Taking Weekend Tennis Seriously

Pre-post digression: I should have known I was in trouble when my assigned doubles partner started the match asking if serving hard was okay.  “I mean, I think that’s why [the organizer of the practice] wanted me out here – to serve hard to help you guys practice.”  We were both recruited to help a tennis team prepare for their upcoming tournament.  After the opposition gave their okay, my partner proceeded to double fault at least once, if not twice, in nearly every service game.  This person might have hit a handful of aces or service winners in all three sets that we played.  I’m going to make a rough estimate and say my partner served about seven games.  7 to fourteen giveaways versus five winners.  Yeah, buddy, let’s worry about taking a little something off your serve after you’ve mastered hitting it in.  Let’s also be concerned about not overwhelming these “lesser” players with your oh-so-powerful groundstrokes after you’ve learned how to hit them over the net.

And then to begin blaming your poor play because you’re hungry?  At ten in the morning?  After a set and a half?  OF DOUBLES?!

Ahem.  I’m not bitter.

On to the actual blog post.

When people ask you, “What did you do this weekend?” you would never say you spent it watching weekend warrior tennis.  That would be ridiculous.  I certainly would never waste my weekends mesmerized by people who are just posing as athletes.  I mean, it’s hard enough explaining to people you played tennis all weekend long.  At least you’re being active.  But to merely watch it?  The shame!  THE SHAME.

It’s not like I plan out my weekends based around watching amateur adults play a sport.  I absolutely do not type out itineraries and map out who’s playing where when. If I happen to be in the neighborhood and if I happen to remember people I know are playing, sure, I might pop in.  Stay a bit.  Clap politely.  And then I’ll leave just as quietly as I came in and get on with the day’s real activities.

I also certainly would not impose storylines and feelings into weekend warrior tennis.  Who cares that the head-to-head battle comes down to this one match?  Who cares which captains stack their lineups or that the difference in advancing is one digit in the Individual Score Win/Loss column?  Who cares whether tennis acquaintances (I mean, we’re not even facebook friends so these aren’t even real relationships) get to move on to the next round of playoffs?  Not me.  No sirree.

Getting worked up about recreational adult tennis is silly.  What do I think this is?  My favorite TV show or professional sports team?

And I would never, I mean never, go out of my way to watch rinky-dinky tennis in the hopes of learning something.  Pfft, what do I care about getting better at a mere hobby?  I’m not actively looking for people’s weaknesses or trying to understand how really good players are awesome.  That’s crazy talk.

Girl, please.  It’s not that serious.