Battle in the ATL - MEP vs Travler - Part II

Who wins?

  • MEP in 2. Age gap, cardio deficiency, heat index, and tough sun angle do Trav in.

  • MEP in 3. MEP outlasts Trav in an alternate dimension dink fest of angles and drops.

  • Trav in 3. Trav rediscovers his net game, but not until the setting sun unlocks his overhead.

  • Trav in 2. Trav’s new geeked out racquet tech is enough for the upset.

  • Everybody wins!

Results are only viewable after voting.
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travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
What’s the 4.5 rec player’s equivalent of facing king-of-clay Rafa at Roland Garros?

Facing MEP (aka, Most Exhausting Player) in mid August in his elements, in the mid-afternoon blinding sun in sweltering sweaty Atlanta heat and humidity!

The match kicks off tomorrow at 3pm Eastern.

Special thanks the @TennisTroll and @GSG for making this spontaneously conceived last minute match happen.

MEP won Round 1 last year in milder April conditions. But instead of 72F, tomorrow’s high is forecast for 88F and humid. Will the humble hometown hero deliver another beatdown? Or does the indoor mixed-dubs specialist have a fighting chance?
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Unfortunately, this match was kind of already over by the end of warm-up, when I already felt my head overheating.

It wouldn’t have mattered what racquet or tactics I had at my disposal. Without being physically prepared or acclimated to the heat index, I couldn’t keep my body temp from overheating, and my medical time-outs and putting ice under my hat didn’t seem to help.

@GSG probably could have gone for 4h. But his foolish physically unready opponent was only prepared to last about 30 minutes before the level dropped off, and MEP calmly kept doing his thing.

MEP takes it 6-3, 6-0.
 
J

Jonesy

Legend
You need not be so frustrated about it, MEP becomes a 5.5 under the right conditions. You also need to find the racket that will make you go 6.0 instantly. A lot of work to do still until your first win against him.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls

FuzzyYellowBalls

Legend
Jonesy said:
You need not be so frustrated about it, MEP becomes a 5.5 under the right conditions. You also need to find the racket that will make you go 6.0 instantly. A lot of work to do still until your first win against him.
Click to expand...
There are no conditions in which MEP becomes a 5.5, whaaaat?
 
O

optic yellow

Legend
travlerajm said:
Unfortunately, this match was kind of already over by the end of warm-up, when I already felt my head overheating.

It wouldn’t have mattered what racquet or tactics I had at my disposal. Without being physically prepared or acclimated to the heat index, I couldn’t keep my body temp from overheating, and my medical time-outs and putting ice under my hat didn’t seem to help.

@GSG probably could have gone for 4h. But his foolish physically unready opponent was only prepared to last about 30 minutes before the level dropped off, and MEP calmly kept doing his thing.

MEP takes it 6-3, 6-0.
Click to expand...
Why not play at 7pm?
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
AnyPUG said:
MEP's level of play has gone up since last year based on the videos posted. Serves harder, comes to the net on occasions and better placement etc.
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I would say MEP was a bit more deliberate in his shot-making, especially on his fh. I would agree that his level was a bit higher today.

But the main difference on my side of net between this match and last time was the conditions.

Last time, the main new wrinkle for me (as someone who only usually plays indoor or in the evenings outdoor in shade or lights) was playing under the sun. The first match I was enjoying being out there, engaging in tactical battle.

Today was quite different as was suffering almost from the getgo, which made it difficult to focus on the task at hand.
All I could think before every shot was how could I hit the ball using the least amount of energy possible, but that’s not a good spot to be in. It felt like 15 minutes in the humid Atlanta summer sun is equivalent to 2h of evening tennis in Seattle.
 
O

optic yellow

Legend
travlerajm said:
I would say MEP was a bit more deliberate in his shot-making, especially on his fh. I would agree that his level was a bit higher today.

But the main difference on my side of net between this match and last time was the conditions.

Last time, the main new wrinkle for me (as someone who only usually plays indoor or in the evenings outdoor in shade or lights) was playing under the sun. The first match I was enjoying being out there, engaging in tactical battle.

Today was quite different as was suffering almost from the getgo, which made it difficult to focus on the task at hand.
All I could think before every shot was how could I hit the ball using the least amount of energy possible, but that’s not a good spot to be in. It felt like 15 minutes in the humid Atlanta summer sun is equivalent to 2h of evening tennis in Seattle.
Click to expand...
You should get MEP to play you on a foggy late October day to balance things out.
 
S&V-not_dead_yet

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
I used to play an outdoor volleyball doubles tournament in Aspen, CO, which is several thousand feet above Denver, which itself is called the "Mile High City": we would arrive 2-3 days in advance just so we could acclimate.

If I was playing @GSG on his home turf, I'd do the same.
 
