Blog: “There’s always a ball to return and a point to win!”
The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) website features a blog post every Friday. This year, we’ll be sharing the experiences of disabled people involved in sport and exercise at all levels, finding out what impact being active has on their lives. This week, Matthew tells us how playing tennis helped him to develop a positive outlook on life after losing his vision.
Hi, my name is Matthew Payne, I recently turned 41 and I live in Derbyshire. My main active hobby is tennis, I play once a week for a couple of hours at Nottingham Tennis Centre.
In 2003, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Described as being ‘the size of a duck egg’, it needed to be taken out. Unfortunately, its removal caused damage to my pituitary gland, some loss of vision and gifted me a long list of other medical conditions.
In 2013, two days after marrying my beautiful wife Amanda, I had treatment that revealed there was more tumour development. This led to my most recent, major surgery in which I lost the sight in my right eye completely and lost more in my left eye.
So, after swapping my car and driving license for a white stick and bus pass in 2015, my wife suggested I should take up a sport. Tennis was my first choice and luckily for me, Nottingham Tennis Centre had a weekly session for visually impaired players.
Tennis quickly became a vital part of my continual rehabilitation. It is the one part of the week where I am able to forget about my disability and just enjoy the sport and company of the group. I enjoy tennis because I’m able to run around the court as freely as a sighted person and compete without feeling at a disadvantage. Playing with others who face similar struggles to me both on and off the court gives me reassurance. Plus, I know that any points won or lost are purely down to our skill (or lack of!).
I am a long way off being 'in shape', but unlike being on a treadmill, tennis gives me a reason to keep running and try my best. There’s always a ball to return and a point to win!
Outside of tennis, I work with a personal trainer on my all round fitness and take part in a variety of exercises to improve my strength, suppleness and stamina. I also enjoy relaxing walks in the countryside with my wife. They’re not particularly taxing, but that doesn’t stop us from feeling like we’ve earned a drink or cream tea afterwards.
Tennis has replaced the doom and gloom that swept over me after I lost my vision. The feeling of still being able to do something I enjoy fills me with positivity, and gives me the confidence to interact freely with anyone I come into contact with. The support, understanding and companionship of my club mates keeps me coming back. For a couple hours a week I’m not disabled, I’m just one of the group and we cheer each other on regardless of our ability.
It can take a while to find a sport or activity you really enjoy, but don’t give up. If after two or three sessions you’re not enjoying it, then try something else. Keep sampling different activities until you find one you fall in love with. You’ll soon know that’s the activity for you because you’ll spend most of your week looking forward to the next session.
