I recently played a tournament match here in Denver, and it happened to be in the finals against the No. 1 seeded player, a solid, very steady player who beats people in a number of ways. First, by anticipating and running down everything (and usually replying with a “no-pace” ball that lands deep on your side or the court, forcing you to generate all the power for your shot) . Second, by not making any unforced errors! And third, by drawing you up to the net and passing or lobbing you.
Did I say you do a lot of running against him? Oh yeah, be ready to run a marathon if you are not careful. In my mind, the only way I could play him was to be aggressive and take the fight to him. If I tried to match up and play his kind of game, I would lose for sure. And my already strained groin would probably not last a full match.
So, how did this match play out?
Well, I had my game plan in place to be aggressive on the “no-pace” balls and to force the action. And it worked well for most of the first set. I got up and was serving for the set at 5-1……I thought I had it figured it out…. then my mind drifted….. and I was broken. The momentum changed and I couldn’t keep the ball in play. Suddenly we were back on serve, and he was serving at 4-5! Somehow, I managed to break him and take the first set at 6-4 .
Little was I to know, I would not win another game the entire match! (But I would win the match!)
Giving up on a Set – Smart Move?
Before I knew it, he had run up a 4-0 lead in the 2ndset, and I couldn’t keep the ball in play to save my life. Everything went a foot wide or a foot long. He passed me at will. He ran me around like a yo-yo, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I felt like a cow on roller skates, to borrow a phrase from Maria Sharapova.
Then the thought passed through my mind that this was a lost set, and even though I didn’t just totally cave in, and didn’t even consciously throw the set, I didn’t go nuts trying to win points. And sure enough, he closed out the set without any problem, 6-0.
The Dreaded 10-pt, Third Set Tie-Break
For some reason, this tournament used a 10-point tie breaker to decide the 3rdset. Why? Even in the finals? Well, it is what it is. First to ten, win by 2. I took a bathroom break and then, we proceeded to conclude the match. I took the first point on a hard, wide serve to the backhand, forcing an error into the net, and then took the next point on an uncharacteristic backhand error long. Up 2-0. He took the next point on a rare appearance at the net (smart play) and I put a volley into the net to make it 2-2. I served and took the next point off a short reply with a drop shot (3-2) and the next point with a volley winner (4-2). After his three unforced errors and one down the line winner, it was 7-3, my favor. He made a couple more errors and I forced an error wide by attacking on match point. Whew, tough match, final score 6-4, 0-6, 1-0 (4).
Lessons Learned
First, having a game plan that takes into account your own strengths/weaknesses and also your opponents game style is key. Sticking to it and not losing concentration is also key.
Second, not fighting for a second set when you’ve already won the first? Maybe there’s room for discussion there. If you are behind and not as fit as your opponent, I think there comes a time when you protect your resources and not put out too much. Save it for the deciding tie-break or set. In my case with a strained groin, it would have been a certain loss to almost come back from down 4-0 and then lose the 2ndset. Letting it go was a smart thing to do.
And the unintendedconsequence was that my opponent lost hisconcentration! In this one tie-break, he made eight unforced errors, more than he made in the entire second set! Maybe in the whole match. The second set was way too easy. I’m only imagining, but I’d be surprised if in his mind he wasn’t already in the locker room telling his friends about the comeback he made. In know I would have been!!
Lesson learned? Ignore the score, or better yet, always pretend you are behind. Momentum is a fickle friend, and if it goes against you, it can be an uphill battle!
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