Looking for ambitious tennis partner(s)

[Ramon]

I heard that Steffi Graf's father was an exceptional athlete and started playing tennis late in life but managed to get nationally ranked in Germany. Obviously, he would have done much better if he started off when he was younger. It's not unheard of that a very talented player could play at the satellite level starting late in life, so I'm not closed-minded on the idea of that ever happening.

However, after looking at the OP's video, I'd have to say it's too ambitious at this point.

[yonexpurestorm]

any updates on tournament results peoplespeace? hows the training coming along. another vid showing your progress would be cool.

[peoplespeace]

Originally Posted by Wuppy

Any Updates?

I think most people didn't get the OP's reasoning. He doesn't actually think he can reach those goals, but they do give him an honest, middle-class justification to go around the world playing tennis. Most middle-class folks can't just let themselves "waste" their lives, they need to justify their experiences by telling others (and themselves) that they are working toward a socially-acceptable goal of some sort.

Bumming around the world playing tennis is not a socially acceptable goal for the middle-class. Achieving a professional tennis ranking, trying to perhaps make a living doing it, etc. etc. is at least somewhat acceptable. The middle-class is all about achievement, and if you're doing something fun without a goal of high achievement, you're considered a wastrel. This thread is the OP's attempt to convince himself and others that he's not a wastrel, nothing more.

Is that u Hantuchova?? Stop stalking me!! Stop putting me down!! And for the love of "god" STOP TRYING TO SOUND SMART!! UR BLOND AND ALL BLONDS ARE DUMB!!!

[peoplespeace]

Originally Posted by yonexpurestorm

any updates on tournament results peoplespeace? hows the training coming along. another vid showing your progress would be cool.

i guess i could post another vid soon as the current one doesnt do my current level justice. I guess in a match today againt myself in the vid i would only get a handful of points.

Im not unhappy with my progress sofar given the little i have played (some 4-5 hours a week on average) and mostly against players who play worse than myself. One big dissapointment is that i was serving really well 6 months ago but not having worked on it for a while it has become quite a bit worse. I hope this is just temporary.

I still believe that i will get atp points (i also know what atp ranking i will never achieve, which i didnt 2 yrs ago) but it might take as much as 5 yrs from mainly because i wont be able to create the full time training conditions which was the reason i created this thread in the first place at a time when i had the time and money to train full time for a year.

[peoplespeace]

Originally Posted by goober

Sure- start a thread saying you are 41 years old, started playing tennis a couple years earlier and say you are goal is to qualify for a main draw of a futures event is not a high goal. Happens all the time. Definitely not an attention getter.

yes a future event is a high goal. I think SusanDK was saying that i dont need to create some (false) perception of a high goal to justify to myself or other that i travel and play tennis.

[SusanDK]

Originally Posted by peoplespeace

I think SusanDK was saying that i dont need to create some (false) perception of a high goal to justify to myself or other that i travel and play tennis.

Præcis!




(10 char)

[Mikael]

Just stumbled upon this thread. Wow, so much negativity.

OP, great goal. Very hard to achieve considering your current level. You may never get an ATP point, but in the process you will have traveled, met new people, improved your tennis level, kept in shape, and so many other things. I wish one day I could have the time, money and health to embark on such a project.

Good luck, have fun and try to find that thin line between maintaining a realistic outlook and discarding the negativity.

And let me know if you come to Paris someday, would be fun to hit!

[jdubbs]

Originally Posted by Mikael

Just stumbled upon this thread. Wow, so much negativity.

OP, great goal. Very hard to achieve considering your current level. You may never get an ATP point, but in the process you will have traveled, met new people, improved your tennis level, kept in shape, and so many other things. I wish one day I could have the time, money and health to embark on such a project.

Good luck, have fun and try to find that thin line between maintaining a realistic outlook and discarding the negativity.

And let me know if you come to Paris someday, would be fun to hit!

The reason there's negativity is that he's 41 and by the looks of it, about a 3.5.
How is any of this realistic? As others have said, if you want to travel and improve, that's fine. But to say you're going to be pro opens yourself up to heavy criticism. If he was already playing futures events, that's one thing. But to be at his level and talk arrogantly about going pro rubs a lot of us the wrong way.

[danno123]

Originally Posted by jdubbs

[snip] As others have said, if you want to travel and improve, that's fine. But to say you're going to be pro opens yourself up to heavy criticism. [snip]

I wonder why that is? Why should others be supportive of someone who sets low goals but criticize one who sets very high goals? None of us are injured or harmed by peoplepeace's quest, so why should we be critical?

Got on this thread to see if peoplespeace had posted any new videos. I'd like to see the improvement from the prior video. I don't have the time or ability to completely devote myself to tennis but I'd like to see the results from someone who has. Good luck.

[yonexpurestorm]

im not knocking the guy for stating high goals, but to post something like this and then not even post one result from a tournament seems like a cop out to me. if you read this whole thread i dont think you would even know if the guy has played a tournament yet.

[jdubbs]

Originally Posted by danno123

I wonder why that is? Why should others be supportive of someone who sets low goals but criticize one who sets very high goals? None of us are injured or harmed by peoplepeace's quest, so why should we be critical?

