This Weekend

This weekend I had to play over five hours of tennis in one day. That's a lot of tennis and it goes without saying that my body is tired. The sun was not that bad, but I was in it all day Friday. I got to Tyler, Texas about 4:30 in the afternoon on Thursday. Coach had to get there for a meeting at 5 and then some of us were supposed to play at 6 or later that evening. The ride was not that bad, but it does get a little stuffy on one of those buses. Most of the team did not have to play Thursday evening and those that did lost sadly. After they lost, they were out of the tournament in doubles and we went out to eat somewhere in Tyler. On Friday, everyone had to wake up at 6:20 to eat breakfast and prepare to leave for the sites of our tennis matches that morning. I had to play at 8 and I won that match fairly easily, but I did not have time to eat before I played again. The next match I played lasted over 3 hours. I lost it and my body and energy lever were both drained considerably. That evening my doubles partner and I had to play our opening doubles match against a tough opponent. We lost, but were outplayed and were not playing well at all.

The intense workout my body took and the fact that I lost affected me emotionally. It was something that if I were not used to losing and playing long matches for Mississippi College I might have thrown a tantrum. When my body gives out in tennis, I feel really weak and the fact that I was the last one to lose at this tournament last year did not help at all. It is very tough to go from doing very well one year to not doing anywhere near as well the next. This is just an example of how coming to Mississippi College and playing a full year with similar conditions helped me deal with this emotionally. It also helps that my coach did not yell at me because he could see that I gave my all and kept fighting and trying to win even though it was very unlikely that I would win.

This experience also has left my body drained and today I do not feel well at all. Emotionally it is difficult to deal with being unwell and wanting to play tennis to improve. I have had to deal with this often, but Mississippi College has helped me see that I have a lot of support and prayer that I will make a quick recovery and get back on the court to prepare for the next tournament. The next tournament is special to me because my family will be attending and I want to do my best for them. All of the things I have learned at Mississippi College will come into play because it is tough to not get on the court to prepare for a tournament that my family will be attending, but the lessons I have learned in college will suit me well.