Honestly, what do you think of this behavior?

[randomname]

nevermind, I also didnt realize that these were overheads she was getting pegged with, thats a completely different story, not only is it unnescecary but it can be pretty dangerous too (my mom once got pegged by an overhead in her eye, luckily she was wearing sunglasses because there could have been permanent damage if she wasnt)

[Xisbum]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

There is nothing on this planet that could get me to beg for mercy from my opponents. No way, no how. When that guy hit at me, that made me more determined to play the net the best that I could play it. I cannot imagine going up to him and telling him to hit away from me. If I accidentally hit someone in the chest and they got shirty with me, well . . . I'm obstinate enough that my only adjustment would be to try to hit my overheads a bit *harder.*

Good on ya, mate. Look 'em in the eye and say "Is that all ya got? Bring it, man, bring it." If I'm ever in a life-and-death mixed match, I would want you as my partner.

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Your friend may be a wonderful person who rescues incontinent puppies in her spare time, but I think her attitude toward competitive tennis is peculiar. She needs to man up, take her lumps, stay at the net and hit winners, but know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.

I love it when you mix your metaphors. Don't want to pick, but shouldn't it be "woman up"? And I'm not gonna touch, metaphorically or otherwise, the phrase about "lumps." My mama didn't raise no fools.

Originally Posted by Cindysphinz

You should backpedal, split-step and try like the dickens to get that smash back.

Right on! As long as you're facing the ball and as long as you keep your wits alert and eyes open, there's a chance you can keep the point going. Never give 'em anything; make them take it, or you take it from them.
Then offer a Sam Adams as you accept their congratulations on winning.

[equinox]

Not just girls having a cry either. Earlier this year playing against the "Dream Team" in night comp. I hit a heavy topspin shot off a low ball which barely cleared the net. Guy was behind the service line and my ball hit him on the chest. He completely lost it. He went psycho wanting to take me on and "kill me" in the car park. I pointed out he had plenty of time to use his racket and my shot was lucky to clear the net. He didn't like the truth. I survived the night and sent him to the reserves bench for the season.

If you get hit it is your partners fault. And again then it is your fault.

Getting pegged is all part of the game. Comp or social. Can't take it don't play. And yes i've been hit by a smash in the face of 3.0 partners lob, i turned to late and ball knocked my glasses off and left a nasty bruise. I accepted it and held no grudge.

Part of the game.

[equinox]

Originally Posted by randomname

nevermind, I also didnt realize that these were overheads she was getting pegged with, thats a completely different story, not only is it unnescecary but it can be pretty dangerous too (my mom once got pegged by an overhead in her eye, luckily she was wearing sunglasses because there could have been permanent damage if she wasnt)

Doesn't matter. The smasher should not have to change his shot selection because the opposition is to dumb to stand in the correct safe position.

Tennis balls are not the size of squash balls and don't perfectly fit an eye socket.

[Djokovicfan4life]

Originally Posted by Desperate Tennis Wife

I agree, here is what a majority of our ladies do:


"OMG! I am sooo sorry! Are you alright! I really didn't mean to hit you! I don't have that much control... I would never hit you on purpose....."

Maybe for an all women game this is the best thing to do, but when I play doubles and one team gets a sitter the other team is expected to move back or suffer the consequences! If I plunk someone in a game like this I may give a little net-cord style "fake apology," but as others have said, it is a perfectly good tactic. Either move back or stop whining.

[Desperate Tennis Wife]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Desperate,

And . . . well, I'm a woman and the last time I checked I had breasts. Two of them. Right there on my chest. I have been hit, and it does not hurt. It is a little embarrassing, but it does not hurt enough to make me cry.

I get the feeling you are a very strong woman with breast and "balls" and I did say "some" women not "all". I don't think my player cried because she was hurt, I think she was angry and frustrated. She is already planning "Sweet Revenge" - she's very tough!

[max]

You know what's tough, you two?. . . well, you probably don't. It's a testicular thing, and damn it if a ton of smashes don't happen to end up there! Reminds me of the time I was playing hockey and forgot my cup. Well, I suited up anyway and went out there. . .not too many serious shots go that high airborne. . . and wouldn't you know but the best player out there took a slapshot, I was playing defense, and the thing hit me about 8 inches away from the jackpot! Boy did I learn a lesson!

