Taking Weekend Tennis Seriously

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve done it. I’ve figured it out. I’ve finally realized what the ultimate goal for tennis players is. I understand now what kind of player we pay tens of thousands of dollars in our lifetimes for teaching pros to mold us into.

The reason why we want to be better tennis players, y’all, is not simply because it would be a neat thing.  It’s so we can be awesome enough players that we can take balls away from our doubles partners. The reason for wanting to improve at tennis, you guys, is so we can be so good we don’t give our doubles partners any more chances to mess up a point, a game, a set, a match than the absolute bare minimum.

Ta-dah! Read the rest of this entry »

After spectacularly choking away a match and not taking it too well, I naturally looked to youtube for inspirational tennis videos that would pump me up for the next battle.  Because, you know, not watching/listening to the proper inspirational music video/song before competition is what causes me to lose. Read the rest of this entry »

Pre-post digression:

A couple of people have suggested I need to find my doubles soul mate. You know, someone I can play with on a regular basis so we know each other’s tendencies, dominate a field we’re too good to be playing in because all our friends play at this level but I digress, and grow old together. While I don’t completely agree with this “need” (where’s the fun in playing doubles when you and your partner know what the other is going to do? I thought trying to win despite your partner was the whole point of doubles), I’m going to start compiling a list of qualities my doubles soul mate needs to possess because I know a funny concept when I stumble upon it. So before each post, I’ll try to list out a new necessary trait. Because you know. This is about my needs here.

• Needs to be able to communicate in a timely manner through both text and email.

My needs here.

On to the actual blog post.

In one of my early meandering posts about doubles, I said that “some players will take whatever you tell them and just go do it…because they’re awesome.”  I am not one of those people. Read the rest of this entry »

Every day when I go into work, there’s an intersection right before I pull into the parking garage that makes my heart flutter a little.  You see, it’s the sort of intersection that splits into three possibilities, none of the possibilities being straight ahead.  Perhaps you have never seen one of these roadway designs.  Don’t worry; you aren’t alone.  Neither have any of my fellow drivers.

Crude drawing to follow: Read the rest of this entry »

If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you know that USTA is very important.  Or, maybe you don’t.  Maybe I just think I’ve written that line in every blog post, when in reality, I’ve only thought it every time I write an entry.  I think a lot of things.  Luckily, I don’t always write them down.

…that’s frightening, actually, if you think about it…

Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

With USTA play-offs starting this weekend, I thought we would talk about the silly people who don’t communicate well, who don’t take weekend tennis seriously, and who drive their captains and teammates nuts as a result.  I don’t see how the former spun off into the latter anymore than you do, but that’s my intro! Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not a good doubles player.  That’s why I write about doubles so often.  I didn’t play it when I was growing up and now the concept of volleying and hitting balls out of the air plague my mind to no end.  Doubles is a mystery I spend most of my working day trying to solve.  My boss should look at my pie charts more closely. Read the rest of this entry »

Two posts ago, I wrote, more-or-less, on what not to say to your doubles partner.  I figured I should do a follow-up and cover what to say.

…

Right.  Um… Read the rest of this entry »