CHAMPIONS KEEP PLAYING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT

A top athlete’s beauty is next to impossible to describe or to evoke. Federer’s forehand is a great liquid whip, his backhand a one-hander that he can drive flat , load with topspin or slice- the slice with such asnap that the ball turns shapes in the air and skids on the grass to maybe ankle height , and Federer himself – an inspiration for many of people like me.

I was of 9 years that I saw Roger Federer playing, a tennis tournament named Australian Open for the first time on television. This was the time when I decided that I’ll start playing tennis and one day play just like my inspiration. The next day itself my parents made me join a tennis academy. I trained really hard each day. I used to wake up at 4:30 and then reach at my academy within 30 minutes. It was hard to wake up early in the morning but I never regretted upon it, because my only goal was to wear the jersey of Punjab and represent my state at the national level.

Although, my parents and coaches were really supportive but at the end during the matches I was not able to give my best.

Even after so many failures, I never stopped my training. It was my aim to become a national level player and later on, also represent India at the international level.

Finally, after many years of training, my hard work paid off. I was  14 years old when I won a gold medal in state level tournament and proudly represented Punjab in the SGFI Nationals. Later on, I also represented our school in the CBSE Nationals and won in All India Tennis Association (AITA) tournament twice.

Being from a family where a sportsperson is not only appreciated, but also encouraged has always been beneficial for me. All that I could achieve was of course due to the support of my parents and coaches, but also due to my inspiration and that is Roger Federer. But I always feel that this is just the beginning and there is a lot more that I have to and can achieve if I keep training harder and harder, as I always believe that, “The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.”

Avneet Virk, 11 A