The Beginning: Episode 1

Hey! I’m Pritwik. I’m a normal teenage boy with an abnormal life. While every kid was getting ready to go to middle school, I was lacing up my shoes to step on the tennis court. I was very passionate about tennis, and over a period of time, that became my life. I started my homeschooling in 7th grade when I delved into intense tennis competition. I became well-known in the area as a great tennis player and I was picking up many trophies. I was looked at like a hero by many because of my success and my unconventional lifestyle. Admiration from younger kids brought out my self-pride.

When I was featured in a French magazine after getting wins in France, my popularity with my tennis-involved peers proliferated. But, without realizing it, I was absorbed into a self-contained bubble. As I entered into my teenage years, I still maintained the same 6 hours a day of physical training and fierce competition. Time went by and as the competition got tougher, I had to work harder. Inversely, however, my results started on a downward skid. Additionally, pressure from my coach, Sebastian Rivera, to improve my tennis ranking put a lot of stress on me. It reached a certain point where I felt that the game of tennis, which had once given me enjoyment, had become a burden on me. Thoughts of missing out on adolescent fun started invading my brain and questions of “Am I doing the right thing in my life?” constantly occupied my mind.

One day, I went to practice as always. I was, however, completely out of focus. Through a build-up of events, my coach got extremely angry at me and started yelling, saying that I was wasting my dad’s money and both of our time. He kicked me out of the court. I threw my racquet bag and stormed off. I went home and flopped onto my bed and cried, super angry at myself. My self-contained bubble had burst. Isolated and confused, I felt like my last 8 years of labor fell apart in front of me. The tennis that had made me feel like I was walking on the clouds now put me in the depths of darkness.

Next Episode: Dollar a Day Life

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One thought on “The Beginning: Episode 1

  1. History is narrated wonderfully. One thing I want to say here that is there are lot of kids around the world are dreàming for this opportunity. You obtained such a great blessing . Always try to be bigger than your opportunities. Pains are temporary. Success is permanent. If you change your path now it will become your habit. Once again raise with your racquet. Be the MJ of your profession. (It is very interesting to hear the story of American teenager).Bye.

    Like

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