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by Desperate Tennis Wife

I get the feeling you are a very strong woman with breast and "balls" and I did say "some" women not "all". I don't think my player cried because she was hurt, I think she was angry and frustrated. She is already planning "Sweet Revenge" - she's very tough!

No, I don't think I'm unusual at all. I would guess my mixed teammates would have the same attitude. Some of them don't even volley especially well, but they stand in there (or back off if it gets too hot). I guess my point is there is nothing to be angry or frustrated *about.* Maybe someone who is a crummy volleyer could complain about being targeted, but someone who is accomplished and is winning points with their net play? I just don't understand it.

Also, I would guess a lot of 3.5 women don't have many overheads they can hit, you know? My overheads almost always go toward the deuce court. I have a hard time going to the ad side with a FH overhead, so I usually don't try. If there is a player standing in the deuce service box when I try to hit an overhead, I make No Effort Whatsoever to avoid hitting them. This is especially so given that I try to watch the ball the entire time, and I try to hit my shot so it doesn't come back. So yeah, I could easily hit your friend in the chest. That's what she needs to understand: I just don't have the options/shots/control to do anything else.

[A.Davidson]

Though there is the unfortunate occasion when the only realistic place to hit a smash is toward a person, the fact that this team is undefeated makes me seriously doubt that this was the case - especially five times.

When playing a person whom you are clearly better than, I think that the general thought has to be, "Win, and play seriously, but don't do anything to purposely hurt anyone or cause undue embarassment".

This behavior is truly unacceptable.

[bsandy]

I guess the question is . . .

If you don't want the opponents to hit it towards you, what are you doing at the net ?

. . . Bud

[Tennis Truth]

This thread reminded me of something that happened to me about three weeks ago.

I was playing 4.0 league mens doubles. My partner and I are solid to high level 4.0 players, and our opponents were solid 4.0. One of the opponents didn't like a couple of service line calls my partner made. I could tell he was mad and talking with his partner about the calls. Over the course of the match, this guy hits my partner with the ball 4 times. All were from volleys and none were total smashes, but did have some pace.

I would say it is rare that I or my partner EVER get hit with a ball. We both know how to play, and know that every once in a while you need to bail out.

The reason my partner was hit so many times was that the one opponent intentionally tried to hit every volley he could get his racquet on at my partner. Most of the "hits" were on balls that most people would hit down the line, down the middle, or angle off. Part of the problem was that since hitting the ball at my partner was not the "expected" shot, my partner was not ready for it.

I knew exactly what this guy was doing, but since we were winning I didn't really do anything about it. He never tried to hit at me. The guy appologized every time, and I don't think my partner really understood what was really going on. My partner didn't get mad since we were winning, and he was not sure whether it was intentional or not. He didn't cry in the bathroom, and he didn't move back to the baseline.

So getting back to the OP, we can't really understand what went on because none of us saw it, but I can see that if the other team was trying to hit her, it could easily happen, and I would not necessarily fault her or her skills for getting hit. If a player is more concerned with trying to hit someone than with winning or with hitting the proper shot, there is a good chance there will be multiple "hits." I think most people here have not played someone whose main goal is to headhunt. In fact, one of the reasons I think we won so easily was that this player lost sight of winning in favor of trying to hit my partner.

I believe that directing a shot at an opponent is sometimes the proper shot, and is acceptable. But I consider it bad sportsmanship to directly try to hit another player when the motive is something other than trying to win the point. In the OP's situation, it sounds like given the opponent's attitude, they may be been trying to hit her. Also, I'm wondering if she really got "hit" 5 times, since often people exaggerate. Maybe more like the ball touched her on two occasions, and came close a few other times.

There are a lot of mental and "mind game" aspects to tennis, and some people handle this aspect better than others. Experience helps, and usually these things are easier to deal with in doubles, where you have a partner there to back you up. The main thing is to recognize what is going on, and that the opponent is trying to get you off your game. Once you recognize that, it is easier to figure out a way to deal with it.

[OrangeOne]

Over the course of the match, this guy hits my partner with the ball 4 times.
....
Part of the problem was that since hitting the ball at my partner was not the "expected" shot, my partner was not ready for it.

After the second time...surely they were the expected shot?

Once you know the opponents are annoyed, and that they are idiots, and that they've hit you twice... well, you know....

