Looking for ambitious tennis partner(s)

[SusanDK]

that is why i plan on playing 5-6 tournaments in copenhagen this summer

Would you post the time and place you'll be playing? I would enjoy coming to watch.

And before anyone asks me, no, I don't plan to bring a video camera (I couldn't figure out how to use one if I had it because my husband is the camera person in the family). And I'm just a recreational player myself, who has loved watching pro tennis for 30+ years, so I don't plan to provide a technical assessment of peoplespeace's game.

It would just be fun for me to see a match of yours after following this thread.

Held og lykke!

 

[peoplespeace]

I.e. He lost in the first round of each.

wow ur smart!

 

[peoplespeace]

Would you post the time and place you'll be playing? I would enjoy coming to watch.

And before anyone asks me, no, I don't plan to bring a video camera (I couldn't figure out how to use one if I had it because my husband is the camera person in the family). And I'm just a recreational player myself, who has loved watching pro tennis for 30+ years, so I don't plan to provide a technical assessment of peoplespeace's game.

It would just be fun for me to see a match of yours after following this thread.

Held og lykke!

sure, will do og tak for det!

 

[dozu]

sure, will do og tak for det!

haha you are trapped... Susan is really dozu dressed up as woman.

 

[NaeviusTennis]

haha you are trapped... Susan is really dozu dressed up as woman.

ahahaha

 

[goober]

Since beginning 2008 I have been travelling around the world (Argentina, Brasil, Costa Rica, South Africa, Mozambique, SE Asia, Japan, France, Sweden and Denmark (my home country) playing and watching tournaments as well as experiancing amazing cultures. As a youngster I played very little tennis (im 41 now) and I guess that my technique was around 2.5 early 08. I enrolled in an academy in Argentina with the declared aim of being able to qualify for the 1st round of a future within one year (much wiser now!!). I only stayed one month at the academy and learned nothing, at the end of the month I was bumped down to the group of beginners. I took lessons with several pros at other academies but learned nothing (as many of u will know most pros dont even attempt at teaching u anything that will take u to the next level fast even if u have the talent).

So I took charge of my one learning (video taping myself, reading books, online resources, reflecting (alot!)) and I would say that I am now a 5.0/5.5 and my plan is to work hard (and enjoy myself) with my tennis during the next year with the declared aim of being able to qualify to the 1st round of futures by mid 2011 (yes I said it and I mean it!).

So has the plan been working out? It is now officially mid 2011!

 

[jdubbs]

Rumor has it he got lost in the wilds of Mozambique looking for a witch doctor who could finally help him master the open stance forehand.

 

[a10best]

were was your favorite place to play? I am guessing your home country

 

[Caesar]

Another thing I see is players hit with a pro once and are able to get a good rhythm going with a pro player and think they’re on par due to being able to keep pace in a back and forth rally then start getting delusions of grandeur based on being able to keep up in practice. What they don’t realize is that they just had the best hit of their lives busting their asses off while the pro player just sleepwalked his way through just another regular hit.

Definitely this. Whilst I never thought I was much good, as a teenager I was very lucky to be invited to have a light five minute warmup with a WTA player from my hometown who used to train at my club when she was visiting family. She was a top 30 player at her peak, although she was on the back side of her career at the time.

After a 'light' hitup (that was more gruelling than any tennis I'd played at that point), just for ***** and giggles I asked her to belt a couple past me so I could really get a feel for the ballspeed that I saw on TV.

Her coach came on the court and we played about a minute of 2v1. When I say 2v1 I mean I sat near the net and she belted scorchers past me, which her coach just managed to block back.

Her movement and power were just out of this world. I mean, we've all sat courtside watching players on outside courts at slams, but to be on the court itself was completely different. And this is just a fairly good WTA player who probably was only hitting at about 80%! I can't imagine what it would be like to be on the receiving end of a Roddick serve.

Not that I had any illusions about my own ability, but if I did that would have shattered them pretty comprehensively.

 

[peoplespeace]

^^^Im glad u didnt get hurt by these seemingly superhuman shot by this fairly good wta player. I guess as a teenager this could have been a pretty scary moment.

 

[dozu]

hey peoplespeace, where have you been !