O

optic yellow

Legend
travlerajm said:
That would defeat the purpose of playing against MEP. I notice his usta record is much stronger in summer months than in winter. It’s pretty obvious why.
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Oh so the point was to lose for the story. I respect this.
AnyPUG said:
A little known local secret - MEP has an unbeaten record in matches starting after the Sun crosses 30 degrees past the meridian. If you ever take on MEP, make sure to consult with people in the know.
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By this do you mean 30 degrees past due south? At some point the sun goes down and reduces his advantage does it not? Even if the heat lingers the exposure does not.
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
I used to play an outdoor volleyball doubles tournament in Aspen, CO, which is several thousand feet above Denver, which itself is called the "Mile High City": we would arrive 2-3 days in advance just so we could acclimate.

If I was playing @GSG on his home turf, I'd do the same.
Click to expand...
This was sort of a spur of the moment thing. In hindsight, not the wisest of moves.


When I first arrived in paraguay and tried to play afternoon tennis in the heat, I learned about cardio heat stress.

If your body is not acclimated to heat, your heart has to pump about 4x harder than at room temperature to do the same activity in 90F than it does at room temp, just to cool your body. Your heart rate elevates and it can be dangerous.
 
A

AnyPUG

Hall of Fame
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
I used to play an outdoor volleyball doubles tournament in Aspen, CO, which is several thousand feet above Denver, which itself is called the "Mile High City": we would arrive 2-3 days in advance just so we could acclimate.

If I was playing @GSG on his home turf, I'd do the same.
Click to expand...

Seriously? That's your game plan?
How about revisiting the strategy of playing 8.0 mixed dubs as a prep to take on MEP in a singles match.
 
J

jmnk

Hall of Fame
Don't forget to self report the match to UTR. you always complain about UTR algorithm so feeding it more (valuable i shall say) data can only help.....
 
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J

jmnk

Hall of Fame
jindra said:
I'm frankly shocked and sad at all the negativity on this thread...

How about we celebrate the amazing accomplishment that a player with no FH and a shovel backhand was able to win 3 games off GSG?!
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That's a bit cruel, but you are not wrong....
Obvious conclusion is that those 3 games were due to the racket optimization. ;)
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Today was a reality check about my physical conditioning.

Last year’s MEP match, I was in a lot better tennis singles shape, because I had been playing singles against pros down in paraguay. I still believed that I had a great chance to win the match as it was unfolding.

Today I could tell I was a dead man by the time we finished the warm-up and my head was already heating up and causing my heartrate to spike. I thought maybe I could at least grab the first set if a few points went my way. I took a bathroom break when we were on serve at 3-4 to use the restroom, and thought being inside for a few minutes would help me recover. I did recover, for about one point. And then I heated up again and the outcome was done.

The only singles I’ve been playing recently has been evening tennis against my friend who is recovering from acl replacement surgery. And then of course my indoor mixed usta on weekends.
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
One thing I’d like to add, is that the Atlanta tennis scene, especially the community that @TennisTroll and his friends have built, is amazing and unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere.

Even though I obviously showed up not quite ready for the situation this time, it was still a blast and a privilege to compete against @GSG.

At least now I kind of know what it feels like to lose to Rafa at Roland Garros.
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
On the next court, another battle was going on for the channel.

I’ll be working this evening with one of the competitors to see if we can give his racquet spec a boost to help out his results on the ITF tour.
 
O

optic yellow

Legend
travlerajm said:
Today was a reality check about my physical conditioning.

Last year’s MEP match, I was in a lot better tennis singles shape, because I had been playing singles against pros down in paraguay. I still believed that I had a great chance to win the match as it was unfolding.

Today I could tell I was a dead man by the time we finished the warm-up and my head was already heating up and causing my heartrate to spike. I thought maybe I could at least grab the first set if a few points went my way. I took a bathroom break when we were on serve at 3-4 to use the restroom, and thought being inside for a few minutes would help me recover. I did recover, for about one point. And then I heated up again and the outcome was done.

The only singles I’ve been playing recently has been evening tennis against my friend who is recovering from acl replacement surgery. And then of course my indoor mixed usta on weekends.
Click to expand...
You didn't have any caffeine right? I'm assuming you're wiser than that but I have to ask.
 
A

AnyPUG

Hall of Fame
Heat, humidity, conditioning, match practice, hydration, racket customization and a few more. We can debate endlessly, but how did that 12 year old do it(and the et universe)?
It's not that complicated folks, want to compete with mep? just bring your hgh 4.5 and above strokes.
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
I actually just got back from an evening session helping a young college player improve his setup. The evening conditions here in the 7-9pm were 1000% more pleasant and tolerable for my body, even with the humidity and a few mosquitoes. More what I’m used to.
 
A

AnyPUG

Hall of Fame
travlerajm said:
I actually just got back from an evening session helping a young college player improve his setup. The evening conditions here in the 7-9pm were 1000% more pleasant and tolerable for my body, even with the humidity and a few mosquitoes. More what I’m used to.
Click to expand...

Sure, it's pleasant and tolerable but for mep, imo, it's super pleasant and even more advantageous than his opponents. Folks tend to forget the other side of the equation and neglect what's cooking on the other side of the net.
 
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