BRTA: Monash Uni vs Beaumaris 28-Nov

I had mix feelings and doubts before we started playing Beaumaris again last Sat.  After all, we only managed to take away the ladies doubles from them during our first meet in a 3-setter. And this time as we had Grandpa J again, obviously it is a goner for the mens and one of the mix doubles. But I never expected to lose the ladies doubles, especially not since we beat them the last time and to lose in two straight sets was even more shocking.   The horrible wind played a big part. In the first set, we were all getting our shots beautifully and I was pretty happy with my winners down the line pass the opponent at the net. And we were actually up 4-3 or something when the wind started its crazy unpredictable gusts. It seemed to deliberately blow against our balls and poor Penn couldn’t really cope as she hadn’t really had practice playing in such a “breezy” day – a tad too breezy I’d say and so it was all given away pretty quickly in the second set.

In the mens doubles, Yong as usual was frustrated again. Though they lost in straight sets as well, they were actually up 5-3 in the first set. But then as usual, once the opponent finds your “weak link”, they will keep targeting it. And needless to say the first set ended with a close 7-5. Then what happened in the second set was pretty normal when playing with Grandpa J. I chose to partner with Grandpa J in the mix doubles this time so Penn and Yong can try their best to win the other mix doubles. And I’m so glad I did, because the fantastic two actually beat the exact same couple (LV Lady and her little toy boy – ok I’m joking, he’s a teenager yes, but not her toy boy! ) that Penn and James lost to in the other time they met. It was a 3-setter match, but Yong had some really awesome shots and as usual LV Lady did some dodgy on the points again, but God played it fair and they won in the end.

As for the mix doubles between Grandpa J and I, there’s nothing interesting to talk about. James and I would have won that hands-down (or pants down kidding only ok!) against the two elders. But when you get two elders aiming for Grandpa J (another older elder) most of the time and he just letting the ball zoom past him, there’s really nothing much you can do. I’m not sure if he suddenly had a moment of  “awakening” or something, but he called Yong on Monday night asking him to fill-in for the other matches as he didn’t want to play anymore for the rest of the season. Now you wonder, why can’t the other “weak link” do the same?

BRTA: Victory Park vs Monash Uni 21-Nov

Evil Minions

You know how sometimes when you hatch an “evil plot” and somehow you get “punished” in a certain way for it, well I reckon that’s what we got over the weekend against Victory Park. In our team of 6, there are 2 players (namely one from each sex) who are weaker than the rest. Thus they are always the ones targeted and their partners have to work extra hard during each match.

As Victory Park was just a few points behind us, we really needed to win at least 2 rubbers to stay in 4th place. James is away and I was initially not scheduled to play that week and so we were kinda worried. The “little plot” was for me and an emergency(Phil or Edmund) to play instead of the 2 weaker ones. I swapped with Y for another date vs. Glen Huntly as it didn’t matter how we fared with them anyway. But we couldn’t get the emergency part to work. As mean as all it sounds, sometimes we think Grandpa J should just retire and play social tennis.

Not to say Yong and I are fantastic since we have not even won one of our mix doubles since the start of the season, but let’s just say if we played singles, we’ll beat them hands down and so will James and Penn against them. It just that those male tennis players I met have said that even though their wife/partner is a tennis player too, they just don’t pair together either because of different playing styles or most importantly, you tend to say hurtful things you don’t mean that you would not say to your friend or normal tennis partner.

And I tend to agree a whole lot with that, which was why I felt stubbornly pairing together again that weekend was the wrong choice and we made it even worse by choosing the 1st pair. And it was all the more the infuriating because it was such a close match. The scores: 6-4, 3-6, 4-6. We were actually up 4-2 in the last set but somehow the unforced errors kept coming. *arggh* Penn and Grandpa J lost straight sets: 4-6, 3-6 and that would not have happened if James were around.

Probably the only consolation was the ladies doubles, as usual Penn and I managed to kick some ass again this time round. I’m so happy to be able to find someone like her who’s such a good doubles player. She is what I would call a dependable partner, one whom you can trust to save your shots when you need it and vice versa. We won: 6-1, 6-3. As for the mens doubles, poor Yong as usual had to run around like a head-less chicken because of minimal- movement Grandpa J. Their scores: 6-3, 1-6, 5-7. And as I had said before and I will say again, if only James were around, he and Yong would have won hands-down in 2 sets straight. So yeah Jamesie, you ought to be feeling guilty… hehe…

BRTA: Monash Uni vs Parkdale 14-Nov

Sad Face

And just when you thought you’ve met the top team a couple of weeks ago and it couldn’t get any worse, I were wrong and I would say we were literally trashed just over the weekend. One of the ladies from Glen Huntly already warned us about the ladies from Parkdale and I was more of less prepared that we might lose, but not trashed 6-1 in both sets because that’s just pathetic. We started scoring a 1-1 in the first set of ladies but after that it was all down the drain.

