I beat the guy 60 60 and he called me "a pusher!"

[Gonzalito17]

Whoa. Didn't expect this many responses,so can't address each point individually, sorry for that. He's a basic decent player, not a very good mover though. So when he challenged me to play this match I wanted to kill him. I felt the right tactic was to just play smart defense, which I can do very well, only go for my shots when up 30-love or 40-15. I played to kill him, knowing my movement and consistency would do the trick. Actually not a pusher, I can play and win USTA tournaments, can beat nationally ranked players. But when I play B or C level players I use my B or C game, why bother using your A game with a weak player? When he called me a pusher I took it as an insult and responded in kind. WHy take any disrespect from a C level dog? The deal is to respect everyone but not to endure any BS from anyone. Ever. At least that's my method.

[IA-SteveB]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

Whoa. Didn't expect this many responses,so can't address each point individually, sorry for that. He's a basic decent player, not a very good mover though. So when he challenged me to play this match I wanted to kill him. I felt the right tactic was to just play smart defense, which I can do very well, only go for my shots when up 30-love or 40-15. I played to kill him, knowing my movement and consistency would do the trick. Actually not a pusher, I can play and win USTA tournaments, can beat nationally ranked players. But when I play B or C level players I use my B or C game, why bother using your A game with a weak player? When he called me a pusher I took it as an insult and responded in kind. WHy take any disrespect from a C level dog? The deal is to respect everyone but not to endure any BS from anyone. Ever. At least that's my method.

I kind of agree with you but why drop down to his level and trade insults? You've got to have thicker skin than that. Just my opinion...

[Anton]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

So when he challenged me to play this match I wanted to kill him.

This is the part that seems strange to me.

Why not just play and have fun? And if you didn't think playing against him would be at least some fun then just decline.

I play with lesser skill players all the time and don't feel like I need to dominate them for daring to ask me to play some games.

[Roforot]

Gonzalito, what level of USTA do you play. This isn't an insult but I've seen "pushers" win tournaments at 3.0 and 3.5 level especially in the heat. Sometimes I'll also play pusher type doubles for fun but never against a strong 4.0+ team.

[Torres]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

And also that I've won several tournaments

Pusher tournaments?

Sorry, but you both sound like a couple of 3.0/3.5s comparing the size of your wieners. I honestly don't know why you're getting so sensitive over stuff like this.

[rufus_smith]

Who ever feels good after a match wins. Forget the score. In effect, your opponent won.

[OrangePower]

Originally Posted by KFwinds

Honestly, when I double-bagel someone I could really care less what comes out of their mouth after that unless they want to offer up some cash for another tennis lesson. Not sure why anything he says after a match like that should bother you so much... so, ditto to post #12

+1. Why care at all what a significantly weaker player thinks of your game?

In the reverse situation, if I get badly beaten, then it could be helpful to get some insight from my opponent on what he perceived as my weaknesses and how he exploited them.

[LeeD]

In HIS view, what he sees of your play, you are more consistent than him, you hit safe shots all the time. That is what HE sees. He sees a PUSHER who beat him double bagels.
You did push, didn't you?
He doesn't know you serve like Roddick, move like Monfils, and crushes groundies like DelPo.
He only saw you making safe shots and pushing the ball back to his side of the court.

[Rozroz]

all i can say is that he's a sure loser,
BUT-
it can be really frustrating to win agains a very good defender who
gets every ball back deep with NO pace... demands good nerves
when i'm in this spot it's no fun at all.

[Gonzalito17]

Feel if you play with a killer instinct and ruthlessness, you play much better as opposed to just playing light leisurely tennis. I have found the formula to win is to play every ball like it's match point. Level is strong 4.5. Play open, 35s. When I lose 60 60 you don't knock your connquerer in any way, you salute him. For a chump to call his double bagel master a pusher is not acceptable. It's all part of the mental and physical battle, never let the opponent have an inch on the court or off ) At least that's how I do it. Give respect and tolerate no disrespect.

[Gonzalito17]

Rufus I won and feel great. I put him in his place with the pusher comment response.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by LeeD

In HIS view, what he sees of your play, you are more consistent than him, you hit safe shots all the time. That is what HE sees. He sees a PUSHER who beat him double bagels.
You did push, didn't you?
He doesn't know you serve like Roddick, move like Monfils, and crushes groundies like DelPo.
He only saw you making safe shots and pushing the ball back to his side of the court.

If you are way better than your opponent, you can only play the pushing game. Otherwise, the points would last at most 2 strokes.

Federer pushing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmzqPx1rHq0

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

Originally Posted by SoBad

Thanks for bringing this up. Pushers is one of those taboo subjects that no one seems to be willing to bring up on these forums.

LOL!!!!

