It’s Been Five Years

The first post I made on this site went live on December 28, 2019. That means I have been publishing original tennis content every single day for the past five years. Today’s post is a self-indulgent victory lap to celebrate this project’s absurd and improbable journey. What started as a simple New Year’s Resolution has grown beyond what I ever would have anticipated. This milestone feels like an accomplishment. More importantly, it is also the perfect time to stop and enjoy a moment of gratitude for everyone who has read, shared, and engaged with this effort. Everyone reading this has played a vital role in making this site a reality.

This site was born out of a New Year’s Resolution to write a page each day about tennis throughout 2020. It was a personal challenge fueled by a passion for the sport but mostly a desire to create a public body of writing work. Behind the scenes, my widely acknowledged superpower at the day job is written communication. Unfortunately, none of that writing will likely ever see the light of day, with the possible exception of a textbook titled “The Fundamentals of Secure Aviation Design,” which may someday clear public release hurdles. It is now shocking to me to go back and read some of those initial posts on this site to realize how jaw-droppingly bad they were as I struggled to write on a different topic for a new audience. I used to have a link on my site to “Go back to the beginning.” That was later quietly removed in a moment of “Oh no, please don’t.”

Somewhere along the way, I’ve gotten better. That alone is worthy of celebration. I can’t say whether I’ve achieved Malcolm Gladwell’s threshold of the 10,000 hours required for mastery. However, one thing is clear: Improvement is fueled by consistently working on something. The daily writing has forced me to refine my voice, hone my craft, and confront a myriad of weaknesses head-on. The posts on this site have evolved in clarity, style, and structure, largely because I’ve shown up every single day to do the work.

I’ve learned how to tell better stories, weave in richer details, and strike a balance between technical depth and accessibility. Looking back, I can see the growth that comes from relentless practice, and it’s a reminder that progress is the product of consistency and effort. What started as a simple exercise in writing has become a testament to the transformative power of commitment.

There is a certain amount of serendipity. While I do not doubt that I would have easily satisfied the initial one-year commitment, the truth is that without the unexpected circumstances of COVID-19, I doubt that this project would have continued beyond that time. The pandemic disrupted routines and created a strange, isolating stillness, but it also provided me with the time and focus to deepen my engagement. Looking back, it’s clear that the circumstances of 2020 were a catalyst for something I could never have planned. It’s a bizarre silver lining of uncertain times.

A handful of people have asked me if I am writing a book. Though that wasn’t the original design, I have no less than five different ideas for that percolating on the back burner. In fact, many of the posts on this site are essentially just working through ideas and concepts for those potential pursuits. The process is exhilarating and terrifying as I expose the early raw stages of those ideas.

I am frequently asked what I think I am doing with this site. The most honest answer is that I genuinely don’t know. At its core, this project is a labor of love, driven by a desire to explore the competitive tennis ecosystem. While I would like to improve it in some small way, I don’t really harbor any illusion that it will. Beyond that, I’m simply telling the tennis stories I think need to be told. If any of those spark curiosity, provoke thought, or point key decision makers to a solution space that otherwise might have been neglected, that would be a bonus.

The only thing that really matters is that I’m not stopping. The daily commitment has become a fundamental part of my self-identity. This practice grounds me, challenges me, and fuels my passion for tennis. It has made me a better player. Whether this ultimately leads to books, changes in the sport, or simply a deeper understanding of the game, I’m just enjoying the process.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me on this journey.