This is awesome !

[Silent]

...for me.

tl;dr at the end.

I could have posted this in the "Share a pleasant moment" thread, but I decided to milk this a bit and make it the object of my first thread ever (unless I'm mistaken...). I do run the risk of nobody caring and I'm fully prepared for this.

I'm currently a weak 3.5 at best (ok, 3.0...), this is self-rated, and I've been having a hard time finding partners.

Even so, I decided not to let this keep me off the court so I've been practicing serves by myself a few nights a week as well as cross-court backhands and forehands. Tonight, I got lucky. I had been practicing for about 40 minutes when this guy arrived and asked if I was alone and could hit with me, I happily obliged.

We played a few points of mini-tennis before going to the baseline, no serves. Right away, it was obvious this guy was much, much better than I was. We only had 15 minutes of lights left so he couldn't warm up. He was making quite a few unforced errors, but he was hitting pretty hard loopy balls and could pick corners off of my many short, weak replies. Clearly, he was the best player I had played in my tennis "career". I did get a few good shots in, but he was making me run left and right and those "good" shots of mine weren't actually pushing him back. My only winner came when I hit one of those good shots and the lights got turned off as the ball bounced on his side of the court, making him whiff. In other words, I might have had a chance had he been blind.

At the end of this very short session, having never played a guy like him before, I asked if he was a 4.0 or a 4.5, if not more. He said he used to be a 5.5 in college but was probably a 5.0 nowadays. He's a physical trainer for a tennis team at one of the colleges here (Montreal). I instantly felt bad for having insulted him by calling him a 4.0 but kept my pain to myself. He was very nice, said I knew how to play and asked me if I'd want to hit with him on weeknights. Obviously, I accepted.

So there it is, if I'm lucky, I'll get to hit with a former 5.5 college player at least once a week. I think this is a great opportunity for me to get a good workout outside of when I go to the gym and to hit against a very heavy ball, and someone who can move me around, making me face shots I have never faced before. I won't ask for any tips but will definitely listen if he decides to offer some.

I plan on running after every ball and staying focused throughout our sessions in order not to waste his time.

What I noticed:

- I can get the ball back but if I'm pressed or stretched out, my replies are very weak;
- When I get good contact, it's not nearly enough to bother him;
- He makes me run left and right very easily and I'm not used to that at all. Usually, I make the others run;
- I'm glad I beefed up the weight of my racquet because those weak replies would have probably gone into the net; the deeper replies would have been much shorter;
- I had a very hard time changing the direction of the ball. I could only hit cross-court off of his cross-court shots, otherwise it was all middle for me;
- My preparation has to be much quicker because the ball is coming very fast;
- My defensive slice was enough to gain back time, but then I had to guess his next move. It wasn't enough to truly get back into the point;
- I was framing the ball quite a bit: I must watch the ball more;
- I was surprised that my 1hbh held up the way it did;
- I was happy he had no pockets, and therefore, couldn't hold many balls on him, meaning more breaktime for me;
- I'm pretty sure he plays with a Pure Drive. Whether it's a "Plus" or a "Roddick, I don't know;
- He has a 2hbh;

tl;dr
If I'm honest with myself, I'm a 3.0. I likely found a very kind, regular 5.0 partner tonight, making this a tennis milestone for me as it was the first time ever I hit with someone this good.

Any tips or comments are appreciated.

 

[stringertom]

Move this thread to TT/I...you'll get more tips than you can deal with!

It was "a pleasant moment" though, wasn't it.

When overmatched, and it's not "competitive", I try to shorten my strokes to ensure making ball contact in front of me which will reduce the framing/shanking that ends or weakens rallies. He has pace if he's a former 5.0+ college player so use it. I remember old Wimby matches and guys like Anders Jarryd who would have almost no backswing (especially on returns) but they would meet that ball in front of them, transfer weight and produce bullets of their own.

 

[heninfan99]

Tomic seems to do this on the forehand...

Move this thread to TT/I...you'll get more tips than you can deal with!

It was "a pleasant moment" though, wasn't it.

When overmatched, and it's not "competitive", I try to shorten my strokes to ensure making ball contact in front of me which will reduce the framing/shanking that ends or weakens rallies. He has pace if he's a former 5.0+ college player so use it. I remember old Wimby matches and guys like Anders Jarryd who would have almost no backswing (especially on returns) but they would meet that ball in front of them, transfer weight and produce bullets of their own.

 

[Rubens]

...for me.

tl;dr at the end.

