Darkness Creeping

It's starting to get dark earlier and earlier.  Tonight it was dark a few minutes before eight.  Here it comes...the time when we have to find courts with lights.

I got there just a hair before six o'clock.  It was nice and cool, comparatively.  Not searing hot like it was a couple of weeks ago.  Strangely enough, I didn't even drink any water in the couple of hours I played tonight, and most of it was spent running around and even hitting balls between scored rounds.  I don't even think tonight I stopped to rest or towel down at a changeover, which is unusual, and probably a first since the heat has started to subside.

Today I played a few doubles and a singles, and in between just hit a lot of balls around.  Lately I've been taking about a half hour to get in the zone, and then playing really well.  Today was no exception.  My team won the first doubles 6-2.  We were going to play just four games, like we usually do in this group, but nobody else was done and ready to switch up, so we ended up playing a full set.  I think we were up 3-1 when we decided to extend the set, and I guess the second half went about the same way.  I was ramping up for a while so in the beginning I wasn't all that steady, but then I played really well when I got to the net.

Then at the end of the set, none of the other teams were done yet, so we just switched partners.  This time we only played four games, and my team won 4-0.  By this time, I had flushed the cobwebs out of my play and was hitting and responding really well.  Lately I've been concentrating on my footwork as well as my shots so I can be in place for a great shot, and it really has been helping.My partner was placing these awesome lobs that would go over the heads of the other side when one person would come to net, and would be out of range for the other person to get.  But one of the players on the other side was tapping these drop shits barely across the net that I didn't get to when I hit the ball right to him.  I joked after about the third time that I have to stop doing that.

By the end of these four games, everybody else was ready to switch up, so I moved to singles.  I was still hitting pretty well and, most importantly, I was getting to almost everything and placing my returns well.  I ended up winning the singles match 4-0.

Then there was one more round of doubles and this time my team didn't have as good rapport.  We ended up winning the first game, losing the second, losing the third and winning the fourth.  The first game was on my serve and we won on the strengths of my serve and the momentum it provided to the rallies.  Often this is one of the strengths of my game as not only can I usually get a pretty consistent serve, but I can usually also place it well and regulate the spin on it pretty well.  My serve is probably the shot that I have the best control over.  Lately my backhand has been surprisingly strong and my forehand ground strokes are probably my weakest spot, but they are slowly getting there.   This last scored round we tied 2-2.  Then we just smacked the ball around some until it got too dark to see, which happened surprisingly early compared to the last time I played.  But I've had to take a few evenings off because I've had to deal with other matters.  Tomorrow I have a singles ladder match at Shipe Park, so we'll see how I play in a more competitive setting.