talking during match.

monkeyisland90 · Feb 10, 2010

anyone here have hard time focusing when people you play start talking or engage in conversation? I don't mind this at all if i'm just playing around but playing competitve tennis requires so much mental toughness it
I wonder if the people i play really want to chat or there doing some gamesmanship.. (which i'm guilty of too

but usually when it's something engaging or funny.. it actually increases performance.. i guess do to endorphins.. i don't know.. but some of the people i play are random people and have no idea who they are or there motives and usually just try to talk before and after match only... if someone tries to talk on and on.. i usually just drift away to the court and act interested.. and they get the picture next changeover pretty much.. but afterwards i chat .....or if they guy is mad or sad over a loss then i just try to keep it simple and stay away... Anyhow, read a tennis mag article awhile back and they recommended actually not to chat during a match at all and makes sense cause pros don't chat or even make eye contact during matches... I know we aren't pros but we like to mimick them don't we

Anyhow, just seems lot of people do chat and for you chatters out there that plays a player that doesn't during the whole match (except before and after).. do you think they are being arrogant self centered jerk.. or just playing tennis and you understand. I think higher rating it goes.. there's less chit chat (unless you play your buddy)

Ripper014 · Feb 10, 2010

I have not run into this... the most I ever say is to compliment a good shot... or to signal if a ball is out.

floydcouncil · Feb 10, 2010

Sometimes there's too much chit chatting during the changeovers. I just try to not get into any discussions. If they say "nice service hold", my reply is a simple "thanks". I'm cordial to compliment a nice winner/serve/etc. but I keep it very short. Most guys I play with are similar. Women on the other hand........... chatty "Cathys"!!!

split-step · Feb 10, 2010

Depends on the kind of person you are. I compartmentalize, so I can chat with you and joke on the changeover, but as I walk from the chair to the baseline I get back my focus.

Larrysümmers · Feb 10, 2010

floydcouncil said:
Sometimes there's too much chit chatting during the changeovers. I just try to not get into any discussions. If they say "nice service hold", my reply is a simple "thanks". I'm cordial to compliment a nice winner/serve/etc. but I keep it very short. Most guys I play with are similar. Women on the other hand........... chatty "Cathys"!!!

same here i feel akward because in real matches I just give them the balls and go to the bench or whatever. If someone says something I'll say thanks but I never start the convo. The only time I'll complement someone is at the moment of a really nice point or when we are shaking hands at the net.

rasajadad · Feb 11, 2010

If I'm playing a tournament match (dubs) and my partner talks to our opponents on the changeover instead of me, I have an issue. Not a big issue mind you.

athiker · Feb 11, 2010

I don't mind some chatting on an occasional changeover. I had a guy recently who twice tried to continue the conversation on my service game. I didn't care for that too much.

I would venture a guess that the chatting becomes less and less the higher rated the league, tourney, etc. is.

I definitely complement opponents on nice shots...is this considered a no-no in a "match" vs. a casual set or at practice? I've noticed some opponents never comment at all.

amorco · Feb 11, 2010

I have had many opponents chat to me during a match. One instance was a second round match opponent who was expressing my achievement in beating my first round match, who was seeded at that time. He continued throughout the match with other subjects regarding his tennis coaching level and such. At the end, I lost to this person because he played a mind game by taking my natural competitive instinct to be aggressive and somehow disabling it to become a friendly type of match. I never forget that low blow mind tactic, very deceiving. :?

dragon2o00 · Feb 11, 2010

happened in a tourney i played last weekend, for doubles. we easily were up 5-2 in the first set, they started talking between each point to my partner from 4-0 and on. i keep a pretty serious face when i play and just say thanks but don't converse. my partner is a talker. they ended up tying it up and after that, whenever my partner tried to say anything to them, they turned to "ok ok, let's start.'

very annoying of them but then again, when some people are losing, they'll do anything to give themselves an advantage.

split-step · Feb 11, 2010

amorco said:
At the end, I lost to this person because he played a mind game by taking my natural competitive instinct to be aggressive and somehow disabling it to become a friendly type of match. I never forget that low blow mind tactic, very deceiving. :?

