Tennis has always played a major part in my life. When I was around the young age of ten, my brother began taking private tennis lessons with an instructor. My being a young sibling, I was forced to attend these lessons as my mom did not have time, or the trust, to take and leave me at home unattended. Yet, from this “imprisonment” came an unlikely outcome; I began to take an interest in the sport, which surprised even myself as I had previously thought poorly of it. That slight disdain, however, probably existed mainly from my reluctance in “copying” my brother. Yet, soon enough, I was taking lessons from the same coach, the hour following my brother’s. To my, and my family’s surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed tennis. I eventually began participating in leagues and other teams, such as the United States Tennis Association Junior Leagues, and my school’s junior varsity team in the fifth grade. From USTA, I made many friendships; some of these I still maintain to this day, nearly five to seven years later. From my school’s middle and high school teams, I strengthened my already-established friendships with those that also played tennis. As I grew older and more mature, I became the ace of the team. The younger players looked up to me, and I valued this. I believe that tennis, as a whole, made me a more mature and responsible person due to tennis’ “calm” connotation and punishment of outbursts. I love all aspects of the game, and I hope to find more time this semester to play.