Played 40ish former pro/D1 players

[TENNIS_99]

Not that I am anywhere young, I am myself also in the 40ish gang. Played a couple of years of college tennis 20 years ago but never really fully dedicated. Layoff for 15 years and came back to this great game and re-learn the game a few years ago.

But I have to tell you in a tournament I rather play a big college hitter than a 40ish former pro or a good former D1 player. At least I would get some work out and sweat out

Played this guy a few weeks ago who was on the tour for 5 years and got totally destroyed. It's not even funny. After the match I think I can still run 5 K for in 20 minutes. I was not out gunned but I was totally outplayed. I can not get to hit balls in my strike zone continuously. I got one good shot and he made me to work so hard for the next one. Try to be a little bit aggressive stepping inside the court but then the return is right at my feet and I see his racquet at the net.

His games -
He serves probably only in the mid 80's but tons of spins and find the corners well. Occasionally he pulls some good one I think in the 100's. Serve and volley 60 -70 %. Not to mention volley well, low with bites. Compact swing medium pace with high net clearance and landed no more than four feet to the line, the moment I was at the net he can flat it out.

The key point I think for his game is his medium pace stroke with high net clearance. This made him rarely out of positions. I think I have bigger ground strokes than him but at this age, I can not hit those shots more than two, three in a row. When I try to play more conservative, he is at the net and make me play more agressive and I would miss.

Looks like if everything goes well I will play another guy with similar background in the draw next tournament. I don't think there is any quick fix, but I would like to hear if you have similar experience. Maybe I can borrow your experience and make that game a little bit more fun.

[WBF]

Originally Posted by TENNIS_99

Looks like if everything goes well I will play another guy with similar background in the draw next tournament. I don't think there is any quick fix, but I would like to hear if you have similar experience.

I have found the same thing. These people just know how to put you off balance, and do it on nearly every shot, even when you are aggressive with them... And then they can always pull out the power if they need it (not often).

Remedies? I'm not exactly an expert, but I'm in a similar situation and am working on the following:

1.) Fitness. Better fitness = better movement = better positioning = harder for them to put you out of position.
2.) Fitness. Better fitness = better consistency, reducing those points where you end up screwing up on one shot after a long rally due to fatigue.
3.) Mixing up strategy. Don't feed them the same stuff over and over. Work in topspin, cutting slice, angles, lobs, everything you can handle. In particular, avoid trying to be aggressive *all the time*. Use it only when necessary and when you can be consistent with it (serves, shots they didn't manage to make uncomfortable for you, etc).
4.) Practice. (I can't do this. Apart from fitness, my tennis training still consists of hitting with my fiancee. Fun, but not as productive as I would like).

It's really going to be different for everyone though.

[CAM178]

I'm in mid 30's. When I play now, I try to finish the matches with the least amount of damage. Ideally my opponent works twice as hard.

The good players will keep everything just out of your reach. If you think about it, why would you want to allow your opponent a shot in their strike zone?

Neutralization is the name of the game, the older I get. It becomes FAR more mental and strategic (or 'strategery', if you're an SNL fan ) than when we were younger and just banged. My game has progressed to a lot more touch, angles, and breaking down an opponent during warm-up.