Umm, that is all on you.
If chatting takes away natural competitive instinct to be aggressive, how come it didn't for him?
Exactly.

You can chat, on changeovers, but as you walk to the court to play the next game, get your mind in the game and let that be your focus.

I have no problem responding to people who want to chat with me and I chat them up, but am even more focused once the point starts.

If you can't do that, then just don't talk.

sureshs · Feb 11, 2010

split-step said:
Umm, that is all on you.
If chatting takes away natural competitive instinct to be aggressive, how come it didn't for him?
Exactly.

Because he uses this as a tactic consciously, and has done it before, while his opponent was new to it and was fooled?
Exactly.

amorco · Feb 11, 2010

sureshs said:
Because he uses this as a tactic consciously, and has done it before, while his opponent was new to it and was fooled?
Exactly.

At that time it was quite new to me, especially during tournaments at a high level. I never had expected for this person(high ranking then) to even say a word to me and to talk during changeovers was more of a respect in return. He knew I was capable of playing the game, he had to think of some way of throwing my game off and I didn't expect a tactic like that at this level.

split-step · Feb 11, 2010

sureshs said:
Because he uses this as a tactic consciously, and has done it before, while his opponent was new to it and was fooled?
Exactly.

Or because his opponent is a genuinely amicable person and wanted to start a conversation while having fun playing a tennis match?

He cannot know his opponent's intentions. He is merely projecting.

Exactly.

split-step · Feb 11, 2010

amorco said:
He knew I was capable of playing the game, he had to think of some way of throwing my game off and I didn't expect a tactic like that at this level.

LOL. Chatting with someone throws your game off. Ok.
If you were capable of playing the game, you would have turned it around when you noticed that you were losing. Stop making excuses.

sureshs · Feb 11, 2010

split-step said:
Or because his opponent is a genuinely amicable person and wanted to start a conversation while having fun playing a tennis match?

He cannot know his opponent's intentions. He is merely projecting.

Exactly.

And we are projecting on top of that

sureshs · Feb 11, 2010

split-step said:
LOL. Chatting with someone throws your game off. Ok.
If you were capable of playing the game, you would have turned it around when you noticed that you were losing. Stop making excuses.

So when Federer complained about someone taking time, it was because he is not capable of playing the game? How could his level fall if his opponent takes a few seconds more? Why did pros complain about Nadal and Djokovic taking time? Because they can't play and are easily distracted?

amorco · Feb 11, 2010

sureshs said:
So when Federer complained about someone taking time, it was because he is not capable of playing the game? How could his level fall if his opponent takes a few seconds more? Why did pros complain about Nadal and Djokovic taking time? Because they can't play and are easily distracted?

Thats a great point...

I think even the best have their excuses when loosing. Believe me, I accept all the blame for loosing and making this big excuse about chatting during changeovers. Maybe that is why they have separated both opponents 20 feet away from each other when seated at changeovers now...

split-step · Feb 11, 2010

sureshs said:
Why did pros complain about Nadal and Djokovic taking time? Because they can't play and are easily distracted?

Because it's against the rules to take more than 25secs between points.
Talking on changeovers is not.
This is club tennis, not the pros.

amorco · Feb 11, 2010

split-step said:
Because it's against the rules to take more than 25secs between points.
Talking on changeovers is not.
This is club tennis, not the pros.

Oh, I didn't mentioned that it was a satellite event...

split-step · Feb 11, 2010

amorco said:
Oh, I didn't mentioned that it was a satellite event...

lol

10 char

ssgator80 · Feb 11, 2010

This happened to me this weekend at a tournament. The guy is generally a nice fellow and I know he is not doing it to get to me. He is just moving up to my division after being very sucessful at the lower division. He has to play at the absolutely top of his game and me at the bottom to beat me but he does get a lot of balls back. Wouldnt you know it, he takes the first set and all his talking his getting to me. I'll talk when I'm winning but not when I'm losing. He's just talking away in change overs and I'm barely saying a word. If I would have been winning like I should have, I would have not minded the conversation one bit. I turn it around and when the match though.

dlk · Feb 11, 2010

I tune everything out that's not directly involved in my match or session (okay pretty women break my focus, but not talking). I do note my opponents' saying things like: "come on," "vamos," "mumbling," "cursing," etc...But it does not bother me.

crazyrange · Feb 22, 2010

no problem with it

I've talked to my opponents during changeovers in tournaments before. It was actually very helpful in that he told me his weaknesses, which I exploited in order to win the match. If they happen to lose their concentration over it, that's really their own problem.

