As a 7.0 mixed captain, I’ve been having increasing difficulty recruiting guys to play mixed. I also captain two men’s teams and those are swimming in players. The reason that most guys give is that they find 3.5 women to be so inferior that it’s too frustrating to be on a court with them. The secondary reason, somewhat related to the first, is that USTA particularly in our area draws an aging population and most of the ladies who want to play mixed are 55+, making it even more challenging to keep up with the guys. Most of my guys are in the 40 to 55 age range.
Both of these reasons make sense to me.
1) I find it a slight annoyance when I’m paired up with a 3.5 women, and that is during social play. It is worse when it is in competition. I don’t play mixed tournaments. But, I’ve seen 4.0 male players play competitions with a 3.5 lady player and I enjoy staring at the men as they try to intercept and over aggressively poach, just to try to get some tennis in during the match or salvage their egos. I know a female 4.0 that lobs and lobs and always seeks 4.0 male players to enter 8.0 mixed doubles tournaments. Her partnerships usually last 1-2 tournaments, and then the guy is either injured or becomes mysteriously busy. I wonder why
2) I’ve seen a lot of higher level male players play down with younger females. They suffer on the tennis court. But, you can see the the true motive is for something outside tennis. But, that is for obvious reasons. When the ladies are 55+, there is no incentive for the younger guy to pair up with a senior lady. I feel bad for these women, because if they knew how men truly felt, they would just stick to ladies doubles.
Both of these reasons are valid. The last reason just pertaining for me, is I find myself more prone to injuries playing with 3.5 ladies who struggle a bit with coordination skills.
Ex. They think they can go for a volley and back up and then lose sight of the ball and then you have to chase down the ball just to get it back over. So, you are not just solely covering 50% of the court, but, also protecting her side of the court and when the ball goes in their direction, you have to shift closer to where the lady is standing right before she hits the balls just in case she misses
OR another Ex. where a lady that is happy just to hit the ball, but, doesn’t really think about where to place the ball as they are just happy to get the ball over the net, even though, it is three strides right within poaching area of the opponents, where you then have to dart around the court like crazy to run the ball down, as opponents can either drop shot or hit the ball deep. It is fine once in a while, but, when it is constant, I can feel my knees burning after a certain period of time. In the past when I was younger, I’d just laugh and do my best. But, as I’ve gotten older, the effect this type of play has on my knees, just isn’t good. The worst part is when finished playing this set, the female player usually is excited, full of energy (due to lack of energy spent due to lack of movement) and because it is higher level tennis than she is used to, wants to play another set, not understanding the wear and tear her level of play has caused her male partner.
Just my two cents….