As junior tennis players get older, it becomes harder to balance school and tennis. Personally, finding balance between the two took a long time, and there was lots of trial and error in figuring out a daily routine that works best for me. Now as a senior in high school, I think I finally have it down, so here is my personal experience and some tips for other junior tennis players.

Throughout high school I’ve taken many rigorous honors, AP, and community college classes, so I’ve certainly experienced being so overwhelmed with school that I wasn’t able to spend as much time on the tennis court as I ideally would. Almost all of the junior tennis players I’ve met are also very goal-oriented and high-achieving individuals, so it’s no surprise that many of us have struggled with pushing ourselves too much and not having enough time during the day to do everything we want.

Being a very goal-oriented person, I’ve always prioritized school, because I know that it’ll allow me to be well-prepared for my future career. Tennis for me has always been about having fun and pushing myself to be the best version of myself–both physically and mentally. Because of this, my typical school day consists of waking up at 5 a.m. to do homework or go to the gym before school, then after school, going to tennis practice, other extracurriculars, finishing the rest of my homework, and then trying to go to bed as early as possible. This routine allows me to wake up well-rested and ready to put my best effort into everything I do the next day.

For junior players with the goal of playing at the collegiate or pro level, the balance between school and tennis will undoubtedly be different. If a player with these goals were to try to follow my schedule, it’s possible they wouldn’t have enough time during the day for tennis training that would be most beneficial  for them and their goals. Working towards being the best version of yourself will look different for everyone and may take time to figure out. Just remember that the best schedule for you will be one that allows you to spend as much time as possible working towards your long-term goals, whatever they may be.

Aside from making sure to utilize your time before and after school as best as possible, there are plenty of other ways to further create a good balance between academics and athletics in your day. During school, you could use your lunch period to get work done ahead of time so you have less work to do once you get home. Being more intentional with your time is also important. A great way to do this is by turning off your phone and eliminating distractions so that the time you allot to doing schoolwork is as productive as possible.

Another thing you could try is to spread out your work more throughout the week instead of procrastinating, which can lead to you feeling overwhelmed. To spread out your work more, try bringing your homework to tournaments or to do during downtime in practices to avoid cramming all of your work right before the deadline or day of a test.

The best thing you can do for yourself as a junior tennis player is to plan your days in a way that allows you to work towards being the tennis player and student you want to be. Hopefully this serves as a reminder for you that there are many different ways you could go about creating a balance between school and tennis in your life while working towards your goals.