 

[peoplespeace]

hey peoplespeace, where have you been !

well tennisplayer.net gave me an offer i couldnt turn down.....my level has gone through the roof

 

[yonexpurestorm]

i dont get it, did they give you free lessons or something. did you ever make it to a futures tournament.

 

[peoplespeace]

i dont get it, did they give you free lessons or something. did you ever make it to a futures tournament.

the part about getting an offer from tennisplayer.net was a joke, i find the site usefull but not great. As to wether i have made it to the futures this will answer ur question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMXR2wBcLIM

 

[Power Player]

So the answer is no.

 

[peoplespeace]

So the answer is no.

if not yet and no is the same then yes.

 

[Power Player]

Fact:

It's time to start being honest with yourself and not so naive.

It will help your tennis.

 

[peoplespeace]

Fact:

It's time to start being honest with yourself and not so naive.

It will help your tennis.

my tennis is improving alot these days, i have never been more sure of getting atp points than now, my serve (which i consider pivotal) is already around the average level of a future player and still improving, how about ur own tennis, improving?

 

[spacediver]

video of your serve please.

 

[Power Player]

Yes let's see this serve.

There is a TW sponsored blog about a very talented player pursuing 1 ATP point right now that you should read.

 

[peoplespeace]

Yes let's see this serve.

There is a TW sponsored blog about a very talented player pursuing 1 ATP point right now that you should read.

Ok u have a link?

 

[yonexpurestorm]

http://blog.tenniswarehouse.com/category/andys-tennis-travels/

 

[yonexpurestorm]

id be interested in some of your progress. have you entered any tournaments. gotten any good wins. im basically trying to do the same thing with winning an atp point. however, i still have to work and progress in my career. but i would be interested in seeing how youre tournament results are looking.

 

[2ndServe]

hey man come to southern california, I'd like to hit some. I have this same love of the game. It left me for about 7 years but maybe that's good because I have so much desire to play it now. I'm not bad and I can give most a decent hitting session. My claim to fame is I took a set off of a former wimbledon player as a junior. This is me hitting, I've improved some since these were taken.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8VJx89bKyo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUkVrSd9tuc

 

[West Coast Ace]

I'm not bad and I can give most a decent hitting session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8VJx89bKyo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUkVrSd9tuc

Nice strokes. Nice to see someone actually hitting the ball on the rise. Serve is very smooth too.

 

[peoplespeace]

hey man come to southern california, I'd like to hit some. I have this same love of the game. It left me for about 7 years but maybe that's good because I have so much desire to play it now. I'm not bad and I can give most a decent hitting session. My claim to fame is I took a set off of a former wimbledon player as a junior. This is me hitting, I've improved some since these were taken.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8VJx89bKyo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUkVrSd9tuc

nice hitting, looks looks like we could do some good drilling, how are u in match play? Tx for the offer to go to SoCal, u can also come to france where im based right now, u can stay at my place, i have a spare room.

Grea things are happening to my game these days, but finding people at a good level to play with everyday isnt easy but im playing an open indoor tournament at my club next month. Looking forward to that as i havent played alot of tournaments.

 

[2ndServe]

nice hitting, looks looks like we could do some good drilling, how are u in match play? Tx for the offer to go to SoCal, u can also come to france where im based right now, u can stay at my place, i have a spare room.

Grea things are happening to my game these days, but finding people at a good level to play with everyday isnt easy but im playing an open indoor tournament at my club next month. Looking forward to that as i havent played alot of tournaments.

thx West Coast Ace.

peoplespeace if you're serious I'm very much interested in France. I used to as a kid to drill in the mornings, rest/eat, maybe workout/play/drill in the afternoon, eat, play in the evenings. I'm definitely interested in becoming the best possible player I can be, and of course if you find yourself in beautiful socal you are welcome to train/crash at my place.

That being said I can't do this schedule right now as I'm working fulltime but I'd still be able to hit before work, go to work and hit after work should you find yourself here for a few weeks on vacation or travel.

I actually prefer match play but I love drills with a purpose and improvement. I'm not that much into rallying for hours because it doesn't seem like the best use of time. I prefer drilling/training on weaknesses and improving weapons.

gl man, keep chasing the dream.

