Battle in The ATL - MEP vs Travler Match Thread

Who ya got?

  • MEP in 2. Youth and fitness prevail. Travler goes down in heap of racquet switching frustration.

  • MEP in 3. Epic 3-hour pusher war ends with Travler choking the overhead on match point.

  • Travler in 3. Forehand slice dropper wears down MEP’s famous wheels.

  • Travler in 2. Travler turns back the clock and S&V’s his way to victory.

  • Everybody wins!

Results are only viewable after voting.
nyta2 said:
congrats! any post match analysis?
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@travlerajm has very good overheads. He also used the sidewinder serve with much success, especially early in the match. His style forced me to be more offensive minded than usual in order to win points. I found myself running around my backhand more than usual, but I'm not exactly sure why. I was able to get a key hold at 4-all in the first set that I think may have swung the momentum in my favor. In the second set I was more comfortable being aggressive knowing that I had a set to give as it were. Overall it was a fun challenging match and I would look forward to a rematch whenever possible.
 
GSG said:
@travlerajm has very good overheads. He also used the sidewinder serve with much success, especially early in the match. His style forced me to be more offensive minded than usual in order to win points. I found myself running around my backhand more than usual, but I'm not exactly sure why. I was able to get a key hold at 4-all in the first set that I think may have swung the momentum in my favor. In the second set I was more comfortable being aggressive knowing that I had a set to give as it were. Overall it was a fun challenging match and I would look forward to a rematch whenever possible.
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I bet it was that new racquet :-)
 
zipplock said:
My guess is that Ian won, but needed indoor conditions and a lob-neutralizing roof to get the job done. I know nothing of the outcome but think Ian needed "environmental assistance" to win, if he did indeed win.
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Beating @GSG on his home turf in the mid afternoon sun is like going up against Nadal at Roland Garros. I hope to get another crack at this challenge sometime soon!
 
travlerajm said:
This unique clash of unconventional styles, aesthetically-challenged techniques, tenacious defense, and competitive wills has arrived.

Looking forward to matching up against @GSG , aka MEP (Most Exhausting Player) at 2pm Eastern.

A special thank you to @TennisTroll , who will be coming out to record the match for his channel.
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Hell yeah! An exciting matchup, looks like the forum is really split here. My money is on you traveler, but I think you could share some sets and ultimately itll come down to focus and freshness.

Edit: read the rest of the thread, well played @GSG
 
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A very close first set which could have gone either way, but the way the first set ended handed over the match momentum to GSG. He played some clutch tennis at 4-4 - line kissers on a dime when it mattered the most.
GSG's forehand slice is not garden variety - it's very unique - half slice and half overhead and has a lot more pace to qualify for a regular slice. He hits at the max height and it takes away time - and makes it a dropper when the situation begs for it - so no way to get ready easily. The forehand topspin does not have the usual prep, but has more than enough pace and placement to pass the net rushing opponent.
The serve stays low and spinny and just can't attack - only can lift it back up. He is exhausting for a reason!
 
AnyPUG said:
A very close first set which could have gone either way, but the way the first set ended handed over the match momentum to GSG. He played some clutch tennis at 4-4 - line kissers on a dime when it mattered the most.
GSG's forehand slice is not garden variety - it's very unique - half slice and half overhead and has a lot more pace to qualify for a regular slice. He hits at the max height and it takes away time - and makes it a dropper when the situation begs for it - so no way to get ready easily. The forehand topspin does not have the usual prep, but has more than enough pace and placement to pass the net rushing opponent.
The serve stays low and spinny and just can't attack - only can lift it back up. He is exhausting for a reason!
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Spot on analysis.

I got behind early, as MEP’s style takes you a bit by surprise. His forehand is a legit high-4.5 level shot. He hits it with pace, usually with slice, and can hit it accurately.

Even though I was feeling uncomfortable with the conditions on the sun side (which forced me to serve sidearm, and made it tricky to approach the net as overheads were tough), I still had belief. I fell in a 1-3 hole, and was playing catch-up the whole first set.

I finally felt like I was about to take the lead for the first time, with MEP serving at 4-4, 15-40, but he came up with goods, kissing the lines on a couple of passing shots from difficult positions. Losing that game from winning positions was deflating, and my level dropped after that. And then getting broken to lose the set first. And as MEP said, he was able to play freer and more offensively after grabbing the first set.

In hindsight, I allowed him to hit too many forehands. And I needed to attack the net much more than I did on the good visibility side, where I had very good success with overheads early in the match. I think my heart rate got a bit elevated later in the match, which made me shier about moving in than I should have been.
 
After my disappointing defeat, there were still opportunities for more tennis to be played.

I next played another video recorded set against TennisTroll’s friend, a tall, athletic, hard-hitting ex-college player in his mid-20’s.

This time I reached straight for my head-heavy claycourt spec frame that I’ve been using as my regular racquet the last month.

This new opponent was right-handed, and it took an adjustment to switch my brain back to playing balls to his backhand. I dropped a marathon first game on my serve that might have had double digit deuces. The sun was low enough now by my second service game that I could actually hit a real serve from the sun side, and my clay court spec frame gave my serve a much needed boost.

Then I finally started to get comfortable again with my clay spec racquet. I went up 4-1. But just when I found my comfort zone, my body started to hit the wall. My legs got rubbery, and serve started to get weary. I missed my chance to close out the set serving at 5-3. But credit to my opponent for coming back to win 7-5, in set that lasted nearly 90 minutes.

