We recently asked the players on our social groups to share their thoughts and feelings about their game before the lockdown, and how they are handling their time away from everything nowadays.
Here’s what a few of them had to say, all answers were taken anonymously and published with permission.
Were you happy with your progress in the sport of tennis before the lock-down? Anything you wish you could have changed?
Personally I was really happy with my progress before the lockdown occurred. I was making a lot of improvements mentally, physically and technically. I was also feeling very happy when I was training which mainly led to these results. I don’t have any regrets about anything about my game. I don’t think any change was necessary.
I was pretty happy with my progress before the lockdown. I was looking forward to improve my backhand….
What goals are you looking forward to achieving once you can get back to training and competing?
My goal is to improve in my game and play more tournaments not only in India but across the world. I will take a win or loss as a learning. Also , I would want to meet my tennis idols and may be play against them.
I would like to become mentally strong first and then build my game around it so that I can get back on track as soon as possible. I look forward to practicing with a lot of purpose rather than just hitting the ball. I am in the process of making a detailed schedule which I will follow everyday to help me stay more dedicated. I also want to remove all the negativity around me and put in a lot of effort when training or competing.
How are you handling your time away from practice?
The best thing about this time is that you can think about your game and do a lot of research wherever required. It can be any aspect of the game and for me I am using this time to build my physical base so that when I return to the court, I do not suffer any injuries. I also finish off all my study related work at the earliest so that I can concentrate on my maximum potential once i return to this sport. I also spend a lot of time with my family watching movies, household chores, cleaning etc.
I am playing with my father and doing fitness and watching tennis videos that will help me.
Do you feel that tennis (and/or parents) adds pressure? If yes, how would you suggest it be changed to help it be more fun?
In my honest opinion, Tennis does not add ANY pressure. If you enjoy the game, no one will face pressure. As I said, whenever I am on the court, I don’t think about all the external factors and i only concentrate on what my goal is, be it matches or training. I would like to encourage all players to not get disappointed when things go wrong. What I like to do is take some time away, think about what needs correction and then return. I feel this helps me to deal with most pressure I deal with on the court.
Parents should work towards their children having a playing target to complete ‘x’ number of games in a year. Its only the real matches played where practice does prove itself. It gives the student to reflect back on their practice and more observation time for the coach to identify the areas on improvement.
No, I do not feel the pressure. Tennis was introduced to me by my parents. Their support, encouragement and also criticism makes me play the game better….
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A big thank you to all those who shared their thoughts with us. Hope others who are reading this find some common ground with the above words.
Stay safe and stay home!