I could have posted this in the "Share a pleasant moment" thread, but I decided to milk this a bit and make it the object of my first thread ever (unless I'm mistaken...). I do run the risk of nobody caring and I'm fully prepared for this.

I'm currently a weak 3.5 at best (ok, 3.0...), this is self-rated, and I've been having a hard time finding partners.

Even so, I decided not to let this keep me off the court so I've been practicing serves by myself a few nights a week as well as cross-court backhands and forehands. Tonight, I got lucky. I had been practicing for about 40 minutes when this guy arrived and asked if I was alone and could hit with me, I happily obliged.

We played a few points of mini-tennis before going to the baseline, no serves. Right away, it was obvious this guy was much, much better than I was. We only had 15 minutes of lights left so he couldn't warm up. He was making quite a few unforced errors, but he was hitting pretty hard loopy balls and could pick corners off of my many short, weak replies. Clearly, he was the best player I had played in my tennis "career". I did get a few good shots in, but he was making me run left and right and those "good" shots of mine weren't actually pushing him back. My only winner came when I hit one of those good shots and the lights got turned off as the ball bounced on his side of the court, making him whiff. In other words, I might have had a chance had he been blind.

At the end of this very short session, having never played a guy like him before, I asked if he was a 4.0 or a 4.5, if not more. He said he used to be a 5.5 in college but was probably a 5.0 nowadays. He's a physical trainer for a tennis team at one of the colleges here (Montreal). I instantly felt bad for having insulted him by calling him a 4.0 but kept my pain to myself. He was very nice, said I knew how to play and asked me if I'd want to hit with him on weeknights. Obviously, I accepted.

So there it is, if I'm lucky, I'll get to hit with a former 5.5 college player at least once a week. I think this is a great opportunity for me to get a good workout outside of when I go to the gym and to hit against a very heavy ball, and someone who can move me around, making me face shots I have never faced before. I won't ask for any tips but will definitely listen if he decides to offer some.

I plan on running after every ball and staying focused throughout our sessions in order not to waste his time.

What I noticed:

- I can get the ball back but if I'm pressed or stretched out, my replies are very weak;
- When I get good contact, it's not nearly enough to bother him;
- He makes me run left and right very easily and I'm not used to that at all. Usually, I make the others run;
- I'm glad I beefed up the weight of my racquet because those weak replies would have probably gone into the net; the deeper replies would have been much shorter;
- I had a very hard time changing the direction of the ball. I could only hit cross-court off of his cross-court shots, otherwise it was all middle for me;
- My preparation has to be much quicker because the ball is coming very fast;
- My defensive slice was enough to gain back time, but then I had to guess his next move. It wasn't enough to truly get back into the point;
- I was framing the ball quite a bit: I must watch the ball more;
- I was surprised that my 1hbh held up the way it did;
- I was happy he had no pockets, and therefore, couldn't hold many balls on him, meaning more breaktime for me;
- I'm pretty sure he plays with a Pure Drive. Whether it's a "Plus" or a "Roddick, I don't know;
- He has a 2hbh;

tl;dr
If I'm honest with myself, I'm a 3.0. I likely found a very kind, regular 5.0 partner tonight, making this a tennis milestone for me as it was the first time ever I hit with someone this good.

Any tips or comments are appreciated.

This is unreal. Are you me? Seriously, I'm a self rated 3.0-3.5, with a 1hbh and a beefed up racquet. My favorite hitting partner happens to be a 5.0 who doesn't mind hitting with me. Oh and I'm from the south shore of Montreal.

What you describe is almost exactly my experience. The running left and right, the weak replies from me, the being pleasantly surprised at my own 1hbh lol. Let me tell you this, I've had this hitting partner for a year now, and I've improved tremendously. The thing with this guy is that he likes to play 100% all the time, going for winners on nearly every shot. Until recently, I could only play defense against him, but now I'm able to win more points and dictate play sometimes. It is a great feeling.

Well, have fun with your newfound partner! I'm sure you'll improve fast. And maybe we'll meet at the courts one of those days. You'll know when you see someone who looks exactly like you lol.

 

[stringertom]

^^^Love your sig...will try that technique when I draw sureshs in the club championship match!

 

[Rubens]

^^^Love your sig...will try that technique when I draw sureshs in the club championship match!

Hahaha. Remember the 3 Fs: Find, Feel, Finish. You can skip the second one if it grosses you out.

 

[stringertom]

Hahaha. Remember the 3 Fs: Find, Feel, Finish. You can skip the second one if it grosses you out.

