I’ve been a fan of tennis for a while now. When I was younger, I truly never got the appeal, but something switched about two years ago. At the end of summer 2023, I was overwhelmed getting ready for my senior year and frantically trying to start college applications. I vividly remember one day sitting down to work on my personal essay and turning the TV on. I usually always scroll through the sports channels, and for some reason, that day, I landed on the Tennis Channel. I realized very quickly that I simply couldn’t turn it off.  

I had tuned in right in the middle of a match featuring the then 19-year-old American player Coco Gauff in the U.S. Open. I watched as she quickly danced around the court with impeccable agility and hit every ball with insane force. I immediately became a fan of Gauff’s and developed an unexpected addiction to the sport. Every day after that, I watched an unhealthy amount of tennis, specifically following Gauff’s run in the U.S. Open. There was something so mesmerizing about the sport, and I loved how inherently different it was from the other sports I followed.  

For two weeks, I watched with bated breath during every one of Gauff’s matches. Before I knew it, she was into the Open final and I was watching my first-ever Grand Slam final. I watched in awe as the teenager used every ounce of strength and energy to defeat tennis powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka. I felt tears well in my eyes as Gauff collapsed to the ground in excitement, winning her first ever Grand Slam — and doing it on home soil. That match cemented my love for tennis, and since then, I’ve been an avid follower of the sport. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been faithfully watching the Australian Open. This time around, it finally dawned on me just how difficult tennis must be. Now, I knew how physically demanding it is — players constantly straining their muscles and testing their physical endurance with matches that can last for hours. Not to mention the insane hand-eye coordination that is required, which is precisely why I will never be a tennis player. However, the true challenge for tennis lies in the mental toughness it demands.  

I try to put myself in a player’s shoes when I watch. I can’t imagine keeping my composure with tens of thousands of eyes placed on me. A missed serve or a double faulting could instantly let doubt start to creep in. Instead of turning to a teammate and hoping that they can carry me throughout the game, I am entirely alone on the court, my coaches and loved ones in the seats too far away to comfort me. As the momentum shifts in favor of my opponent, all I can do is fight to keep the match alive as the seconds, minutes and hours tick by. Just thinking about all that tennis players must endure leaves me exhausted.  

With the weight of the world on their soldiers, tennis players are left face-to-face with their opponents. It’s a battle. On top of that, each match is extremely different. These athletes must read their opponents and understand their game. They must also prepare for unpredictability as matches can end in as quickly as an hour or last for over four hours. Once a tennis player steps out on the court, there’s nowhere to hide. All their emotions are on full display for the whole crowd to see, which represents the hardest challenge — maintaining composure. 

I think we can learn a lot from tennis players. As a second-semester first year, I have already realized just how tough college can be. As students, we face an overwhelming number of challenges — dealing with college dining hall food, juggling coursework along with extracurricular activities and even coping with noisy dorm neighbors. Like tennis players, we have to adapt to the curveballs that come our way. In fact, some of the mental strategies used by professional tennis players have helped me navigate my first year of college.  

In tennis, visualization is key. Novak Djokovic, one of the most decorated tennis players in history and currently the world No. 6, is a firm believer in using visualization to overcome mental battles on and off the court. In a New York Times article, Djokovic spoke about the importance of visualization in his routines and throughout his career. 

“I believe that there is a law of attraction: You get the things that you produce in your thoughts. Life just works that way,” he said. I have used visualization throughout my time here at college, mainly to calm anxiety. Before interviews or even exams, I find myself visualizing how they will unfold. For me, it’s a way to mentally prepare for what’s ahead and find comfort in the process.  

Through learning more about tennis players as I deal with my own challenges, I’ve started to adapt to a growth mindset. It’s so easy to fall into the habit of fixating on every single mistake you make. I am guilty of doing this — dwelling on errors I’ve made on exams or projects long after I should be thinking about them. Instead of beating myself up over simple mistakes, I’ve realized the importance of learning and growing from them. 

Coco Gauff is a proud advocate of the growth mindset, which has helped her stay more present in her matches rather than focusing on what’s out of her control. In a recent interview, Gauff credited her recent successes on the court to her mindset shift. “Tennis is not just about your physical ability, but also about how you manage your emotions, how you stay positive in tough moments. I’ve learned to not let my mistakes affect me as much,” she said. I have learned to take a page out of this tennis superstar’s book, and it has drastically helped me stay focused this year.  

Tennis may have just started as another sport I watched on TV, but it has quickly become so much more than that. Through learning more about the sheer mental strength it takes to succeed in the sport, I have been inspired to incorporate some of those skills in my daily life. Just as players battle through long, intense matches, I am learning to push through the challenges I face in my own life. Now, when I watch a match, I see more than a game.