More than a game: How tennis shaped who I am

For as long as I can remember, the tennis court was my second home. It taught me discipline, gave me the best friendships, and filled my days with tournaments and practices. I never thought this sport would take me to so many places and give me so many opportunities in life, and now it has come to an end.

I started playing tennis when I was three years old. My parents wanted me to do some kind of activity, and I pretty much tried everything – from dance to music classes and other sports. But the day I stepped onto the tennis court changed the rest of my life. As I grew older, it became my passion, and it started to be more in my life. Sometimes, I missed classes because of tennis tournaments. I traveled around my country to play different tournaments to get nationally ranked all to achieve one goal: to come to the U.S. with a scholarship and play for a tennis team. Every practice, every effort and every tournament were aimed at accomplishing that goal. Winning my first tournament showed me that I was capable of achieving that goal, and I had to work very hard if I wanted to do it.

Some things got in the way of this goal. For instance, when I had to move to the United States and start over – a new life, a new school, a new language, new everything. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for a tennis academy, so me and my brother had to practice with each other. At that time, my dream felt impossible, and I thought I was never going to make it. I wasn’t feeling good, and at some point, I thought about quitting because I couldn’t take it anymore. It didn’t seem like the situation was going to get better. Those were a tough couple of months, but with the help of my family and my psychologist, I was able to overcome all of those challenges. Things started to get better. I was motivated to practice, and eventually we found an academy that was willing to have us and help us with the payments. That was when I got my first job. The coach from the academy offered me the chance to work at his summer camp for children in the mornings to help my parents with money. I would teach the little kids in the morning for two to three hours, grab a quick lunch and then go to practice for four hours. It was probably the longest summer for me, but it was worth it. I learned a lot and grew as a person. It made me realize how blessed I was to have opportunities like that.

High school graduation was coming, and I wasn’t sure where I was going to go to college. There were a lot of things going on: COVID, graduation, and what I was going to do next. It was very stressful, but I was able to get everything together and figure it out. CU reached out to me, and I talked to the coach. It seemed like the perfect match for me. I decided to accept the offer and commit to CU, and the rest is history.

I can’t describe with words my experience here at CU. I was finally doing what I had dreamt of for many years. I was studying and playing tennis at a collegiate level. I have made friendships that are going to last a lifetime. I had an injury that changed my life, and I grew as a person in many ways.

My final season felt different. I felt relaxed, I was playing my best tennis and enjoying every moment of it because I knew it was going to end soon. Saying goodbye to something that has been part of me is a feeling I can’t describe. I remember my mom telling me during my senior day “we made it”, and she was not wrong. After all the efforts, the tears and the hard work, I made it. It showed me I can do anything I want, and hard work pays off. This experience is something I will always remember.

After 16 years, I say goodbye to tennis, the sport that taught me everything. The only thing that I have to say is thanks. Thank you, tennis, for making me a better person and showing me that everything is possible.