Winner!

[TheCheese]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

Whoa. Didn't expect this many responses,so can't address each point individually, sorry for that. He's a basic decent player, not a very good mover though. So when he challenged me to play this match I wanted to kill him. I felt the right tactic was to just play smart defense, which I can do very well, only go for my shots when up 30-love or 40-15. I played to kill him, knowing my movement and consistency would do the trick. Actually not a pusher, I can play and win USTA tournaments, can beat nationally ranked players. But when I play B or C level players I use my B or C game, why bother using your A game with a weak player? When he called me a pusher I took it as an insult and responded in kind. WHy take any disrespect from a C level dog? The deal is to respect everyone but not to endure any BS from anyone. Ever. At least that's my method.

C level dog?

My god man, it's just a game. Take the high road, who cares what he thinks. No need to trade insults over tennis.

[oragne lovre]

Originally Posted by Tennusdude

Pushers can be notoriously difficult to beat. You need to be patient and not get frustrated. You need to draw pushers to the net, they hate the net. Pushers generally love to run, so hitting at them can be successful as well.
But the most important thing to remember is not to overhit. It will often take more than one shot to put the ball away, sometimes even 3 or 4 great shots, that is why you cant over hit. I pusher only wins by the errors you make. A pusher can never hit a winner on you. I think Brad Gilbert was somewhat of a pusher. He made it to number 4 in the world. He was able to beat Boris Becker because Becker would get angry and lose his patience. Gilbert beat McEnroe at the master at Madision Square Garden one year. McBrat was so angry he took a sabbatical from tennis and actually said that Gilbert didnt even belong on the same court as him. Talk about sour grapes. Actually Gilbert was a master at using different games plans in order to defeat different style players. He wrote a book called Winning Ugly which is an excellent book and well worth the read.

Thanks for the tips.

[LeeD]

If you play like a pusher, you ARE a pusher....for that match.

[SwankPeRFection]

If you're waiting on the error, you're pushing. Like it or not, the definition is correct. It's fine if that's what you were doing. Don't get offended because you decided to just push the ball back. Maybe next time you'll hit some aces on the serves and some winners on the return and be aggressive on some shots. That should keep people from complaining.

I think everyone hates to lose to some degree, but nothing's worse then knowing you beat yourself... and playing against a pusher, that's exactly what you end up doing. When you get beat by your opponent winning points on your mistakes, you tend not to have any respect for them. The truth is, no one likes to lose, but if they're going to lose, they like knowing they lost because they got beat, not because they beat themselves, regardless of the fact that consistency is their weakness. When you understand that, you'll understand why he said what he said.

[tennis tom]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

...This guy at the courts needed someone to play...

...I knew I could beat him so I was content to just hit on the far side facing the sun which was I mean straight in your eyes.

...Then he wanted to play sets.

I know where you're coming from, the guys a *****. You're doing him a favor by playing with him and he's so self centered he forgets it in a minute. It comes under the category of, "Let no good deed go unpunished." You cater to all his whims, taking the sun side, obliging him to play sets, kick his *** and he thanks you by being a sore loser--I bet you'll were playing with your balls too.

You need to get something out of this too, so why not practice your B and C game, that's legit. What I do in situations like that is, every once in a while, pop a big serve or ground stroke winner to remind them who the boss is, or knife an extreme slice that they've probably never seen, that hovers like a flying saucer and they shank off. Once again, you're doing the guy a favor and he repays you by being and ungrateful jerk--that's the world we live in today.

[Wikky]

Nothing to be upset about, anyone who uses the word pusher is usually just looking for an excuse. People tend to forget that tennis is a game of who can hit a ball in an area more than another person, especially beg-int stages.

[sundaypunch]

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

If you're waiting on the error, you're pushing. Like it or not, the definition is correct. It's fine if that's what you were doing. Don't get offended because you decided to just push the ball back. Maybe next time you'll hit some aces on the serves and some winners on the return and be aggressive on some shots. That should keep people from complaining.

Waiting for an error does not equal pushing. Blooping the ball back with no pace is pushing. The OP said he won by playing good defense and only going for it at 30-0 and 40-15.

If you know that an opponent has a low shot tolerance, trying to hit to safe targets is the smart thing to do. This doesn't mean to play tentatively - you can still hit hard. Many coaches recommend doing this and forcing an error as it demoralizes the opponent more than if you hit a clean winner. It also minimizes your unforced errors.

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

The truth is, no one likes to lose, but if they're going to lose, they like knowing they lost because they got beat, not because they beat themselves, regardless of the fact that consistency is their weakness. When you understand that, you'll understand why he said what he said.

This applies to the vast majority of people that think they play offensive tennis. They lose because they beat themselves - they continually go for too much.