Taking Weekend Tennis Seriously

The bump up from 3.5 to 4.0* seems to always come with the same general response: “IT’S ABOUT DANG TIME. Stupid computer. Like, of course, I’m not a 3.5. Gah, the embarrassment I’ve had to endure…”

The bump up from 4.0 to 4.5* also seems to always come with its own general response: “The USTA rating system is a joke! There goes a year of my life. I’m going to get killed. I am NOT a 4.5. You’re kidding, right? Well, there went winning…”

*I’m using specific ratings a) because it’s true and b) to make the post easier to follow, but of course, these feelings of joy or dread can be applied at any level. We all know people who were convinced being bumped up to 4.0 was the end of their tennis world as they knew it. And then quit tennis. Sigh.

It takes about a year for freshly bumped 4.5s to get over the horror. The self-indulgent oh-woe-is-me monologues are fun to sit through, let me tell ya something. Like, they clearly are just upset that they don’t get to automatically win their USTA matches when they wake up in the mornings like they did at 4.0. That and/or they’re laying the foundation for if they get bumped down. It’s not a blow to the ego to be bumped down if you’ve been shouting from the rooftops that you’re going to be bumped down, m’kay.

OR they think they should put themselves down as if it’s some sort of societal crime to be happy or comfortable with one’s accomplishments.**

**This might be a predominantly female adult recreational tennis player phenomenon (the imposter syndrome). Wanting to come across as humble is one thing. Internalizing your self-degrading press releases is another.

Eye roll to all of that. YOU’RE UP HERE BECAUSE YOU CAN BEAT MOST EVERYONE DOWN THERE.

And the people that you either couldn’t beat or couldn’t beat easily are also up here now. Yay, system’s working!***

***The USTA National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) is imperfect and there are seemingly computer glitches every time the latest ratings come out…but…well…nothing’s perfect. And I assume the powers that be are constantly striving to make the system better and the matches as fair and equal and competitive as can be.

I think that’s the part that everyone who gets bumped up and is sincerely freaking out overlooks. You are not the worst player at this new level. There are tens of people who you can certainly compete with right now. They exist.

Never mind that they’re your teammates. 😉

Are there also people who can crush you with one hand tied behind their backs? Ummmmm…yeeaaahhhh. Yeah, there are. But not everyone at this level is that amazingly good. Fun tidbit: those players are usually hoarded on just a couple of teams in the flight. And guess what? Folks who “should” win against you hit unforced errors, too. It’s the craziest thing this game called tennis.

As a new bump-up, yes, there will be shots that your opponents can hit that you have never seen before. Yes, you will need to do more to win points now. Yes, you might need to tweak something in your tennis game to be more competitive.

But right now, I need you to settle down and to pull your head out of your rear so you can realize you can play tennis at this level. You do belong. You are the number next to your name.

And sometimes? Sometimes it turns out getting bumped up and playing against better competition was exactly the jolt some of us needed for our tennis games to improve. So not only can you already play at the level you suddenly find yourself in, but you’ll get even better. Whoa, now.

Once more with feeling: You are a 4.5 (or a 4.0 or a 3.5 or whatever rating that you just got bumped up to whose level intimidates you) because you deserve to be that rating. The sooner you realize that, the better our USTA league tennis team will be.

YOU HEAR ME?

Love,

Your Captain