This morning I stuffed my face with a huge breakfast thinking it’d give me energy, but man was that stupid. Two eggs, bacon, toast – the whole nine yards. Shoulda gone for something light like oatmeal instead. Dragged myself to the court feeling like a sack of potatoes.
The Warm-Up Disaster
Tried rushing through warm-ups cause I was late. My buddy Mike already looked pissed. Skipped proper stretching like a dumbass. First serve attempt? Shoulder popped louder than bubble wrap. Mike just shook his head muttering “dude seriously”.
Match started awful:
- Double-faulted THREE times in first game. Embarrassing!
- Kept hitting forehands long like I forgot where baseline was
- Drank too much water between sets – felt like sloshing fish tank
The Turning Point
Changed tactics after getting demolished in first set (1-6 ugh). Told myself – stop trying kill every ball. Focused on two things:
- Returning serves deep down the middle every damn time
- Just keeping ball in play during rallies
Started moonballing like my grandma when opponent charged net. Worked surprisingly well! That cocky college kid opponent kept overhitting. Got into his head by staying annoyingly consistent.
What actually worked:
- Stopped going for crazy angles – boring but effective
- Pushed returns past service line to avoid nets
- Sliced backhands low when rushed instead of panicking
Ended up winning final set tiebreaker when opponent bashed fourth shot into net. Sweat dripping everywhere, legs screaming, but arms raised like Rocky. Takeaways? Consistency beats flashiness nine times outta ten in league play. And don’t eat like you’re going into hibernation before tennis.