mitaconnect

I remember watching a documentary in my Master’s course, Psychological Aspects of Sport, about the influence of parents on their children’s athletic experiences. It made me reflect on my own journey. I was introduced to tennis because my parents believed it could become a career and provide me with a future. At just nine years old, I was told that tennis would be my job. No pressure, right??? I LOVE tennis, and it will always hold a special place in my heart, but I have carried the pressure...

I still remember the first time someone told me, “You are such a girl.” I was about seven years old and had just started getting better at tennis. I was in the same group with two other boys my age, and we trained together and traveled to tournaments regularly. We were around each other almost every day. You would think that seeing each other so often would make us close friends, but that was not the case. The boys would often team up against me, giving me nicknames or telling me I did not...

My dream came true when I moved to the U.S. to play tennis, but also when I realized I would finally be part of a team. My whole life, I had played an individual sport. It was amazing, but it could also feel incredibly lonely. Even though I was still alone on the tennis court during matches in college, I always had my teammates beside me, competing and cheering me on at the same time. Their energy was contagious, and it is something I will miss forever. Some of the best moments of my tennis...