Bummer! Just when you thought you had made that great shot that would get you back in the game, your opponent makes such a bad call that you just know it was deliberate. I mean, you are standing there watching your down the line shot and it lands six inches in. You aren’t running and there is no way in the world that ball was out. But your opponent yells out anyway. At this point, most players just explode. And that’s what my friend did to day when it happened to him.
What causes these bad, horrendous calls? I have several theories:
1) Maybe your opponent really thought it was out. (Okay, not likely, as it was too blatant. I mean, c’mon, there are limits to this theory.)
2) Your opponent thinks you made a bad call previously and now he thinks it’s a good time to get even.
3) He is just an out and out cheater, and willing to do anything to win a match.
If you can add to this list, please do. So what do you do? Should you make a retaliatory bad call to get even? Wait for a big point? What if, like it was for my friend today, at the end of a very tight match and there’s no time for retaliation?
I think the answer is that you just suck it up and move on. That person will have to live with themselves for the rest of their lives. There’s no honor in that kind of a victory, but there is honor in being the bigger man (or woman).
Personally, I always expect to get one really bad call every match. So when it happens, I just go with it. Maybe ask “are you sure”, and let it go. What do you do? Comments welcome.
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