When I was a kid playing tennis, I would sometimes think that I was incapable of getting injured. Fellow tennis players would be icing their extremities from head to toe, and all I would think was thank gosh I’m injury-free and don’t even get sore after playing countless hours of tennis in a row.
Today, I received some pretty jarring news: I have a torn meniscus (degree of injury is TBD). I had experienced some level of discomfort over the past few weeks, exacerbated by tennis, paddle and/or skiing (only the guy upstairs knows the culprit or whether it was a combination of all three sports that did me in, one more than another). In any case, I’m feeling super awful about this on many different levels and for different reasons. This is bringing back memories of when I first suffered some major left knee injuries back in 2006 and 2007, which effectively ended my tennis career all together.
The formerly known Legg Mason, now the Citi Open, was where my leg felt like it was hit by a ton of bricks - literally. Three weeks before my freshman year at Columbia, and I found myself competing in what I thought would be my last pro match before playing college tennis. Little did I know that it would not only be my last match on tour ever, but it would have immense effects on my physical and emotional state. Pairing with Madison Brengle in the women’s doubles event, Su Wei Sheih hit her signature drop shot from her two-handed forehand, and even though I got it and hit a winner around the net post, I stopped short as to avoid running into the ball boy - big mistake. Big, big mistake that I will remember for the rest of my life. In that moment, I had torn my ACL and meniscus after hitting the best shot I could have hit - oh well! See ya later, tennis career! Right? Well, sort of.
Midway into my sophmore year and two surgeries later, I attempted a comeback. Sporting a thick and supportive knee brace, I played in the Columbia Invitational held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the crisp autumn season, just a few short weeks after the seasoned players of the US Open graced the outer courts. After playing one doubles match, I knew there was trouble. My knee had gotten so swollen, it looked like it was going to explode from all of the liquid inside. Mom came to the rescue and drove me to the doctor, who used an enormous syringe to extract all of the excess fluid that was affecting the way I even walked at that point. From that moment on, the coaches and doctors who had offered support in this trying time advised against playing tennis ever again. So for years, I listened to what they had to say about playing until I wanted to listen to my heart, which is Roxette-approved (any fellow ‘80s music fans in the house?!).
After taking a hiatus from tennis, I started really enjoying the game again that essentially defined my childhood - from friendships to learning experiences. This past summer I competed in ten USTA national senior tournaments, one of which was the Sears Cup team competition representing Team Eastern. To kick off the summer, our team won the title at the Longwood Crickett Club this past June. It was an unforgettable experience playing on the grass courts there - so wonderful, in fact, that my mom and I returned later on in the summer to compete in the annual National Super Senior Mother Daughter championships, where we placed third (we both earned bronze balls for that performance). Prior to that tournament, I played the national women’s 30s at my home club at the West Side Tennis Club; my good friend Erin Fleming and I placed second in doubles, and I placed first in singles (gold and silver USTA balls earned).
A few weeks later, I played in the USTA National Open Championships, again held on grass like at West Side, this time at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where I was the “triple crown” winner in singles, doubles and mixed (three USTA gold balls earned). In the fall, I placed third in mixed and singles and finished runner-up in doubles at the National women’s 30s on clay; needless to say, I doubt that I will be able to replicate this past year - especially after the news I got today.
What am I going to do without tennis? The last time this happened, I was able to fall back on my studies because I was a college student; but what about now? There’s always family, friends, work and intellectually stimulating hobbies to keep busy. I’m so used to playing tennis, though, and am limited in the type of exercise I can do (perhaps I can ride the stationary bike on a low resistance and do swimming - at least, that’s what the doctor says I can do for the time being).
I’ve been in this situation before, where I’ve been sidelined and incapable of performing on the tennis court. It’s far from fun, that’s for sure. But, maybe it’ll put things into perspective again - maybe there are ways of feeling more appreciate of what we have? Maybe there’s a way of picking up additional hobbies? I’m leaving the comments section open on this post in case anyone has advice to offer.
Oh man, I’ll miss playing tennis so much! Until we meet again on the courts….
-e