 

[peoplespeace]

thx West Coast Ace.

peoplespeace if you're serious I'm very much interested in France. I used to as a kid to drill in the mornings, rest/eat, maybe workout/play/drill in the afternoon, eat, play in the evenings. I'm definitely interested in becoming the best possible player I can be, and of course if you find yourself in beautiful socal you are welcome to train/crash at my place.

That being said I can't do this schedule right now as I'm working fulltime but I'd still be able to hit before work, go to work and hit after work should you find yourself here for a few weeks on vacation or travel.

I actually prefer match play but I love drills with a purpose and improvement. I'm not that much into rallying for hours because it doesn't seem like the best use of time. I prefer drilling/training on weaknesses and improving weapons.

gl man, keep chasing the dream.

Sure im serious. Currently my plan is to stay here in France until mid september, so i was thinking that if u didnt have any plans til then u could come here and train and stay at my place. From mid september i would like to go go a month to an academy somewhere in southeastern europe, maybe croatia, Czech republic, serbia (as a homage to the great Djoko or something like that. I will have to do some research to find a suitable place with enough good players.

If my route comes by SoCal i will definetely take u up on ur offer!

Gl to u2 m8 and lets turn those dreams into reality ;0)

 

[2ndServe]

so I read a few more and people are hella negative, forget them. Everyone says you can't, nothing in this world drives me more than people telling me I can't do something. The human body is amazing, it'll do things you never thought possible. So here are my tips.

1) Develop as strong a 2nd serve as possible. You should be swing as fast or faster on the 2nd serve but of course with spin. You should be serving hundreds per day placing it at will

2) Practice 2nd serve returns. Find someone who understand tennis and it'll be very beneficial for you, as they will practice their 2nd serves and you'll be practicing your returns. If you look at the top player stats, the best players are always at the top in 2nd serve points won on their serve and 2nd serve return points won.

3) Get fit as possible, if your movement is top notch you'll be a great player. Champions may have had a bad stroke here or there but the common thing is that they could move, it'll help playing defense, attacking, and getting you back to neutral points.

4) Stretch, a lot. With all that tennis (not sure of surface but hard courts here can be bad for the joints) you'll need to avoid injury especially as we age.

5) Develop a big weapon (probably a forehand). I've played with guys in the futures and have seen matches (about 8 years ago so things have changed). Back then I think you could win by being super fit, hitting deep and not being attackable but time has changed and having a big forehand makes things much easier.

GL

 

[SusanDK]

There are a few of these threads on TT right now of players training with the ultimate goal of earning an ATP point (I'm enjoying reading them, btw).

Just an idea - why don't a group of you get together and see if you can get a couple days clinic with Mats Wilander through http://wilanderonwheels.com .

Since you all have the same goal, where else can a group of players who aren't already top prospects get a chance to work with a former #1, 7-time grand slam winner.

Have a look at this thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=324652

I'm sure Mats would tailor the clinics to focus on what you need to do to reach your dreams. I'll bet he could instantly break down the details of your games and what you needed to work on.

He would probably enjoy working with a group that was as serious as you are about tennis.

 

[peoplespeace]

There are a few of these threads on TT right now of players training with the ultimate goal of earning an ATP point (I'm enjoying reading them, btw).

Just an idea - why don't a group of you get together and see if you can get a couple days clinic with Mats Wilander through http://wilanderonwheels.com .

Since you all have the same goal, where else can a group of players who aren't already top prospects get a chance to work with a former #1, 7-time grand slam winner.

Have a look at this thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=324652

I'm sure Mats would tailor the clinics to focus on what you need to do to reach your dreams. I'll bet he could instantly break down the details of your games and what you needed to work on.

He would probably enjoy working with a group that was as serious as you are about tennis.

Hi SusanDK! Tx for ur advice, im also reading the blog of that Andy guy, good reading. Are there others like his?

I would love to get together with a group of players with the same goals, that is why i created this thread in the first place! Regarding a clinic with Mat Wilander i dont think that would be of my interest as anything than a great happening. However i would like to work intensively with a (very) good and carefully selected coach on a part time basis while being in a group of likeminded players and most importantly one player of at least atp ranking of 400 with solid baseline shots. Without this atp level player the rest wont do the trick. However, u need 4-6 people to share the costs of this, which is what i aimed at last year, unsuccesfully though. The second best would be a top notch academy and paying for extra lessons with the top coaches, this would probably cost more than 5000 usd/month which i dont have. The other and probably more effective solution would cost each person about 1000 usd/month plus the cost of shared accomodation, food ect. This is doable for me but i need another 4-5 guys!

