Any tennis players on TBD past or present?

[Another Fan]

I went to summer camp for tennis years as a kid and took lessons as well.   I liked it up until high school where I had a bad experience trying out for the team there and never bothered with the sport again.

 

 

But I joined the local racquet center.  Got up to doing drills at an intermediate level.  My goal for now is try to be able to complete them at an advanced level.

 

 

Any experiences/stories playing the game from members here? 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

22 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

I went to summer camp for tennis years as a kid and took lessons as well.   I liked it up until high school where I had a bad experience trying out for the team there and never bothered with the sport again.

 

 

But I joined the local racquet center.  Got up to doing drills at an intermediate level.  My goal for now is try to be able to complete them at an advanced level.

 

 

Any experiences/stories playing the game from members here? 

You should join some leagues now that you are playing again!
 

I was a high school doubles player, and love playing when I can, but it is rare (since I don’t belong anywhere and don’t have a lot of tennis playing friends). Plus, I now usually play golf over tennis when I have the time. 
 

I will say that tennis seems to be dying and being totally replaced by pickleball. I have played pickleball some, and it can be fun if you are playing with some good athletes. Otherwise, it is more of a social thing.  

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

7 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I have played pickleball some, and it can be fun if you are playing with some good athletes. Otherwise, it is more of a social thing.  

I can picture the case where you get one über competitive player playing doubles with three other middling sorts. 😁

[Augie]

I had some lessons as a kid, but didn’t really start playing tennis seriously until after college. I moved to Hilton Head Island where life revolves around golf and tennis. Almost every day after work we’d all meet up at the courts for a couple sets, then off for pizza and a couple pitchers. Those were great times. 

 

When we moved to Florida I joined a club. They had a Monday night league with 14 courts of doubles under the lights. You would play one set with each guy, so if you won all three sets you’d have 18 points. The higher your point average, the higher the court you played on. It was a great format. If you were the best or worst player there, you got spread amongst the others. The players ranged from average club hacks (3.5ish players) to guys who played in college or even professionally. 

 

One Monday early in a league season I had a couple good weeks behind me and got assigned to court #1. I know two of the guys are. One guy got a full ride to play for Univ of Florida and a neighbor of mine who was the doubles partner with the UF guy when they played competitive tournaments. I had played with them before and it’s part intimidating, part exhilarating. A buddy taps me on the shoulder and says “I know you’re probably a bit anxious to be on the court with Tom and Chris, but you don’t need to worry about them tonight.” I’m a little confused and he nods to a tall guy who is our fourth. My buddy tells me that guy is named Mark Dickson, lives up the street from him, and he sat in his family room and watched a replay of him playing Connors and Lendl at the US Open. He made the quarterfinals in 1983. Rut roh! 

 

Quick summary of the highlight of my tennis career……. I got 9 games that night, so lost by an average of 6-3, and I held my serve every time. I was thrilled! Mr US Open was a gracious man who could hit a kick serve to my backhand I had to jump to just touch while standing at the baseline. It seemed to defy the laws of physics. Mr UF works with me to do the unthinkable, which is to charge that serve and take it on the rise. 

 

In recent years I’d go to a park Mon-Fri and see the same group of guys playing doubles, maybe 3-4 courts full. I’d go and mostly hit ground strokes for 2-3 hours. I’ve got a partially torn rotator cuff which makes serving or overheads a problem, and if you can’t serve, what’s the point? I haven’t hit a ball in over 2 years now but just returned from the park where I walked the dog and saw my buddies. I have some rotator cuff exercises from previous bouts causing me to take a year or more off. I think I’m going to give it a go again. 

 

Sorry, that was long but tennis was a big part of my life for decades. 

 

 

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Edited May 4, 2023 by Augie