Having FUN is Important

My niece plays tennis. Somebody who clearly has the talent and potential to do well in the sport. A protege. Only 12, she recently won an all Assam under 18 championship which catapulted her ranking to the top.

This past weekend, she was playing in an important tennis league. Her grandparents and her little sister egged her on from the bleachers as she faced her competitors. She reached the semi-finals in two events but lost in both to opponents who were good but not undefeatable.

She blamed her callous, erratic game for her losses that didn’t quite go down well with her. Apparently she cried until she couldn’t any more and when I spoke to her the next morning, I could still sense the disappointment and hopelessness in her barely audible voice. My dad tells me she lacks 'killer instinct', the determination to fight till the end, not let go. And then he adds, she is just like you ma, remember?

Yes, I do. Vividly.

Skill- A
Potential-A+
Style-A+
Gamesmanship- B+
Killer instinct-F

This is probably how my sports report card would look if I had one back then. And these are the very scores that resonant with my niece now.

I tried as hard as I could to develop the so called ‘killer instinct’ but didn’t succeed. I started losing to players younger and less experienced than me and this stagnation eventually led me to retire at a young age of 17 from competitive sport. Of course, this wasn’t the only reason that made me hang up my racquet's as there were other forces playing against me. I disappointed several people including my coach and my father for making this fateful choice but looking back, I don’t have any regrets. I did what I could in my capacity. I’d like to believe that I did my best and am proud of my stint with a professional sport. The losses taught me humility and made me stronger and the overall experience was rich and wholesome.

As much as my niece is stewing on why she lost and what she could have done differently, I know she has the strength in her to pick up the pieces, learn from her mistakes and move on to the next championship. She has a great temperament, a solid one at that and at such a young age. I am certain that even if she lacks the important killer instinct, she will continue to do her best and the one thing I told her to remember as I ended my pep talk was this- Play hard but also have fun. Don't forget to have fun. I am not sure if she understood why I specifically said that but when her time comes to ‘call it a day’ and when she looks back on her journey, she will know exactly why I said what I said.

Until then M…..play away. We are proud of you.