 

[peoplespeace]

so I read a few more and people are hella negative, forget them. Everyone says you can't, nothing in this world drives me more than people telling me I can't do something. The human body is amazing, it'll do things you never thought possible. So here are my tips.

1) Develop as strong a 2nd serve as possible. You should be swing as fast or faster on the 2nd serve but of course with spin. You should be serving hundreds per day placing it at will

2) Practice 2nd serve returns. Find someone who understand tennis and it'll be very beneficial for you, as they will practice their 2nd serves and you'll be practicing your returns. If you look at the top player stats, the best players are always at the top in 2nd serve points won on their serve and 2nd serve return points won.

3) Get fit as possible, if your movement is top notch you'll be a great player. Champions may have had a bad stroke here or there but the common thing is that they could move, it'll help playing defense, attacking, and getting you back to neutral points.

4) Stretch, a lot. With all that tennis (not sure of surface but hard courts here can be bad for the joints) you'll need to avoid injury especially as we age.

5) Develop a big weapon (probably a forehand). I've played with guys in the futures and have seen matches (about 8 years ago so things have changed). Back then I think you could win by being super fit, hitting deep and not being attackable but time has changed and having a big forehand makes things much easier.

GL

The negative people neither annoy me nor motivate me, maybe 10-20 yrs ago they would have. It would be like getting upset at somebody for not understanding that the earth is round in the 15th century, u have to understand where they are coming from.......

Tx alot for th advices, all good ones. The weapons im developping are 1st serve, agressive forehand, bh dtl. A current weak shot that i want to make a weapon is the drop shot. My volley is pretty decent at the net but weak when going forward and volleying a fast shot at the service line, so starting to work on that.

As im starting to play more and more relaxed the stress on the shoulder and albow is greater than when i was muscling the ball, which i feel, so have started to do rotator cuff band excercises. My plan is to be even fitter, stronger, healthier in 10 yrs from now in every aspect so need to take care of myself.

 

[jdubbs]

The negative people neither annoy me nor motivate me, maybe 10-20 yrs ago they would have. It would be like getting upset at somebody for not understanding that the earth is round in the 15th century, u have to understand where they are coming from.......

So, you're comparing those of us who think going for a pro tennis career at the age of 43 with the skills of a 3.5 to those who didn't realize the earth was round in the 15th century?

You couldn't make this up, folks. Seriously.

 

[eliza]

Hey guys, chill out. This is just a forum where we play and toy with ideas. Who knows their future? Why are people so drastic in drawing lines?
You never know. A man at 40 discovered ballet: everybody (me included) thought he will never make it. Sure, he is not a NYC or ABT soloist, but at 42 he dances. Beautifully.
I wish all adults tennis players here the very best. Keep studying this sport, keep practising, keep finding the best in yourselves. AND, NO, do not take NO for an answer!

 

[eliza]

SusanDK, I would prefer Navratilova....count me in the group...

 

[goober]

You never know. A man at 40 discovered ballet: everybody (me included) thought he will never make it. Sure, he is not a NYC or ABT soloist, but at 42 he dances. Beautifully.
!

40 year old who discovers ballet and wishes to dance. Nothing wrong with that. I don't know why anybody who wanted to participate in ballet couldn't at any age.

40 year old that comes onto a ballet forum and posts "I just discovered ballet. My goal is to become a principal dancer in the NYC ballet within in 2 years" is pretty much the equivalent post here.

 

[peoplespeace]

40 year old who discovers ballet and wishes to dance. Nothing wrong with that. I don't know why anybody who wanted to participate in ballet couldn't at any age.

40 year old that comes onto a ballet forum and posts "I just discovered ballet. My goal is to become a principal dancer in the NYC ballet within in 2 years" is pretty much the equivalent post here.

if my ambition is so far fetched already then there shouldnt be any need to further exaggerate, eg earning a couple of atp points (which i will) is not the equivalent of being principal dancer at the NYC ballet, that would be the equivalent of being a top 20 player. Nor have i ever said that i will be a professional tennisplayer.

