Spotlight on Students is a feature that showcases WYWLA students 

and cool experiences they've had and/or recognitions received.

Senior Maggie Fox shares her tennis experience!

How long have you been doing tennis for? 

I have played tennis since I was 4-5 years old, so around 12-13 years by now.

Why did you get into tennis? 

To be honest I did every sport under the sun. When I picked up a tennis racquet my main sport was gymnastics. Eventually, I fell out of gymnastics and turned to tennis because it was the most convenient for my family.  Tennis shifted the pressures of gymnastics that I left behind into something new.

What types of opportunities has tennis opened up for you?

Tennis has opened up many opportunities for me. The main opportunity is having a scholarship for college. 

Do you have any leadership roles on your tennis team? If so, what did the journey to that look like? 

I have been on multiple tennis teams now. When it comes to local teams, I have been the top player on the team which means I get to playing more matches than the other players. For high school tennis, I was part of the top 3 players on the team, which are the most important players. To get to the top 3 players though, I spent hours practicing and often without people knowing. This translated into during the summer for example, practicing 8 hours a day.

What type of advice would you give to someone looking to earn leadership roles in team sports like tennis?

Find confidence within yourself. Even if people will look down at you saying you are not deserving of the spot, have the confidence in yourself and your performance to prove your spot. 

What is the main lesson you’ve learned through tennis? 

Never look at a loss as a failure. Look at it as a stepping stone for success. 

What is your favorite thing about tennis? 

I love the individuality of tennis; everyone has a different game and style. Being on the court by yourself you only have one person to blame. 

Who has motivated you the most in our tennis journey?

My parents, they have made so many sacrifices for me to succeed in tennis and I truly do not want to waste these moments I have.

How has your experience at WYWLA connected to tennis, if at all? 

To be honest my personality at the school tends to become very independent from others, which follows my personality from tennis. I would say tennis impacted more of my experience at WYWLA rather than WYWLA impacting my tennis.

Is there anything else you would like to share with those looking into joining tennis? What did you get out of your tennis experience? Do you expect to continue on?

To others joining tennis, understand there will be highs and lows in the sport. It is not like a soccer game where you go out once a month to play tournaments like basketball, soccer or other sports. You lose more than you win and then you have to go out on a loss and play again. Never take a loss as a failure or a hit to your confidence. I found myself to be honest. I know that I am very athletic but turning to tennis I found who I am through my growth in tennis. This is also due to the fact that I matured through tennis since I played it through the years people mature. Finally, I absolutely plan to continue. I have 4 more years of college that allow me to play tennis. After that I plan to continue playing tennis on the side but I do not find myself going pro, unless a miracle happens.