Mara Opre, a senior tennis player at Lambert, has been playing tennis since she was four years old, and she doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon. Opre is committed to Anderson University to play tennis next year and is excited to start her new journey. Opres’ past journey with tennis shows her perseverance and dedication to the sport.
“[Playing tennis] is gonna be tough but if you persevere you can honestly get through anything,” Opre said. “Just set small goals for yourself throughout your journey.”
Opre is helping young children grow their love for tennis by teaching at her father’s tennis academy and improving her own skills to prepare for collegiate tennis this fall.
“I’ve been trying to improve my mentality while playing through just focusing on getting the next point instead of getting stuck on past points,” Opre said. “I’ve also been trying to focus more on conditioning this year.”
Opre notes that keeping a positive mentality on the court can be tough sometimes. It is a mainly individual sport and can feel isolating at times. However, for Opre, the sport’s pros outweigh the cons; one pro is its versatility.
“In other sports, you have a time limit, but in tennis, you don’t,” Opre said. “Every match and opponent are different, and so you have to have an adaptive game.”
Opre has many more matches planned for this summer and is excited to join Anderson University next year, with Lambert cheering her on for her new journeys there.
