Taking Weekend Tennis Seriously

I’ve got to start making a practice of clearing out the rest of my day after a tennis match.

If history holds, I will lose the match and then I am pretty much useless as a productive member of society for that day. I will spend what’s left of my waking seconds to do everything I can to cleanse myself of the stink of inadequacy off of me be it texting everyone in my little black tennis book for a pick-up match (by the way, here’s a tip: you should start off your text to me when you need a last second 4^th with “Hey, Christy, did you lose today? Do you want to play tennis right now?”) and/or hitting the ball machine.

I hit a lot of ball machine. I hit the ball machine more than you play tennis, fellow adult recreational tennis player. That’s just a fact.

That’s how much I lose at tennis.

Clearly, the ball machine is not helping you, Christy, um…

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I was mentally fried for at least a week from the Tri-Level Tournament two weekends ago. It was the weirdest feeling. I couldn’t even look my racquet in its face is how tired I was of tennis.

Ruh-roh.

It took till this past Saturday before I started recovering. USTA Fall Play-offs were going on that same weekend, and I don’t think I would have been able to play and do well in another high-stressed atmosphere so soon had my team been in it. I guess I didn’t understand just what I was in for that fateful tournament weekend, which turned out to involve playing very big deal, high-level tennis matches back-to-back-to-back, and so I didn’t take the appropriate steps afterwards. Of course, I’m going to blame the system for not preparing me adequately enough for such an experience.

An aside: I only had two 4.5s on my Tri-Level team, and they had to play back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back. They won all their matches except the last one. They are amazing. But I’m going to persevere and continue on with my woe-is-me post, anyway.

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My USTA Tri-Level tennis team finished 2^nd in the area tournament last weekend. It’s the single greatest thing in the universe that has ever happened to me*. I think I’m supposed to add “tennis-wise” to the end of that sentence. Oh, well.

*Happened to me – as in lucking out with having awesome players who played and won while I sat in my cozy chair and sipped on grapes.

On Tuesday, the powers that be emailed out to everyone a congratulatory note that listed all the winners and runner-ups. I was stoked. The names of all the fearsome Grand Wizards in my area decorated that document. And then there was my name right alongside those luminaries. I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear when I saw it.

I got all ready to print the email out so I could put it on a plaque and hang it in my Weekend Tennis shrine when I spotted it.

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• Sometimes I’ll watch someone hit a forehand and cringe as the body and racquet are seemingly at war with one another and there’s awkward contact made with the ball. I’ll shake my head all dramatic-like at the terrible display of tennis form. Later at work, I’ll be listening to a song and start dancing to it…until I catch a reflection of my nonrhythmic self in the glass and think, “Touché, world. Touché.”

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Pre-post digression: The office suite I work in is getting new carpets. Right now. During the weekday. While we’re all working. After coming in and checking my email for any work that needed immediate attention, I attempt my normal trudge to the kitchen, which is near the office suite entrance (I don’t go through the office suite’s front doors to get to my room) down the hall from my room only to find that I am blocked by the men tearing apart the carpets. Never fear. My room is by the back door. I walk out of the back of my room, out of the office suite, past the building restrooms and the elevators, and through the office suite’s front doors. Oh, what do you know? The kitchen is being renovated as well.

I thought I would be enjoying soup to go along with my busy work – I can’t function at work without eating first – but with the microwave unplugged and probably heavy, my hopes are dashed. What can I eat now?! Thinking quickly, I go for my jar of peanut butter and my sandwich bread. Drat, I’ve been keeping the sandwich bread in the freezer. So, I pick up the also unplugged toaster, a plastic spoon, a plastic knife, and paper plates. The plumber working in the kitchen looks on befuddled. Absolutely befuddled.

Back in my room, I plug in the toaster and set it next to my phone and printer, and all is well with the world. Except for the scent of carpet paste (a co-worker describes it as the smell of dead whales). And the tens of boxes they moved off the carpet and into my room.  And the AC guy also coming in today and setting up shop in my room.  And the carpet guys now blocking the entire hallway.  The items I need for work are in the other room…that I can’t get to.

Today is going to be a good day.

On to the actual blog post.

Team tennis is fun, isn’t it? So much fun. You don’t take weekend tennis seriously if you don’t play team tennis. The camaraderie. The eating out together. The inter-squabbles that aren’t actually voiced to the involved parties. So much fun.

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I am a werewolf.  Since you’re making me pick between a werewolf or a vampire to describe my playing style, I pick werewolf.  I’m aggressive; I go for the kill; and I don’t think much.  I just do.  *Bares fangs*

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My feet feel heavy.  Something is weighing them down.  My shoes.  All I want to do is to take my shoes off.  And to stop moving.  And to take gulps of my Gatorade.  And to stop playing.  I really, really want to stop playing. Read the rest of this entry »

I have a person whom I cannot beat.  I have never beaten her.  Singles, doubles, Monopoly – I just cannot beat her.  Okay, not Monopoly.  I have never played her in Monopoly.  I probably couldn’t beat her though.  I’d choke away all my money and she’d get every real estate property I owned just like she gets all my balls back.  See what I did there? Read the rest of this entry »

So I lost on Saturday, May 19, 2012.  I’m only now writing about this because I was so bummed. The girl was very good.  It was like playing against a better version of myself (if I do say so myself.  Man, do I brag a lot.) – she was young, had major topspin on her balls – much more than mine – and went for the kill shot any chance she got. Read the rest of this entry »