And no it is not that difficult to get better at tennis if u take charge of ur own improvement dont expect a coach to be able to teach u to play and dont expect improvement to happen automatically just with practice and little reflection.

As for my current level, i have played three matched with an american guy who plays 4.0 back home. After our first match i asked him what he thought my level would be in NTRP terms and he said a strong 4.5 or 5.0. And i wasnt playing up tp my normal standard. Yesterday we both played considerably better than our first match and he got 3 games in 3.5 sets. My game is improving fast and that is without having the setup that i want and was looking for last year which i know would make my level really take off. On the other hand it has given me the time to work on my serve which i believe is at the level of an avarage futere level player which im rather proud off as ive only had some 5 serve lessons.

 

[goober]

if my ambition is so far fetched already then there shouldnt be any need to further exaggerate, eg earning a couple of atp points (which i will) is not the equivalent of being principal dancer at the NYC ballet, that would be the equivalent of being a top 20 player. Nor have i ever said that i will be a professional tennisplayer.

And no it is not that difficult to get better at tennis if u take charge of ur own improvement dont expect a coach to be able to teach u to play and dont expect improvement to happen automatically just with practice and little reflection.

As for my current level, i have played three matched with an american guy who plays 4.0 back home. After our first match i asked him what he thought my level would be in NTRP terms and he said a strong 4.5 or 5.0. And i wasnt playing up tp my normal standard. Yesterday we both played considerably better than our first match and he got 3 games in 3.5 sets. My game is improving fast and that is without having the setup that i want and was looking for last year which i know would make my level really take off. On the other hand it has given me the time to work on my serve which i believe is at the level of an avarage futere level player which im rather proud off as ive only had some 5 serve lessons.

I agree that principal dancer is a bit of an exaggeration, although I would not call it the equivalent of top 20 ATP. NYC ballet has around a dozen soloists and there are many other ballet companies around the world so principal dancer would be much much lower. How about the equivalent would be a dancer at any metropolitan professional ballet troupe?

So you have 6.0 level serve after 5 lessons? You must be incredibly talented. You must have had a huge improvement from the last video you posted. Care to show us this serve?

 

[Power Player]

Got news for you OP, if you are playing for ATP points, you WILL be a professional tennis player because of the commitment and financing it will take to do it.

 

[jdubbs]

Congratulations on your quest. How is the futures tour going?

 

[peoplespeace]

Got news for you OP, if you are playing for ATP points, you WILL be a professional tennis player because of the commitment and financing it will take to do it.

Well i guess that depends on how u define the word professional, i maybe be conservative when it comes changing the meaning of words but i still prefer to use the word professional for activities that provide u with an income!

 

[peoplespeace]

Congratulations on your quest. How is the futures tour going?

Ty-ty! Well i havent played a future yet and im not ready for that, however i was recently offered to play in a future quali without having to pay for it. So i guess some people dont think that it would look rediculous for me to try my luck at that level and i can only agree with that as i have seen plenty future qualis. Im not gonna play a future quali until i feel i have at least 50% chance of winning first match and some 25% chance of winning second. And that time will come, maybe sooner than than later.

 

[Devilito]

Ty-ty! Well i havent played a future yet and im not ready for that, however i was recently offered to play in a future quali without having to pay for it. So i guess some people dont think that it would look rediculous for me to try my luck at that level and i can only agree with that as i have seen plenty future qualis. Im not gonna play a future quali until i feel i have at least 50% chance of winning first match and some 25% chance of winning second. And that time will come, maybe sooner than than later.

that's cool. So I assume you've been winning Open level tournaments regularly?

 

[dozu]

Ty-ty! Well i havent played a future yet and im not ready for that, however i was recently offered to play in a future quali without having to pay for it. So i guess some people dont think that it would look rediculous for me to try my luck at that level and i can only agree with that as i have seen plenty future qualis. Im not gonna play a future quali until i feel i have at least 50% chance of winning first match and some 25% chance of winning second. And that time will come, maybe sooner than than later.

how about letting the collective wisdom of TT decide your % of beating dozu lol.

