Memoir:

This was the biggest match of the summer.  After months upon months of struggling with various ailments and confidence, I finally reached the finals of a tournament.  While I did minimize this achievement because it was a bit of a smaller tournament, I still had to win three matches just to get a chance to win my first trophy in years.  I needed this win as a reassurance that all the work I have been putting in was not completely worthless.  As I stepped to the baseline and blasted my first serve for an ace, I thought that I finally was going to get some assurance, but NO, that would be too simple! I tensed up and played to not lose instead of a win.  It was beginning to become painful.  After being heartbroken, I swallowed my pride and entered into the next tournament.  And wouldn’t you know it, the same thing happened… For a game that I love so much, it sometimes feels like a burden.  Why is that I feel so free on the court, yet I am playing as if I have had shackles placed upon my feet and wrists.   

However, no matter how frustrating it can be, what I love about tennis is that there is always an opportunity to correct your mistakes the next day, if not the next point or the next shot.