Won't be doing the Tommy touch on sureshs..."see me" is OK but the "touch me, feel me, heal me" part will be omitted. The one quick elastic grab is all I'm looking forward to!

 

[Sentinel]

First I was thinking the OP may have found our good man, slice bh compliment.
Seems rubens has found sureshs -- the description of always playing 100% and going for winners sounds just like our Bionic One.

 

[Silent]

Move this thread to TT/I...you'll get more tips than you can deal with!

It was "a pleasant moment" though, wasn't it.

When overmatched, and it's not "competitive", I try to shorten my strokes to ensure making ball contact in front of me which will reduce the framing/shanking that ends or weakens rallies. He has pace if he's a former 5.0+ college player so use it. I remember old Wimby matches and guys like Anders Jarryd who would have almost no backswing (especially on returns) but they would meet that ball in front of them, transfer weight and produce bullets of their own.

Thanks. I'll try that. I'll focus on setting up correctly so I can intercept with the sweetspot. In other words: get my *** into position.

This is unreal. Are you me? Seriously, I'm a self rated 3.0-3.5, with a 1hbh and a beefed up racquet. My favorite hitting partner happens to be a 5.0 who doesn't mind hitting with me. Oh and I'm from the south shore of Montreal.

What you describe is almost exactly my experience. The running left and right, the weak replies from me, the being pleasantly surprised at my own 1hbh lol. Let me tell you this, I've had this hitting partner for a year now, and I've improved tremendously. The thing with this guy is that he likes to play 100% all the time, going for winners on nearly every shot. Until recently, I could only play defense against him, but now I'm able to win more points and dictate play sometimes. It is a great feeling.

Well, have fun with your newfound partner! I'm sure you'll improve fast. And maybe we'll meet at the courts one of those days. You'll know when you see someone who looks exactly like you lol.

lol too funny. I live on the south shore as well. I was playing in St-Hubert yesterday. You weren't that guy with the basket of balls on court 1 were you ?

Your guy sounds like the guy I was hitting with. At first I wasn't sure if he wanted to play points or just rally, but I figured out it was all points for him. Didn't make a difference for me: I couldn't help but hit towards the middle.

 

[Rubens]

Thanks. I'll try that. I'll focus on setting up correctly so I can intercept with the sweetspot. In other words: get my *** into position.



lol too funny. I live on the south shore as well. I was playing in St-Hubert yesterday. You weren't that guy with the basket of balls on court 1 were you ?

Your guy sounds like the guy I was hitting with. At first I wasn't sure if he wanted to play points or just rally, but I figured out it was all points for him. Didn't make a difference for me: I couldn't help but hit towards the middle.

I was playing in La Prairie (my hometown) last night. But I did bring a basket of balls, to practice my serves. And was on a court marked "1". No kidding.

 

[Silent]

It's rained pretty much non-stop since wednesday so I was only able to play tonight, since that "fateful night".

I tried shortening my backswing and that definitely helped, but to be honest, he eased up a bit so that helped me a great deal as well. He did pick corners on every short ball, especially those he could reach while still above the net. He figured out pretty early in the session that I was covering cross-court so he started going parallel, and I wasn't able to adjust, so I'll keep that in mind for next time.

A few interesting, and humiliating yet funny things:

- Early on, he broke his strings so I lent him one of my racquets, which gave him the opportunity to beat me with my own equipment;
- I asked him if he was playing with a Pure Drive and said he wasn't sure but that it was probably the case. So yeah...knowing about equipment = NOT a prerequisite to be good at tennis. I did notice he was playing with the Team version;
- Instead of carrying balls in his pockets, he would simply leave them on the ground no more than 2 feet behind him. evidently, he knew there was no chance in hell I would make him back off from the baseline;

We played points for about 40 minutes, during which he gave me a pretty good workout. Then a couple of random guys delivered me by asking us if we wanted to play doubles for the rest of the session: 20 minutes or so before the lights got turned off.

Next time, I think I need to:

- Bend my knees to get to those low balls. Too many backhands sailed long and that's a big reason why;
- Watch the ball a lot more. For some reason, I'm able to watch it hit the stringbed for a couple shots in a row then my mind wanders off. I didn't shank as much as last time but every time I watch the ball, my shots are a lot more solid;
- Disguise the side of the court I'm covering a bit better when I'm in trouble;
- I NEED TO GET IN BETTER SHAPE. A few months ago, my legs would leave me before getting out of breath. Now it's the opposite. Need to work harder on that;
- I need to focus more. I'm not used to playing a guy that can punish me that much, and the mental aspect is one thing I can control, so I need to do what I can on that front;

The next session will be on Wednesday or Thursday, but I'm playing Tuesday with another partner.

