By Sejal Sekhar '23
I can honestly say that the thought of having a fall tennis season seemed off the table a few weeks ago. I longed for this year because our team had so much promise and the lineup from 1 to 10 looked nearly seamless. The toughest opponent for our team to beat this year was no longer a school, it was a virus.
Our whole team was eagerly waiting for the news that we were finally in phase 3. When Mr. Stoecklin came and told us we would have a season my sight went blurry, filled with happy tears. Over the summer everyone poured so much effort into their game because the title of state champs seemed promising.
Even though we have a season now, everything is going to be different. We have less time to prepare, less time to play, and less time to develop our strategy. With the time constraint we have to eat, breathe, and sleep tennis. For me, tennis has become so much more than just a sport. The bond within our team is so strong that we no longer want to play for ourselves, we want to win for our teammates.
When you play singles in tennis you are out on that court alone, alone with your mind and game. I have always fallen into the pattern of getting angry when I start to lose, but having my team cheer me on while I play was a first time thing for me freshman year. Visitation tennis has turned an individual sport on its back and has made it a team sport. That reason right there is why having a season means so much to all of us. So whatever happens, I'm going to fight not for myself, but for the teammates that have made me fall in love with tennis again.