What we remember is the focus, energy, and drive to be the best in anything that Aadi Arya Karthik always displayed – tennis to math to music playing and composing to quiz bowl to philosophy – from a young age.
This poem for school perfectly captures that – the answer to “when can you call yourself a tennis player”
If
AADI KARTHIK
If you started before
The land of grade school accepted you,
And then put in
The passion,
And dedicated yourself
To it,
And made sure
You just
Enjoyed it,
————————-
If you
Hit,
Hit again,
Hit once more.
Forehands,
Backhands,
Serves,
Volleys,
Repeat,
———————————-
If five hours a week is
Commonplace
For you
Practicing,
Practicing,
Practicing,
The star player of your team
Practicing,
Practicing,
Practicing,
——————-
If when you get older
And older
You are playing better
And better
Going higher
In the society
Of tennis,
—————————
If finally
You reach it
Wimbledon
Australian Open
French Open
US Open
You have reached it.
The peak
The summit
Of all tennis
The grand slam
Tournaments
And once you
Reach them
You can call yourself
A true
Tennis Player.
It is a pre-teen’s take on Rudyard Kipling’s “If”
Aadi Arya Karthik 