 

[winstonlim8]

Congrats on meeting a nice guy. I really don't understand why many tennis players don't like hitting with weaker players. For me, it's an opportunity to focus on doing well all the things I can't against people of my level or higher (can't always pick your opponents in a club free for all).

What I do when hitting with weaker players (usually ladies or very old men) is I focus on controlling every ball back to where they can hit it without too much running or other effort. I tell them they're free to hit anywhere they want to so that I can work at tracking the ball, moving for it before it crosses the service line (or net), getting to it and hitting it back with good footwork and technique.

I won't try to kill the ball but I will try to hit the heaviest controlled return to them that I can manage every time and leave it to them to adjust their position to be able to return my shots.

Or I'll focus on hitting approach shots, run in and try to hit as many controlled volleys as I can before they pass me or one of us dumps the ball in the net. I'll try to volley balls that look to be going out, too, as practice for Doubles.

This way, we both get a productive workout and accomplish something worthwhile together.

I think the 5-pointers you guys met are probably doing something similar. Hope you both enjoy the sessions.

 

[widmerpool]

As a 5.0, he's probably tired of crushing all the best NCAA women's players. You are probably actually a larger challenge to him.

 

[Silent]

As a 5.0, he's probably tired of crushing all the best NCAA women's players. You are probably actually a larger challenge to him.

Obviously.

I'm a man.

We are men.

MEN!!!!!!!!

We are so ****ing goooooood.

 

[Ziggy925]

Always more fun to play with someone better than you, as long as they aren't trying to kill you. Also much more satisfying when you do get a point. Sometimes I get to play with someone who's way better than me, and I just try to get the ball back over the net and eventually let them make a mistake, usually a shot into the net or a home run out of the court. :twisted:

Congrats on finding a compatible partner.

 

[Niou]

Keep us posted Silent !!
I really like this thread and I'm sure you will be much stronger in a few weeks just because you now have a target to aim for - your new 5.0+ player.

Getting stronger always begins with the inevitable - The huge / humiliating loss.
After that you will get stronger than ever before.

 

[Silent]

I haven't posted here in a while because I haven't played this guy since last time I posted.

However, tonight I had a chance to play a set and a tiebreak with another 5.0. I'll end the suspense right away: I lost the set 6-0 and the tiebreak 7-0, but more on that later.

He's a different kind of 5.0. He's 45+, a coach and a stringer. He still plays competitively in the 45+ age group. He does have some pace to his game, but he's more of a placement/touch player. He has a moderately-paced flat serve (high pace for my level however), a precise slice serve and an easy to read twist serve, which can bite a lot and surprise me.

2 weeks ago, he evaluated me as a 4.0. I'll go ahead and say I'm a weak 4.0 for 2 big reasons: my second serve is very poor and I'm not fit, though I'm working on both. Reading the guidelines though, the rest of my game seem to be in-line with what a 4.0 should be able to do.

My service games were tight. My first one had 3 deuces and I even got to game point. My second one had 1 deuce, and my third one 1 deuce as well. I even got an ace on a second serve, from the ad court on the T. I couldn't do much of anything on his serve. The only 2 points I won on his serve were both on his third service game.

I had a few good rallies, and I was even able to control a couple of them, but in the end, I was too inconsistent and couldn't get to his shots fast enough when I gave him time to setup. Those shots were deep and at ear height, which I'm definitely not used to seeing, but which was a lot of fun as well. On easy balls, I was trying to do more than what I was comfortable with because I knew my normal rally ball couldn't bother him. I succeeded a few times but made too many unforced errors.

If I get a chance to play him again, I'll try testing him more on his backhand.

I had a lot of fun despite getting demolished. I like being tested and I learned at least one thing: there's no use in trying for too much if it's gonna' end up outside the court, especially since I did get a few good rallies in. Might as well make him play and see what comes out of it. There's no way I can beat this guy as it is, but I can take a game or 2 off of him if I stay focused and things go well.

 

[Silent]

tl;dr at the end

Dear diary...

I played against "the coach (5.0)" on Friday.

I lost the set 6-1, then we played a tiebreak which I lost 8-6. People started watching when I served at 4-5, which made me nervous and self-conscious. Still, I made it 5-5 but got broken and let him serve at 6-5. I won the next point, but he won the next 2 and that was it.

