When you set the expectations high, the failures do hurt but
there is always a positive side to it too when you realize that you haven’t
actually lost anything but have only gained so much.
I didn't win a single tournament in 2013 but as I said above
there was a positive side which kept my faith and hope alive of winning this
year. It’s more like a movie thing
I came to Des Moines in 2011. I was young, fit; had money,
time, energy and importantly was single.Then I decided to pursue this little childhood fantasy of
mine, to become a competitive tennis player (at whatever level possible)
I had played tennis in Atlanta for about a year in the
apartment courts just for fun.
One day I met a desi tennis player in my apartment
courts at Cambridge Court. I asked him who was the best desi player he
knew in Des Moines.
He said, "Ravi Akkineni. He plays tournaments across
Iowa. He must be in his early 40s now"
I took Ravi's email id and contact number from him
“Sir, I am Sajid, sort of a beginner in Tennis. I am your
fan from what I have heard about you. Could you please help me know which
rackets, strings do you use; how to register for tournaments; practice tips
etc”, I requested him over the phone. He obliged and answered my questions
politely
That was it. We did not contact each other for the next two
years. We had almost forgotten each other's name. Meanwhile, I devoted myself
to tennis in those two years. I only watched
Tennis Channel on TV, I only read tennis books and articles, I only watched tennis videos on YouTube, practiced for hours and hours, underwent extreme physical and
mental torture in tournaments, made a hundred tennis friends in the town. So much so that I even neglected my personal
and professional life. Let me tell you, I think tennis is the toughest sport to learn; just for the fact that you have to change
the grip of the racket for every different shot, which comes to you only with the
muscle memory. And muscle memory is developed only after hitting each shot for
hundreds of thousand times.
Anyway, in the last two years my skills improved
considerably taking me from the third division to the first division in the Des
Moines Tennis Club.
In the fall of 2013, I got a call. "Hey, this is Ravi.
Have heard about you. Can we play a match?"
He must have thought I was someone else. But I had
recognized his voice instantly but did not tell him who I was.
The following weekend, we met at Valley Southwoods Courts
and played a match. He grew suspicious and asked me several times if we knew
each other. I denied every single time. The reason being, I beat him pretty
comfortably 6-1, 6-3.
I didn't want any of us to be embarrassed then. I wanted to
get out of there as early as I could. As I was heading out towards my car, a
voice stopped me.
"Sajid, wasn't it you who had called me couple years
back?" Asked Ravi
"Oh.. yes. Is that you Ravi? Sorry, I thought you were
not him"
"You can at least thank me for the tips I gave
you"
"Oh thank you sir. Actually I..I.. Sorry Ravi"
"Don't be. Actually you are doing really great. I can
see that, you must have practiced every single day", said Ravi.
Moral of the Story: Life is short. Don't complain.
Work your ass off to make your dreams come true!
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