Okay so this is a skill we probably all need! Sometimes you have to play when you aren't feeling your physical best. I played twice this weekend and am recovering from the good old fashioned flu (thanks, middle schooler who brought this nice bug home to me.) I am better and figured I'd be okay to just kind of gut it out, but turns out I am weak as a kitten. Ugh. So on Saturday, I played a lady I've played many times before. I'd say we are pretty equally matched in skill but she is ranked higher than I am per TR and she has never beaten me in the 8-10 times we've played previously. I easily won set #1 (6-2) but then just ran completely out of gas AND she figured out something was going on with me. So set #2, the way my tiredness was coming out, I could still run down every ball, but my shots had zero power, I couldn't follow through, couldn't even hit a full stroke. It was bizarre. So we ended up having to play a set tie breaker followed by match tie breaker which she won. Oof. I went home and slept for the rest of the day. The second the match ended, as we shook hands, she was like, "What happened? Did you get nervous and play not to lose? You seemed so tentative." So I think that's how my shots came across to her from the other side of the net.
So then I had to play Sun too. Feeling about the same physically BUT I decided I was going to just own being a pusher, not even try for power, really work on placing my serve and placing my shots well. Also she had an itty bitty serve so I did some return & volley. She was not very good and I should have easily won 6-0 6-0 but instead did win but 6-3 6-2. I need to develop an idea or game plan for playing when I'm physically not well, or tired, or whatever. Like I think shortening the points? I think my mistake on match #1 was I started out just thinking I could play my regular game and push through, and I should have started out with an energy-conserving strategy from the first moment. Anyway, whew. And maybe the best strategy is to avoid playing when sick whenever possible!
So then I had to play Sun too. Feeling about the same physically BUT I decided I was going to just own being a pusher, not even try for power, really work on placing my serve and placing my shots well. Also she had an itty bitty serve so I did some return & volley. She was not very good and I should have easily won 6-0 6-0 but instead did win but 6-3 6-2. I need to develop an idea or game plan for playing when I'm physically not well, or tired, or whatever. Like I think shortening the points? I think my mistake on match #1 was I started out just thinking I could play my regular game and push through, and I should have started out with an energy-conserving strategy from the first moment. Anyway, whew. And maybe the best strategy is to avoid playing when sick whenever possible!