We had a few good rallies. The one game I won was actually a return game so I was pretty happy about breaking his serve. The problems remain the same: consistency at that level, fitness and experience, though I have improved since last time, and that's not just based on the result. I'm not used to seeing so many balls near the lines so that makes me move that much more and I have to somehow produce a quality shot when I get there. Eventually, I get tired and I take a chance, or I take a chance too early, or, let's face it, I just miss the percentage shot.

Also, my serve needs work. The first serve is getting better. I changed my motion completely 2 months ago and it's paying off. It can either be flat, or, and that's what I prefer, it can have a slice component to it., which is perfect for the T from the ad court, wides from the deuce court, and aiming at the body. I've also started targeting the wide side from the ad court with some success, and I'm pretty happy about that too. The second serve is my biggest weakness I would say. My goal this year is to learn the kick serve. I'll have to wait until 2015 to do that because I won't have much time to practice come September.

Lastly, I will be signing up for an Open tournament, August 9-16. this is my first ever tournament. I have to sign up for the Open category since the step below that is 3.5. It's a provincial tournament that will count towards the provincial rankings, but I should only be facing a bunch of 4.0s, 4.5s and a couple 5.0s. The big tournament is elsewhere during that same week, where players ranging mainly from 5.0 to 6.0 will show up. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm not going there expecting to win the whole thing, I mainly want to see what it's like to play when it counts and I want to learn from it too. Depending on the draw, I can see myself winning a round. I know going into tournament thinking you'll lose is not a good attitude, but I'm being realistic: no experience, unfit, 4.0 at best. I want to learn and have fun. If you have any tips regarding how to approach this tournament, do let me know.

tl;dr
Played against "the coach (5.0)" again and lost 6-1 then 8-6 in the tiebreak. Tight tiebreak but he played the big points much better. I need to gain consistency, become fit and gain experience.

I will be entering an Open tournament August 9-16. This will be my first ever tournament. I should be facing players ranging from 4.0 to 5.0. Any tips is appreciated.

 

[uncle pollo]

My fiancee took me to the court once 3 years ago.

I have never played tennis, and only casual argentine pelot.

Every shot looked so fast that i was about to fling the racquet at her face.

Did not go well.

One day i just went to hit against the wall ... and find every backboard in town.

3 months later i can keep up with her, and keep her off the damned net once in a while.

I am using a 1984 mid size graphite racquet with 1 once of lead tape at the head.

I am waiting on my exo3 to come back to me.

The moral?

Play with people that are better than you.

They make you better.

 

[Silent]

That's what I wish to do for the coming year. I found a 4.0 to hit with until the end of summer and we seem to be on the same level, although I haven't seen him serve/return yet, nor as he seen me. I'm also hoping to get a spot in the league at my club, I might meet a new partner there for the winter, and I plan to participate in the box league as well. Then there's this tournament I was talking about. I also plan on getting a lesson for my forehand, I'm a little stiff on that side and one for my serve, but that's for 2015, when I have time to practice.

It's kinda' hard to find 4.5s or 5.0s, let alone some who would want to hit with a lower level player, so organized tennis is still the best way for me to get experience.

So I'll be hitting the hard courts in the next week and a half and looking forward to see where I stand, if I can truly call myself a 4.0 or not.

 

[mad dog1]

My fiancee took me to the court once 3 years ago.

I have never played tennis, and only casual argentine pelot.

Every shot looked so fast that i was about to fling the racquet at her face.

Did not go well.

One day i just went to hit against the wall ... and find every backboard in town.

3 months later i can keep up with her, and keep her off the damned net once in a while.

I am using a 1984 mid size graphite racquet with 1 once of lead tape at the head.

I am waiting on my exo3 to come back to me.

The moral?

Play with people that are better than you.

They make you better.

would your fiancee happen to be Gabriela Sabatini?

 

[Silent]

So I've known who my opponent will be for a few days now. I asked a 5.0 who plays tournaments and he remembers seeing his name but doesn't know him. He told me he probably is a 4.0 to 4.5, or else he would likely know more about him. He played in a 350 event last year (in Canada we have 1000s, 350s, 200s and 100s - the event I'm in is a 100 event), where players from 5.0 to 6.0 meet - I was told players who were once ranked as high as 300th in the world come to play. He lost in the 1st round of qualifying 0 and 0, to a guy who lost in the 2nd round 0 and 0 to the 2nd seed. In this 100 event, he lost in the second round.

