Have you ever felt the heat of a game? When the adrenaline rushes through your veins, and all your emotions are running wild? When you feel like you can achieve anything? My classmate Eric Kim ’28 definitely has. A person who has been there through the ups and downs, wins and losses. A person who has been to multiple challenging games and tournaments, a star in his own eyes.
When asked about what activities he enjoys after school, Kim enthusiastically responded, “Tennis!” It was immediately clear that Kim had a deep love and respect for the sport. The twinkle in his eyes and the genuine expression of happiness on his face was a testament to how much Kim really loved tennis.
Kim describes his tennis journey as having, “many ups and downs.” He enjoys many aspects of tennis. “One benefit is that I get to exercise myself a lot. I get to be a little bit more social, see a lot of friends during clinics, tournaments, etc.” When describing the downsides, Kim’s facial expression immediately switches from cheerful to a bit melancholy. “A disadvantage of playing tennis is that I spend a lot of time practicing so my schedule is very tight.” Due to his rigorous academic schedule, it is hard to balance both tennis and academics.
But of course, the goods outweigh the bad. What would be Kim’s dream tennis tournament to play in? He listed two. The U.S Open and Wimbledon, but he said that he would rather play in the U.S Open. The US Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Queens, New York. Since 1987. Some of the best tennis players play in this tournament. Eric shared that he wanted to play in the U.S open because there is a great prize and the trophy is very beautiful. But mainly, he wants to play in the U.S open because of how safe he feels in his home country. He shared that he feels very safe in his home country and loves the feeling of supporting his country.
After learning all of this new information about Kim, it was only fair for me to ask him, “Where do you see yourself in 20 years and why?” With no surprise, he responded, “When I’m done with college, I think I will pursue tennis. Tennis is in my life currently. I’ve been practicing hard for it.” This response was not surprising and also inspiring. I wish Eric the best in his tennis endeavors and career.
