SF Tennis Freak

Archive for 2013

In my continuing effort to provide/promote the sharing of information for tennis enthusiasts everywhere, I’ve decided to add a new component to my blog: Ask Marla.

Whenever I have questions on equipment, technique, or anything else for that matter, I go to my friend Marla. Marla is the proprietor of City Racquet Shop in San Francisco (with her partner Sheila), and is a veritable gold mine of helpful information.

I approached her with the idea of answering a weekly question from readers, and she gladly accepted. This won’t be a column or anything like that (given Marla’s limited time), simply answers to the hot topics on your tennis radar: maybe a question on overgrips, hybrid string jobs, or best type of shoe for your foot, stuff like that.

Keep it simple, and I’ll let you know if your question will appear in the coming weeks. 
Click here to send a contact message with a question (put Ask Marla in the subject), or tweet a question using #AskMarla.

Date: 4/3/2013

Location: California Tennis Club

Conditions: Cold, with temps around in upper 50’s, and strong winds.

Doubles or Singles Played: Doubles

Personal Match Result: 6-2 6-2 Win

Team Match Result: 2-3 Loss

Match Notes: These were some of the toughest conditions in which I’ve ever played, with cold temps, fog, and strong crosswinds. After a difficult warm-up, it was clear that percentage tennis was going to be the key to any win.  Play balls down the center for a higher margin of safety, keep the feet moving and be prepared for bad bounces and, if possible, finish points at the net to avoid ugly baseline rallies.

I played doubles with my good buddy, Chris. We both have strong serves and solid ground games. His strongest shot is his backhand (totally sweet), and mine is my forehand. With me in the deuce court and him the ad court, we are pretty formidable and can do some damage.  Additionally, his long arms and great volley technique make him tough to pass at the net.

Our opponents were solid, but lacked weapons to hurt us. They won the toss and decided to receive: a bad strategic move on their part. I started things off with a hold, and they played catch-up the entire match. I knew we had a good chance to win, but remembered to keep focused on the point at hand because matches can turn quickly if you don’t.

Other than one bad service game with 4 double faults, the only noteworthy incident came early in the match.  I hit a serve that one of my opponents returned into the net.  A second later, he said, “I think that was a let.” Players often try to get a point replayed via let calls. You’re not allowed second chances after the point’s already over, and I told him that.  Fortunately for him, Chris added “I think it could have been a let”. I relayed my concern on late calls, and asked for more timely calls in the future.

I mention it because bad calls and other examples of gamesmanship can commonly throw off a player’s concentration. I once had an opponent call a clear ace “out” in a tight third set. His partner couldn’t confirm or deny the call because he was too close to it. It was so blatantly bad that I lost my temper/composure for several minutes. The opponent “generously” gave me a first serve, but the damage was already done.  Still fuming, I was broken and they went on to win the match.

I learned from that incident that bad calls, an unfortunate but common part of USTA play, will derail me if I don’t immediately address the situation as best as I can, then let it go afterward. Putting my mental tennis lessons into play, I let go of this particular late call (which had no ill intent), won the point, and held serve.  There were no other issues with calls.

This victory was huge for me! It was my first at the 4.0 level since June 2010. Through two Adult Leagues and a Combo season, my record was a dismal 0-20: one less than Vince Spadea’s 0-21 losing streak!

It felt good to break the streak and start the season on a positive note.

I’m a big proponent of sharing my personal experiences for the purpose of helping others. To that end, I will chronicle my 2013 USTA league experiences with that purpose in mind, In writing about my personal match struggles, physical and/or mental, as well as my triumphs, my goal is to help others who are also struggling realize that their struggles are common. I’ll also share solutions, tips, and tricks that work for me in the hope that they will do the same for others.

My match reports will contain opponent, date, location, weather conditions, match result (personal and team), and match notes. In order to provide the best context for these reports, I’ll list all relevant information on me, my game, and my idiosyncrasies in this initial post. Any changes in my physical status or relevant equipment issues will be mentioned as needed.

Without further ado, here’s all you’ll ever need to know about me and my game.

Level: 4.0

Plays: Right-handed, equal preference for singles or doubles

Racquet: Head Speed MP 315

Strings: NXT 16 and Stamina 17 (hybrid), 52 pounds.

Age: 49

Physical Status: I ‘m a former professional dancer with damage to my joints and connective tissue. Had shoulder surgery to remove bone spurs 6 years ago, and knee surgery to remove damaged patellar cartilage 4 years ago. Both surgeries were on my (dominant) right side, and I still do some of the rehab exercises to help maintain strength in the surrounding muscles, and to help guard against future injury/surgery.

