I think sports is a great way for exercise and for people to come together not as competitors but as people who enjoy a specific type of sport.
My favorite sport is tennis. The reason why I enjoy tennis is because I like playing tennis and watching it. I have a favorite tennis player who I admire, it is Naomi Osaka. I like her because she is in her 20s and she is biracial like me.
I started taking tennis lessons at my local gym in Rockland County. When I first walked into the gym as a young teenager, my mom was so eager to watch me play. I saw the gym and the tennis courts were huge. My mom gave me a warm hug, handed me my Poland Spring water bottle, and said “Ok Vanessa have fun at tennis lessons. I will be there in the bleachers watching you and cheering you on.” I said “Thanks mom” and hugged her and went to meet my coach.
The tennis lessons would meet on Saturdays and during the week. The coach during the week was a man named Peter Alkasov. On Saturdays, the coach was named Johnny, a coach that my mom would use for private lessons. Coach Peter is a very thorough coach by teaching me forehands, backhands, serves and volleys perfecting my skills. Coach Peter also coaches the varsity girls tennis team at one of the high schools in Rockland County.
Lessons with Coach Peter were private between my mom, myself and Coach Peter. Lessons with Johnny were public with me and other teammates. I kind of missed going to tennis lessons because of the pandemic. My mom only takes tennis lessons on Mondays after work.
A reason why I admire Naomi Osaka is that she is around the same age range as me and now it is time to pass the US Open torch from Serena Williams to Naomi Osaka because Serena already won too many US Open trophies and now it is time for the next champion which is Naomi. I also know that the US Open is located in Queens at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center where I have gone with my family to the pre-qualifying matches. Sadly, I didn’t see any famous athletes there on the court, but I had a really nice time watching the pre-qualifying matches.
I joined my high school tennis team when I was 14-15 years old. When I got the results from the tryouts in the mail, I felt happy and relieved. My mom was smiling that I made the high school tennis team. I traveled and competed with other tennis teams in Rockland County and it was fun.
Sometimes, on the court, my team would do warm-up exercises to get our bodies ready to play. One time, I tripped on the court because I didn’t see the tennis ball near my foot or legs from someone who made a mistake serving the ball and it landed on my side of the court. I tripped and fell down, my coach asked me ”Vanessa, are you Ok?” I said “I think so but I had a scar on my leg and my neck was hurting from the fall.” My coach reached out to my parents to tell them what happened to me.
In conclusion, tennis is one of my favorite sports to watch and play. I hope when the pandemic is over, I want to watch more of the pre-qualifying tennis matches at Billie Jean King tennis center. Maybe when I master playing tennis, I would like to learn another sport maybe lacrosse or softball. I can’t wait until the US Open starts, I probably plan on watching it this year if it happens.
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By Vanessa A. Yes She Can trainee
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