Dear Tennis Parent,
Here we are at yet another tournament that we drove five hours to reach. On our drive, I thank you for the constant reminders that I have worked so hard to get here and that I've been playing great for the past couple of weeks. I know you think that motivates me, but in reality out of the thousands of tennis balls and thousands of shots I've hit, I only have to lose 48-55 points for it to be over. That's it. Time to go back home. So, no pressure, right?
You know those hundreds of tennis lessons I've taken? Yeah, well reminding me of them won't help me win. It just adds more pressure; you do realize its only me out there right? Just me, by myself, no one to help. I know you think those desperate looks and "You got this!" cheers help, but they don't. If I make a mistake, it's on me. If I make a good shot, nice work, keep it up, only two more hours. It's not an automatic, "My kid has practiced every day for the past three months so she has everything she needs to win." There's not mathematical equation where x = my kid, y = hours practiced and multiply the two together, and you get a superstar.
After a tough loss, no, I don't want to review every single shot I could have hit better for the next three hours. Seriously. As much fun as that sounds, there are other things I want to do with my life. Remember my friends? Those people that don't spend their weekends waking up at 6 a.m. for a 7 a.m. warm up and an 8 a.m. match? Yeah, I kind of want to spend my time with them once in a while. As appealing as having my tennis racket know my deepest feelings, I think I'm allowed to share those with someone other than an inanimate object.
I know you think sometimes I lose on purpose, but c'mon lets be logical about this. Do you really think when I go up to serve 30-40, 4-6, 1-5, I think, OK, this is match point. Mom and Dad are watching. Why don't I double fault just for shIts and gigs? Obviously, that's not the case. I play one of the most unfair sports. Out of a 32-person draw, there is only one winner ... not two, not three, one. I also have NO ONE to blame when I miss — it's all on me, no pressure, right? OK, so I should've stayed the extra half hour to get that inside out forehand perfected. But, besides that, there is only one person to blame for missing that dropshot, and that would be me. In other sports, the pressure of losing is distributed among multiple teammates, one or two people who hogged the ball on the volleyball court or were slow in the 4x100 relay race. But in tennis, there is only one person to blame and that's yours truly. I beat myself up enough, as much as I love you, I really don't need to be reminded that I 'almost had that match."
Having said that, I appreciate everything you do for me. I love the fact that you went and bought me five different brands of Clif Bars to give me energy. I love that you saw I was running low on water in the middle of a tie break and went to buy me two more bottles. I love that you went and stalked my opponent the day before and saw that her backhand is the weaker of her shots. I love that you drive six hours to take me to my next tournament and get so excited when I get off the court after tearing my opponent apart 6-2, 6-1. You get me through those weekends where I have no motivation because of the rain delays and because my friends are having fun at the lake house, and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere Texas playing a tournament. And for this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You're the only one who truly understands me, besides my coach. Thank you for putting up with me and my attitude all of these years, tournament after tournament. I wouldn't be where I am today without you.
Sincerely,
A Tennis Player
