Taking Weekend Tennis Seriously

I have accepted that this won’t be the year I am debt-free. ?

I am, however, patting myself on the back for being able to foresee a global pandemic breaking out, and my decision to live in my parents’ house was obviously in preparation for it. Such advance preparation!

I did tell myself that if I didn’t publish a blog post during this lockdown-ish period, it was a wake-up call regarding my time management skills.

That conversation happened about a week into the first shelter-in-place edict. Two months later, my area has since seen a second such order…and now an ease into Phase I II for “re-opening Texas safely” so whenever this entry is finally published, it’ll have more to do with my lucking into a finished piece thanks to the continued time off…and then a gradual return to some semblance of pre-COVID-19 life routines…than from any actual sit-down, planned out resolve.

Speaking of “planned out,” you, dear reader, no doubt had big goals that have been dashed for 2020, and as a reader of this blog, you also, no doubt, had high hopes for your tennis game that have been dashed for 2020. Someone joked to me the other day a week and a half ago a month ago that this all came about because she allowed herself to get excited about the upcoming summer when she’d be joining two whole USTA teams, getting to play/practice more, and perhaps regaining the form that made her a two-time USTA Adult Nationalist.

Naturally then the USTA would have no choice but to cancel the entire year of league competition because of a terribly contagious and life-threatening virus that has disrupted normal life all over the world.

…which means I’ll still be a 4.5 at the end of 2020.

I’ve never revealed on this forum nor much in real life that my goal has always been to be a 5.0 player. It was the first thing I asked my coach when I started lessons with him eight years ago: could he make me into a 5.0?

Fast forward nearly a decade later and I’m the closest I’ve ever been to getting bumped up. This was supposed to be the year that I’d finally play like one of the best 4.5 singles players in my area and be recognized accordingly at the end of the year with a “Scram! We need to level out the playing field so get out of here!” ratings bump.

But I’ve been thinking…that I haven’t thought this all the way through.

I’ve been so focused on just getting to 5.0 that I haven’t thought about what happens after that. You know, besides balloons and streamers and glitter raining down when I see that magical number beside my name. Getting to 5.0 simply entails beating most of the 4.5s in my area in a dominating manner…but then…am I aware that I won’t be playing (just) 4.5s anymore? Do I understand the part where I will be facing 5.0s…and – because of the nature of the league – *gulp* 5.0 plus?

I don’t think I did.

It did not occur to me until I hit with a 5.0 for practice last summer. I was eager to see how I would match up because there was a hot second when I thought I’d get bumped up by last year’s end, and I’ll be honest: I thought I would do respectably against this higher rated adversary.

NOPE. I wanted no part of the 5.0 world within minutes of hitting with this real live 5.0 singles player. “Coach,” I texted. “I take it all back. Let’s undo all this…”

It was quite the humbling experience. I distinctly remember thinking, “She’s toying with me. She could decide to win this point at literally any time, but she’s simply choosing not to hit a winner on this shot.”

So. The goal has shifted a bit since that fateful, eye-opening practice set. It’s no longer enough to be a 5.0. I want to be an average level 5.0!

(That’s what people mean when they say they’re not a [insert USTA level here] despite being listed as that rating* and don’t understand why they haven’t been bumped down already: they aren’t at least an average level player within that numbered tier and thus not competitive and thus not having fun and thus not that rating.)

*not to be confused with the equally disgruntled folks who say they aren’t a particular level because they believe they should be placed among loftier company

*sigh* Hey, self. Time for another heart-to-heart. You’re going to have to keep working hard at your tennis game for another near decade to reach this updated goal. Perhaps you’ll have to work even harder to make up for all the hours your former college player competition have already logged as youths. Great.

Okay. I’ll get right on it. But can you please ask the tennis gods to make the balloons that magically appear when I get bumped up Batman themed? ?