travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
The #1 important thing that a 3.5 gal has to be able to do in 8.0 is to be able hold her ground 2” from the net without backing up. If she can’t do that, it’s going to be a miserable day for both her and her partner.Hmm...when I was a strong 4.5 I played 1-2 seasons of 8.0. I think I was a little over .500. My results were all over the board with the exception of bad losses. It all depended on my partner's confidence. It was high drama, and when she played bad, I found out later from others that she liked to blame it on me saying I was putting too much pressure on her (which I wasn't). For mixed, I much preferred my experiences at 9.0, and overall had a better record there.
But I’ve found that I can train any 3.5 gal how to be an effective net hugger. And once they “get it” they love it. And it makes life easy for me. And the outcome no longer depends as much on her play.
I used to lose more 8.0 matches, maybe winning 70%.
But in the last 5 years, I’m actually undefeated in usta 8.0 matches (15-0) when playing with 3.5 partners who have played with me at least once previously. I will let fuzzy verify my record and confirm/challenge since he likes to do that.
Again I’m not over level. Just a 4.5 applying a well-refined strategic formula that exploits the loophole. The formula has been refined over 20 years of 8,0 league play with many partners.
Last edited: