"When we play, attack starts with our legs." ---Sergio Casal

Overheard this while walking past the courts after tournament today. 

"How true," I thought.

Got a walkover---was kinda looking forward to my match.  I play again tomorrow morning.  Rest now before practice again in 40 minutes.

Rotan Living

 

It takes so much damn discipline to sleep early.  And each time I don't, my consciousness weighs in like a menacing Lat encik.

But I have to force myself to.  Probably explains why I haven't been blogging as much as I would like to.  Tournament starts again tomorrow, and as usual, have been drawn with a tough opponent.  Am looking forward to it---and as much as I detest a lifestyle dictated by threatening rattan fibers, I am beginning to wonder if that is exactly the life I need more of.

Body Drudging, Eyelids Closing
I don't know why---but I'm feeling so knackered after this morning's two hour session.  I'm supposed to go to the gym but I want to curl up in bed and sleep now....  It's only a Monday---and it's as if my weekend didn't help me recover at all!

Was it something I ate over the weekend? :(

The Next Level

"EHHH.  You play like my grandmother okayyyyy???"

Coaches here throw us that line whenever they see sub-standard play.  When we're moving too slowly, or when our strokes turn sloppy.  It's meant to be an insult, a verbal sling in the face to get us to wake up.  Or, as PCK would say, Wake up your idea!!

-----
Today, I practiced for five hours, played two sets, and took my play to a whole new level.  Instead of playing like a grandmother, I redefined things and played like my dead grandmother.

I threw away a 4-1, then 6-3 lead, to lose a nine-game match 8-9 (3-7) in tie break.  Confounding?  Yes.  Frustrating?  Indefinitely. 

For the past five practice matches, I've been having problems focusing on capitalizing on my leads.  Leading comes so easily---but once I reach the helm, my Duracell mysteriously drains.

Feeling for my forehand vanishes--starting first with the serves.  Double faulting to a 0-40 trail, or giving the game away on a silver platter.  This abnormality becomes a normality---a common, disturbing trend.  My mind relaxes, foolishly thinks it has time, and before I know it, my footwork, strokes, and worse of all, my thinking turns sloppy.

It really is just all about focus, isn't it?

*Snort.

Once I turn sloppy, it takes so much effort to bounce back.  I can be going through my routine---adjusting my strings in between points, focusing on my breathing, doing small foot shuffles between points.  But if I'm not thinking right, staying determined,... then...as I have learnt.

Everything assuredly falls to naught.

So I try.  I will try again tomorrow.

Absoluto Gimeno

First Open tournament of the year kick-started with the cash-prize tournament held at the Gimeno Tennis Academy---the Absoluto Gimeno Open.  It was 5 minutes by drive away from the Academy, and my match was scheduled at 12.30pm.  I had morning practice as per normal, strung up a racquet, packed food, my bag, and headed for competition.

I lost my match 1-6 1-6 to one of the best U-16 players in Catalunya---the region that encapsulates Barcelona.  I don't think I played badly.  I reached certain goals I had chart out for myself---and was surprised at the relative ease at which my strokes flowed.  I kept my calm and stayed positive throughout the entire match.  Balls were pacey, the outward kick serve I've been working on worked 60% well (good stat for a start), and every time I got into the right position to hit the ball, she either had trouble answering---or had no answer at all.

Still there were lots of areas for improvement.  Obviously, I need to learn how to get into position more!  Hahaha.  I realised I wasn't reading her body enough.  In my quest to stay calm (#1 priority my new tutor Fernando Boldo set me)---I forgot to "think" about the other things.  How is her body moving? Read the shot.  Read the shot.  Read the shot.  Anticipate.  In the end, I was always reacting 1 second too late.  Too much time lost.

This time, walking off court--that familiar bitter/disappointed/despairing feeling was absent.  As pensive as I still was, the main thoughts running through my head were 1) I can beat her. 2)  I need to play more matches.  3)  Combining it feels so different.  Yes.  As I mumbled to Fernando in Spanish after----"Jugar tenis y jugar tourneo es totalmente diferente, tio."

Certainly.  Playing tennis and playing tournaments are different games altogether.

Ice
It was so cold this morning, ice laced the corners of the courts.  It crept by the lines and scattered itself across the clay.  Small, white icicles, like troops, crawling in, quietly conquering.  We winced.  Braced our naked hands---and played on.

My 2010 in FB Statuses

It's a given that most of us post what we think on FB.  But it's even more startling when you get an app that shows your most-used words for the year. 

This time, what we post of Facebook reveals then, a certain type of deeper, stronger truth.  These patterns of speech speak of our thoughts.  From a deeper level, they show the stories that we tell--yes, of others--but really, more of ourselves.

I thank God He's really been the centre of my 2010.

Up, up and onwards.  I can't wait to see how 2011 will turn out :)