"Not Just Passion.  I want TENSION!"

That's what my tutor coach Fernando said to me after I lost my tournament match today.

I lost 2-6, 1-6 to a pimp squeak of an 11 year old who hit the ball like a beast for her age.  She was good---Catalunya regional champion for an age group (can't remember whether it was U-12 or U-14).   Before the match, she genuinely looked like a very tame, nice girl.  Big eyes, spectacles, soft voice, shy eyes.  But during the match she made a whole load of dubious line calls and score changes---which I, thinking in disbelief that she couldn't possibly be cheating, gave to her because I thought maybe I got it wrong.  Towards the last game of our match, I realised she was cheating and got sooooo pissed off because it was already too late into the game to change much. 

I found out later that she has a massive reputation for cheating on line calls and changing game scores. 

What an eleven year old ...

Complained to Fernando about it and he scolded me and said "Why didn't you call the umpire??  It is your fault for not fighting for those points."

Sigh.  Yes, true.

In one way, this is the price I'm paying to learn this.  And I'm glad I'm learning this in a small tournament instead of an important one.  I learnt a lot about complacency, playing in massive wind (it was 40km/hr that afternoon), and just learning how to keep my cool.  When I shook her hand at the end of the match, I didn't even say thanks.  I just looked her in the eye and said "honesty is the best policy."  It's really not my style to gripe and scrum over every point----hence why I didn't think about calling the referee over. 

"How would it look if a 25 year old is fighting with an 11 year old about whether a ball is in or out??"  I thought.  Maybe faulty thinking.  But nevertheless, after finding out the truth, I have decided that the next time I play with her, I will show no mercy at all.  I will screw her over mentally, emotionally and physically.