Oliver Crawford
January 4, 2024
“I got into tennis when I was two. At preschool I crawled around the classroom batting an eraser with a pencil until my knees were raw. My parents used to ask, “What is wrong with this kid?” My mom took me to our local tennis pro and said, “All he wants to do is hit a ball. Can you teach him?” One of the toughest things for me is that I don’t come from a tennis background. My parents didn’t play and had no understanding of the US “tennis system” so we made all these decisions while not knowing the game, or how to turn it into a career. For this reason, I’m proud of the work I have put in and the success that I’ve had. To help others, I run a coaching day in my hometown of Spartanburg where I offer advice, support, insight, and a contact point for young tennis players who want to further their career. I had a good start to the pros. I got to 350 in about six months. Then I started to struggle with anxiety, to the point where I didn’t feel safe on the tennis court. I saw a psychologist and
“I got into tennis when I was two. At preschool I crawled around the classroom batting an eraser with a pencil until my knees were raw. My parents used to ask, “What is wrong with this kid?” My mom took me to our local tennis pro and said, “All he wants to do is hit a ball. Can you teach him?” One of the toughest things for me is that I don’t come from a tennis background. My parents didn’t play and had no understanding of the US “tennis system” so we made all these decisions while not knowing the game, or how to turn it into a career. For this reason, I’m proud of the work I have put in and the success that I’ve had. To help others, I run a coaching day in my hometown of Spartanburg where I offer advice, support, insight, and a contact point for young tennis players who want to further their career. I had a good start to the pros. I got to 350 in about six months. Then I started to struggle with anxiety, to the point where I didn’t feel safe on the tennis court. I saw a psychologist and