Why I decided to pick up tennis during my PhD and the surprising parallels between mastering a sport and research.

When I picked up a tennis racquet for the first time at age 24, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Unlike table tennis, which had been part of my life since childhood, this felt entirely new—more physical, more expansive, and honestly, more intimidating. But thanks to my boyfriend, who has been playing for years, I found not only a patient coach on court, but also a mentor who guided me in understanding the deeper philosophy behind the game.

🎾 A New Challenge, A New Mindset

Tennis is not an easy sport to pick up as an adult. It demands agility, coordination, anticipation, and a lot of muscle memory. At first, I was frustrated—why couldn’t I hit the ball cleanly, why did I always mistime my swing? But my boyfriend encouraged me to see mistakes not as failures, but as data points for feedback. Every missed shot wasn’t just “bad,” it was a signal—a cue to adjust timing, grip, or footwork.

He shared with me his personal practice pipeline: observe → adjust → repeat → reflect. This structure didn’t just help me on court—it resonated deeply with how I approach my research, too.

🔁 Sports Practice and Research Optimization

In both tennis and research, raw effort doesn’t always translate into improvement. What matters more is targeted iteration and continuous feedback. Just like tuning a simulation script or debugging a training loop, refining a serve or a forehand takes deliberate practice, self-reflection, and small, consistent changes.

• 🎯 Focus on one key variable at a time (e.g., toss height, swing path, or angle)
• 🔍 Run a "test" (a series of similar shots), analyze outcomes
• ✍️ Debrief and document what worked and what didn’t
• 🔁 Return the next day with a slightly modified plan

This closed-loop optimization mindset is something I’m now applying back into my daily work as a PhD student. Whether it’s training a model or interpreting a convergence test, the philosophy is the same: be honest about your weaknesses, set up focused experiments, and treat every result as an opportunity to learn.

💞 Learning Together

Playing tennis together has also deepened our connection. He doesn’t just coach me technically—he encourages me to trust my progress and enjoy the journey, no matter how clumsy it looks in the beginning. It’s a rare gift to have someone who can both challenge you and support you, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.

I’m still at the very beginning of this tennis journey. My swings are inconsistent, my serves are awkward, and sometimes I still run the wrong way. But every practice session teaches me something—not just about the game, but about myself, my patience, and how I respond to challenges.

📌 Looking Ahead

I’ll continue to update this post with new reflections and milestones as I grow in this sport. Whether you’re a researcher thinking of picking up a racket, or an athlete entering academia, I hope this blog shows you that the two worlds are more connected than they seem.

Tennis at 24 isn’t too late. In fact, it’s right on time.