I mean, in reality it's no different to the process that should happen for legitimate shots - the learning process I mean. If you play someone that only ever drop-shots when they're pushed wide, they will definitely catch you out once, and quite likely twice... after that, you should look for the shot and know what to do in response.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by Desperate Tennis Wife

I totally agree with all who said our player should have moved back, I am not sure if she tried to get out of the way or turned her back because I did not get those details as I was trying to pee between sets and she was so upset. I do know my player is agressive at the net and is a great "S&V"er. She does NOT stand still waiting to get hit. She blasts most of HER volleys down the middle. She did say that the opponent had plenty of court to hit into. I agree that does not mean the opponent has the control or has to hit there. I DO GET IT!

I believe now after the posts that the opponent was a player who probably had some control and who could actually been aiming at her as a legitimate way to "win" or to back her off. In our league the players apologize too much when they hit another player and it drives me crazy. Once I hit an eighties lady at the net and said I was sorry. She replied "Don't apologize Honey, this is Tennis!". I'm sure both my players (I am the captain) learned some hard lessons yesterday, one being that agressive players who are trying to make it to the playoffs play different than country club leagues (which our USTA league is mostly made of). It may not be pleasant but it's effective!

Now this is the kind of information that keeps me tuning into the TW forums.

[Babb]

It's legal, but only if the player is okay with being perceived as a jerk, IMO,

[nytennisaddict]

I'm a 4.5, and I've been hit numerous times in doubles over the years, and after every time I say, "Nice Shot".

If I expect to play the net, and stand my ground (agst poaching, short lobs, etc...), I protect my vitals (my head, and...), getting hit anywhere else just stings a bit for a while.

[equinox]

The simple facts are that if you're not being hit every few matches then you're not playing proper net attacking doubles.

[dman72]

In a similar vein, I've been playing tennis parties recently at local indoor places. There are some good players, some okay, and some terrible. There is this one guy who is a 4.5 player who refuses to partner with anybody other than his girlfriend (it's probably coming form her), who is AT BEST a 2.5. The guy will blast overheads right at you..meanwhile his girlfriend stands right at the net and I could seriously put the ball down her throat on almost every stroke, but I don't because it's supposed to be friendly. So I'm playing with another 3.5-4.0 player, and we're talking between sets. "Okay, if we want to win, we just hit the ball at her everytime. But, that won't be fun, so we'll hit it at him evertime. "

[tzinc]

Hitting at a player more then a couple times is BS.

[nytennisaddict]

Originally Posted by dman72

In a similar vein, I've been playing tennis parties recently at local indoor places. There are some good players, some okay, and some terrible. There is this one guy who is a 4.5 player who refuses to partner with anybody other than his girlfriend (it's probably coming form her), who is AT BEST a 2.5. The guy will blast overheads right at you..meanwhile his girlfriend stands right at the net and I could seriously put the ball down her throat on almost every stroke, but I don't because it's supposed to be friendly. So I'm playing with another 3.5-4.0 player, and we're talking between sets. "Okay, if we want to win, we just hit the ball at her everytime. But, that won't be fun, so we'll hit it at him evertime. "

While for me, the general rule is, if you're at the net, be ready for anything (and being hit is *MY* fault)... I do tend to handle some situations differently...

In the above example, if I was the 4.5 player, I would have to warn my partner that if we expect to against players that are stronger than my partner, we have to expect all balls hit at my partner. As a prep for the match I might even drill balls at my partner (while they are at net and me at the baseline), just to give them an idea of what to expect. On all close/high balls, I'd urge my partner to relinquish the point by turning my back/getting out of the way.

If I was playing agst the above team (*and* it was in a social setting - eg. non USTA match), I would definitely not care about winning (ie. hitting to *much* weaker partner is no fun), and just try to force the 4.5 to make a mistake... or lose trying I'd get much better practice that way.

I've played in 8.0 matches, where it was obvious that I was going to be getting alot of short balls/short lobs, and the opposing net player stood their ground (after the first overhead/poach/etc...). I warn them that I will be hitting at the net person (when possible) since it will likely be the highest percentage play to win the point, and leave it at that (obviously warn my partner that the same may happen - and if it does, we'll adjust accordingly).

[nytennisaddict]

Originally Posted by tzinc

Hitting at a player more then a couple times is BS.

I agree... if I was the player at the net getting hit I'd be ****ed a) at myself for not getting out of the way b) at my partner for constantly hitting short balls, etc.. cuz it's definitely BS that my partner is setting me up to get hit.