Unlucky No.3

Tennis is just full of surprises...

Wednesday:
Men's 3rd seed Novak Djokovic was sent packing after a second round defeat to Marat Safin at Wimbledon.

Shocking?? the very next day, Thursday:
Women's 3rd seed Maria Sharapova also gets knocked out in Round 2, her worst performance ever in Wimbledon, losing to someone ranked outside the top 100....

sure it's a surprise, but this half a year or so i've learned that this is how tennis works...

if i didn't play tennis myself, i would probably say "W.T.H., how can they lose like that?"
But now i think that it's no big deal, coz any player can lose just as easily as they can win...
a tennis match can go either way in a matter of points.

not that i'm trying to sound wise, but this is the reality of tennis... it sucks, but it's true...

playing tennis has brought me so much heartache, sometimes i just feel like quitting...
but then i remind myself why i play tennis in the first place...
it's because i love this sport so much...
i savour every moment i get to step on a tennis court (which isn't much)
it's because it's physically & mentally challenging...
i want to conquer these challenges and be a stronger, tougher person

Tennis is a punishing sport... it has ruined my body physically and destroyed me mentally several times...
and yet i still go back for more....

sometimes i really wonder why i push myself so hard... i mean, it's not like i'm a professional player competing in tournaments...
but there's something... just something... that is so rewarding when u win a tennis match.... coz it requires a hell lot of effort, dedication & concentration.... watching the pros on TV, i tell myself i want to be like that...

i have lost almost twice as many times as i have won... some days i play well: solid ground strokes, consistent serve.... but two days later, my game just falls apart... it's like a see saw performance...

i have had to learn to accept defeat... u know, take the positives of each match, see what the negatives are, throw them away and work on it... i have no other choice... if i don't bounce back, it's the end.... the only way i can get back on winning ways is to work, work, work...

if i win, yay, good for me... the next goal is to try and continue winning...
if i lose, boo, swallow it all down, the next goal is to try and win...
it gets pretty routine after a while.... over time u just get a bit numb & u are no longer afraid of losing....

there's this saying that i saw on a tennis video that says "Never fear the result of the match" simply becoz the process is more important.... as long as u gave it your all, u have nothing to be ashamed of... so i always try my best, as in do anything to win and unfortunately this comes off to some people as being overly serious... they think i play tennis with the wrong intention... that i'm not enjoying it anymore... which i admit sometimes is true...

anyway, that is why i feel it's no big deal to suffer a loss... the only way u can get on top is from the bottom...

oh great, now i just sound philosophical... sorry i went on and on, it's just that i'm so passionate about tennis... if u read this whole thing, thank u... i just had to let this out...