my enemy, fear of losing is my enemy.” - Roger Federer, 2007. The interest and talent that I have for tennis makes this topic incredibly meaningful to me. Starting tennis at age five, I initially discovered tennis through a camp at my youth center. Chasing tennis balls, being with friends, slamming my racket, these were all fun activities that filled my youthful summer days. Not that I realized this at the time, but these early experiences formed the basis for my becoming a really good player. My summers consisted of attending daily tennis camps that I simply loved, and I was given wonderful

When I was a lanky eight-year-old, I began to realize that I had different aptitudes from my tennis peers, and that I had a natural talent for playing the sport. I have always enjoyed being outdoors, and competing in tennis allowed me to relish the fresh air and burn off my energy. The more I competed, the more tennis became an integral part of my life. Tennis provides me with an automatic friend group, an outlet for my energy, the opportunity to travel, and all of these things have bestowed great benefits. Adrenaline, positive emotions, and increased confidence are the psychological boosts I feel after a match, and these all promote the attitude that I can achieve anything that I set my mind to. The discipline that it takes to compete at the level I compete at has enabled me to mature and become quite self-reliant. Looking back, the success I have been able to achieve in tennis has bolstered my self-confidence