Hard To Concentrate Through The Pain

Sets 187-188:

Stuart vs. K. at Northwest Park. Winner: K. 6-4, 6-2.

My Mojo: In Serious Pain.

Ouch. My finger was killing me throughout this entire match. Every time I hit the ball, searing pain shot through my hand. It was hard to concentrate on my shots and placement, though I did manage to win a few games.

This guy's style was a lot like mine, only he played better than I did. He varied pace a lot and moved me around the court like crazy. Now I see why some people get so frustrated with my style. It was hard for me to follow. During the first match, I kept pace with him for the first three games, but after the score got to 3-3, I lost the rest of the games in the match. I simply could not keep from making too many errors due to my lack of concentration.

In the second set, the pain was making me really frustrated, and I just could not get a toehold in the match. I was down 4-1, but managed to win one more. On the last point in the set, I threw my racquet in the grass next to the court out of frustration, but calmed down immediately. I had to put out my left hand for him to shake, because I didn't think my hurt finger on my right hand could tolerate a handshake. I went home and immobilized my hand with popsicle sticks and an ace bandage.