I played a match this morning against an inferior opponent, and won. I took the opportunity to test my nerves: go for my shots when it felt right and mainly, go for my serves whenever the score was tied or at 0-15. I lack confidence in matches, from my lack of experience. I started doing that at 2-3, and ended up winning 6-3. My thought process was that when on serve and early in the game or the score is tied, I'm at an advantage so I should put pressure on my opponent, and it worked well. I tend to be tentative on the serve because it's a weakness in my game. Practically speaking, what it means is I would go for a big first serve and a big second serve when tied or early in the game. In case of a double fault, I would go for another big first serve again, giving me 3 straight chances of getting either a free point or a big advantage to start the point. It's a strategy that paid off. When behind by 2 points or when facing break point, I would go for a big first serve but ease up on the 2nd, concentrating on keeping the ball in play. I applied the same strategy in rallies.

On returns, I would opt for a deep, middle-of-the-court return on first serves and would attack the second by applying more power and returning down the line. Going cross-court was trickier because that potentially left the court open for him - not enough angle would have me scrambling. When up a break, I felt loose and went for it, taking more chances and going flatter.

I'm planning on using that same strategy tomorrow night. I think the keys for me will be to stay loose and trust my swings. Since I will be playing a stronger opponent, I will have to go after my opportunities to break or take possession of a point. Ideally, I would like to be involved in long rallies at the start of the match to gauge my opponent and to chase the nerves: I want to test his movement, his patience and his backhand mostly by sending him fast/slow/high/low/short/deep balls. I would also like to attack his 2nd serve as much as I can. If I'm being dominated from the baseline, I'll switch things up and move to the net, which I have been practicing a lot for the past couple of weeks.

If I lose, I want him to beat me with his skills, not mentally or physically. I want to make him earn his points, and I don'T want to give any kind of clue as to how I'm feeling, because I already know my heart will be racing early in the match, which is why if I win the toss, I'll opt to receive.

One other thing, I will be playing with a Yonex VCore Tour G 330. The sweetspot on that thing is huge, which my topspin backhand likes very much. My secret weapon will be the down the line backhand: if that shot works tomorrow night, that guy will be in trouble.

 

[Silent]

Beloved crickets,

The tournament was moved indoor to the sponsoring club due to rain. I was notified an hour in advance which was fine as I hadn't left yet, and it so happens it's the club to which I'm a member.

Match time came but no opponent. I ended up winning by default because of, get this, my opponent's mom. Long story short: the guy is 15-16 years old and couldn't get a lift to the club: mom didn't want to drive him and didn't want him to go alone.

I ended up hitting for over an hour with the director, who was better than me so it turned out to be valuable practice. I also warmed up someone who was playing in the 8:30pm slot.

My second round match is Wednesday night against a 13-year-old. I don't know him, but I expect him to have better technique, stronger mechanics than me, but if he isn't match tough, this is where the scale might tip. I plan to intimidate him by threatening to kill his dog if he tries to win. Hopefully he has one, or else I'm in trouble...

P.S. Thre dog thing is a joke, obviously.

 

[Silent]

Ok so I got demolished 0 and 1, though the 1 game was the 12th game.

The guy was just stronger in every way, plain and simple. Was he a 4.5, 5.0? I don't know. He wasn't a 4.0 though, I'm pretty sure, and I wouldn't have taken a game off of a 5.5 so, either or.

I learned a couple of things however: my first serve is good enough to take advantage of the point, so what I need to work on is consistency, though I served well enough I would say. Power isn't the issue at all.

My groundstrokes were just not good enough : not powerful enough to bother him, not precise enough to bother him either when it came to rallying. As for taking chances, I tried but I just don't have the tools yet to control a point against such a player. Had I been able to hold rallies, my fitness would have failed me, but as it was, it wasn't an issue.

Service returns weren't so bad but that needs improvement too.

Basically I need to gain consistency and develop my groundstrokes.

The one thing I'm proud of is I kept my composure and I didn't give up, that's what gave me that one game. Sure, the match was over already and the guy probably wasn't trying his hardest, but I never felt like he gave me anything : that game, I took it.

We'll see what happens next year.

 

[Cobaine]

No video of the match? Booooo!

 

[Silent]

I called Tennis Channel before the match, left a message but they didn't call back

 

[sundaypunch]

Tennis is a strange game. Someone can be way better than you and win 0 & 1. It's also common for someone that is just a little bit better to win by a very lopsided score. When you don't feel like you can keep someone under pressure with your groundstrokes it is usually an uphill battle.