Tennis: Solitude and Perspective

September 18, 2015 | By Lonnie Mitchel
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In the local New York area, we just wrapped up the U.S. Open. Like every Grand Slam, I look forward to the countless hours of tennis coverage. This is especially true for the U.S. Open which takes place in our backyard, with no time zone changes and oceans separating us from the action. You can watch tennis 12 hours a day without ever leaving your living room. If you're a tennis fan, this is nirvana.

I thought a lot about this so-called tennis nirvana the last several days. I am writing this on an airplane headed back to New York from Europe after coaching the USA Maccabi team. The international competition took place late July through early August in the city of Berlin, Germany on the 70th anniversary of the ending of World War II and the Holocaust. This was an unbelievable experience for the players and guests who traveled with us. It was also a chaotic encounter in that you are in Germany, a foreign country, shuttling from one venue to another. We practiced in one place, competed in another, with a tournament draw that was not completed until after we arrived. Starting times for all players varied throughout the day, with transportation to and from the hotel not consistent with match timing. If you ever played or went to international tournaments like the U.S. Open, patience is truly a virtue.

I was stressed much of the time, making sure all the players were where they were supposed to be and supporting our combatants in match play. However, something happened to me that really resonated. Once the practices and the competition began, I was now on a tennis court and all of the stress I was feeling lifted right away. No psychological therapy, but a joy and type of solitude overcame me. I admit, I do not compete much these days as I am too busy coaching, but the joy I was feeling being in a tennis environment settled me down to a blissful state that I always feel when on the court as a player and/or coach. I felt like I was at home in the friendly confines of the net, service boxes and baselines. Whether I was in Germany or upstate New York coaching my squads at the State University of New York/Oneonta, I was on my turf. It is soothing to hear the sounds of a racquet hitting a ball continuously. 

This rat race is unexplainable. However, I thought about this solitude I was feeling compared to the pandemonium happening around me. For a few short hours, I escaped into my own little tennis world. I then went on to think of the club level players I have met over the years back home on Long Island, when I witnessed firsthand the utter disregard for employees. Pros that work at the club were, at times, treated by members like the hired help at a fast food joint. Having returned from Europe, I also saw members at a variety of tennis clubs and venues treat their tennis professionals as a respected skillful individual, much like a doctor/patient relationship. The professional was a person who would help you get to that solitude I am now writing about. They are the person who can help you to get to a place where you can escape life for a few hours, giving advice from years of experience. I have seen people rant and rave about the slightest things at local clubs in the New York area. Are you so distraught that you have to unleash the fury and frustration of everyday life at those who are trying to help you escape into your own tennis nirvana? If you are not in a place where you are enjoying yourself, you need to take a step back and examine your priorities. Tennis is a game that should give you some level of solitude, peaking right at the end when the only disappointment you feel is when your time on the court is up. The parent of a child/student should never clash with the tennis pro, but should be an important ally to help discover the joys of the game. My belief as to what I think tennis is and what I always hoped it should be for the many customer encounters over the years came to fruition in Europe. Quite frankly, it was refreshing.

This journey to solitude and tennis nirvana takes practice, much like hitting a volley over and over again, or repeating a service motion to reinforce muscle memory. Your brain, when changing behavior, has to go through a cognitive modification that, after much practice, becomes easier. Let's get it right, you need to come to grips with your tennis or your children's tennis.

While in Germany, I visited some concentration camps where millions perished, and the very next day, I went to the Maccabi tennis matches in Berlin. Back in solitude! I said to myself, "I need to share this moment with my friends, colleagues and readers.” Less than an hour from where my players were competing, 70 years earlier, horrific atrocities took place. That was a wakeup call for sure. A little perspective … we get to play tennis! Think about how lucky you are to play, have the ability to play and find joy in the game. Too many of us lose sight of what's important.

So back to the U.S. Open, many of you will attend or watch the event on TV, getting the enjoyment from being a viewer that will likely put you in the mood to go out and hit tennis balls. Not me though, I will be in Oneonta, N.Y., getting my collegiate players ready for another season of competition. I will share those experiences I just went through so they have a better understanding of the game and the joy we should all find. I want desperately to be at the U.S. Open as a spectator and watch it on TV, but I won't have time due to my coaching responsibilities. It's okay though, there are far greater tragedies in not being with you at the U.S. Open. I will be with joy and solitude on a tennis court elsewhere in Upstate New York with my team reminding myself of what historical atrocities I saw in Germany, and then move forward and practice the joy of a life in the game. Enjoy the U.S. Open and your own game. Find the right meaning and find some solitude.


Lonnie Mitchel
Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach at SUNY Oneonta

Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or e-mail lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

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