PINENUT · Feb 23, 2010

i talk to my partner is doubles and i answer any questions that my opponents may ask.

other than that, i prefer to focus on the match. plenty of time to catch up after the match.

what drives me crazy are the opponents that will open up after they take the first set. it's like they can only be friendly if they are winning. too bad we went undefeated this season.

tom10s · Feb 26, 2010

rasajadad said:
If I'm playing a tournament match (dubs) and my partner talks to our opponents on the changeover instead of me, I have an issue. Not a big issue mind you.

BINGO! it really pisses me off when a doubles partner chats with opponents instead of me.

chatting is a common psychological tactic. the initiator is typically trying to relax himself or distract the opponent. a master of tennis psy-ops told me to just ignore the chatter completely and thereby make them uncomfortable.

Sakkijarvi · Feb 27, 2010

losing. losing.

Blask · Feb 28, 2010

Yep, I agree. I don't mind talking before the match or after the match, but during changeovers anything other than "good game" or something short and match related annoys me. I generally grab my water bottle and walk away from my opponents bench area so I don't get caught up in it.

TheSubdude · Feb 28, 2010

I hate it. I play with a guy that will give an exasperated expletive if he leaves a short ball sitting up for me. He tends to do this in my backswing. He's not doing it on purpose, but it drives me crazy because it distracts me.

DownTheLine · Feb 28, 2010

crazyrange said:
I've talked to my opponents during changeovers in tournaments before. It was actually very helpful in that he told me his weaknesses, which I exploited in order to win the match. If they happen to lose their concentration over it, that's really their own problem.

Were you playing in the special olympics?

Who tells there opp. there weaknesses?

Sakkijarvi · Mar 3, 2010

A guy on the opposing doubles team today talked through the entire match, commenting on almost every point. Commenting on our strokes ('well that was quite a shank'...that kind of thing). Or "set point number two!".

Opened up two cans of balls he brought. Had 6 balls rolling around, with which he would wander after and send over some random quantity during your service game.

When my girls play high school matches, I coach them to ask opposing players not to 'editorialize'. A common one is upon you double-faulting, they don't just make the call, "out", but instead, "double fault!" Like a little celebration. Usually one request of, 'please just make the call' is enough.

A little interaction during changeovers is not a problem from where I sit. Guys that say things like "I have nothing today" tend to be gaming you in my experience however. Something more along the lines of, "great set", "I am having a lot of fun" is fine, in good sportsmanship.

beernutz · Mar 3, 2010

TheSubdude said:
I hate it. I play with a guy that will give an exasperated expletive if he leaves a short ball sitting up for me. He tends to do this in my backswing. He's not doing it on purpose, but it drives me crazy because it distracts me.

I hate this too. However, I have no problem warning someone the first time they do this and then calling a hindrance if they do it again if it was in a league match.

I play a guy who does this regularly but I don't believe intentionally when we play recreationally. He still does it even after being warned though. Immediately after the last time he did it I did it to him on the very next point and he hit a huge shank. He was ticked at first and I just said to him, "now you know how I feel when you do it." He didn't do it again over the course of the match.

T Woody · Mar 3, 2010

TheSubdude said:
I hate it. I play with a guy that will give an exasperated expletive if he leaves a short ball sitting up for me. He tends to do this in my backswing. He's not doing it on purpose, but it drives me crazy because it distracts me.

YES! This is so brutal. Also have played guys who will get a tough ball back and say, 'oh, got to that one!' or hit a good shot that I'm still tracking down and say 'oh I got you there!'. All of this jabber while we are mid-point. IMO, this is so much worse than any changeover commentary and is grounds for a racquet upside the head.

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