My First Game

by Peter Hathotuwa
(Arlington, VA, USA)

The game I want to recount is what was my first competitive match ever. It was an exhibition against the eight seed of an opposing high school who was, overall, better at tennis than I was. My opponent looked good from the start, and I was extremely intimidated.

Being as inexperienced as I was, I seized up and didn't play any of my usual strokes; I used abbreviated shots and short slices instead of my normal topspin forehand and backhand, and was demolished 8-0.

After the massacre, looking back on my performance, I realized that my problem was that I didn't have enough confidence in my own strokes. I have since remedied this by building up my confidence in my abilities, and have never been shut out again since.

What I learned from that game was that using your abilities to their fullest is extremely important, even if you aren't playing a much better player; always be confident in your strokes, and don't be afraid to use them!