Opponents playing head games with you?

FiddlerDog

FiddlerDog

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Played a guy who was playing a low key angle.
"I just woke up. I didn't eat today. etc"
"I only play for getting some exercise. etc. (ie: I don't care about winning)

Almost as if he got lost while driving and ended up at a tennis match
Kind of vibe where it's like, "I hope I brought a racket..."

He blew his cover in the 3rd game when he smashed a ball into the side fence.
Turns out, the guy is a fierce competitor!

I'll admit, if this was a tactic, it's a sneaky one.
Can put the opponent at ease and reduce his intensity.

What are examples of opponents playing head games with you?
I love these kinds of challenges!
 
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Played a guy the final of my clubs O45’s and had a blinding first set - bageled him and was cruising. Then second set he serves better and we are both holding them on my service game at 3-3 starts calling out ‘come on’ between my first and second serves and occasionally tapping racket as I toss the ball. Shouldn’t of let it wind me up but lost that set 3-6 as annoyed at Rythmn being interrupted. I calmed down for the breaker and ended up nicking it.
 
FiddlerDog said:
Just woke up. Didn't eat today.
I only play for getting some exercise. etc.
Click to expand...
What is low key or sneaky about these statements and what does it have to do with the desire to win? This is probably true for most weekend morning matches played by many rec players. I just woke up and I play for exercise would be true in my case.

Phantom let calls when I make good serves and disputing the score late in sets or in TBs are mind games that can still affect me. It happens rarely and is usually done only by guys who travel around and play tournaments - almost never in social tennis. Strategic bad line-calling at crucial points happens more commonly and I am now used to it and deal with it well.
 
FiddlerDog said:
I only play for getting some exercise, implies I don't care about winning, and am not a serious player.
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I see that is how you interpreted it. I wouldn’t have associated it with how strong his competitive desire is. I do tennis and swimming purely for exercise, but want to win against opponents or beat my personal time and be at my best in everything I do - that’s just part of my innate nature. I don’t play tennis to win meaningless rec matches, but because it is a pleasurable way to get exercise. But, I compete hard every moment of the day even in meaningless contests because that is more of a reflection of my inner drive to try hard and be at my best all the time - that is just my base approach to life. The fact that I think it is a meaningless contest helps me stay relaxed even when I am behind.

So, I would be truthful if I say that I play tennis for exercise, but buyer beware if you take that as a statement about my competitiveness or how much I’ve already prepared tactically gameplanning/visualizing etc. to be at my best. I will usually google and look up on LinkedIn new people I’m scheduled to play socially. If they are very successful in life, I expect them to be tough, disciplined competitors who will also have the ability to adapt and change strategies during a match - those are the kind of people who are successful in life.
 
I play with a guy who is better than me, and he has done this..."I'm not really even trying" if the match is ever close.
 
socallefty said:
I do tennis and swimming purely for exercise, but want to win against opponents or beat my personal time and be at my best in everything I do -
I don’t play tennis to win meaningless rec matches, but because it is a pleasurable way to get exercise.
Click to expand...

If you play tennis purely for exercise, then why do you keep score? Just play your hardest excellence and don't keep score.
You also just said you "want to win against opponents". That means you don't play purely for exercise.
If you played purely for exercise, you would not GAF if you win or lose a point or a match.
In reality, you play for a combination of both
 
FiddlerDog said:
If you play tennis purely for exercise, then why do you keep score? Just play your hardest excellence and don't keep score.
You also just said you "want to win against opponents". That means you don't play purely for exercise.
If you played purely for exercise, you would not GAF if you win or lose a point or a match.
In reality, you play for a combination of both
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Wanting to win in life is a daily attitude. It is not an activity or tennis specific goal. It pervades every moment.

Also, life has a scorecard in most things whether you acknowledge it or not. I just enjoy that aspect of life and don’t let it dominate my enjoyment of daily activities. Being a hard competitor always is a life philosophy and not a reflection of a specific goal for tennis at least for me.

If I see a guy slam a ball into the fence in the third game, I also don’t read that as a sign of a tough competitor. I read that as a lack of self-control and a player who is already frustrated and starting to blame himself. Usually those are not the tough competitors and they are the types who tank early and make excuses when they are losing. Maybe the guy made those comments before the match because he was already making excuses for himself in case he loses. That’s how bad competitors deal with losing.
 
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I've played against more players that start out all serious and ferocious, but when they are clearly going to lose, they turn into Mr. Happy-go-lucky. Ah shucks, this doesn't mean anything to me... I'm not even trying sort of thing.
30 minutes earlier they were ripping shots at my head when I was at the net.
 
