I think I might quit tennis

[NattyGut]

I've been told that, despite being a pusher, I'm quite offensive on the court.

64 and aggressive. Cool story bro

 

[10sbeast888]

Or at least competitive tennis. I've been playing competitively in rec flex leagues for 11 years now at around the 3.5-4.0 level. It's just so frustrating and depressing. I try to play fun, offensive tennis, but it's so difficult. Tennis rewards defense, at least at this level. This isn't a "complain about pusher" thread. Defensive tennis is a legitimate way to play. It's in the rules, so it is what it is. And it is more effective. So, when I lose to a defensive player, it just means that he's a better tennis player than me. So be it.

And if that is tennis, then I am not good at tennis. So it's not really fun to play. It's not fun making errors. I guess I just don't like the sport anymore. I'm getting older, my body takes longer to recover, and a match is a 4-hour investment including driving, warming up, showering, etc. I'm just not sure it's worth it anymore. What's the point of playing competitively? There will always be someone better than you.

And as I get older and have a family now, I have way less time to play or practice. I just don't get the reps in to be able to play with a low enough error rate to win. It takes 2-6 shots, sometimes more, to win a point against a good defensive player. All he has to do is bunt it back a bunch of times and you will miss. You swing your heart out on every shot, and he can just send it back over and over. Depressing. I guess I just don't have the time to get good enough to enjoy competitive tennis. And even if I could practice, so what? There will always be someone better.

Is this a tennis midlife crisis that people go through? Should I just take up social tennis? The problem is that I don't like doubles. People rarely play social singles. I guess I could keep playing competitive flex leagues, but simply adopt a completely carefree attitude and treat it like a social game. That's hard to do though.

Or maybe I'll just quit and take up pickleball.

league is waste of time.

build your own tennis ecosystem. e.g. I have a few D1/2/3 on speed dial and I trained a few 3.5ish but athletic guys to 4.0 level so now we have a group chat anybody can drop a line and find a hit easily. everybody is on the same page, in the group to play better, real tennis. not the chip chop moonball lob bs. co-op hit/ play points/play score, anything goes.. lots of fun.

just find some local guys that have the same goals, definitely can do.

 

[cks]

league is waste of time.

I still enjoy playing USTA league. I like the guys on my team, and I enjoy getting to play around town at some of the private tennis clubs.

build your own tennis ecosystem. e.g. I have a few D1/2/3 on speed dial and I trained a few 3.5ish but athletic guys to 4.0 level so now we have a group chat anybody can drop a line and find a hit easily. everybody is on the same page, in the group to play better, real tennis. not the chip chop moonball lob bs. co-op hit/ play points/play score, anything goes.. lots of fun.

Great idea, kind of how I collect hitting partners. @socallefty has me seriously considering joining a private tennis club just to have access to courts and players who like to pay multiple times per week.