Variety is the Key

Variety is the Key

I have been working on a “Get Fit” regime past week to improve on my fitness so that I can play better tennis. Two years ago when I was a ‘real’ beginner, I worked very hard to remove fitness out of my Tennis game equation and succeeded. 2005 is the fittest I was ever been. Fast forward I am caught in the same situation.

Coming to this week’s tennis, my first match is with my friend from work (opponent 3 from last week). I started the match nervously though I went 2-0, I never really felt good. I had my serve and forehand working in patches. However this opponent seems to have my number for now. We ended up at 4-3 in his favor. Most of the games were decided by the No-ad rule. Which means when the score is 40-40, the winner of the next point takes the game. I nearly forgot this in two games though I won one of them. My opponent is a vastly improved player. You can no longer use streaky offense to win against him. His defense puts lot of pressure on your offense. You need a consistent diet of Offensive heavy topspin ground strokes or a mix match of drops/slices\lobs. Bottom line, he was the better player in the match and the score reflected that. However there were many times I had the point fully under my control only to spur it. I am very hopeful that I can put up a better show in upcoming matches.

Opponent 2 is the same guy from last week. He had his serve and ground strokes working. But I have considerably warmed up and used my serve and forehand to establish a 5-1 lead. He won the last game on a no-ad point as the ball rolled over the net.
Though the score shows that I am dominating, my game is very patchy. It is just that my opponent couldn’t exploit my “lows” and I am too hot on my “Highs”.

As opponent3 walked in, I could sense that this is a pusher kind of player. He has a very good slice, decent net game and for some reason seemed to be very quick. I sensed that it will take a few games before i can get used to this type of player. My patchy game turned low and he went 2-0 up though both games went to Deuce (40-40). In the third game, my opponent cheated the points literally. First it was 30-30. He instead said it was 40-30 and served from the “Deuce” court!. I won that point and it was Deuce (The real score would have been 30-40 in my favor). I won the next point when he said a ball that came on the court bothered him. We replayed and he called my ball (which I thought was in) out. He is now 3-0. I served again. His slices to my backhand are penetrating and I am finding it tough. Some smart serving put me to 40-40. I lost the next point as I missed the mark by a whisker. He is now 4-0. Though score board is showing I am headed for a lopsided defeat , I felt very comfortable that whenever I hit strong forehands he had trouble keeping up. I am also feeling very fit and warm. I reeled of the next 3 games as I knew exactly what needed to be done. On his serve I stood 2 feet behind service line. He doesn’t quite have the same fire power as some of the other big servers. As his serve came in, I hit some hard returns. During rallies I hit some strong top spinning forehands. When he approached the net, I hit strong passing shots. Basically had the match continued for a full set, I would have probably carried this streak for a good win. Though the final score is 4-3, I am fully confident that if I play him again, it will be more favorable for me.


In summary, I need to work even more on my fitness. I should also head into the match with some light jogging or moderate running to get myself warmed up. My backhand is now a liability. I need to switch to my two hander as soon as possible. I also need to develop the variety in my game. No doubt I can pound the forehand and win points.

Our club fixed their Gym and I will be starting Badminton season this week. This is another fun game and I enjoy it a lot. This should also help me to stay fit and improve my movement and reflexes. One of the things I am debating is if I continue playing tennis so regularly. I only have a fixed budget and I want to stretch it as long as possible until Outdoor season begins next spring. May be I should enroll as a Sub and play once in a while until mid winter and then become a regular.