I have been teaching tennis to peewees and juniors for the past five years now and, trust me, being a tennis instructor never gets old.

Teaching tennis to peewees is almost like teaching them how to walk for the very first time. You can’t help but be so excited when they hit their first forehand over the net and you see the little smiles on their faces. This is by far the best part. It’s so gratifying to watch them progress and to contribute to their learning in some shape or form.

You never know, maybe they will become the next Serena Williams or Novak Djokovic.

I remember the good old days when I was a peewee, and my grandpa introduced me to tennis right on our very own court. He would feed the balls to me to hit, and if I missed or hit some in the net, I would walk off the court in a huff and say, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” But as I kept doing a little bit more, my passion for the game grew as I did.

This just goes to show that anyone of any age should never give up, even if it may seem difficult at first. More importantly, continue to do what you love. With the help of my family and my tennis coaches, I am the tennis player and coach that I am today. The game of tennis has taught me patience, strength and determination, while teaching tennis has taught me how to interact with kids and how to be a leader.

Whether you are a sports coach or even a camp counselor, you can make an impact and inspire the younger generation. I hope that someday, if and when I become a mother, I will teach my children how to be good tennis players. Not only is tennis a sociable and competitive sport, but it’s a sport that you can play for a lifetime.