Just Not Quite Good Enough At The End

Sets 513-514:

Stuart v. P. at Northwest Park. Winner: P. 6-4, 7-5.

My Mojo: Pretty Good, But Winding Down At The End Of Each Set.

I was headed for the courts today and it started raining. Not a lot, but it was more than sprinkling, so I was apprehensive that we were going to be able to play. We were supposed to play at McCallum High School, but when I got there, the courts were hugely wet. Apparently, of all the rain that had fallen in the area, there was a deluge right in the three-or-four block radius right where those courts were. So I waited for my opponent to get there, and suggested we go to Northwest Park, which was a mile or two away. That was a good plan, as the courts there were relatively dry. Plus, I think they were a little more porous and able to deal with rain better. And it did sprinkle a couple of times while we were playing, but not enough to affect the games.

In each of these sets, I was playing neck-and neck with my opponent. But right at the end of each set, it seemed like my focus would subside right as his game tightened up. So in each set, I lost the last two games. I lobbed a lot when he came to net, and my lobs seemed to go long more than usual. That was a little frustrating. But he was good at getting them when they made it in the lines, so I started trying for passing shots at the net a little more. That seemed to be working better.

My serves were not too bad, though I double-faulted three or four times, and had some erratic moments with them. My ground strokes were solidly placed, but sometimes tentative. I think my backhand was really solid, even though it had tanked out in the warmup. I think sometimes when something is not working well in the warmup, I tend to be a little more careful in the actual game, and if that carefulness doesn't translate to tension, then I can get my shots calibrated a little better.

In the first set, I had come on strong the first game but then lost the next four. And from that 4-1 deficit, I managed to win the next three games to tie it up. Then, as I lost focus, I could not get it together for the next two games.

We were both the type of players who get to everything on the court, so it was a very physical game. That is the kind of game I usually like to play, but with somebody else who plays that way, it gets tough. I'm used to tough play, and kept reminding myself throughout the match that it was OK if this was tough and close. But I just could not close each of these sets.

In the second set, I was playing a little better, and was either tied or ahead for most of the set. But he came back from a 5-4 deficit, tied it up, and closed well on the last two games.