Ironically I was so on a roll that day and had so many nice winners that even both the ladies from the opposing team compliment them. But hey, it’s not american doubles and you can’t run a one man show. So it was really quite disappointing that with every winner you make, your partner faults the other point. I didn’t show the frustration that day and was glad I managed to keep my cool. But it really bite when we got home and a day later as it pissed me off even thinking about it. Your partner in a doubles match really plays an important part.

The mens doubles was quite bad too and Yong was pretty much peeved as well.  Of course every ball that went to Grandpa J, he could hardly run and couldn’t get it back. They lost in straight sets too. We couldn’t decide what to do for the mix doubles pairing. I mean both the ladies and men were quite strong although of course there is always the slightly weaker pair. Yong’s initial idea was to split us up into one weak/one strong per pair, but I really felt like playing with him that day and so we went together instead. We thought we could at least take one rubber away, but at last we didn’t think to choose the slightly weaker pair (and went with their 1st pair) and thus gave the rubber away as well. Yong was also losing his cool that day and I had to keep telling him to calm down otherwise he won’t be able to focus. He finally got it in the 2nd set but it was too late for a come back. *sigh* That was one week where we didn’t even win one rubber! Hopefully when the “Fantastic Four” get back together again, we can strive to do better.

BRTA: Bentleigh Rec vs Monash Uni 07-Nov

For starters, Saturday’s weather was hot and terrible. I reckon that was kinda like the first hottest feel of the upcoming Summer and I’m not looking forward to the hot 40 over degrees of heat again. The worst part of all was that both of my matches went on to 3 sets and overall I think we spent at least about 4 hours under the scorching sun. I don’t even remember how much water we have drunk and how much sun screen we had to slap on.

Anyway as usual we started with the ladies and mens doubles first. James with Yong and YP with me. Although that week we were playing against the team at the bottom, I think we shouldn’t get too complacent. But after all, since they they are the bottom team, of course the main aim was to win the whole match for once and not waste the current standings on the ladder. But honestly it can be a bit demoralizing sometimes when your partner tells you, “let’s at least get 1 game”. One game? I mean for God’s sake, do you go to every competition just aiming to get one game off your opponent? Where’s the competitive spirit of winning and is that 1 game going to get your dignity back? I definitely don’t think so. Losing and getting trashed are two different things.

Fortunately we managed to make a come back on the 2nd and 3rd set for the ladies after closely losing the 1st set with a tie-breaker at 6 all.  And I was quite happy with some beautiful winners I made. YP seemed to have caught the triumphant bug after I told her Penn and I have been winning our ladies doubles, she had some nice shots too which aided to us winning. That week she seemed to be on a roll since Yong mentioned she had a few amazing returns in the mix doubles as well, which they paired together and had a lovely 6-4, 6-1 win. James and I barely missed winning on the mix doubles. The scores were really funny with the 1st set a close 6-7 lost while the 2nd and 3rd set was 6-1 and 0-6 respectively.

We still won in the end since we won 3 out of the 4 rubbers. But James reckon that the opponents heard him telling Yong that his legs were getting cramps and so they were targeting most of the balls at him. And I guess, with both of us playing 3 setters for both matches under the crazy heat, that might have played a part in the exhaustion and lethargic-ness too. Oh well, at least we still won for the day. But I’m still disappointed as I have yet to win my mix doubles. “Ed where were you when I need you, partner?”

A feeling of victory…

Last week was the last of the Thursday nights social competition until next year. To be honest I was pretty nervous as I was a couple of points behind Penn and in order to win the whole tournament, I had to win both matches that night.  In the last season, I came in runner-up due to missing out on a day of matches during the trip to Gold Coast and so was a few points behind. Of course this time, (with no offenses to Penn) I wanted to win and didn’t wanna fall short again by a few points.

The coach paired me with Lady E during the ladies doubles against Penn and Lady L. Basically we just swapped partners from the previous week. Initially the bad downfall from the previous week had made me think my racket was not suitable and thus I started the doubles warm-up with my old Prince racket. Naturally it didn’t feel right because I was already used to the weight of the new Babolat racket and though I could get the shots in, they weren’t having enough top spin and power. Thus halfway during match play, I decided to switch back to my Babolat and I wouldn’t say that it helped me in a fantastic way but it definitely helped me hit more better shots.

