Playing the Dream
It was during the 2009 Wimbledon finals when as a kid, for the first time I saw Roger Federer step on the court and play tennis. My eyes, intrigued, could only see the easy grace with which he played, the euphoria he expressed on winning the title and the tears of joy which could not stop flowing. It was only while growing up and watching countless matches of his that I realised the grace with which he played on court, wasn’t something he achieved in a day. It made me articulate what playing a sport actually meant, and what every sportsman goes through to be or get where he is now.
Everybody starts as an amateur. What’s detrimental here is to be consistent and focussed. After countless shoots at the hoop on court, you’ll know how to shoot the perfect basket. After countless serves, you’ll know how to get an ace. After countless shots, you’ll ace that perfect smash. Amongst these countless tries lies the determination to stay consistent, the optimism to see the bigger picture, the faith and belief that one shall succeed, and the courage to go ahead and keep trying. But after asking myself if just having the skill for a sport is going to get someone high, my mind couldn’t completely accede with it. After 4 years of playing tennis, I realised there’s always more to any sport, and with the prerequisite of having skill, comes having respect, compassion and humbleness at the same time. The sport taught me control and perseverance. It accorded patience to me, helping me become a better individual. It’s not just the game you bring to the field, but your character, the values and principles you cherish and follow, that ultimately defines who you are in the game.
Every successful player we’ve seen till now has undergone a journey- a journey which by no means was a cakewalk. The lows are inevitable, as pursuing a sport or having a career in it for that matter is arduous. It starts with a dream- to attain the unachievable. In times of adversity, they stood and fought instead of giving up. I saw the immeasurable love and passion my best friend has for basketball every time he plays. Naomi Osaka by becoming the first Japanese female player to win a singles title in the US Open, Novak Djokovic by becoming the man with 20 grand slams to his name along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, PV Sindhu by becoming the first Indian women to win an Olympic silver medal, Michael Jordan by becoming the first player to score more than 3000 points in a single season since Wilt Chamberlain, Lionel Messi by becoming one of the greatest goal scorers in the sport’s history along with Cristiano Ronaldo showed us what optimism, determination and consistency can achieve. There are numerous examples, but what’s common among them is that they were playing their dream, through wins, losses, and a plethora of emotions. They created history, changed the face of the game, and would be reminisced as legends for generations to come. Every win is more than just the trophy- it’s the outcome of years of resilience. I grew up watching these players play, and that made me dwell and contemplate in awe while doing the same, something for which I’m very grateful for. There’s so much to learn from their story, one of them being that if you have a dream, you got to protect it, and work hard to make it a reality. You play your dream.