Have you ever wondered what playing and training for a particular sport seven days of the week is like?

It’s tough and hard on your body. It makes you weak and your muscles sore.

I have had the opportunity to know what this feels like. I am a member of the varsity Stratford tennis team, and we have been practicing for about two weeks now. The regular season starts Feb. 13 against Brentwood.

I have had a tennis racket in my hand since I was 3 years old.  I quit tennis and switched to baseball until I was 12. I then switched back to playing tennis because I became more interested in playing an individual sport.

When you are playing solo, you have no teammates to tell you what you are doing right or wrong. You are the only one who can judge.

Tennis takes dedication, and you have to believe you can do it to succeed.

I have had to make sacrifices to improve my game.  I have had to arrive late to many football, basketball and other sports events because I would stay on the tennis courts after dark. Sometimes I would never even make it to these games.

With all this training, hardwork, and dedication, I hope to eventually get a scholarship to a Division I college.

You have to keep believing and trying your hardest to succeed and be the best you can be.

“Success is a journey not a destination,” said Arthur Ashe, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. “The doing is usually more important than the outcome.”