Tennis_Fever
Rookie
Took a hard L last night in my 2nd ever league match. We played outdoors in very less than ideal conditions- it was incredibly windy all night long and even rained for a bit. Unfortunately the wind impacted the game more than either of us which was unpleasant and incredibly frustrating. I just could not adjust to the wind, probably due to lack of experience playing in conditions like that. When the wind was at my back most of my shots were sailing long, even when I took a significant amount of pace off my shots. Against the wind I could not get into a rhythm on any stroke. I rarely struck the ball cleanly because the wind was so strong. Not taking anything away from my opponent, he clearly adjusted to the conditions better than I did so I give him all the credit. I'm just still frustrated because I knew I could've won the match with a few very minor adjustments. Here's how it played out:
I took the first set 7-5 after being up 5-2 and losing 3 straight games...only to win the next two and close it out. Frustration level: Green (Low)
2nd set: Lost 3-6- as my the wind picked up my level of play dropped all around: even more UEs, 1st serve % dropped, etc. Frustration level: Yellow (Elevated)
3rd set: By the start of the 3rd I was in a mental tailspin. The wind was pushing the ball all over and my anger was beginning to boil over. Before I knew it I was down 2 breaks, 1-4, and the match was slipping away. Somehow I was able to hunker down mentally and I got the 2 breaks back and won 3 games straight to be back on serve. I was slowly regaining confidence. I held to go up 6-5, and was hoping for one more break. However, my opponent had other plans- he played his best game of the match at that point. Every point he had that game was a well-earned winner. We went to tiebreak and I got down again, 2-4, and eventually 2-5. I got back a few mini breaks to make it 5-6, and, on my serve, he was able to hit a forehand winner after a short rally to close out the match. Frustration level: Red (High)
Today I'm still frustrated by the outcome and the conditions we had to play in but my opponent deserved the win. How did you all respond and move on after a tough loss in league play?
I took the first set 7-5 after being up 5-2 and losing 3 straight games...only to win the next two and close it out. Frustration level: Green (Low)
2nd set: Lost 3-6- as my the wind picked up my level of play dropped all around: even more UEs, 1st serve % dropped, etc. Frustration level: Yellow (Elevated)
3rd set: By the start of the 3rd I was in a mental tailspin. The wind was pushing the ball all over and my anger was beginning to boil over. Before I knew it I was down 2 breaks, 1-4, and the match was slipping away. Somehow I was able to hunker down mentally and I got the 2 breaks back and won 3 games straight to be back on serve. I was slowly regaining confidence. I held to go up 6-5, and was hoping for one more break. However, my opponent had other plans- he played his best game of the match at that point. Every point he had that game was a well-earned winner. We went to tiebreak and I got down again, 2-4, and eventually 2-5. I got back a few mini breaks to make it 5-6, and, on my serve, he was able to hit a forehand winner after a short rally to close out the match. Frustration level: Red (High)
Today I'm still frustrated by the outcome and the conditions we had to play in but my opponent deserved the win. How did you all respond and move on after a tough loss in league play?
