What I Love About Tennis by Anya Prevallet

Originally from San Diego, Anya has lived all over the world, including Stockholm, Sweden, and Salt Lake City, Utah. She now calls Austin, Texas, home.

Anya started playing tennis at 5 and competed as a junior until 16. After more than a decade-long break, she took up tennis seriously again last year, at 31, and this fall she’ll play singles in a women's 4.5+ league and doubles in a 9.0 mixed doubles league.

Here’s what Anya loves about tennis, and the lessons the game has taught her—and you can follow her journey on Instagram @brokenracquetclub

It might be easier to say what I don’t love about tennis than to rattle off everything I love about this sport…

I love the confidence it has instilled in me. Nothing’s quite like bouncing the ball three times after a first fault, taking a deep breath, and stepping up to hit the next serve.

The moment I step onto the court, the world slows down. Everything outside of tennis melts away, and for the next couple of hours, nothing else really matters. It is like a form of meditation.

Tennis has also made me resilient beyond belief.

From a young age, it taught me to always have faith in myself, even when the scoreboard suggested otherwise. My junior coach called me the “comeback kid.” I could be down 1–5 and somehow come back to win the set 7–5, then the next, 6–0. (He actually always said it just took me too long to warm up).

Those comebacks taught me something that has stayed with me far beyond the court: the match isn't over until it's over. There’s always another point, another opportunity, another chance to change the momentum.

I also love that you can never truly master tennis (unless maybe you are Federer or Djokovic).

There is always something to improve, whether that’s a better serve, a cleaner backhand, smarter point construction, better footwork, or a stronger mental game. Just when you think you've figured something out, tennis finds another way to humble you. There is always another level to chase, and I think that endlessness is part of what makes it so addictive.

As an introvert, tennis has become my perfect form of community. I crave connection, as everyone does, but I prefer it in smaller doses, and tennis gives me exactly that. You can chat between games, make a connection, and then go back to your own little world on the court.

I find tennis people to be some of the most fascinating humans. I’m still not sure whether I was already a little neurotic and gravitated toward tennis, or whether tennis makes you a little unhinged!

Either way, there’s this incredibly driven, slightly obsessive, wonderfully weird hive mind among tennis players that I absolutely love being part of. Everyone is passionate, competitive, constantly trying to improve, and completely addicted to the sport.

What I love most about tennis is that it gives me a place to be competitive, quiet, social, challenged, resilient, and ultimately my most complete self.

It’s not just a sport to me; it’s integral to who I am.

In many ways, it feels like more than a passion—almost like a love or a soulmate—wrapped up in a sport.

Tennis challenges me, humbles me, frustrates me, and somehow always brings me back to myself. And no matter how many times it beats me down, I always come back wanting more.