ive messed up my game

[tennisboy21]

hi , i was a really good tennis player and was ranked number 2 in
england at under 14 level, but i was improving all the time and was a
late developer.
anyway because of tradjedy in my life i became very ill and i quit
tennis and became suicidal.
i returned to tennis when i was 19 and i got even better my ball
striking ability was secound to none and i know people will think im
talking bullocks but i beleive federer has no competition because i
should have been playing and i really beleive me and him would have
been at the top.
i was always an amazing athlete.
anyway because i was still very messed up i messed around with my
tennis game when i was feeling low and suicidal and i lost my game and
over the last 2 years i did some really weird things like messing
around playing with a weird exaggerated wrip turned round 3 times more
than a full western and i tried to move diffrernt from my natural way.
I have gone from being the best ball striker in the world to maybe the
worst. i still have the cordination but my swing and everything like
movement has gone weird.
anyway i quit playing totally but after 9 months i went out in my
garden to see if anything in my game had changed as i have a hitting
wall and i am a little better than i was before and i stated getting
hope that maybe in a few years the damage i did to my game might go and
i might be able to play again.
its improved about 10 percent so now i am at about 20 perecent of my
playing ability.


my question is that will i ever get my game back gradually over the
years, i know it has nothing to do with practice, if its going to
happen it will just happen on its own.
i know this is a very weird situation but i know what im talking about

 

[TennsDog]

Try playing lefty for a while (or righty if you are a lefty). This will do two things: force you to take your time and completely evaluate your strokes, and it will help clear your mind of the bad habits you picked up. And who knows, you may be good enough to not need to switch back to righty. Other than just hitting, relaxing, and letting things happen naturally, that is pretty much the only thing I can tell you.

 

[Ztalin]

i beleive federer has no competition because i
should have been playing and i really beleive me and him would have
been at the top.

Hahahah...

 

[armand]

Try playing lefty for a while (or righty if you are a lefty). This will do two things: force you to take your time and completely evaluate your strokes, and it will help clear your mind of the bad habits you picked up. And who knows, you may be good enough to not need to switch back to righty. Other than just hitting, relaxing, and letting things happen naturally, that is pretty much the only thing I can tell you.

Dude, where do you get your ideas from? They seem real nutty but so clever too.
So what's your advice on the first volley(you know, when your on your way to net and you gotta hit from no-man's land)?

 

[donnyz89]

#2 in the country at 14 which means u have to have at least a 5.0 NTRP rating im guessing. 5 years of not playing shouldnt bring you back that far. how long have u been playing? u should be at least a decent 4.5 player right now. idk about getting back on top, u need some coaching...

 

[SageOfDeath]

Try playing lefty for a while (or righty if you are a lefty). This will do two things: force you to take your time and completely evaluate your strokes, and it will help clear your mind of the bad habits you picked up. And who knows, you may be good enough to not need to switch back to righty. Other than just hitting, relaxing, and letting things happen naturally, that is pretty much the only thing I can tell you.

you've got to be joking. What type of teaching method is this?

Stay with your dominant hand, work on getting your game back together. I bet you probably remember most of the things in your strokes. Get a coach, even though you may or may not be better than a coach, he can help your game if you let him.

Last thing, if you do not become a world class player do not become disappointed. Many players don't.

 

[TennsDog]

Dude, where do you get your ideas from? They seem real nutty but so clever too.
So what's your advice on the first volley(you know, when your on your way to net and you gotta hit from no-man's land)?

The best advice is to not try to come in on a shot that forces you to hit a volley from no-man's land. However, if you are there, don't rush the shot. Split-step, balance yourself, don't run right through the shot, just block the ball back deep (perferrably to the backhand corner), don't try to do too much with it because you are most likely in a rather defensive position at this point. Come in following behind the ball, but don't crowd the net. And also bend your knees and get down for the first volley, as it will most likely be a rather low shot and below the ideal volley height. Other than that, practice it. Good luck.

 

[tennisboy21]

Hahahah...

dont ha ha me, i know it sounds funny but its true i was that good.
my lta rating at 14 was 3.1 , but theve changed it and i didnt play any tournaments since then.
i was playing with alex bogdanovic but i was much better than him. i have also beaten andrew murray, although he was younger, those are the two pros who were among my rivals at 14. i am bogdanovics age

 

[Jon Hampton]

i returned to tennis when i was 19 and i got even better my ball striking ability was secound to none and i know people will think...but i beleive federer has no competition because i should have been playing and i really beleive me and him would have been at the top.

