I woke up this Saturday pumped up for the tennis tournament only to find out that I got a bad sore throat. I figured I’m gonna have to get over this and do my thing.

First match:
which lasted 1 hour and 50 min, I was down 3-5 in the first set, I was going for too much on my shots. I took like a min break just thinking about what am I doing wrong, then I remembered the quote from the book ” The Inner game of Tennis” which says ” Don’t try to make it happen, just let it happen”. I just let it happen and I came back to beat him 7-5 that set and 6-3 the second. The guy threw his racquet like four times out of desperation.

Second match:
I ended up playing with a guy about 35 years old. I always have the most problems with older people because of how consistent they play and you can’t get them out of their game. This guy was PITA. “pain in the ass” because he returns all the balls and he plays short balls with lots of spin. We played back and forth and I lost the first set 5-7 which lasted 1 whole hour. The second set I was getting tired I almost started to see tunnels. I was down 2-3, and already down a set. I was like I aint gonna let all these hours in the gym go to waste so I played through it and beat him 6-3. The set lasted about 50 min. He came to me at the beginning of the third set and told me I can go no more. I’m gonna have to concede the game to you. I played over 20 drop shots in that game and made him move. I guess the fitness factor was huge in this game.

Final match:
I was playing against this tall dude, who smoked my friend in the semi-finals. All I can say about this final is I played flawlessly. My serve was NOT broken not even ONCE in the whole match. I beat him 6-2 and 6-4.
UPDATE: The guy that I beat in the finals turned out to be a Tennis coach for some highschool!

Never underestimate the power of a champion with sore throat!

They started teaching us the techniques and how to do the right form. For some reason when I hit my forehand and backhand I jump in the air alittle. I went to the pro and asked her to watch me. She said do “open stands” ,a certain technique in tennis, I tried and I didn’t do it. Then she told me hit it the way you usually hit it. I hit it then she goes, that was perfect. She told me ” You’re natural” just hit the ball and dont think about it.

That explains why I didn’t need any lessons in tennis. ” Natural Athlete”

I got a tennis tournament coming this weekend. It’s the Midland Community Tennis Center Championship 2005. I took 3rd place last spring and won it in 2003. I’m playing a higher level this time but hoping to get the trophy to who it belongs. I think my game has improved a little since the summer. It’s smarter now and I’m going for my shots. I love tournaments, they get the adrenalin pushing and it feels good to be under pressure. I’m looking forward this one. I’ll keep you posted to how it turns out!

I’m starting a one month training in midland it’s called “Train How To Win”. I’ve never taken a lesson in tennis in my life. So this is going to be interesting to actually have Pros supervising the training. It’s a mixture of strategies, hitting and fitness.

Unleash the passion for Victory.

Time has come, and the champ had to deliver. I played excellent, had my serve broken about 4 times the whole tournament. I won the trophy for the singles division which consisted of 16 players in that division, and won the bronze for doubles division. It was so humid and hot on Saturday that on my last match I started getting cramps. I played over 4 matches in the heat. I guess my body needed some sodium. The last doubles match I was playing while I was facing cramps in my thigh and hamstring. We won the first set, then I told my partner Tyler, “You have to pick it up, because I’m having cramps”. We lost the second set and we went to tie-breaker in the third, in which I was really hurt I took 2 time-outs for injury time.

The guy that we were playing in the doubles hit his partner’s racquet while he was serving which caused the racquet to fly up in the air, we couldn’t help it but laugh. Well guess what, I got cramps right in my ribs cause I was laughing so hard. We end up losing the match in the tie-breaker 7-5. Just by 2 points oh well we got the bronze. This was the first time in which I got cramps and kept on playing through the pain. It would’ve been a lot more fun if we’ve beaten those guys. No pain no gain. Overall it was a good tournament.

It’s finally here; the tournament starts tomorrow and I think I’m ready for it. I’ve been practicing alot lately. My wrist hurts a little but I’m going to ice it and hope it feels better for tomorrow. Unleash the passion for victory!

I signed up for another tournament for the B+ division but yet again they bumped me to the A. Anyways the first match I played was against a dude that ranks about 4.5 ; which is pretty darn good. The match lasted 2:45 min, people were like man that was a marathon. I lost but I played good. The first set was 5-7 then 6-3 the 4-6. It could’ve gone either way. Then the guy,Trent, asked me if I would like to be his doubles partner. I was like sure why not. We played in the doubles and we got to the finals. We faced the SVSU coach,Mike, and Ryan, It was a great match lasted 2 hours. The score was 5-7, 7-6-4-6. We were ahead the first set 5-2 and they came back to beat us 7-5. The funny thing is we did the same in the second set, only to beat them in the tie-breaker. Finally I faced Ryan in the singles consolation finals and lost to him. Overall it was a good tournament. I played good for the most part. However, I need to work on my mental game now.

After reading in a tennis magazine how important jump rope is for tennis players. I have decided to get one and start jump roping everyday. It’s good for your cardio and your calves. It keeps your legs in shape and ready for immediate explosion on the tennis courts. It also helps out your speed and resistance to all the movements you face on the courts.

Don’t wish for it, work for it!

I got bumped up in the division from the B+ to A. My friend organized the tournament, and he was like we have an odd number so do you mind switching divisions. Oh it wasn’t a good idea since now I know I wasn’t ready for the A division quite yet. Losses don’t taste good, that’s about what I can say. I put up good fights but not good enough to win it.