Mongolmike said:
I've played against more players that start out all serious and ferocious, but when they are clearly going to lose, they turn into Mr. Happy-go-lucky. Ah shucks, this doesn't mean anything to me... I'm not even trying sort of thing.
30 minutes earlier they were ripping shots at my head when I was at the net.
Click to expand...

I know more of the reverse. Guys who are nice when they're winning, but if you beat them or even just make it difficult...all that graciousness goes out the window.
 
socallefty said:
Wanting to win in life is a daily attitude. It is not an activity or tennis specific goal. It pervades every moment.
Click to expand...

Goes from claiming he doesn't care about winning to admitting he wants to win at everything.
If you were purely interested in exercise, you'd be doing burpees, not playing tennis, keeping score, and trying to win.
Amazing how full self-delusion some people are.
 
Mongolmike said:
I've played against more players that start out all serious and ferocious, but when they are clearly going to lose, they turn into Mr. Happy-go-lucky. Ah shucks, this doesn't mean anything to me... I'm not even trying sort of thing.
30 minutes earlier they were ripping shots at my head when I was at the net.
Click to expand...

To more I think about it, the more I find myself really turned off by these "pretend I don't care" head games.
Next time someone pulls this crap, I am going to play even harder.
 
Rosstour said:
I know more of the reverse. Guys who are nice when they're winning, but if you beat them or even just make it difficult...all that graciousness goes out the window.
Click to expand...
Yes this is my experience

my partner was a no-show for our club’s weeknight comp this week, and one of the junior squad players volunteered to pinch-hit… this kid is nationally ranked, so even with him playing at 50% we barely lost a point

Dude on the other team was all smiles until it became clear they were outclassed. He completely flipped his **** - throwing his racquet across the court, swearing, belting balls - even had a go at the kid’s dad at one point. We triple bageled them just so we could get off the court ASAP

The stupid thing is that I told them before the match that the kid was way better than my normal partner, and we would forfeit all the points regardless of result

Some people just can’t handle getting beat
 
Cashman said:
Yes this is my experience

my partner was a no-show for our club’s weeknight comp this week, and one of the junior squad players volunteered to pinch-hit… this kid is nationally ranked, so even with him playing at 50% we barely lost a point

Dude on the other team was all smiles until it became clear they were outclassed. He completely flipped his **** - throwing his racquet across the court, swearing, belting balls - even had a go at the kid’s dad at one point. We triple bageled them just so we could get off the court ASAP

The stupid thing is that I told them before the match that the kid was way better than my normal partner, and we would forfeit all the points regardless of result

Some people just can’t handle getting beat
Click to expand...

It's funny how certain people react certain ways. On at least 3 occasions I've been on the receiving end and my attitude was "Awesome! Here's an opportunity to try and win some points against a future D1!". I got smoked, of course, but I want opportunities like that. How boring is it if I always am playing at-level?
 
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
It's funny how certain people react certain ways. On at least 3 occasions I've been on the receiving end and my attitude was "Awesome! Here's an opportunity to try and win some points against a future D1!". I got smoked, of course, but I want opportunities like that. How boring is it if I always am playing at-level?
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I feel like playing someone who is a class above is a bit liberating… I am going to get thrashed no matter how well I play, so I may as well kick back and enjoy it however I can

It is when I feel the match is on my racquet and I play badly that I tend to get a bit ****ty with myself (or did, when I was young and competitive)
 
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Cashman said:
I feel like playing someone who is a class above is a bit liberating… I am going to get thrashed no matter how well I play, so I may as well kick back and enjoy it however I can

It is when I feel the match is on my racquet and I play badly that I tend to get a bit ****ty with myself (or did, when I was young and competitive)
Click to expand...

Precisely! I advised someone on this list the exact same thing when he was worrying about an upcoming match against a superior opponent: "You already know he's way better than you. You already know he's going to crush you. So go out there and play your game; if you get double-bageled, what's the big deal? That was the expected outcome."
 
Cashman said:
one of the junior squad players volunteered to pinch-hit… this kid is nationally ranked,
Click to expand...

What was the bitter guy's NTRP level? What a embarrassing and clueless clown.
He should be grateful to be given a chance to play with a real tennis player.
Playing with a trained junior is a gift. Only a delusional clown would be upset.
 
