My Tennis Journey: From Beginner to Recreational Player
"Don't rush the process, just enjoy learning and keep playing."
When I first started playing tennis, I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I didn’t come from a strong competitive sports background. I simply wanted to learn tennis, get better, and have fun on the court. Simple enough, right? Well… not exactly. So far my tennis journey has been much harder than I expected.
Tennis as a Complete Beginner
Starting tennis as a complete beginner has been one of the hardest challenges for me as tennis involves a lot of technique to master. When I first started, I didn’t even know that there were different tennis grips. I was trying to figure out how to hit a ball, where to stand, how to move, and what to do with the ball once it had come back off the court. Then there were my friends. Now, many of the people that I play tennis with started tennis at around the same time as me. However, they have improved much faster than I have. They are hitting the ball cleaner, moving around the court better and their serves are getting a lot harder. Meanwhile, I felt like I was barely improving. That was tough.
Am I Ever Going to Get Good at Tennis?
There were definitely days when I questioned myself: Am I ever going to get good at this? Should I just give up? The countless hours of practice and games could sometimes seem like no progress had been made at all. Sometimes you would feel like you were getting better and the next day you would feel like you had gone backwards. I am grateful that my brother has always been there to support me and encourage me to never give up. His advice is this: “Don’t rush the process, just enjoy learning and keep playing.” There was no deadline for becoming a better tennis player. Looking back, I really needed to hear that.
Why I Kept Coming Back to the Court
Despite all the frustration, there was one thing I couldn’t ignore. I always felt great after playing tennis. Even after the worst of sessions, or losing a match or two, or repeating the same errors over and over again, I returned to the court. I always felt great after a session of tennis. Maybe it was the exercise, the adrenaline of chasing down a ball, or the satisfaction of hitting one really good shot. Whatever it was, tennis kept pulling me back. And eventually, something started to change.
When Things Slowly Started to Come Together
My improvement was slowly coming together. There wasn’t any particular moment or even that one tennis practice session when I finally found my way to winning tennis matches. Instead, things started coming together little by little.
I started moving better around the court, my reaction time improved, and my serve became more consistent. I have also started paying more attention to the other players on the court and trying to determine their weaknesses. Do they struggle with their backhand? Do they have trouble moving side to side? Can I make them hit one more ball? Now I go into matches with a plan. Some opponents are better at hitting winners than others, and if I find an opponent with a weak backhand, then I’ll try to target their backhand. These seem like simple observations to experienced tennis players but for me they were major breakthroughs. I wasn’t just hitting a tennis ball anymore. I was starting to play tennis. And that’s when it became really fun.
I'm Still a Recreational Player—and That's Okay
As of now, I wouldn’t consider myself as a great tennis player, but I have been practicing for a while and have improved slightly. I still have to work on improving my technique and making better decisions during matches. There are definitely days when I play horribly and it can feel very frustrating.
But looking back it really has been quite some time since I started playing tennis. Some of the people I play tennis with have commented that they can notice how much I have improved. It is a great feeling knowing that all the time and effort I put into practicing is showing through. It made me realize that all the hard work I have put into tennis wasn’t wasted. The progress was happening. I just couldn’t always see it.
Progress Doesn't Always Look Like Progress
One of the biggest lessons tennis has taught me is that improvement isn’t always obvious when you’re in the middle of it. As for now, all the progress might not seem like much, yet in time they can really add up. For instance, your footwork may improve, you might start reading the ball even earlier, you might have fewer unforced errors, and your serve could become just a bit more reliable than it was six months prior. Each of these improvements can feel like little to nothing has changed. However, as time passes, each of these slight improvements add up in a very positive way. That’s exactly what happened to me. I went from knowing nothing about tennis (e.g. the different tennis grips) to slowly learning the different elements of the game, such as the different techniques, game strategies, and how to construct a point in a match. Things seem to click into place, and that’s great. I still have plenty to learn but I can now see things are starting to come together.
My Tennis Journey Isn't Over
My tennis journey so far has taught me that you don’t have to be the fastest learner, nor to improve at the same rate as your tennis friends, to be able to enjoy the game. Sometimes, you just have to keep showing up. Keep practicing. Keep playing. Keep learning. Eventually, you might look back and realize you’ve come a lot further than you thought. So today, I am still a recreational tennis player who makes occasional mistakes and tries to get better. And honestly? I can’t wait to see where this tennis journey takes me next.