Confident and calm: OPHS girls tennis senior captain Ella Morey
In a tennis skirt and slicked-back bun, Oak Park High School girls tennis senior captain Ella Morey could very well double as a ballet dancer, but tennis is where her true passion lies. Morey began playing at a young age and never looked back.
“Tennis has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My older cousins play in college, my dad and my uncle played tennis, so it was kind of inevitable for me to pick it up as my sport,” Morey said. “So, honestly, I was born with a love for tennis in a weird way.”
Still, there were aspects of tennis Morey struggled with when she first joined the team – notably, her confidence in her own abilities.
“Freshman year, I was on JV and that was because of my mental game,” Morey said. “I was beating myself down a lot and it really affected how I played. Then as the years progressed, I got way more confident and I started to believe in myself.”
Morey turned to one of the most effective techniques for maintaining a positive self-view: affirmations.
“I like to give myself self affirmations.” Morey said. “Yeah, you can have the technique down and things like that, but really, the mental game is where you could either break or win.”
Now, Morey is a pro at dealing with doubts and distractions, a skill gained from years of practice.
“You have to just focus on the one ball that’s coming towards you and nothing else, and just kind of block everything out,” Morey said. “And that’s like a real challenge for me, but as you keep playing, you get better at it.”
This combination of mental and physical skill has earned Morey a spot on varsity as number one doubles player. Morey and her partner, junior Madeline Ng, are electric on the court: scoring one point after another, they tap rackets in congratulations, having a blast while they win.
Morey brings to tennis grace and self-assurance, which is what she values most of all.
“Being confident, believing in myself, even if I mess up, always keeping my shoulders back and having poise: that’s really where I strive in tennis,” Morey said.
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