I’ve adjusted my diet to help manage joint inflammation and pain instead of turning to massive doses of ibuprofen.  Additionally, I take two supplements (All Flex and AminoSculpt liquid collagen). The changes have helped significantly, but I still occasionally take ibuprofen to help with post-match pain and inflammation.

On match days I drink Cytomax (a good source of slow-release carbs) to help sustain my energy and electrolytes.  It also aids my post-match recovery.

Technical Game: I have a strong topspin forehand, and a competent two-handed backhand that has become more reliable over the years. I’ll also hit one-handers and slices as needed. Net game is solid but unspectacular.

Mental Game: My mental game has gotten better as I’ve learned to relax and stay positive on the court (though some of my friends might disagree with that assessment). Like many, I sometimes get too keyed up, anxious, or negative when playing.  I’ve worked hard to learn techniques from mental tennis books on the (like Tennis: Winning the Mental Match) to better understand match stress and the ways it can affect my game.

Privacy disclaimer: I’ve learned from past experience that even when I think I’m writing only about myself, I need to respect the privacy and identity of others. To that end, anyone mentioned in these reports has given permission for use of their name, or has authorized a suitable “nom de tennis”.

And now, on with the 2013 4.0 Adult Season!

Now that I’ve finally recovered from both my Hawaiian vacation and a weekend of provisional umpiring (that finished my volunteer requirement… YAY), I’m closing the book on this year’s SAP Open with an audio clip of Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport.

The clip was recorded during their post-match press conference after (an entertaining) mixed doubles exhibition match with Andy Roddick and Justin Gimelstob. Please accept my apologies in advance for the quality of the recording, and the incessant clicking of cameras any time that Steffi opened her mouth to speak. I was blocked from the front row by unruly photographers. You’ll have to turn up the sound at times to hear them.

The voice next to me is Bill Simons of Inside Tennis. He’s a great guy and a very knowledgeable tennis source. We made a pretty good team. If you have any questions on their responses, let me know and I’ll see what I can do to fill in the blanks.
Enjoy.

(click the arrow to play the audio)

Beautiful morning at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club

As some of you may know, I’m smack in the middle of becoming certified as a Roving Umpire for the USTA.  But as I also mentioned in my previous piece, Being Mohamed: My USTA Umpire Training and The Official’s Code of Conduct, this necessitates a very large and clear boundary between my roles as a tennis official and that of tennis media.

The good thing is that I can share some very general things I learned from a weekend of provisional umping at the Johnson Ranch Racquet Club Championships that I think would be okay to share here. So before I head off to finish my volunteer days this weekend in Pleasanton, CA (fingers crossed), here are some thoughts I jotted down after a very long tennis weekend in Roseville…

1. Being out in the sun in the beautiful outdoors watching tennis reminded me just how much I love the game!
2. Inspiration 1: seeing all of these wonderfully talented 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s was inspiring. I couldn’t wait to go out for my next hit.
3. Inspiration 2: I was tremendously inspired by the other umpires I met, and the things I learned while watching them over the weekend. It’s a wonderful thing being with others who love tennis as much as I do.
4. At least with respect to the juniors I helped, players are grateful to have a neutral presence on court. I was thanked many times over the weekend by players and parents, and it always brought a smile to my face. I’ll find out if the same is true about the adults soon enough.
5. The job of a roving umpire is tough on the lower back. After being on your feet for 99% of the time over the course of a 10 hour day, bending down to pick up used balls becomes problematic.
6. Lip balm, as in I didn’t use any during the weekend and am now paying the price this week with my dried out lips.
7. No one mentioned anything about splinter danger from the singles sticks in my provisional class, but there I was digging one out after pulling the sticks for a doubles match.
8. I didn’t mind being on court to monitor situations if it helped players play their best tennis with no worries.  Unfortunately, it takes you away from being able to see and help all of the courts.  Call me Obama, but I like being able to do the most good for the most people.
9. I now understand the meaning of the terms “sensible shoes” and “gel insoles”.
10. Did I mention that I love tennis?!

Or at least pretty close to it…

After a long week covering the SAP Open and driving back and forth to San Jose from San Francisco, it was time for some much-needed R&R in the form of an anniversary trip to Hawaii with my partner. It was precisely what the doctor ordered to help ease my stress! I took a few pictures…not to make you jealous, mind you, only to share the experience. 😉

There was no tennis on this trip outside of some online viewing. Just some quality time spent eating and drinking by the pool with my guy, and staring at the ocean. The closest I came to playing tennis was walking to take a picture at some awesome courts that had a wonderful view of Diamond Head. Maybe they’re used to it, but I’m pretty sure that my concentration levels would suffer.

Maybe I’ll get a chance to try out that theory next time.
Next up: finishing my volunteer days for umping at an NTRP in Pleasonton, CA.