Cashman said:
I feel like playing someone who is a class above is a bit liberating… I am going to get thrashed no matter how well I play, so I may as well kick back and enjoy it however I can
Click to expand...

This is how you should play every match. It is the key to reaching your potential and becoming a respected player
 
I play mainly for exercise. I sit 8-10 hours a day in a desk, so i need to exercise. Competing and trying to win makes that exercise fun as hell, and it makes me truly exercise. If I go hit some balls I’m not giving my best nor running. So the aim is exercise, but I like to exercise crushing my opponent ;)

The most strange ”mental game” I found on a match was an apparently relaxed guy who each point he lost started shouting at me and insulting me from the top of his lungs. He almost used the whole dictionary to insult me. EVERY SINGLE POINT I WON. As soon as the match ended he was completely normal again, telling me how had he fallen from his motorbike months ago. Well… if he drives with the same mind and self-control as when he plays tennis… not the most surprising fact.
 
The next time someone starts out a match saying, "hurr durr.... i just woke up....hurr durr....i forgot to eat.....hurr durr",
I am just going to cut him off and laugh out loud, "Starting with the head games early, I see. Well done! Don't forget to mention your injury, as well. LOL"
 
FiddlerDog said:
I only play for getting some exercise, implies I don't care about winning, and am not a serious player.
Click to expand...
Dunno about that.

At least for me, my main motivation for playing tennis is exercise.
That, plus I just plain enjoy being outside on the court hitting that little ball.
Often I will just hit or drill with my playing partners without keeping score.
BUT...
If I'm in a situation where we are keeping score, then I absolutely care about playing the best I can.

Having said that if I'm playing a match I wouldn't blurt out that I just woke up, or didn't eat, or whatever, even if all true.
None of my opponent's business one way or the other, unless we're friends and just shooting the ****.
So maybe you're right and he was trying to play head games.
 
FiddlerDog said:
The next time someone starts out a match saying, "hurr durr.... i just woke up....hurr durr....i forgot to eat.....hurr durr",
I am just going to cut him off and laugh out loud, "Starting with the head games early, I see. Well done! Don't forget to mention your injury, as well. LOL"
Click to expand...
Sounds like he got to you
 
That’s exactly why I’ve quit playing, opponents want to win by this and using rules against you to win. Man the **** up and play tennis match on court!!! Win or lose this instead of head games/using rules instead. Sooo glad I’ve quit playing so I can get into bodybuilding shape instead.
 
Sounds more like regular small talk than "head games."

Tennis matches are often early, and not only do some show up just woken up and without food, but also hungover. Some people just don't try, are talented, and are content with where they're at.
 
Opponents who do sweet fxxx all in 95% of the match, float the ball back and let you do all the work in rallies, then occasionally hit a more meaningful shot because they know they should. Played a guy in a local league last year who was like that, turned out he was having an affair with a man behind his wife's back.
 
USTA tournament Mens Open after ten minute warmup. “This is my girl’s racquet, I broke my strings last week and haven’t had time to get it strung”. Next two sets wondering if he’s serious our not. We exchanged phone numbers and are now good friends and hitting partners.
 
If someone has a weak 2nd serve and struggling sometimes I’ll stand IN the service box to return their serve. Lots of free double faults earned that way.

I have a teammate that will catch a serve in his hand when returning and just say “too good” and walk to the other side to return the next serve. That has thrown some people off big time.
 
Head games should be illegal!!! It’s cheating and has no place whatsoever!!! That’s one of reasons I’ve quit playing. Just play and who is the best wins! Simple as that.
 
Had an opponent tell me he's new to USTA and didn't know certain rules. Then he argues with me about a shot I made that hung onto my racquet with a "double hit". But it was one swing motion so it's legal. Or I call him out for reaching over the net and he says he didn't know it was against the rules because he's new.

He questioned my line call on his shot that was about 1.5' OUT. I gave him the racquet and hand spread out about 18" to show how far out it was. Then he says, "oh, I'm sorry, I'm way back here and can't see" Then questions other line calls. Of course, he had very questionable calls on his side.

Big emotional outcries on a simple point won.

Was not fun playing against this guy at all.
 
Traffic said:
Had an opponent tell me he's new to USTA and didn't know certain rules. Then he argues with me about a shot I made that hung onto my racquet with a "double hit". But it was one swing motion so it's legal. Or I call him out for reaching over the net and he says he didn't know it was against the rules because he's new.

He questioned my line call on his shot that was about 1.5' OUT. I gave him the racquet and hand spread out about 18" to show how far out it was. Then he says, "oh, I'm sorry, I'm way back here and can't see" Then questions other line calls. Of course, he had very questionable calls on his side.

