Olivia Nelson

Hustle, Hit, Never Quit

Nelson Finds Herself Through Tennis

30% of althletes struggle with anxiety

The Mental Game

90% of performance is mental

Every tennis player has a reason to play. For some players it is just a fun past time, others play to help find an escape; everyone’s story and reason is different. For sophomore Olivia Nelson, however, tennis was the missing puzzle piece in her life.

“I feel like tennis is part of my identity because it is something that has always come pretty easy to me,” Nelson said. “I didn’t have to try as hard as others and people have always told me that I have a natural talent for it.”

Even though Nelson’s dad played tennis once and a while, she was never forced onto the court. Her journey simply started when her mom enrolled her in a tennis camp to help pass the long summer days. Little did her mom know, this was going to be the start of her tennis career.

After six years of playing tennis, Nelson knows practice makes perfect. When she lived in North Carolina and Georgia, she used to head down to the courts everyday. Now she tries to practice twice a week at the Maple Complex with her personal trainer, Mr. Tom Kozial, the tennis coach at Millard West.

“Sometimes a break makes me better, but being consistent in practice is important,” Nelson said. “If I take too much time off it can be hard to get back into it. Agility training and muscle memory are a big part of tennis and stamina is very important.”

All this practice really helped her during tournaments. When living in Georgia, she would travel to different tournaments every weekend. She went to almost every town in Georgia and all over Alabama and Florida. Nowadays, she competes in Omaha, Fremont, Lincoln, Des Moines, Kansas City, and Grand Island.

“I don’t usually win the tournaments, but I have won a few, and those have been some of the highlights of my tennis career,” Nelson said. “At one point while living in Georgia, I was ranked thirteenth in the state. I recently won a clay tournament in Iowa and got second in the one before.”

Even though Nelson is very talented and loves what she does, her journey has not always been easy. Just like any sport, it is a mental game. An athlete must be mentally fit to perform at their highest potential.

“Not too long ago, I really struggled mentally,” Nelson said. “I lost confidence and began losing matches that I, arguably on paper, should have won. At that time, it felt like I had forgotten how to play tennis. Then, I recovered and rebuilt my confidence. The mental game has made me a better player.”

Every tennis player has a reason to play, for Nelson tennis is something that completes her. From her simple beginnings at a summer camp, to being ranked thirteenth in Georgia, tennis will forever be something she enjoys and will always have a special place in her heart.