Sheesh, talk about overconfidence. Are you trying to say that you could have been better than Federer? My, my...that takes a lot of hard work...countless hours on the court. I don't like to shoot down anyone's goals of becoming the world' best tennis player, but you have to understand that to get to that level requires 100% dedication.

im talking bullocks

Don't you love jolly old England talk?

my question is that will i ever get my game back gradually over the years, i know it has nothing to do with practice, if its going to happen it will just happen on its own. i know this is a very weird situation but i know what im talking about

Well, see this is where I think you have your idea of what it takes to be the best in the world is a little scewed. "It has nothing to do with practice" is completely wrong. You have to practice and train like never before if you want to get back to that level.

 

[TennsDog]

you've got to be joking. What type of teaching method is this?

Stay with your dominant hand, work on getting your game back together. I bet you probably remember most of the things in your strokes. Get a coach, even though you may or may not be better than a coach, he can help your game if you let him.

Last thing, if you do not become a world class player do not become disappointed. Many players don't.

Tennis is largely about problem solving, both in matches and on the practice courts. If what you are doing isn't working, then you need to go at the problem from another angle. If you can't beat your opponent from the baseline, you mix it up and start trying to volley more, etc. Same with practice: if you can't accomplish what you want to the way you are trying, you need to change it up and try something different. I changed hands when I got TE, and when I came back with my right hand all of the lefty practice and concentration actually improved my righty game. Again, if he is having as much problem as it sounds like he is and his normal practicing isn't helping at all, quit taking a dead end route. From what it sounds, it won't hurt his game at this point.

 

[donnyz89]

and another thing... no one can judge ANY 14 yr old and predict how good he will be. He might be GOOD, but can he win? thats a different thing.

 

[kevhen]

Federer probably feels alot of relief that things didn't go as planned for you. Good luck with your physical and mental health and keep enjoying the game.

 

[fedex27]

as does sampras, he wouldnt want to be regarded as the 3rd best

Federer probably feels alot of relief that things didn't go as planned for you.QUOTE]

 

[Phil]

hi , i was a really good tennis player and was ranked number 2 in
england at under 14 level, but i was improving all the time and was a
late developer.
anyway because of tradjedy in my life i became very ill and i quit
tennis and became suicidal.
i returned to tennis when i was 19 and i got even better my ball
striking ability was secound to none and i know people will think im
talking bullocks but i beleive federer has no competition because i
should have been playing and i really beleive me and him would have
been at the top.
i was always an amazing athlete.
anyway because i was still very messed up i messed around with my
tennis game when i was feeling low and suicidal and i lost my game and
over the last 2 years i did some really weird things like messing
around playing with a weird exaggerated wrip turned round 3 times more
than a full western and i tried to move diffrernt from my natural way.
I have gone from being the best ball striker in the world to maybe the
worst. i still have the cordination but my swing and everything like
movement has gone weird.
anyway i quit playing totally but after 9 months i went out in my
garden to see if anything in my game had changed as i have a hitting
wall and i am a little better than i was before and i stated getting
hope that maybe in a few years the damage i did to my game might go and
i might be able to play again.
its improved about 10 percent so now i am at about 20 perecent of my
playing ability.


my question is that will i ever get my game back gradually over the
years, i know it has nothing to do with practice, if its going to
happen it will just happen on its own.
i know this is a very weird situation but i know what im talking about

First thing you should do： try waking up and take a break from smoking crack.

 

[SageOfDeath]

Don't be disappointed by the advice here given by others because you posted something here with a bit of attitude. I don't doubt that you could have gone pro or that you can now but you need to practice in order to get better.

You said that your game is going to gradually get back, I don't doubt that but just because you were as good as you were when you were 14 years old doesn't mean you're going pro.

If you seriously want to go pro, find a coach, get lessons, work your hardest, get a ball machine, practice on and off court, drill, condition. That's what many recreational players do JUST to improve, so please don't think you will improve by just NOT practicing.

 

[zAllianceBmx]

a lot of you are missing the point that he had a tradjedy in his life which left him ill.