Finally, we played a pro set of doubles. Me and TennisTroll vs MEP and the ex-college player. I did not play my best doubles - I could not hold my serve, mainly because the ex-college player was crushing his deuce forehand return, and my shoulder was too weary to locate his bh. MEP is surprisingly solid in the ad court in doubles, They beat us 10-4.

By then it was almost 6:30, I could hardly walk, and my foot had developed a nickel sized blister from not having played on hard court in a while.
 
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travlerajm said:
After my disappointing defeat, there were still opportunities for more tennis to be played.

I next played another video recorded set against TennisTroll’s friend, a tall, athletic, hard-hitting ex-college player in his mid-20’s.

This time I reached straight for my head-heavy claycourt spec frame that I’ve been using as my regular racquet the last month.

This new opponent was right-handed, and it took an adjustment to switch my brain back to playing balls to his backhand. I dropped a marathon first game on my serve that might have had double digit deuces. The sun was low enough now that I could actually hit a real serve from the sun side, and my clay court spec frame gave my serve a much needed boost.

Then I finally started to get comfortable again with my clay spec racquet. I went up 4-1. But just when I found my comfort zone, my body started to hit the wall. My legs got rubbery, and serve started to get weary. I missed my chance to close out the set serving at 5-3. But credit to my opponent for coming back to win 7-5, in set that lasted nearly 90 minutes.

Finally, we played a pro set of doubles. Me and TennisTroll vs MEP and the ex-college player. I did not play my best doubles - I could not hold my serve, mainly because the ex-college player was crushing his deuce forehand return, and my shoulder was too weary to locate his bh. MEP is surprisingly solid in the ad court in doubles, They beat us 10-4.

By then it was almost 6:30, I could hardly walk, and my foot had developed a nickel sized blister from not having played on hard court in a while.
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Sounds like you had an awesome day!!!
 
travlerajm said:
After my disappointing defeat, there were still opportunities for more tennis to be played.

I next played another video recorded set against TennisTroll’s friend, a tall, athletic, hard-hitting ex-college player in his mid-20’s.

This time I reached straight for my head-heavy claycourt spec frame that I’ve been using as my regular racquet the last month.

This new opponent was right-handed, and it took an adjustment to switch my brain back to playing balls to his backhand. I dropped a marathon first game on my serve that might have had double digit deuces. The sun was low enough now by my second service game that I could actually hit a real serve from the sun side, and my clay court spec frame gave my serve a much needed boost.

Then I finally started to get comfortable again with my clay spec racquet. I went up 4-1. But just when I found my comfort zone, my body started to hit the wall. My legs got rubbery, and serve started to get weary. I missed my chance to close out the set serving at 5-3. But credit to my opponent for coming back to win 7-5, in set that lasted nearly 90 minutes.

Finally, we played a pro set of doubles. Me and TennisTroll vs MEP and the ex-college player. I did not play my best doubles - I could not hold my serve, mainly because the ex-college player was crushing his deuce forehand return, and my shoulder was too weary to locate his bh. MEP is surprisingly solid in the ad court in doubles, They beat us 10-4.

By then it was almost 6:30, I could hardly walk, and my foot had developed a nickel sized blister from not having played on hard court in a while.
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That sounds like a super fun day!
I’m jealous
 
travlerajm said:
Spot on analysis.

I got behind early, as MEP’s style takes you a bit by surprise. His forehand is a legit high-4.5 level shot. He hits it with pace, usually with slice, and can hit it accurately.

Even though I was feeling uncomfortable with the conditions on the sun side (which forced me to serve sidearm, and made it tricky to approach the net as overheads were tough), I still had belief. I fell in a 1-3 hole, and was playing catch-up the whole first set.

I finally felt like I was about to take the lead for the first time, with MEP serving at 4-4, 15-40, but he came up with goods, kissing the lines on a couple of passing shots from difficult positions. Losing that game from winning positions was deflating, and my level dropped after that. And then getting broken to lose the set first. And as MEP said, he was able to play freer and more offensively after grabbing the first set.

In hindsight, I allowed him to hit too many forehands. And I needed to attack the net much more than I did on the good visibility side, where I had very good success with overheads early in the match. I think my heart rate got a bit elevated later in the match, which made me shier about moving in than I should have been.
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I think being a lefty made a big difference. Your strength of loopy crosscourt backhands gets neutralized by his lefty FH slices.
 
onehandbh said:
I think being a lefty made a big difference. Your strength of loopy crosscourt backhands gets neutralized by his lefty FH slices.
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Actually, there are two things stylewise that make him a difficult matchup for me.

Number one is the lefty thing, as you noted. My whole baseline game evolved to channel everything to the backhand of a righty. He really loves balls in that corner, so my usual favorite patterns didn’t work.

Numver two is that I’m a high ball hitter. I prefer a high strike zone on both wings. I like my 2hb shoulder high, so that I can flatten it out to take more risk. And my forehand wing is built around my slice, which works best on shoulder high balls where I can aim downward with more penetration. @GSG gives you nothing but knee high stuff in the rallies, which made life difficult.
 
@travlerajm did you practice against low hitters before playing him?

As I often said, GSG is a challenge precisely because he is a combination of unusual things (lefty, low shots). Your match confirms that.
 
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