Tennis Revisted

Today was the first time I'd played tennis in a couple years. I brushed the dust off the old racquets, picked the leaves out of my basket of tennis balls, & headed out to the courts to play with my dad. 

This was scary for me... When I quit, I was at my best. So ever since then, I never wanted to go back because I knew I wasn't the player I once was.

I would have never had the courage to get back on the court if it wasn't for the work I've put in at CrossFit. It's given me the confidence to do things I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to do again & the stamina to make it happen.

Gaining all the weight that I did had pretty much condemned my tennis career to nothing but memories. Which is why getting back on the court really meant so much. Though it was fun, it was definitely a disappointment as well. 

My stroke is still strong, but my accuracy was way off. My mind knew what footwork needed to be done, but my body was incapable of performing. It was upsetting to say the least. 

The one thing I was proud of was the strength of my serve. It was on point and my dad could hardly return them. I don't like posting videos of myself... but my dad did catch one (of my worse) serves on camera. For your enjoyment... (or criticism)

Even though it doesn't show it, of course it went in!

As I've mentioned many times before, tennis was always my number one passion in my life. A reader asked me awhile back if I love CrossFit as much as I loved tennis. I wasn't 100% sure how to answer that question, but here's the truth:

The things I love about CrossFit are the same things I loved about tennis...

It's the competition with yourself, constantly trying to get better, to be more powerful, and to perform to the best of your ability. 

It's the fact that whether I learned to do a drop shot or got a PR on my back squat, I feel the same kind of accomplishment.

It's when I FINALLY learned how to use slice or when I FINALLY ran a mile without stopping. 

When it's the climax of waiting to see if that lob will land in the court or if you will make those 20 last reps before the time cap.

It's the excitement of winning & the frustration of losing. 

When I want something, I work hours on end to get them. When it came to tennis, I was the first person at practice and the last to leave. The same goes for CrossFit. I want to be the best me I can be. I want to push my body to every single limit and discover new ones. 

So I'm willing to admit it, CrossFit may be my new tennis. What can I say? I like to be the best.