First Usta Tournament.... WOO!!!

[KhaosBaseliner]

so next week i have been signed up for a small usta ranked tournament... as i said my my title it will be my first... anyone got any suggestions i need to keep inmind on my first tournament?

[MomentumGT]

Go in with a good attitude and most importantly have fun. Oh...pray you're not up against a seed. lol.

[soggyramen]

1. go in with a possitive attitude. even if you're playing the #1 seed.
2. eat good 3-4 days before your tournament.
3. snack on bananas and diluted gatoraide through out the tourney plus water
4. carry extra string, dampners, clothes, and grips so you are well prepared.
5. stay calm in all match situations (i know it's hard)
6. don't go for so many winners or big shots as they can be your down fall if you miss
7. make him hit one more

[KhaosBaseliner]

yea... thanks for all those comments... a funny thing about the tournament is that it is on indoor courts... and i have never played indoor... but im just going to have fun and stay calm about it all... hopfully win atleast one match =P

[crazy8tiger]

Good Luck and I agree with the 7 tips posted. I didn't follow a few of those two weeks ago in my first tournament and I could only win one match out of 6. MY most important tip would be just to play it as you always would in practice or for fun instead of taking it as a real big game. I could not do that most of the time and hit very beginner shots or became too confident.

[KhaosBaseliner]

is there anything i need to really remember on indoor hardcourts? or are they just about the same as outdoor courts. Thanks for the suggestions people =)

[abenguyen]

is there anything i need to really remember on indoor hardcourts? or are they just about the same as outdoor courts. Thanks for the suggestions people =)

indoor courts are a little faster than outdoor courts. the indoor is not affected by any weather conditions, heat, cold, wind etc. i think playing indoors is much easier than outdoors. and just a little quicker.

be calm and have fun. i wish i could play usta but i'm busy in my position right now with school and have no time. i second the 7 tips listed above.

[KhaosBaseliner]

little bit faster aye? sounds ok with me... thanks for the info =)

[abenguyen]

little bit faster aye? sounds ok with me... thanks for the info =)

no problem, anytime

[A.Davidson]

Stay loose - too many players "relax" (sit still) for way too long just before matches. If you have a few minutes before your match, take a quick jog, do some stretching (especially legs) and just have a look at how balls seem to be playing on the surface. Sitting still too long can make you stiff and slow.

[babolatking]

you got nuthin to lose man... the seeds have to live up to sort of a standard by seeding so kick there a$$

[redsoxrock930]

don't get to the tournament too early, maybe 10-15 is good, getting there too early and having nothing to do will just make you nervous.

[KhaosBaseliner]

thanks people... ill send a message of my results and stuff after the tounament =)

[Connelly]

good luck.

[Katlion]

good Luck! i agree with the tips already posted here, especially with the one that said "go in playing it as if you are playing in practice"
don't get nervous, it's your first tournament, so you've got nothing to lose
have confidence in yourself, and even if you lose you first match, dont get down on yourself, and analyze what you did good, and what you think you should have done better. then talk to your coach on how to improve on those things.

Good Luck, and keep me posted.:-D

[theace21]

8. Try and find someone to warm-up. Tournaments limit your warm-up time, and USTA events in your area might be much more strict than you are used to. A good warm-up will help relax and might get rid of those opening jitters.

Good Luck...

[KhaosBaseliner]

only 2 more days... then im gonna go play my best... =P

[KhaosBaseliner]

so i got my draw today... and there is 2 other people in it... lol i guess it is good for my first tournament =P

[Bagdatis toy hippo]

Aw u lucky. I wish I could play USTA tournys :-(

Ah well, either way, good luck!!! :D

[Jackie T. Stephens]

You better hope you win, I played in a destinated tournament yesterday it was usta and it had a whole bunch of foreigners, well... if you play one of those type of guys please don't push like how I did I lost both my consolation and first round 6-0 6-3

[KhaosBaseliner]

well... so tournament summary... first round... i played pretty good... but i was really off beat because it was my first match in usta... and it was my first ever match on indoor court plus my opponent was good. i lost 6-0 6-1 =(, in the second match i played a kid who had played in this specific tournament since he was 11... i fought hard but only to fall 6-3 6-1
this tournament really opened my eyes to some stuff... i feel i had a good first tournament despite the scores... i made my opponent earn everypoint... the sad thing is that that they did earn everyone =( lol
thanks for the advice guys

[stevekim8]

i personally HATE playing indoor
because i always hit the ball out

outdoor is the best! :D

[10schick]

1. go in with a possitive attitude. even if you're playing the #1 seed.
2. eat good 3-4 days before your tournament.
3. snack on bananas and diluted gatoraide through out the tourney plus water
4. carry extra string, dampners, clothes, and grips so you are well prepared.
5. stay calm in all match situations (i know it's hard)
6. don't go for so many winners or big shots as they can be your down fall if you miss
7. make him hit one more

A couple more items.... bandaids (the kind that will stick to a damp surface), and a towel to wipe your face/forehead.

[playfairplease]

Good luck new tournament player. My daughter has just started too and my son has only been competing for a few months. My daughter got a few games but learned tons. Next time maybe shell get a set. Hope you sign up for some more and keep liking it.

[Jackie T. Stephens]

i personally HATE playing indoor
because i always hit the ball out

outdoor is the best! :D

They are actually the same if you pay attention.

[playfairplease]

Jackie, my son and daughter argue about this all time. He likes outdoor and clay and she likes indoor hard but finds outdoors harder do to wind. He is so much bigger and maybe thats Y.

[KhaosBaseliner]

Yea... i played with one of my buddies today and defiantly felt a difference because i learned so much with playing those other guys... cant wait till the next one =P

[CAM178]

Tough tournament. Sounds like the field was good, and you were nervous. That will happen. Hey, at least you stepped out on a limb. A lot of people your age are too nervous to even think about what you did. Great job. It will only get better!

[KhaosBaseliner]

yea im hoping so... i felt alot more comfident in my 2nd match.. i hope to do better in later tournaments

[Bundey]

Not bad for your first tourney. My first I lost the first match 6-0 6-1, then in the consolation 8-0, lol. Then 3 tournaments later and I won one.

[babolat15]

make sure you warm-up very well

[GAZ082]

Get a blog, i'm already a fan of you :P

[KhaosBaseliner]

lol thanks... i guess =P not quite sure y though

[soggyramen]

keep it up though eventually you'll start winning. when i play tournaments i just want to win one match at the least but if not that's ok. first two tournaments i played i won the consolation draws. got a little cocky in my third and feel to a pusher lol yes go ahead and laugh fell 5-7, 7-6, 6-4

[KhaosBaseliner]

nah man... pushers will get u sometimes... i just wanted to win one to get some points... u know, get me on the rankings lol

[playfairplease]

I see lots called pushers here and the expression is used as a put down. I am beginning to see how pushing is the first stage of learning to play tennis. Kids who can push but not go for winners are usually kids early in their game before they have developed many weapons. If you follow them over time I bet they develop them. I also bet that if you went back to look at kids who become really good, they start out pushing. Right? It usually kids who have talent enough to keep the ball in play otherwise they would never have gone on to develop a good game. I can see it being a criticism of adults whove played for years but using the expression to put down a kid's game seems off base. I bet kids who start out as pushers are those who have talent but have not had many formal lessons. If they could not push they would never have been interested in going further.