Monash Tennis Academy Social Competition 2009 Winner Trophy

We finally won it 6-4 and I’ve really got to thank Lady E for helping me win the doubles. She really had some beautiful serves and great returns -  something which she thanked her other coach (apart from Sam sshhh ) for.

When we got to the singles, the nervousness was really hitting in because winning that was the ultimate decision maker between coming in First or Runner-up again. I decided to stick to my Babolat racket and went all out. For some reason (which really made my night), it felt like “Mel was back in the game again!” , I pushed myself to run and turn for most shots and even made a couple of really nice winners! Mostly with my forehand though… But I was up 5-2 when probably the nerves started to get the better of me and Penn was powering up her shots as well. Another 2 games went before I finally told myself, “This is it Mel, don’t let it go again!” and I prayed to God as well again. It finally ended with a 6-4 win and my trophy on the right says it all – A pretty happy camper…

The player, the racket or just another week of bad luck?

Last night was really one night I got so infuriated at Social Tennis. The initial arrangment was for a singles match between Penn and I and a doubles match between me and someone else I can’t remember. For some funny reason The Coach doesn’t like pairing Yong and I together and I probably understand the reason now. But the darling dearest had to asked for us to be paired together and somehow with the amount of people not turning up, our singles was changed into another doubles – a womens doubles.

And as usual (even with a blardy elbow band around my injured hand), The Coach and the Mrs. placed too much confidence in me again, by pairing me up with Lady L from the lower section B against Lady E and Penn. I was watching Lady L play her mix doubles and I was already thinking to myself, “OMG, why does Sam always do this to me?” I mean “For God’s sake!” even if I were a good player, all the ladies had to do with to keep targeting the ball at Lady L (which they did of course) and it wouldn’t even make a difference. And I was right because we lost 6-3.

During the Mix doubles, Yong and I were actually up 5-3 when we (or a little bit more he) blew it off to a 7-5 loss. Was it the amount of stress that I needed to win that turned his stress levels up I don’t know. I didn’t show much emotions during the match – cause I just wanted to concentrate. A lot of my shots which my Prince racket could usually get in (like my favourite baseline lope shot) has hardly worked since I changed to the Babolat and to be honest I am losing the faith in it. Maybe sometimes your Coach’s advice is not the most valuable because he recommeneded a heavier racket. And I realised the pain in the bones only started after I changed racket, and I haven’t won any match since the change as well. Does it really take so long to get used to a new racket?

Anyway I think the last shot (in the Mix Doubles) which ended the set really cause the fuse to explode because Yong yet again made his go at the ball which was coming to me and I thought he had got it and so wasn’t prepared when the ball just dropped past him and me without me being ready to hit it. I literally threw my racket on the ground and screamed at him, “Why do you have to do that again!” A simple shout of “YOURS!” might have saved that shot. I was too upset and angry to talk after that and I just stormed off to the car. Loses in 1 week is bad enough and for yet another week – I don’t think I was gamed enough for that.

And I have come to the conclusion that Yong and I are not suited to pair together for doubles – and I think the Coach probably thinks the same way too. Somehow we just seem to “lose it” when we play together and because of our relationship, it’s easier to get angry at each other. He has improved a lot since his come-back to tennis this year and he seems to excel when playing singles or doubles with another partner – but somehow when we partner together,  it’s only once in a blue moon that he has a roll, the rest of the time he falters. And so for that, we are probably not gonna partner anymore for the district summer comps…

BRTA: Monash Uni vs Glen Huntly 24-Oct

That day had gotta be one of the most atrocious scores we had – or more likely those who partnered me had. If you recall just the couple of days before, I had a really bad night at the social comps and had somehow lost the feeling and excitement of playing tennis prior to that. If players having a bad day are really true, then I must have been jinxed with a really bad week then. Not to say we weren’t expecting it because after all, they are the top team on the ladder for a reason. It wasn’t that they were fantastic players or whatsoever – it was more that they were oldies with lots of experiences and knowing how to place the ball after capturing your weakness…

I had preferred to start with the Mix Doubles first but that usually wasn’t the norm and this time the Captain of the opposing team was really adament and sort of trying to “teach us” the rules of sorts saying that we always have to start with the Womens and Mens Doubles first. Maybe that was their way of gaining the upper hand. They also refused to write their names down for the Mix Doubles before hand. It was like they wanted to gain an understanding of our play before deciding who to pair with in the Mix Doubles – something that I did find a little fishy.

