In November 2015, I was given the opportunity to play in a professional tennis tournament. A man by the name of Ben Goldsmith that I met in 2014 was the tournament director for this professional tournament and decided to give me a wild card entry into the main draw for my Christmas present in 2014. I could not believe it! I was going to play in a professional tennis tournament against women from all around the world.
I began to train really hard for the tournament about three months before. I worked out 3-4 times a week in the gym as well as running and fitness drills on court. I practiced hard every day with one or two days of rest every two weeks. I began to practice with men that had really hard serves to prepare for the kinds of serves that I would be returning in the tournament. I had a coach that was primarily working on strategy and another coach that made sure my technique didn't falter. Meanwhile, this preparation helped me to skyrocket in the junior USTA rankings and overall really improved my game which was fun to see.
When the week of the tournament came, I was very nervous but also very excited and I just wanted to make the most of this amazing opportunity and have a lot of fun. Finally, my moment arrived and I stepped on center court to play my first professional tennis match against Maria Sakkari from Greece who at the time was ranked around 100 in the world (I did not even have a world ranking). There were more people watching me than there ever had been before and it was extremely nerve-wracking. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself but at the same time I simply wanted to have a good time and enjoy the experience. My family and a few of my close friends came to watch and cheer me on which meant so much to me and helped calm me down. I ended up losing the match but overall it was one of the most amazing experiences ever and I am so grateful for the opportunity... And hey, I signed an autograph!! How cool is that!
I began to train really hard for the tournament about three months before. I worked out 3-4 times a week in the gym as well as running and fitness drills on court. I practiced hard every day with one or two days of rest every two weeks. I began to practice with men that had really hard serves to prepare for the kinds of serves that I would be returning in the tournament. I had a coach that was primarily working on strategy and another coach that made sure my technique didn't falter. Meanwhile, this preparation helped me to skyrocket in the junior USTA rankings and overall really improved my game which was fun to see.
When the week of the tournament came, I was very nervous but also very excited and I just wanted to make the most of this amazing opportunity and have a lot of fun. Finally, my moment arrived and I stepped on center court to play my first professional tennis match against Maria Sakkari from Greece who at the time was ranked around 100 in the world (I did not even have a world ranking). There were more people watching me than there ever had been before and it was extremely nerve-wracking. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself but at the same time I simply wanted to have a good time and enjoy the experience. My family and a few of my close friends came to watch and cheer me on which meant so much to me and helped calm me down. I ended up losing the match but overall it was one of the most amazing experiences ever and I am so grateful for the opportunity... And hey, I signed an autograph!! How cool is that!