just got hammered

[goober]

Started my 4.5 league and got beaten down hard. I knew I was in trouble the first game when this guy was hitting winners off my first serve. He hit connors style hard, flat, taking the ball early and hitting it in the corners. I never played anyone like that before. I was totally off on my timing on all my shots. Good thing was after the match he spent about 20 minutes talking to me about what I needed to do to improve my game. He didn't really talk about how to counter his game though. How do you play against somebody who hit the ball on the rise, relatively flat with pace? I couldn't figure it out. I tried loopy topspin shots, heavy slice, no pace, lots of pace. Nothing really seem to work although the loopy shots gave me more time to get back into position.

 

[vinky]

Just sounds like you have to improve everything

Go for it!

 

[FlagrantFoul]

Times like this you need to play the role of counterpuncher.

 

[Jack the Hack]

I can commiserate...

Back a few years ago, I was playing an Open tournament and I drew a college kid that was ranked in the top 30 in the nation (who's name is escaping me right at the moment). Anyway, I've played good players before and know what to expect as far as a heavy ball is concerned, but this guy was hitting returns harder and flatter than I have ever felt. I was having such a hard time with the timing on my groundies, I ended up just slicing everything back, pusher style. Anyway, I was shellshocked and he was leading 6-1, 4-1 in about 20 minutes when he suddenly got all p!ssed off over a line call I made (the ball was about a half foot out on my baseline as far as I could tell). As it turned out, there was a small contingent of fellow players from my club that had taken the trip down to play in the tournament also, and they just happened to be standing behind the court and watching the match. They may have been biased, but I was so shocked that this guy was getting so bent out of shape that I asked them if I had made a bad call and they all agreed that it was well out. When they confirmed my call, I just said (loud enough to for him to hear me), "it's hard to believe that this guy is being such a jerk over a line call when he's clearly kicking my ass... this dude has issues!" From that point on, my club mates kept riding this guy and making fun of him (which did a great job of distracting his attention) and I managed to somehow win 3 games in a row to make the set respectable before he closed out the match. Anyway, this guy was ultra-talented, but a real headcase... he ended up losing in the second round to a steady player who's groundies were better than mine... but I'll never forget how hopeless I felt as my serves seemed to be crushed back at twice the speed I delivered them!!!

(It doesn't mean you are a bad player... it just means that he was playing at least a level above you on that day. Matchups are important also, and it may have been that the pace and spin of his ball just fit perfectly into what he likes to hit.)

 

[35ft6]

^ Jack the Hack, top 30 in nation in WHAT? D-1 singles? D-2? D-3?

If that guy hits hard Connors style, you could have tried slicing it low to his forehand. Or hit really short angled slice shots to draw him to the net, see if he can volley. But maybe like another poster already suggested, he was just too good.

So do you think he was a true 4.5?

 

[ohplease]

Started my 4.5 league and got beaten down hard. I knew I was in trouble the first game when this guy was hitting winners off my first serve. He hit connors style hard, flat, taking the ball early and hitting it in the corners. I never played anyone like that before. I was totally off on my timing on all my shots. Good thing was after the match he spent about 20 minutes talking to me about what I needed to do to improve my game. He didn't really talk about how to counter his game though. How do you play against somebody who hit the ball on the rise, relatively flat with pace? I couldn't figure it out. I tried loopy topspin shots, heavy slice, no pace, lots of pace. Nothing really seem to work although the loopy shots gave me more time to get back into position.

That's a really effective style of play in club tennis. To counter it, you need to look at why this guy is playing 4.5 and not open level.

Basically, the answer boils down to this: you're not making this opponent take enough steps side to side or making him back off the baseline. He might be taking away your time to respond, but he's also very much compromising his own ability to respond to a steady stream of difficult to handle balls (pace, spin, angle, whatever). But that's ok as he won't consistently see that kind of pressure at 4.5, even with sand bagging.

That's EXACTLY why he plays the way he does, at the level he does, btw. Like I said, he's not playing open level, either.

Still, he sounds like a rough customer. Barring improving your own ability to keep it out of his strike zone, there simply is no easy way out with guys like this. He wants to keep you off balance, rob you of time. Your job is to play prevent D, don't give him chances to do that to you - until given a chance to execute your own offense. Best of luck.

 

[Alexandros]

Indeed his game sounds like it's centered around rushing you and taking away your time to respond. Slow down between points, take your time. Try keeping the ball low with slices so he has to hit up, which is harder to do when he hits flat. Hit a few drop shots. Play the mental game!

