Cindysphinx
G.O.A.T.
I played doubles today in practice. My partner was your typical 3.0.
Throughout the match, I was getting increasingly irritated that she never, ever, for any reason, no how, no way, will not come from the baseline to the net.
See, I was trying to play the net very aggressively when I started at net. This is partly because I just worked on it during my last lesson and partly because I think i can win a lot of points up there. If my partner hit a deep shot, I tried to carefully watch the returner and figure out where she was going to hit. If I put the ball away, fine.
If I didn't put the ball away, I tried to get the next one. And the next one. And the whole time, I'm thinking: "Where the bleeeeeeep is my partner?" I felt pressure to take every ball I could reach during these rallies because I had no clue where she was and whether she could reach it if I let it go by. So I found myself doing all this *work* feeling like I'm playing singles at net against two opponents.
And afterward, on the way to the car, she says something about how I could let some of those balls go because she's fast enough to get them back. :roll:
OK. I have resigned myself to the fact that there simply isn't another person on my team who will come to net. I cannot continue to live my tennis life urging people to come to the net who don't want to do it. It's a waste of perfectly good oxygen. So I have to figure out what to do with my own game in these situations.
When you are one-up, one-back and you're at net, what is the best strategy? Should I let the rally continue cross-court for longer until I get a ball I know I can kill for a winner? Should I relinquish the net and go to the baseline so at least we have built a wall? Should I just keep playing the way I'm playing, assume she has been struck by lightening so I'm on my own, and not worry about whether she ever comes up?
During the second set, I tried something I thought might help. I said, "Hey, let's have as a goal for this set to finish every point, win or lose, with both of us at net." She cheerfully agreed. And then every single time we finished two up, it was because I had come in to net from the baseline.
We won every single one of those points. Doh!!
Throughout the match, I was getting increasingly irritated that she never, ever, for any reason, no how, no way, will not come from the baseline to the net.
See, I was trying to play the net very aggressively when I started at net. This is partly because I just worked on it during my last lesson and partly because I think i can win a lot of points up there. If my partner hit a deep shot, I tried to carefully watch the returner and figure out where she was going to hit. If I put the ball away, fine.
If I didn't put the ball away, I tried to get the next one. And the next one. And the whole time, I'm thinking: "Where the bleeeeeeep is my partner?" I felt pressure to take every ball I could reach during these rallies because I had no clue where she was and whether she could reach it if I let it go by. So I found myself doing all this *work* feeling like I'm playing singles at net against two opponents.
And afterward, on the way to the car, she says something about how I could let some of those balls go because she's fast enough to get them back. :roll:
OK. I have resigned myself to the fact that there simply isn't another person on my team who will come to net. I cannot continue to live my tennis life urging people to come to the net who don't want to do it. It's a waste of perfectly good oxygen. So I have to figure out what to do with my own game in these situations.
When you are one-up, one-back and you're at net, what is the best strategy? Should I let the rally continue cross-court for longer until I get a ball I know I can kill for a winner? Should I relinquish the net and go to the baseline so at least we have built a wall? Should I just keep playing the way I'm playing, assume she has been struck by lightening so I'm on my own, and not worry about whether she ever comes up?
During the second set, I tried something I thought might help. I said, "Hey, let's have as a goal for this set to finish every point, win or lose, with both of us at net." She cheerfully agreed. And then every single time we finished two up, it was because I had come in to net from the baseline.
We won every single one of those points. Doh!!