Got on this thread to see if peoplespeace had posted any new videos. I'd like to see the improvement from the prior video. I don't have the time or ability to completely devote myself to tennis but I'd like to see the results from someone who has. Good luck.

Youre right. I've decided to declare myself eligible for the NBA draft. Anybody want to train with me?

[tennis_balla]

I've criticized peoplespeace in this thread in the past but have also given him some advice.
I'm not sure where he is now, or what he is doing but from his past posts it didn't sound like he was organized at all in his training. The problem is, if he shows up to a tennis academy for example and says, "I want to train here and get an ATP point" they won't take him seriously and most likely just take his money. What he needs is to be exposed to open level players, Futures players and get used to their speed of play and movement on court as well as proper drills and training on court with a coach, in the gym and practice matches with a coach court side so he learns to think his way through matches. Without that, he's dead in the water. Training with a 14yr old junior player like I saw in one of his videos is a waste of time.

To me this isn't a matter of can he do it, will he do it? In the end, who cares its his choice, his time and effort and money. However, if you're gonna do something like this then its at least gotta be done right to give yourself a chance.

[peoplespeace]

Originally Posted by tennis_balla

I've criticized peoplespeace in this thread in the past but have also given him some advice.
I'm not sure where he is now, or what he is doing but from his past posts it didn't sound like he was organized at all in his training. The problem is, if he shows up to a tennis academy for example and says, "I want to train here and get an ATP point" they won't take him seriously and most likely just take his money. What he needs is to be exposed to open level players, Futures players and get used to their speed of play and movement on court as well as proper drills and training on court with a coach, in the gym and practice matches with a coach court side so he learns to think his way through matches. Without that, he's dead in the water. Training with a 14yr old junior player like I saw in one of his videos is a waste of time.

To me this isn't a matter of can he do it, will he do it? In the end, who cares its his choice, his time and effort and money. However, if you're gonna do something like this then its at least gotta be done right to give yourself a chance.

Hey tennis_balla tx for the advice, what u are prescriping is more or less what i aimed for when i created this thread in vain! Btw, are u still in Prague? Im thinking of travelling by train (interrail) around eastern and southeastern europe for a month starting later this week and wanted to know what the possibilities are to train seriously for about a week in Prague?

[tennis_balla]

When would you be thinking of coming here? Send me your email address and I can give you more details.

[jdubbs]

One thing im envious of, though...traveling around Europe playing tennis for the hell of it for at least a year now. Sounds fun! I played in Argentina on red clay last year and it was a blast.

[dr325i]

Originally Posted by jdubbs

One thing im envious of, though...traveling around Europe playing tennis for the hell of it for at least a year now. Sounds fun! I played in Argentina on red clay last year and it was a blast.

red clay - yuck...
HC Rules

[goober]

Hey read Tonlars blog just so you have a taste of what you are in for. He hasn't got an ATP point yet either but he got pretty dang close. Made it through qualifying beating a current D1 player and a former top 800 ATP player. He lost in close match in the first round. He is late 20s and in the prime of his career. Interesting read for those trying to get ATP points.

http://tonylarson.blogspot.com/

[Borrelli]

Originally Posted by goober

Hey read Tonlars blog just so you have a taste of what you are in for. He hasn't got an ATP point yet either but he got pretty dang close. Made it through qualifying beating a current D1 player and a former top 800 ATP player. He lost in close match in the first round. He is late 20s and in the prime of his career. Interesting read for those trying to get ATP points.

http://tonylarson.blogspot.com/

Dude looks shredded.

There was also some white guy with blonde dreads who was doing the same thing with a blog, had a really corny nickname? Can't remember though, I'll try finding it again.

[peoplespeace]

Originally Posted by goober

Hey read Tonlars blog just so you have a taste of what you are in for. He hasn't got an ATP point yet either but he got pretty dang close. Made it through qualifying beating a current D1 player and a former top 800 ATP player. He lost in close match in the first round. He is late 20s and in the prime of his career. Interesting read for those trying to get ATP points.

http://tonylarson.blogspot.com/

I have seen clips of Tonlars game. If he had a decent serve he would already have several atp points. My getting an atp point will require that i get a very good serve, which im confident that i will. However, i must admit that im less confident that it will happen now than i was just a year or two ago. On the other hand i dont think that it will be easy to find an adult almost beginner who has made the kind of progress i have the last 4 yrs, and given the suboptimal training conditions ive had, i still believe that there is a fair chance i can do it.

[TonLars]

Originally Posted by peoplespeace

I have seen clips of Tonlars game. If he had a decent serve he would already have several atp points. My getting an atp point will require that i get a very good serve, which im confident that i will. However, i must admit that im less confident that it will happen now than i was just a year or two ago. On the other hand i dont think that it will be easy to find an adult almost beginner who has made the kind of progress i have the last 4 yrs, and given the suboptimal training conditions ive had, i still believe that there is a fair chance i can do it.

Lol good luck man, and thanks. I do have a better serve than you think though Im guessing but youre right that I dont have a great serve. Hopefully we both get it