One of my three loves is tennis. Tennis is a game of love, but is everyone feeling the love? At the beginning of the game the score is love – love; and so it begins. As an amateur tennis player, I do a lot of praying on the court. Frequent prayers for my miss hits to drop in are prayed. Or for the opponent to slip and give me a free point are prayed (please don’t judge me!). So, let’s get back to the love and where it all started.
When I was introduced to the sport of tennis as a young adult, I was quite skeptical in its ability to maintain my fitness. I was happy playing squash and soccer for cardio. Moreover where would I get the time for yet another sport! However, the tennis coach at my Sports Club convinced me to take one lesson before writing it off. 45 mins on the tennis court and I was in love! It was love at first ball. I could not get enough and it soon became my favourite sport to play. Tennis became a weekly staple and before long I had retired my squash racket for a tennis one.
The Love Affair Begins
Tennis became that all encompassing game to me and I was hooked! Possessing a very competitive nature I worked hard at improving my game. I wanted to prove this this 22 year old was not too old to learn a new sport. With tennis I saw improvements in my patience, perceptive skills and mental fortitude. Not long after I started playing I felt ready to test my skills in competition. What better way to put those lessons to the test than in competition where prize money was up for grabs? 🙂
With tennis, I saw improvements in my patience, perceptive skills and mental fortitude.
In the early years, I rarely ever won a match. But what I gained were some great friendships and lessons to take back to practice. Later on my goal became winning back my entrance fee. Talk about motivation! Did I say I was competitive? Well I also love to win or at least duke it out with the best in my class.
Tennis, the ultimate equalizer
When you step out on the court it is just you and your opponent. You have the same amount of court to cover. The ball is round. And in Cayman the mosquitoes are biting on both sides of the court. And yes, there is the heat. Armed with your best poker face, the game starts at love -love and you pray and wish upon all the tennis gods that today you will leave with more than love. You see, we start with love but no one wants to finish the game with it.
Love my gear 
This is love
Have racket, Will travel
My love for tennis has taken me all over the world to both play and watch. You will rarely ever see me on a airplane without my tennis racket. I have a lot of fond memories of playing in the local and invitational tournaments both in Jamaica and Bermuda. Through wins and many losses my love for the game never wanes. One of my all time favourite memories was being mistaken for The Serena Williams at the Australian Open in 2008!
On Love and Friendships
There are many opportunities to sharpen your game in The Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands Tennis Club offers a variety of lessons and activities for the discerning player. We also have a fun corporate league that is played twice per year with lots of great prizes up for grabs. It is a great opportunity to meet new people and form great friendships off the court.
For the Love of Tennis
Tennis is as much a physical game as it is a mental one. What I love most about this game, is its ability to be all-consuming. There is no room for distractions, especially if you want to win. If I had a rough day it all goes away when I am on court. For me, its the ultimate mood enhancer and definitely one of the ways I practice self-care. Talk about a mind and body work out!
Are you a tennis fan, player? What do you love about the game? I could easily spend all my social time talking about or playing tennis! But I would love to hear your thoughts. When did you fall in love with this game?
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