Tennis!

Tennis, tennis, tennis! Hands down, my favorite sport EVER! And no doubt, one of my top hobbies. If  I could play it everyday, I would. Unfortunately, I don't have a tennis court in my backyard, but I plan to some day.

Playing tennis is extremely thrilling! There's so much that goes into a tennis match: physical strength, skills, tenacity (which has won games for me against very skilled but impatient players), and a quick but firm mindset. Tennis is specially exciting for its unique characteristics. For one, you are by yourself (when in a singles match). You are in total control of your own game and your own strategy. Two, there is no set time limit. A match can go anywhere from half an hour (which has happened even at a professional level) or eleven hours (a record set this year in one of the Wimbledon men's matches)! No doubt, you better be in good shape! Contrary to what some may believe, your legs have just as much to do with your game as your arms. And, the most thrilling part for me, is that you  must always win the next point in order to win a match. Unlike many of the popular sports like soccer, basketball, or football where you can score 50 points (an exaggeration for soccer) in the first half and score nothing the second half and still win the match, in tennis, it doesn't matter how much you scored the first hour. All that matters is that you win the game to win the set to win the match.

But most of America isn't as passionate about tennis as I am. Tennis is often thought of as "easy" and "boring."  And I have to say, it gets me very angry when people say that tennis is easy, though I'll admit I was once one of them. I've heard "anyone can hit a ball over a net" numerous times by numerous people. Yes, anyone can hit a ball over a net. Now, can you consistently hit it over the net, in the court, down the line or cross court while simultaneously thinking about your follow through, your contact point, your stance, and figuring out where the ball will go next? And that's just PART of the basic. There's the even more basic forehand, backhand, and serves. And then there's the really cool stuff like slices, dropshots, and serves that go at over 100mph!

Tennis is not just about hitting the ball over the net, specially when over the net doesn't necessarily mean in the court. I was able to get the ball over the net from the very beginning,....of course, it was over the net and over the thirty foot fence!

Like any sport, tennis is not easy; it takes a lot of hard work, time, willingness to maybe look ridiculous, and patience (it is said that it takes at least four years to make a tennis player). And as for boring...well, that's a matter of opinion. I, for one, find baseball to be one of the most boring sports ever to watch and find tennis the most exciting sport ever invented...and I plan to keep playing this amazing sport until my body allows me.