Big emotional outcries on a simple point won.

Was not fun playing against this guy at all.
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Does not sound like fun. Especially questioning line calls on balls that far out.

But about the rules issues:

Double-hits were in fact at some point in the past illegal, even if one swing. This rule got changed some years back I don't remember exactly when. But older guys like me would have learning the original rule and if out of the game for a while, may not realize that it changed.

And about reaching over the net, you and your racquet can in fact reach over, but only after contact with the ball has been made. Contact has to be on your own side. So perhaps there was just a misunderstanding there.
 
I get personally distracted by time delays during change overs and in between points (Like icing the kicker in football.). This disrupts any rhythm that I had up to that point. I played against a 70 yo guy with bad knees. I was beating him pretty convincingly until he started slowing the game to a complete crawl by leaning up against the fence between each point while I was ready to go. I couldn't say anything because I felt, if I did, I'd look like a complete a-hole.

Establishing a friendly conversation with me takes away my killer mentality. It turns the match objective from wanting to beat the crap out of you to having a friendly Sunday morning, out for exercise match.

I have a friend who's a master at verbal warfare. He'll say things like...
1. When calling score, he'll use the bigger number for his and lower number for them. For example, instead of 15 or 5-all, he'll say 15-5. If it's break, set or match point, he will call it as such.
2. One time I was winning the set 5-1, he told me, "The next 5 games are going to be ugly." I ended up losing the set 5-7.

Fed has his Sabr and I think it was Michael Chang who challenged Lendl on his 2nd serve by stepping closer into the court. I'm not skilled enough for the sabr but have done the latter. Depending on your opponent's confidence level and how well you've been returning their 2nd serves, you'll add another layer of pressure and generate some DFs.
 
Traffic said:
Or I call him out for reaching over the net and he says he didn't know it was against the rules because he's new.
Click to expand...

that's not your call to make. people get this wrong all the time, kinda drives me nuts because one of these usually happens about 1x per match (which also explains why most people don't actually understand it). Double bounces and contacting the ball on the other side of the net are both calls to be made by the player, **Not the opponent**, and the player must concede the point. The challenge is, if they didn't *perceive* that the ball double-bounced, or that they made contact on the other side of the net, then of course they logically would not make those calls, since in their mind they played a legal ball. most people stop play if they think their opponent didn't get to the ball before it double-bounced, then they expect to be given the point because 'it was obvious'. that's simply incorrect. If I stop play for something that happened on your end, then that's on me for not knowing the rules...

i actually had this happen to me once during a league mixed match. Opponent stopped play because she thought I made contact on her side of the net. I didn't perceive that (it was close, but definitely on my side) and therefore i didn't call it, and therefore i took the point.

"sorry, but it's not your call to make, just like double-bounce".
"would you have called it on yourself if I had not stopped?"
"no. I didnt perceive that i made contact on your side. you stopping has nothing to do with it, other than you took yourself out of the opportunity to play my shot."
"you're cheating"
"how? i perceived the ball was on my side of the net when i contacted it...and even if i'm wrong, and it was on your side when i struck it, **it's still my call to make**.

...Makes for interesting post-match beer-chat...

From USTA / Friend at Court:
19. Touches, hitting ball before it crosses net, invasion of opponent’s court, double
hits, and double bounces. A player must concede the point when:
• A ball in play touches that player;
• That player or that player’s racket touches the net or opponent’s court
while a ball is in play;
• That player hits a ball before it crosses the net;
• That player deliberately carries or double hits a ball; or
• A ball bounces more than once in that player’s court.
The opponent is not entitled to make these calls.
 
There's perceived or not perceived crossing the net. Then there is reaching over to slam the ball.

I've allowed folks to hit the ball on their side of the net and finish across the net as long as they don't hit the net.

I've had my partner reach over the net to make contact with the ball after the ball came over to our side but with enough backspin to go back over the net. We had a little discussion regarding the legality of OUR reaching over the net.

The point being is this opponent first states that he's new to USTA and doesn't know the rules and to help him out. Then all of a sudden he is an expert on the rules when it favors him somehow.
 
FiddlerDog said:
To more I think about it, the more I find myself really turned off by these "pretend I don't care" head games.
Next time someone pulls this crap, I am going to play even harder.
Click to expand...
-best advise i ever got, when dealing with a "head case"
-beat them quick/ly and sit back, to enjoy the fireworks!!
 
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