 

[Jack the Hack]

^ Jack the Hack, top 30 in nation in WHAT? D-1 singles? D-2? D-3?

If that guy hits hard Connors style, you could have tried slicing it low to his forehand. Or hit really short angled slice shots to draw him to the net, see if he can volley. But maybe like another poster already suggested, he was just too good.

So do you think he was a true 4.5?

35ft6... you must have misread my post and crossed it with the original poster. The OP said he got beat down in a 4.5 match. Mine was in an Open tournament that was part of the Pacific Northwest Professional Circuit (http://www.pnw.usta.com/pnwcircuit/custom.sps?iType=1352&icustompageid=2449), which is a series of 7 tournaments held every summer in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia that have prize money ranging from $10,000 to $15,000.

I finally remembered the player's name that I was talking about, and I looked him up - Nestor Bernabe. It looks like he was ranked 16th in the country in D-2, was an ITA All-American in 2003, and picked up an ATP point or two in getting ranked at 1400 in the world. When I played him, he was a freshman or sophomore in college, and I was rated 5.0 at the time. As I've mentioned before, I played D-2 myself and have hit with highly ranked D-1 and D-2 players in the past, but Bernabe hit really flat and returned harder than anybody else I have faced. I ended up slicing everything (as you suggested) because it was the only thing that worked. Against a steadier player that hits with more pace than me, Bernabe ended up losing, but I had nothing to combat his power to the point where I could win the match.

Anyway, my point wasn't to brag that I got my butt beat in an Open tourney... but rather that sometimes you play somebody that matches up against your game so well or hits a particular shot (like fast, flat, penetrating returns) that you can't handle, and it can make you feel like you don't belong there. However, getting beat like that doesn't mean you are bad. It just could be that the other player is a level above you, is having a great day, or the style match-up favors them... which is probably what happened in goober's case.

 

[BillyBee]

Jack, I liked your tournament story a lot. Also, you have a pretty good playing resume for a guy named "Jack The Hack"!

 

[35ft6]

35ft6... you must have misread my post and crossed it with the original poster. T

I was going to take the time to clarify, but I didn't. I am really drunk right now. Sorry kids.

 

[ktownva]

Sounds like he is definitely out of your league, but you can probably do a few things to make the score closer. I've played against big hitters before and the thing that seems to work is matching their aggressive play. Playing defensively off the first good shot he hits is what he wants you to do. Do your best to match his pace, and see how long you can hang in the rally with him. Don't worry too much about making errors, the idea is to go down swinging. You may find that he is good at dictating play but not as good in a stand off. Good luck.

 

[Jack the Hack]

Jack, I liked your tournament story a lot. Also, you have a pretty good playing resume for a guy named "Jack The Hack"!

Thanks BillyBee!

Regarding my user name, I've played long enough to know that tennis can be a very humbling sport. Past athletic greatness means nothing in tennis as it takes constant commitment to play the game well. If you search through my past posts, you'll read about how I came back to this game a little over a year ago after a 4+ year layoff. Despite my past sectional rankings and college play, I was 50 lbs overweight when I returned and I ended up losing a couple matches to good 4.0 rated players. Since then, I have lost about half of that extra weight, played a bunch of tournaments, and am playing solid 4.5 level tennis right now. Most importantly, I am in love with the game again... but I am accutely aware of how tough this game is.

I believe that it was our own 35ft6 that made the comment in a different thread (paraphrased) "it takes getting good at tennis before you realize how bad you really are." I may have a playing background that the average club player would die for, but I learned that even my best tennis was just "hacker" level compared to the professionals.

Speaking of 35ft6...

I was going to take the time to clarify, but I didn't. I am really drunk right now. Sorry kids.

LOL!!! Good to see you're getting an early start on the weekend there...

 

[35ft6]

^ I can't believe I'm so addicted to message boards that I turn my computer on when I'm drunk and try to reply even though I can barely type. That's pathetic.

 

[35ft6]

I just realized that I posted "I'm drunk" on the "just got hammered thread." Put THAT in your song, Alanis Morissette!

 

[trplthreat]

I recently encountered a player similar to your opponent. I suggest trying to take away his game, don't counter pace with pace if you know he can overpower you. You could approach this by playing defense for the time being, and over time he'll start to miss, and you'll be able to control play. Throw in some off-speed stuff ( ex. slices and deep topspin shots ). If you've got decent net skills, mixing in a few well-timed charges to the net will keep him off guard.

Alexandros' advice of "playing the mental game" is basically the game you have to play against this guy.