After months of vigorous preparation, on November 20, 2024, freshman Tin Le stepped onto the court for varsity tennis tryouts, discovering as much about mental toughness as technical skill. The competitive looks on all the athletes surprised Le as he first stepped onto the courts.

The tryouts were around 3 hours over the course of 2 competitive and critical days. However, Le stayed unfazed and continued to focus on doing his personal best.

“When I’m faced with a close match, I imagine myself as the winning player and stay aggressive,” Le says. “The key is not letting panic take over.”

Le also describes how he’s positive during a match and tries to help others feel the same too. Tennis is not only a single player sport, but it’s also about being there for others when they need it. Although the atmosphere may be intense, he believes that it’s good to build a good relationship with the players.

Le talks deeper in detail, “I balance these two aspects by training and honing my skills and always trying to perform my personal best, while encouraging and supporting my team. There’s not a lot you can do to change how someone else plays, but supporting them and spreading positive energy can work magic, especially in doubles play.”

Tennis isn’t only about competing. Le has enjoyed playing tennis for a long time and it holds a special place in his heart. Starting at the age of 5, he spent time playing tennis games with his father. By 8 years old, Le had moved onto “little leagues” and academies.

Fortunately the weather was nice so he could focus more on improving his skills and the fundamentals. Le spent time working on practicing tennis with his friends and took months to prepare for this day. Even though it was challenging, Le kept going because he knew how important it was for him.

“I prepared for tryouts by playing matches with friends, which helped me to practice against various types of play and train essential skills such as groundstrokes,” Le set his priorities into fixing his posture and the precise movements of his swings.

Although he didn’t make it into this year’s team, Le was grateful for the experience. This helped him understand the rigor and effort needed to make the team. He’s determined to try again next year and is confident to do his personal best again. Remembering his first tryout will allow him to improve and come back next year with this same, persevering
mindset. Le encourages others who are also trying out for a team to stay positive and keep trying until they make it.