And so we started with the Womens and Men’s Doubles first. They down us 6-0 in the first set and somehow both Penn and just kept hitting the ball out or into the net. Every single shot we got over, they managed to get it back and it wasn’t as though they were hitting skillful winners, just that Lady P had these really flat shots with no top-spin that just came straight at you while Lady S likes her lope shots. At the end of the first set I was just fuming, the new racket really wasn’t working for me at all – the normal shots I can usually get past with my Prince were all down the drain with the Babolat. We barely managed a 6-3 as they won the second set too. The Men didn’t do too good as well scoring a 6-2, 6-2 loss.

When we got to the Mix Doubles – obviously I was already in a pissy mood and that of course didn’t make things any better. In the first set, they took it away with yet another 6-0 which to me was really atrocious because I haven’t for ages lost a set without even getting 1 game. Everything I did was going wrong – even the easiest of shots that came straight and I tried to volley at the net – went straight into the net. They guy kept targetting me as well knowing I was losing my emotions. When I sort of calm down a little during the second set, we actually had a 2-0 lead before they somehow managed to get past that and made us lose 6-2. How the hell that happened, I’m not too sure. All I know was most of my shots were too long or Yong running back at me which kinda confused me and made me miss a couple of shots which I was supposed to hit. Penn and James did much better with a 7-5, 7-5 win which really was a bit of a comfort for that disappointing week. Cheerios to you two… And may I get the “omph” back from this week onwards…

Tattslotto

btw.. i think everybody reading this should buy tattslotto as this is the first time I have EVER posted something… its a sure win!!!

To Restring or not to Restring?

Just picked up Melly’s racket from TW for restringing. Strung it with Head RIP Control at a very high tension (57lbs). Realized that the recommended tension range for her racket is very small. Since the RIP control string is a very soft string, I figured I can go higher. It actually says 55lbs on the racket but the guy from TW and other websites said that for that racket I can still go to about 60lbs because of the extrasweet spot on the racket. So it is strung at 57lbs now. If it’s too tight then I might have to make use of my big but to sit on the strings to loosen them up a bit. The worst part about it is that instead of restrining 1 racket, I ended up restringing 2 rackets…talk about temptation. I really did not like the strings I got previously so I figured…what the hell.

Social Comps last night – is it the start of a road to disillusion?

For some funny reason, I wasn’t even looking forward to the social comps last night. I mean “how could I have not when I used to jump at every chance for a hit at tennis?” There was a feeling of disillusion, a feeling of “hack-care” and also the body (or more the legs was shutting down).  And to be honest, I really wasn’t a happy camper when the coach said I was playing 2 singles match instead of the usual 1 singles and 1 doubles play. I mean fair enough he meant it well and said it was gonna be a good practice for me. I think he has too much confidence is me than I have in myself sometimes. He seemed pretty shocked when I lost both of the matches last night – yes I did, it was a surprise to others, but not to myself.

The ladies I could tell, were pretty please because for once, they actually beat me. These were the couple of frequent ones who turned up almost every week. Concentration and cool motion (not patience unfortunately) was what I usually portrayed during a match, especially during singles. But strangely last night, I was talking way too much. It used to be the other way round where the ladies would chat up a conversation and I would just answer when need to and just wanted to get on with the match with utmost concentration. But the tables turned last night when the ladies displayed their intense seriousness – an urge to win. My legs were also really shutting down – I think the high-impact Body Attack class the day before definitely didn’t help as my legs were throbbing after that. There were so many times I just let the ball drop past me without even trying to go for it. Then there was also the “heck-care” attitude…

Lady E probably thought I was giving her a chance as I kept spurring on her to win when it was a 5-4 game to her. She did win 6-4 in the end and she kept telling me “Thank you so much!” (at least 3-4 times!!!) after the match that I felt a bit bad – because I don’t think I’m nice enough to let someone else win just for the sake of it – it was a mixture of a heck-care attitude and something else I can’t quite tell now. Hopefully it’s not the feeling of tennis that is dying on me. Penn on the other hand probably felt a sense of achivement because she finally won out of the many times we have met in the past. I think she heeded my advice of “not treating your opponents too nice and just concentrate” very well last night. I wished there was a camera to capture the total enthrallment on her face.

Anyway I’m glad for the two ladies, but of course in everyone there’s a feeling of lost and hurt whenever one loses. I not only have that, I also have mix feelings just for tennis itself. I remember my Pennant Player/friend Jacina once told me, “There was a time I kept playing tennis everyday until I was so “sian” (sick) of it that I didn’t feel like playing anymore. Well of course she did get back to it, otherwise she wouldn’t be a Pennant Player and still playing now. So I really hope I can get the zest for tennis back…