 

[goober]

how about letting the collective wisdom of TT decide your % of beating dozu lol.

You have no chance as the 3.5 king of community courts against a 5.0-5.5 international man of the world.

 

[tennis_balla]

Look I know I've been negative about all of this in the past and I do think you're bitting off more than you can chew however, putting everything aside, how are you training for all of this? Do you have a coach you work with at least a few times a week? Doing drills with you, on-court fitness, working on your movement, shot selection, watching you play practice matches, etc?

Its great you got this goal and seems like you've been spending a lot of time and money on this but are you doing it properly? Thats my only question. You said before you were staying in France, and couldn't find people to play with? There are a ton of players in France...or Germany, or other places in Europe and yes USPTA 5.0 and above.

Personally, if you wanna do this right I'd head down to Spain and stay at Academia Sanchez-Casal for a week or two. Go where you'll get the competition and proper training and A S-C is the best place in my opinion. Heck or come to Prague and I'll train your ass off for a week or two. All I'm saying is don't just go somewhere, hire some coach and try and look for hits which is what it seems like you're doing, asking on here looking for players in Split for 30Euros/day.

 

[LeeD]

"I"m not ready for Futures"....
This is obsurd. You are ready because you want to play at that level. You will NEVER really be ready, so try it ASAP.
I tried it as a B or 4.5 player. Sometimes you get lucky and go a few rounds, like I did, or go one round, like much much better doubles partner did.
If you don't try, you'll never have an idea of your real abilities.
Waiting for the right moment, you will never make it.
All matches count for experience, and experience is one thing you won't get by practicing.

 

[peoplespeace]

Look I know I've been negative about all of this in the past and I do think you're bitting off more than you can chew however, putting everything aside, how are you training for all of this? Do you have a coach you work with at least a few times a week? Doing drills with you, on-court fitness, working on your movement, shot selection, watching you play practice matches, etc?

Its great you got this goal and seems like you've been spending a lot of time and money on this but are you doing it properly? Thats my only question. You said before you were staying in France, and couldn't find people to play with? There are a ton of players in France...or Germany, or other places in Europe and yes USPTA 5.0 and above.

Personally, if you wanna do this right I'd head down to Spain and stay at Academia Sanchez-Casal for a week or two. Go where you'll get the competition and proper training and A S-C is the best place in my opinion. Heck or come to Prague and I'll train your ass off for a week or two. All I'm saying is don't just go somewhere, hire some coach and try and look for hits which is what it seems like you're doing, asking on here looking for players in Split for 30Euros/day.

How am i training for this? Well far from optimally. This summer i spent in france and i joined my local club. I took 20 lessons with a quite ok coach, a young certified french coach and i guess i played about twice a week with other people. No really good players. In the beginning it was difficult to find anyone to play with but when i started taking expensive lessons, there were suddenly people who were willing to play(!) Its a small club and there was maybe one or maximum two players who were better than me but i didnt play with them once despite various attempts. These small clubs work in misterious ways!

Then i went to Croatia and Bosnia, including a one week stay at an academy, which was ok, but the stringer strung my rackets far too hard which kinda ruined my training. In sarajevo i took lessons too, but what i really need is to rally and play matches at a speed which is a bit higher than what im used to.

What is ur set-up in Prague, are u coaching in a club or just living and playing there. What would be the training possibilities there if i came for a week or two? And what would it cost? Is it centrally located where u train/work and is there cheap accomodation nearby? Id be temptem to go there already this week.....

 

[peoplespeace]

"I"m not ready for Futures"....
This is obsurd. You are ready because you want to play at that level. You will NEVER really be ready, so try it ASAP.
I tried it as a B or 4.5 player. Sometimes you get lucky and go a few rounds, like I did, or go one round, like much much better doubles partner did.
If you don't try, you'll never have an idea of your real abilities.
Waiting for the right moment, you will never make it.
All matches count for experience, and experience is one thing you won't get by practicing.

Ive played a couple of times with guys with atp points and its fun but no reason to chace future qualis just for the sake of trying to play at that level when i know i dont stand a chance of going to the main draw.

 

[gorafa]

sign me in ,i was just looking to go to Argentina ..