5/12/2019
We lost you on May 12th of this year.
It was unexpected, out of nowhere. I was in complete shock when I found out you were hit by a car walking home. The news broke me down.
You were my rock! My inspiration for everything. My tennis career, my work ethic, and heck, even my journey to America. You had a hand in all of it.
The sting of this loss hit me hard. I still haven’t fully processed it.
One of our last interactions was right after our team had lost in the first round of the NCAAs against USF.
The dual match came down to my singles. I had struggled with confidence my whole junior year, battled some nagging injuries, and had a really tough time keeping up with school and managing the long-distance relationship with my girlfriend. It all seemed to have spiked during that time.
To this day, I think I should have won that match and gave our team the win. But, well, I didn’t.
In one of your last days on earth, you still comforted me, talked me through it, and put me back on track. You always knew how to find the right words.