Casual Hobby, Turned Full-Time Job

   I was a tantrum and racquet thrower as a kid.  I have (somewhat) matured, but I would take losing very personally.

   When I was a kid, I vividly remember my dad playing tennis. I’m originally from Lisbon, Connecticut. We had a local court near our house, which got me started on my tennis journey. I currently play at a USTA 4.5 level and really focus on my stringing business, “Shoreline Stringing.” I continued to play the sport because it was fun, and I was pretty good. I also really enjoying stringing and coaching alongside playing, which allows me to understand the intricacies of the sport from different perspectives. 

   When most people lose, they tend to move on with their lives, but we naturally take losing very personally as tennis players. As a kid, I was a racket thrower and tended to throw tantrums when I got upset and lost a close match. I would like to say I have matured, but I still feel the weight of losing like I used to. I always thought doubles was much more fun to play than singles and still do. However, I feel much less pressure when playing doubles and enjoy playing the sport rather than being stressed playing singles. 

   I was a ranked junior player.   I had opportunities to play in college, but I blew them all because I was young, dumb, and thought I knew it all.   I quit tennis at the age of 19 to pursue other interests.  When I was in my early 20’s, an old tennis friend called me for a week straight, urging me to play with him.  I said “no” every time.  He finally wore me down, and we played.   I remembered how much I loved the sport.  I started playing again at the local club.  Soon the head pro asked me if I wanted to help him with the kid’s program.  I said yes.  I was really nervous the first time, but I loved it. That was over 20 years ago, and I’ve been teaching ever since. 

   I don’t know what I would do without tennis in my life. The sport has provided passion, friends, and income. I hope to help spread my knowledge of tennis to my followers, clients, and peers to help grow and connect the tennis community.