travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
When you retire while leading twice in the same week, it means you need to start prioritizing enjoyment of the battle over enjoyment of the victory.
UTR Flex League Match Blog
- Thread starter travlerajm
- Start date
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Update:
After tweaking my Achilles 2 weeks ago while sparring with a friend of a friend in Atlanta, I laid low with no match play.
Today I had a 4.5 ntrp usta singles flex league match, a first test for my healing tendon.
Match was at an exclusive club with all-white attire dress code. First time I’d had the chance to push singles there. I made special trip to Dick’s to buy a white collared poly shirt. And I fashioned a legal wrist band by taking scissors to a cotton blend sock.
Opponent was tall, about 6’2”, decent shape, about my age. In warm-up, he seemed better at net than at baseline. He was computer 4.0c, so I figured I should be able to win without taking much risk or exerting too much effort.
I busted out my BLX 6.1 95 18x20 for the occasion.
I was a timed match in the 1:15 indoor time slot. But we warmed up ahead of time on another court. I played safe conservative style. Opponent liked to rush the net early in the point.
I kept getting behind 30-15 or 40-15. But I seemed to always win the no-ad deuces.
I rolled without much drama 6-0, 6-3. We played baseline game to 21 after. We both played more relaxed styles in the baseline game, with me hitting harder than during the match.
Important thing is that i did not tweak my Achilles. I played rather carefully, trying to avoid explosive movements. I let up chasing one dropper, but did chase down a lob over my head. I kept foot velocity under 80% full-throttle.
After tweaking my Achilles 2 weeks ago while sparring with a friend of a friend in Atlanta, I laid low with no match play.
Today I had a 4.5 ntrp usta singles flex league match, a first test for my healing tendon.
Match was at an exclusive club with all-white attire dress code. First time I’d had the chance to push singles there. I made special trip to Dick’s to buy a white collared poly shirt. And I fashioned a legal wrist band by taking scissors to a cotton blend sock.
Opponent was tall, about 6’2”, decent shape, about my age. In warm-up, he seemed better at net than at baseline. He was computer 4.0c, so I figured I should be able to win without taking much risk or exerting too much effort.
I busted out my BLX 6.1 95 18x20 for the occasion.
I was a timed match in the 1:15 indoor time slot. But we warmed up ahead of time on another court. I played safe conservative style. Opponent liked to rush the net early in the point.
I kept getting behind 30-15 or 40-15. But I seemed to always win the no-ad deuces.
I rolled without much drama 6-0, 6-3. We played baseline game to 21 after. We both played more relaxed styles in the baseline game, with me hitting harder than during the match.
Important thing is that i did not tweak my Achilles. I played rather carefully, trying to avoid explosive movements. I let up chasing one dropper, but did chase down a lob over my head. I kept foot velocity under 80% full-throttle.
Last edited:
You played 2 sets in a 1:15 timeslot, had time to play baseline games to 21 after, and were only playing at less than 80%?
That's pretty impressive.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Did you read the part that he was 4.0c in my 4.5 league?
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
This was my 2nd match in my usta 4.5 flex league, and both guys were 4.0C rated players. The first guy said he played a few seasons of 4.0 flex league, but kept running into 3.5 players, so he decided to play 4.5.
Is this a thing? Why are the usta singles flex leagues populated by majority under-level players? Just curious.
MGArchitect
Rookie
This is a thing. USTA allows people to play up .5 a level in flex leagues. Problem for 4.5 players is there usually is no 5.0 flex league.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Today I agreed to fill in as a sub for singles in a 4.5 ntrp singles league.
Purestriker
Legend
And?
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
It was indoors. I accepted the invitation and canceled on a new guy who wanted to play today outside in 95F heat wave.
It ended up being about 85F and moderately humid inside…
It ended up being about 85F and moderately humid inside…
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Opponent turned out to be a friend I’ve known for 20 years. He’s a few years older than me, lifetime adult 5.0c league player who recently aged down to 4.5.
He’s in good shape and plays often, and still competes in 55s tourneys, so I knew I’d have my hands full.
But a couple of weeks ago, I finally got my racquet setup situation into a more confident place, and I had been playing much better while trying to recover from a few injuries, the worst being my Achilles.
We start the match, a tricky crafty old guy duel, with both of us trying to move each other around the court a lot. He’s a smooth stroker with good touch and 1hb who likes to play a counterpuncher style.
He was wearing a Djoker in refi sleeve on his knee, and unfortunately in the hotter more humid indoor air than usual, this led to him tweaking his hammy where the upper edge of the sleeve ends. I was leading 2-1 at the time. I offered that we could just hit instead of continuing the match, and after he tested the hammy a little, he said yeah let’s just hit. But I think he got bored after 5 minutes of rallying and said, ‘you know what? Let’s just play the match.’
So we continued, but he was noticeably not able to run it out 100%, so my movement advantage from being younger was amplified. But even with this edge, he was a much better baseliner than me if I didn’t run him.
I won the first set 6-2, but then started to overheat and get closer to heat stroke. It reminded me of my last MEP match last October, when I overheated and could no longer move. I ran to bathroom at 3-2 after losing the last game, ran cold water from faucet over my head for a minute, and that rejuvenated me enough to get to 5-2. Then I overheated again, and had to do the faucet cool in bathroom on 5-4 changeover to be able to close it out 6-2, 6-4 over my slightly hobbled opponent.
He’s in good shape and plays often, and still competes in 55s tourneys, so I knew I’d have my hands full.
But a couple of weeks ago, I finally got my racquet setup situation into a more confident place, and I had been playing much better while trying to recover from a few injuries, the worst being my Achilles.
We start the match, a tricky crafty old guy duel, with both of us trying to move each other around the court a lot. He’s a smooth stroker with good touch and 1hb who likes to play a counterpuncher style.
He was wearing a Djoker in refi sleeve on his knee, and unfortunately in the hotter more humid indoor air than usual, this led to him tweaking his hammy where the upper edge of the sleeve ends. I was leading 2-1 at the time. I offered that we could just hit instead of continuing the match, and after he tested the hammy a little, he said yeah let’s just hit. But I think he got bored after 5 minutes of rallying and said, ‘you know what? Let’s just play the match.’
So we continued, but he was noticeably not able to run it out 100%, so my movement advantage from being younger was amplified. But even with this edge, he was a much better baseliner than me if I didn’t run him.
I won the first set 6-2, but then started to overheat and get closer to heat stroke. It reminded me of my last MEP match last October, when I overheated and could no longer move. I ran to bathroom at 3-2 after losing the last game, ran cold water from faucet over my head for a minute, and that rejuvenated me enough to get to 5-2. Then I overheated again, and had to do the faucet cool in bathroom on 5-4 changeover to be able to close it out 6-2, 6-4 over my slightly hobbled opponent.
Purestriker
Legend
Humidity is my kryptonite. It takes your legs and then your soul.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
And this wasn’t even real humidity like they have in some places… just summer heat wave indoor Seattle humidity.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Yeah, raw heat is the same. Got on court Monday at 6:45p and was 112 degrees. Was 108 degrees when we finished at 9p. Felt like I could barely move and had lead weights around my ankles.
schmke
Legend
In Seattle, yeah. The natives are wilting. The imports from California are just getting comfortable.
