To the Doubters

michael_1265

Professional
A match tough 3.5 with some shots, beside fetching and pushing, should beat almost any 4.5 woman.
If nothing else, the 3.5 should have a serve that puts the woman on the defensive, and then he can stand in and go for a punishing forcing shot to start most of his service points.
However, if he pushes pancake serves in, then maybe not..:cry:

I dont think thats true. A 4.5 woman will have much greater consistency. They could win the match by just denfending and waiting for the errors to pile up.[/QUOTE]

In the end, there are too many variables to make generalizations. Just like a normal match, how your strengths and weaknesses match up makes a huge difference. On average, I think .75 is about the difference between the sexes, but not everyone is average. This girl plays mixed at the 8.5-9.0 level, so I am fooling myself if I think I can push her off the court with my serve. I really have to push the issue to win points, because she handles pace off the ground really well. As a 3.5, such play leads to errors. She forces me out of my comfort zone. I am a better player than the last time we played, but I think she might be also.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
I guess I don't see it that way, since I don't think any 4.5 woman can cover the whole court more than a couple of shots. Or if they can, they hit terrible weak shots. A 4.5 GUY can cover the whole court repeatedly, but he still hits WEAK shots.
They get better rankings if they can do both, don't they?
 

dcdoorknob

Hall of Fame
take 100 randomly chosen computer rated 4.5 women and play them in singles against 100 randomly chosen computer rated 3.5 guys, I'm betting the 4.5 women win a resounding majority of those matches.
 

Topaz

Legend
This is a little off topic, but here goes anywhere.

I have a 4.0 singles specialist on my 4.0 team. She never loses. I have had the pleasure of watching her play. She is delightful on and off the court, and she is God's gift to my little team. I think she will be bumped up for next year.

The weird thing is . . . I don't understand how she wins so much.

She just . . . she doesn't hit big topspin or massive power. She is my age and is fit, but her speed is not a huge weapon. She doesn't have crazy variety, but she has all the shots. She doesn't have a weaker wing, although I would hate dealing with her slice BH so I would play her FH for that reason alone.

So how come she is a dominant 4.0 singles player, whereas I cannot even consider my singles game to be at a 3.5 level?

Singles is weird. It is possible to accomplish a lot while not looking like you're accomplishing a lot.

JB? I don't get it either, but hopefully someday I will.
 

Cindysphinx

G.O.A.T.
JB? I don't get it either, but hopefully someday I will.

Yes, exactly.

She is a total beast. I mean, no one can beat her.

Yet she isn't blasting the ball, nor is she pushing. She doesn't have any visible weapon, yet she doesn't have any visible weakness either. It looks smooth and effortless.

I think it is basically mental toughness (she really does bear down at the right times and clean up her game) + very high shot tolerance + putting her opponents in tricky positions and anticipating what they will do. She knows they will lob before they do.

She reminds me of an anaconda. She just gets a grasp on her prey and squeezes more and more and more until they can't breathe and the life drains out of them.

Then she swallows them -- whole.

I detest singles, but I am tempted to challenge her to a match, just to better understand what it would be like to be suffocated and swallowed.
 

floridatennisdude

Hall of Fame
This is a little off topic, but here goes anywhere.

I have a 4.0 singles specialist on my 4.0 team. She never loses. I have had the pleasure of watching her play. She is delightful on and off the court, and she is God's gift to my little team. I think she will be bumped up for next year.

The weird thing is . . . I don't understand how she wins so much.

She just . . . she doesn't hit big topspin or massive power. She is my age and is fit, but her speed is not a huge weapon. She doesn't have crazy variety, but she has all the shots. She doesn't have a weaker wing, although I would hate dealing with her slice BH so I would play her FH for that reason alone.

So how come she is a dominant 4.0 singles player, whereas I cannot even consider my singles game to be at a 3.5 level?

Singles is weird. It is possible to accomplish a lot while not looking like you're accomplishing a lot.

I believe you know, since you mentioned the above 2 points about her game. Less weaknesses = more success & when 2 players are of equal skill, fitness is a huge factor.

I'd also venture a guess that she is fairly mentally tough
 

Cindysphinx

G.O.A.T.
I believe you know, since you mentioned the above 2 points about her game. Less weaknesses = more success & when 2 players are of equal skill, fitness is a huge factor.

I'd also venture a guess that she is fairly mentally tough

Ha, yes. You read my mind. See post above. :)

I was thinking about this more, and I guess singles is really like doubles in a way: You can accomplish a lot without looking like you're accomplishing a lot.

In doubles, the most lethal opponents don't look like they are working hard either. They take the net calmly but relentlessly, not running in like their hair is on fire. They take care with each shot, and each shot has a purpose. They aren't pushing, their form is solid and isn't all jacked up. Their footwork isn't clumsy or non-existent. They put you under pressure, hitting uncomfortable shots, playing your B game, and they know what you will do before you do it.

That's definitely something to aspire to.
 

goober

Legend
This is a little off topic, but here goes anywhere.

I have a 4.0 singles specialist on my 4.0 team. She never loses. I have had the pleasure of watching her play. She is delightful on and off the court, and she is God's gift to my little team. I think she will be bumped up for next year.

The weird thing is . . . I don't understand how she wins so much.

She just . . . she doesn't hit big topspin or massive power. She is my age and is fit, but her speed is not a huge weapon. She doesn't have crazy variety, but she has all the shots. She doesn't have a weaker wing, although I would hate dealing with her slice BH so I would play her FH for that reason alone.

So how come she is a dominant 4.0 singles player, whereas I cannot even consider my singles game to be at a 3.5 level?

Singles is weird. It is possible to accomplish a lot while not looking like you're accomplishing a lot.