 

[SageOfDeath]

him being ill isn't the point, that's that past, currently he wants to be as good as he was before and go beyond that. In order to do that he has to accept the fact that he isn't going to improve by not practicing. His game won't just fall into place after 5 years.

 

[Geico]

My advice is: don't ever forget why you started playing the game-for enjoyment (that is why, isn't it and not because of a malicious parent?)
Just get back into it gradually and at your own pace.
Forget about results, play with as many different opponents/styles as possible.

And just be grateful you've got your health now.

Peace

 

[nViATi]

First thing you should do： try waking up and take a break from smoking crack.

phil might be a little brutal at times but he's always right.

 

[Kaptain Karl]

I know how you must feel. I used to welcome Roger coming to practice with me, but last year he simply became too difficult to fit into my schedule. Even though I have yet to lose a set to Federer, I had to tell him not to call anymore.

Now if I could just get Safin and Rafa to leave me alone too. Neither of them has won a single game off me.

(It's tough being in the Top Tier of the Elite Players ... and staying anonymous. But you already know that, huh?)

- KK

 

[tennisboy21]

i knew i would get these messages saying im a wacko but even if i didnt get as good as federer i would have easily got as good as alex bogdanovic and andy murray. i beat alex twice comfortably and once andy.
Coaches were even predicting big things for me, but i didnt beleive it.

and i realise you need to practice to get better but what i am trying to say is that i messed up my game and something has happened to the way i get power , this has affected all sports not just tennis.
so i gave up for ninemonths and then came back to the court and i was 20 percent better than i was before without practising, i just need another 40 percent improvement to get back to my normal athletic skill as before.
Then i can start to compete and play tournaments again

 

[fedex27]

so why werent you number 1 in england, you speak like your the god of a small religion

i knew i would get these messages saying im a wacko but even if i didnt get as good as federer i would have easily got as good as alex bogdanovic and andy murray. i beat alex twice comfortably and once andy.
Coaches were even predicting big things for me, but i didnt beleive it.

and i realise you need to practice to get better but what i am trying to say is that i messed up my game and something has happened to the way i get power , this has affected all sports not just tennis.
so i gave up for ninemonths and then came back to the court and i was 20 percent better than i was before without practising, i just need another 40 percent improvement to get back to my normal athletic skill as before.
Then i can start to compete and play tournaments again

 

[TennsDog]

Why is everyone so concerned with his actual ability level or what he says about his game?? That isn't the point here. His problem is that he was at some arbitrarily advanced level, he took some time off, and then dropped his level significantly. Now he needs help getting back to where he was. Our purpose here is to give him advice as to how to do that, not make fun of him for how good he was or thinks he was

 

[ChicagoJack]

Hello Tennisboy21

You had a question, this question is surrounded by much drama, but there is a question in there. and that question is,

Quote: " will i ever get my game back gradually over the years, i know it has nothing to do with practice, if its going to happen it will just happen on its own." end quote

Emotional suffering is difficult to fake. Most people have a pretty reliable BS detector when It comes to the authenticity of emotional suffering. I'm pretty clear that you ARE suffering over something. You feel that you were blessed with world class talent and you squandered it. I get it. There is no shortage of personal stories like this. My wife is, at any given time, about 4 glasses of Pinot Grigio away from her own story of talent squandered. When you are 14, the world seems yours for the taking. This has nothing to do with Tennis ability. It's just how we are built.

The way you have phrased your question is not accidental, and is quite revealing. Somebody who is committed to being #1 in the might have a plan in place about how to achieve this. If you have such a plan, then life becomes very, very simple. You are either doing things consistent with your goal or you are not. You have no time to engage in the past, for there is to much work to do in the present.

Best regards and take care
- Jack/FeloniousMonk
(had some browser cache & cookie issues that were easiest to resolve by creating a new account )

 

[tennisboy21]

Why is everyone so concerned with his actual ability level or what he says about his game?? That isn't the point here. His problem is that he was at some arbitrarily advanced level, he took some time off, and then dropped his level significantly. Now he needs help getting back to where he was. Our purpose here is to give him advice as to how to do that, not make fun of him for how good he was or thinks he was

yeah i just want to know if eventually my game will get back, my technique has slightly improved and this is the reason im posting this message because now i have a glimmer of hope that gradually my body will adjust to what it was doing before.

