More Than a Game

One of the main goals of this book is that it will help you to understand who you are. To do this we must be tested, for only in testing and adversity do we truly know what is in us and what we are made of. Once we know this we can compare it to the standard of who were formed to be, or who we could be. This is what we have called “the best version of me.” Tennis is one of the best ways to help you know yourself and in the process improve yourself.

The problem is that this is not the reason why most people play tennis. They play rather to use it as an evaluation of themselves compared to others who play the game as well. Therefore winning is the tool they use to measure where they are. In the process most players find winning intoxicating because it builds their self esteem and proves their worth to the world around them.

The dilemma this creates is that the standard for them is other players; it is not using their gifts and talents to the utmost of their ability each time they take to the court. We have called this reaching their full potential. In order to do this accurately a very thorough investigation must be done into them that reveals the truth of who and where they are.

Tennis is one of several ways to explore and test people. What the game reveals is not who the best player is on a given day, but rather what right or wrong thoughts are occurring inside a player, what right or wrong emotions are being displayed inside a player, what right or wrong strokes are being exhibited. What is right is anchored in and built on and what is wrong is corrected and sought to be made right.

When all that is desired is to win, this seldom if ever occurs. In fact, what is often built is arrogance, self-centeredness, greed, popularity, vanity and ingratitude. As these grow the individual becomes worse off, not better off. Look at the most successful athletes and you will see these traits more often than not. The opposite of these are humility, selflessness, self-control, meekness, goodness and gratitude. These are the qualities that make great men and women.

Tennis is more than a game; it is a way of life. It is so much more than winning or a ranking; it is about developing life skills that will make you a better human being. In order to do this athletes will need to develop virtues and rid themselves of vices. The problem is many players develop vices and rid themselves of virtues. 

Finally we realize that what we are ultimately playing for is not a title or a trophy but it is so much more. We are playing for our name and our honor. Tennis is more than a game of skill, it is a game played between ladies and gentlemen. It requires the highest ethical and moral standards from both players. When these high values and principles are displayed the game of tennis then becomes a game whereby ethics and morality are the primary skills being tested.

These ethics that are then carried out on court will become more and more ingrained and become a way of life for all other activities. We must play in such a way that each match is a reflection of who we are and what we stand for. Only then will the world see that tennis is more than a game!