[infelconi]

So, a little story that may or may not spark any discussion from other players. I played the best set of tennis in my life last night...and lost it 5-7. I was playing a 5.0 ranked player who is probably more of a 4.5 since playing less often but nonetheless he is super good. I have played him about 10 or 15 times and won precisely ZERO sets. The best I have done is 3 games (once) and usually it's a 6-1 or a 6-2 set. Some of these sets have been pretty damn good also, worthy of watching and everything but I am still a level outclassed. Last night, I was playing somewhat other worldly and went up in a second set 3-0, then 4-1. After having 4 or 5 game points at deuce I lost the next game and then 3 more to go down 5-4. During this time, many two set matches that started when we began the second set actually finished. People started piling up at the glass to watch as did guys next to our court. Games took forever, rallies took forever, backhand to backhand mostly with nobody willing to change direction or slice and charge the net. I stepped up here and there and hit some of the best winners off both wings, my personal highlight reel in one match. When I tied at 5-all I felt my body shaking with fatigue and was also losing it a bit mentally. Had a battle of a game at 5 all and then lost my serve AT LOVE at 5-6. Upon exiting the court later I had 3 different people say some nice things from "you should be very proud, that was a great and high level display and great fun to watch" and "you are so fast and hit some impressive winners etc." , "best we've seen anyone do against him" etc.

You know, I did feel proud in a sense but I was SO spent (it was a second set) that I wanted to cry. Now, I am not a cryer....ever. I was not sad to have lost, even with an initial lead, but I was surprised how much I had to hold back from just laying in the locker room and weeping. My body is still sore now but I did sleep well. The experience just made me marvel even more at how physically AND mentally demanding a sport tennis is and increases my respect for mental toughness in a player. I hope someday to get better at it and be less a wimp like last night. Even clicking a mouse I can feel elbow pain I just told myself, imagine how Alex Corretja felt, or Lindsay at Wimbledon....but then I wake up and realize the checks they still cashed while I went out and paid for this abuse

[fuesquemill]

Sounds like a really fun and exciting match, brp. Do take care of your body, particularly with it so cold outside. Get lots of rest, so your body can recover, and you can get back out there with him before long.

Congrats on what was obviously a great effort!

[SHpuntik]

I feel your pain. I'm the king of losing a 4-1 lead to let the set slip away, and the master of being on the losing end of a 16-14 tiebreak.

Congrats, though, on your high level of play!

[infelconi]

I feel your pain. I'm the king of losing a 4-1 lead to let the set slip away, and the master of being on the losing end of a 16-14 tiebreak.

Congrats, though, on your high level of play!

Thanks. I think part of my issue is how usually in USTA .5 above or below is not much. I can play a 4.5 guy and hold my own and not go setless. 5.0 - whole different ballgame. I'd need to quit my job or at least play 3 times a week to eventually get just a set. The pain was that it was there, I could taste it, and then I became the Fabrice Santoro to his Roger Federer. Not going to happen. I saw it in his eyes and his concentration. He was saying, he isn't winning this set. I said back with my eyes, you bet I am.....then it just unravelled. Someday I'd like the accolades I got from the audience to mean that I at least took him to 3 sets. Just give me one damn set

Glad that others relate.

[EnvellFen]

I don't know if this is true for anyone else, but i find that i play my best in matches where i am really outclassed, and really don't have much of a chance. i'm guessing it is so because I am so much more relaxed then I usually am. In a way it is kind of frustrating because I would win a lot more matches if I could do this against players more of my caliber, but it is nice to be able to say you hung with whoever for two sets

[infelconi]

I don't know if this is true for anyone else, but i find that i play my best in matches where i am really outclassed, and really don't have much of a chance. i'm guessing it is so because I am so much more relaxed then I usually am. In a way it is kind of frustrating because I would win a lot more matches if I could do this against players more of my caliber, but it is nice to be able to say you hung with whoever for two sets

I think this is true with respect to being more relaxed and that the better caliber player will make us look better because the quality increases by default.

I am thinking of a thread that would be more fun would be with concern to most embarassing losses. I don't want to come across here like someone who is so down on himself that I need people to pump me up. I am a pretty solid and accomplished player for my level whom others respect. Nonetheless, on to a great embarassing loss....

I was playing in a summer tournament and my opponent had played in Division II college, but he was pretty out of playing shape and had returned to the area after being away for about 5 yrs. He had gone out and drank 2 beers and had Buffalo wings with friends, not aware that his match may go on early. He was about 6 ft 4 and a serve volley player. As rare as they are on the pro tour, even more rare for me to have faced in a 4.0 tournament. Climax of the story...I lose 6-4, 6-2. Pretty soundly despite the score. My opponent was having severe gastroesophogeal reflux and was puking up beer and wings into his mouth and running to the fence to spit it out THROUGH THE ENTIRE MATCH. He still ran 1/8th as much as I did and made it to the semis. It was a serious WTF moment.

[enurneAcourdy]

I don't know if this is true for anyone else, but i find that i play my best in matches where i am really outclassed, and really don't have much of a chance. i'm guessing it is so because I am so much more relaxed then I usually am. In a way it is kind of frustrating because I would win a lot more matches if I could do this against players more of my caliber, but it is nice to be able to say you hung with whoever for two sets

This is totally true for me. Earlier this year I played 2 of the best players at the UW who failed to make the varsity team and I went in with the full knowledge that I should probably get stomped. But I beat the first guy (who, it was painfully obvious, had greatly underestimated me) and hit some of the best shots I could ever in my dreams hit. I had to play the 2nd guy very soon after and was pretty exhausted (and the guy plays exactly like Andy Murray so I wasn't going to get free or even short points) but I still played really freely and without nerves. I did only get one game a set from him, but I still played about as well as I could have.

I find that when i play people at my level or below, I expend the minimum amount of energy necessary to win. A terrible habit but a hard one to break. I don't enjoy destroying people and I think part of me likes to have an excuse if I happen to lose (I'm the king of self-handicapping behavior). But I hope you savored the match you played against the good guy, brp. It's super-exciting to play really well. When I'm in the zone, I get an image of myself channeling Nikolay Davydenko (of all people). It's like a runner's high. It's the reason I play competitive tennis. You'll feel better about it soon.

[enurneAcourdy]

Re: Most embarassing losses

Mine wasn't actually a loss but when i was 14, I was double match down to a 9 year old girl who must have been like 75 pounds. I think she was the sister of one of the guys on our high school team. I think if I had lost, I would have quit the team. But I managed to come back and take it. I think it actually might have made her cry which was even worse. Probably among my worst tennis memories.

[zlopikanikanz]

I play my best when I don't care and am able to SHUT UP my friggin' brain.

[Dilangos]

Interesting post, tennisbrp. That sounds like it was a great match, the sort you'd remember for a long time.

I don't think I play any better against better opponents. I end up going for too much, thinking that playing normally won't be enough and end up losing more one-sided than other players at a similar level to me, that played against the same person. Especially if they're the consistent type where I know if I just rally with them, that I'm going to lose more rallies, more often than not. I do feel like playing against an opponent that hits with more pace makes the overall match look better just because I can use their pace.

I love the feeling I get when I'm on one of my good days. It's like I'm so much more energetic and I've noticed that I can naturally get more pace on the ball, just because I'm feeling confident and the lack of questioning and thinking is also great. Basically the better "feel" I think I have over the ball, the better I play.