anyone traveling to national USTA tourneys this year?

[mental midget]

thinking about going to one, maybe two national 35's mens tournaments this year. definitely the clay in november, at least.

anyone with any experience playing these events?

[Kick_It]

Unlikely this year, hopefully next year.

If I am playing well and the rest of life gets out of the way for my tennis game - I'd love to play grass courts.

I've played one Cat I tourney and four Cat II tourneys in 30 to 40 age groups. Lots of tough players and competition.

Good Luck! K_I

[Dave Mc]

All the USTA tournys in my section are outdoor hard court, so that is all I ever practice on. I've played some Cat-I clay court tournys after only practicing on clay for a couple of weeks, and I felt disadvantaged, even by the weaker players that happen to practice on clay every day. I used to think that playing a Cat-I grass court tourny would be a fun idea, but without any grass courts in my section to practice on, I think it would probably be embarassing. I never tried a Cat-I indoor tourny before... I suppose theoretically I should not be disadvantaged there. I've won more matches at Cat-I outdoor hard courts than all Cat-I clay courts combined... so from my personal experience, if you want to do well, I think it's better to stick with your best surface. Good luck!