 

[fedex27]

if your so great, why would you want help from a bunch of scrubs. by the way, whats your name, and andrew murray is from scotland as johnnyf said in your duplicate thread in the rants/ raves

yeah i just want to know if eventually my game will get back, my technique has slightly improved and this is the reason im posting this message because now i have a glimmer of hope that gradually my body will adjust to what it was doing before.

 

[mad-rabbit]

same with me
i started with 6, quit at 9 and then started again with 14.
i could be so much better now...
damn lucky federer...

 

[tinofan90]

same with me
i started with 6, quit at 9 and then started again with 14.
i could be so much better now...
damn lucky federer...

uhhh...you started with 6 what? i am going to guess age, but im still confused on how 5 years of playing when you arent at your peak physical form screwed you over.I also dont see how federer is luckier than you because he didnt quit. I hope that was a joke at least

 

[TennsDog]

I think A) it was a joke, and B) he is saying Federer is lucky because he quit and now doesn't have to play him, implying that he would beat Federer.

 

[SageOfDeath]

he means he would have gotten a lot better. And the reason he says federer is lucky is because federer wouldn't have been at the top because that guy would have been.

Still funny though how people think just because they start young they will be tennis prodigies. Takes a lot more than just an early start, it helps but its not everything.

 

[mad-rabbit]

I think A) it was a joke, and B) he is saying Federer is lucky because he quit and now doesn't have to play him, implying that he would beat Federer.

yup, i went to soccer when i was 9 years old. i regret it afterwards.
and YES! i would beat federer if i could get these 5 years back!

 

[tinofan90]

yup, i went to soccer when i was 9 years old. i regret it afterwards.
and YES! i would beat federer if i could get these 5 years back!

just think : if you had started out with soccer and never quit soccer youd probably rival at least Ronaldo or something

 

[tommyho]

first, u need to concentrate on ur game rather than the what ifs of life....
I have a very talented younger brother that was in a similar situation, and fell mentally ill...
enjoy the game...
don't dwell on the I shoulds and could have...
Federer went his way and so did Murray...between those 2 there is a big gulf...
there is many reasons why some don't make it to the pros or not to the top....
Some players even beat Federer in the juniors..and they're not even pros now...
The advice of changing playing hand in order to regain fundamentals of the game is not a bad idea...
but could make u more frustrated...I suggest just playing in the serving squares with a partner. It's a good way to warm up...but also to practice control, concentration and playing loose and relaxed. once u relaxed, technically and mentally all ur strokes will come back...
then once it does don't try to catch up on federer...he's got like 6500 atp points...

 

[armand]

hi , i was a really good tennis player and was ranked number 2 in
england at under 14 level, but i was improving all the time and was a
late developer.
anyway because of tradjedy in my life i became very ill and i quit
tennis and became suicidal.
i returned to tennis when i was 19 and i got even better my ball
striking ability was secound to none and i know people will think im
talking bullocks but i beleive federer has no competition because i
should have been playing and i really beleive me and him would have
been at the top.
i was always an amazing athlete.
anyway because i was still very messed up i messed around with my
tennis game when i was feeling low and suicidal and i lost my game and
over the last 2 years i did some really weird things like messing
around playing with a weird exaggerated wrip turned round 3 times more
than a full western and i tried to move diffrernt from my natural way.
I have gone from being the best ball striker in the world to maybe the
worst. i still have the cordination but my swing and everything like
movement has gone weird.
anyway i quit playing totally but after 9 months i went out in my
garden to see if anything in my game had changed as i have a hitting
wall and i am a little better than i was before and i stated getting
hope that maybe in a few years the damage i did to my game might go and
i might be able to play again.
its improved about 10 percent so now i am at about 20 perecent of my
playing ability.


my question is that will i ever get my game back gradually over the
years, i know it has nothing to do with practice, if its going to
happen it will just happen on its own.
i know this is a very weird situation but i know what im talking about

Dude, why does your English suck? You're from England!

 

[fedex27]

theres a teaching pro at saddelbrook who was number 1 in california and beat andy roddick 3 times and was 3-0 agasint him. roddick is a top player and he is teaching tennis at saddlebrook