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Chutney and Cerebral Tennis: 8 Life Skills I Learned from this Sport
Game, Set, Match, Life!
It was sometime in the late 80s, I played my first tennis match in the Girls 12 and Under category. I started playing tennis for a couple of years before that day. My parents never talked to me about the reasons for playing tennis, its benefits, or even if there was an end goal. So when the manager of the academy registered me for a tournament, I was clueless. A driver who was hired to drive me to and from tennis lessons drove me to the match. No parent, no adult with me.
It was my first time at the venue. I found my way to the tournament desk and was asked to report to Court #whatever. I showed up at the court with my single tennis racquet and a water bottle. My opponent walked in with a big kit bag. Her father stood on the other side of the fence to watch the match with a serious look on his face. When I walked over to the net for the toss, she looked me in the eye and said, “I will make chutney out of you.”
For those of you who don’t know what chutney is, it’s a thick sauce usually made by squashing/ crushing spices, vegetables, or fruits. For example, mango chutney. Was I intimidated? Heck yeah! I didn’t get the full intent of why someone would say that, but now in retrospect, I realize I lost the match before it had even begun. I was…
