When most people think of sports, tennis seems to be one that slips the mind of almost every person. I will admit that, before this spring, tennis was not on my top ten list of sports either. It seems like a sport that anyone could play. Simply hit the small ball with the big racket to the opponent, and keep doing that until they hit it into the net, right? Wrong. There is so much more involved in the strategy, technique and coordination than most would think.

I never thought of myself as a tennis player until I realized there was nothing else for me to do in the spring, so I figured why not? Before the start of the season, I went to the courts with an experienced friend and got a real hit to the face (not literally). My friend was able to run me back and forth, and those were the times that I even managed to keep the ball into play. She was able to so strategically place the ball on my side of the court, and with such force that I stood no chance. From there I was determined to master the sport, or at least improve.

The tennis season is now on its final two weeks before conference and I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for the sport and its athletes that I never had before. Since the start of the season I have had to put more work and coordination into matches than I thought necessary. During matches, so many things are happening at once. As a player, you need to make sure you’re ready for any kind of hit. Short, lob, slice, etc. If you can’t cross your feet and switch direction in a split second, then tennis may not be for you.

From that first (theoretical) hit to the face until now, I have learned about a sport that I could never see myself playing, and one that many others would never think about playing either. My advice to them is to try it, or atleast give a little more respect to the sport.