Gamesmanship

I played tennis at Melbourne Park in the Tennis World regular Thursday evening social competition. My usual tennis partner, Kate, wasn't able to play so I dragooned Rae in since we need more practice playing together. In retrospect, I wish I had realised that this was a team (of two) style comp and then Rae and I could have had weekly practice... but anyway... I digress.

I won my singles (6-3) and we were playing the doubles when Rae hit a lovely cross court volley - which ended up a bit close to the net player who took great umbrage. Apologies were offered since Rae had no intention to hit the ball at her but was angling for that part of the court behind her. So we had sullen looks as we went on to win the doubles (6-3). And the thing I noticed was that we started playing more softly - and you know, there isn't really a "nice" way to play tennis although you can play nastily - ie by cheating on line-calls or by over-hammering a much weaker player - and we were not doing any of that. But I'll be damned if I'll be put off playing a proper shot because the opponent is glaring at me or sulking because she couldn't hit a winner!

Then Rae was up to play singles. Just as she was starting the first game, a friend of her opponent wandered casually onto the court and started chatting - literally between first and second serves. This continues all throughout the first game which Rae lost. At the end of that game we both asked the friend not to talk during points - well you would have thought that we were the nastiest people on the planet. Her opponent went on to win the second game because Rae was well and truly put off. But to her credit she got the upper hand and won the next six games in a row to win the set.

The ant/spider bite continues to be a bit of a pain. The steroids have started to work and the inflammation is well down but the patch where I scratched it too hard is an open graze, sore and right on the spot where my tennis shoe hits the skin - ow.

I'm planning on starting to do some videoing now of our training - we're off to Europe in only a little over 13 weeks. That sort of sounds like a long time but is scarily imminent for me.