She probably is very consistent. She likely has a high shot tolerance meaning that she can handle a variety of shots and has decent court positioning. If you can do all that you don't need power or a dominant stroke. Assuming that she is in decent shape, that is all you need to win on 4.0 singles.
 

beernutz

Hall of Fame
My 3.5 team went to state last weekend which also served as the state tournament for 4.0 women. I watched several of the 4.0 ladies singles matches and was very impressed with the level of play. Of course if the lady's side was similar to what I saw on the men's side of the state tournament, many of the women I watched were likely sandbaggers but nevertheless they had game. I think I was most impressed by their lack of a a weak wing--they were pounding two handed backhand winners from all over the court--and that they served a high percentage of sharply hit first serves. Many second serves I saw looked to be attack-able but certainly not dinks. What I did notice is that in most cases there was a lot less of a drop off between their first and second serves than in the 3.5 men I've played who hit a big first serve.

Bottom line, I think the best of the 4.0 ladies I saw would do very well in 3.5 men's singles and while they'd probably lose to the best of computer-rated 3.5 men, I'd bet they'd have winning records. </$.02>
 

Cindysphinx

G.O.A.T.
I think I was most impressed by their lack of a a weak wing--they were pounding two handed backhand winners from all over the court--

Yes, exactly.

In my doubles match last night, I was partnered with a 4.0 singles player. She was struggling -- missing a lot of groundstrokes and passing shots for no apparent reason.

During a changeover, she said something to me that sounded really odd to me (as a doubles player). One opponent was a lefty, and my partner said, "Oh, wow. I keep forgetting she is a lefty and I keep hitting to her FH instead of her BH."

Huh?

At 4.0 ladies doubles, it is a rare bird who has a BH so bad that you can get anywhere trying to target it. Most 4.0 women seem quite capable of pounding their BH in doubles as well as or better than their FH.

I don't even think about targeting a BH when I am lining up a groundstroke. I am thinking about targets on the court and elements of my own strokes -- drive up the middle, lob, extra angle, extra spin, less spin, less pace, extra pace -- whatever tool I hope will do the job. It just doesn't occur to me to try to hit the ball to someone's BH in doubles, especially if they haven't shown that they have no BH.

Yeah. By 4.0, the folks who can't hit a BH have been left behind at the lower levels. There are some seriously lethal BHs out there. The only thing I have noticed is that a lot of 4.0 women cannot lob well off of their BH sides. But why should they lob when they can crush the ball at your throat?
 

michael_1265

Professional
During a changeover, she said something to me that sounded really odd to me (as a doubles player). One opponent was a lefty, and my partner said, "Oh, wow. I keep forgetting she is a lefty and I keep hitting to her FH instead of her BH."

I am always amazed when I find out someone still has the "attack the backhand" mentality. Angle Queen and I played some mixed this week as a warm up for a club round robin, and she warned me that the opposing woman (her regular partner) had a lethal slice two hander. Sure enough, when I hit there, even when I hit with power, I would be repaid with skidding crosscourt slices. I went to the forehand 80% of the time, and all was good. With me, my 2HBH return of serve is much better than my forehand return.

The best players always spend the first few games assessing, not assuming. Thinking you understand where to hit the ball to an opponent before playing them is presumptuous and lazy.
 

Topaz

Legend
I am always amazed when I find out someone still has the "attack the backhand" mentality. Angle Queen and I played some mixed this week as a warm up for a club round robin, and she warned me that the opposing woman (her regular partner) had a lethal slice two hander. Sure enough, when I hit there, even when I hit with power, I would be repaid with skidding crosscourt slices. I went to the forehand 80% of the time, and all was good. With me, my 2HBH return of serve is much better than my forehand return.

The best players always spend the first few games assessing, not assuming. Thinking you understand where to hit the ball to an opponent before playing them is presumptuous and lazy.

I was down in your neck of the woods (sort of) for mixed districts last weekend...got to see AQ and she even brought us cake! Should have thought of trying to get ahold of you, too...darn it!
 

michael_1265

Professional
I was down in your neck of the woods (sort of) for mixed districts last weekend...got to see AQ and she even brought us cake! Should have thought of trying to get ahold of you, too...darn it!

I almost went there after work on Friday. A friend at work is one of the owners of the host club, and I always get an invite (it likely the ONLY way I will ever be at districts:-?). Definitely tell me the next time you are down here.
 

Topaz

Legend
I almost went there after work on Friday. A friend at work is one of the owners of the host club, and I always get an invite (it likely the ONLY way I will ever be at districts:-?). Definitely tell me the next time you are down here.

Oh, you should have come!!! We had two on Friday, and AQ (and mini AQ) was there for the first one. It was my first time for mixed districts, and it was a blast (though I was exhausted by the time we were done). And the club was great! I hope to go again, and see you there!!!

Ironically, sectionals is actually closer for me than districts!

My 7.0 and 8.0 teams both made it through...but watching the 9.0 made it feel like we were just playing patty cake. There were some great matches to see.
 

chatt_town

Hall of Fame
I totally agree. I use to play a 4.5 woman when I was 3.5. While she honestly did help my game...I never lost to her and I credit it more to movement than anything else. She had a serve like a man and mine was more like a woman's. :) The problem for her was once the ball was returned(95 % of the time). She couldn't couldn't move as well and this was before I had anything other than a slice backhand. I think he's missing something as well. I will say though that she sounds like she is very legite and I'd keep playing her. If nothing else she will help you be able to dust off the other 3.5 guys you are playing.

In my experience there is a full point difference between men and women's ratings. I am 4.0 and I beat 5.0 girl with pace and athleticism. Something is missing in your game/strategy if you cannot beat +.5 female player?
 
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