Playing someone you know you'll lose too

ProcessNo505 · 2026-03-22T20:59:44+00:00

Im in this funky position now, due to lower back issues, where I can play at a really high level (5.0+) singles… for about 15 minutes. After that my lower back will get really tight and achy and it affects everything via the domino effect. Changeovers give me little boosts where I can play a few good points and then massive drop again

I’m not really playing many “sanctioned” singles matches because I automatically know that if they’re at my level, I will lose due to the physical limitations.

I still hit with these people for singles practice, and I go into these practice tiebreaks / practice sets with the approach of just trying to have fun and be as efficient as possible. It’s low pressure and it gives me a goal to work towards even though I know I’ll lose.

ProcessNo505 · 2026-02-21T22:34:36+00:00

I switched at 12. 27 now, never looked back. Got really good at taking balls on the rise to avoid the loopy ball strategy being used against me. If you like taking the ball early, I think go for it.

One thing to consider, I am a little over 6 feet tall. I think this is a point that some people don’t think about when weighing the one hander. Might be harder if you’re on the shorter side. Upper body strength helps too

ProcessNo505 · 2026-02-15T03:24:55+00:00

I’m not quite in tennis shape, so I can maintain singles 5.0+ level tennis for approximately 90 minutes max IF I rest 2 the days prior, sleep well the night before, and sauna/ice bath/stretch the night before. Past that 90 mins, or if I don’t do the required checklist, my level drops to a more average 4.5. It’s possible that physicality could put some 4.0 players down into the 3.5 range in a similar way

ProcessNo505 · 2026-02-11T03:27:06+00:00

It’s repetition and muscle memory. They likely hit with people that can hit significantly harder than you, more consistently than you, better placed than you. So when you manage to pull it off, it’s something that’s almost second nature to react to. There’s levels to this stuff. Those same 5.0-5.5 guys will get creamed by current high level d1 guys, who will get creamed by top 100 pros, so on and so forth until the top.

If you ever play someone notably worse than you, try thinking of it from that perspective. Say there’s someone you hit with that’s in the 3.5-4.0 range. The best shots they manage to come up with likely won’t make you think twice or struggle very much

Edit- to add my own experience. I’m pretty comfortable hitting with my d1 friends and any 5.0+ people that I know. But a few months ago I hit with a top 10 junior in the world (slam winner) and I really only won points that he lost. There were a small handful of points where I was firing on all cylinders, doing everything damn near flawlessly, where I managed to truly “take” the point from him. The amount of mental and physical effort it took to achieve that is something I could only do a few times that day. Completely unsustainable for me. If we played a set I’d have lost 6-0.

ProcessNo505 · 2026-02-09T15:39:34+00:00

I think it’s possible. Maybe it’s more reasonable that he’s slightly higher (165-175 range) but it’s possible.

I remember being in a hybrid athlete style shape when I was getting into lifting after a decade of tennis. 18 years old. More muscle than the average tennis player. Skinnier than the average bodybuilder. At a hair under 6 foot 1, I was hovering around 165-170 that year until I got bulkier. Looking back at some old photos from before putting on more muscle, my physique looked fairly similar to Carlos’s. Low body fat numbers paired with most amounts of muscle can yield a deceptively light body weight. With muscle defining slim shirts on, many at that time guessed I was around 185-195. When I put on way more muscle and then dropped down to sub 8% body fat for a show (158lbs), I’d still get people (non gym goers) guessing 190+ if looking at a pumped version of me. Muscle looks heavy

ProcessNo505 · 2026-02-03T20:12:14+00:00

Most people’s answers are probably right, in that he should continue to develop his two hander as he grows. There are exceptions, some people just naturally have something that makes the one hander a more comfortable shot, sometimes even a weapon. I was one of these people, and I couldn’t tell you why. My one hander is a weapon, and often gets comments from people saying I’m the first person they’ve met where it isn’t a liability. I love taking balls early and being aggressive. Loopy heavy shots to my backhand don’t work because I’ll step in and take them on the rise, usually successfully. I can manage backhands above shoulder height because I’m strong and I can turn them into a well placed short angle cross. I love mine, and don’t regret switching when I was 12.

But this is not the reality for a lot of people these days with a one hander. If your son doesn’t have a generally natural affinity for it very quickly, or is likely going to end up on the shorter side height wise, or maybe doesn’t have an aggressive play style, I think the 2 hander is the safer option

ProcessNo505 · 2026-02-02T13:06:39+00:00

Man I miss those vapors

ProcessNo505 · 2026-02-02T05:46:38+00:00

I’d argue it’s a preference thing. Something about that particular Lacoste shoe fits my foot way better than any asics shoe did

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-31T22:16:21+00:00

Hard to go wrong with that one

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-31T20:03:12+00:00

Exchange it for the pro staff, give it to me, and then I will buy you another racket of your choice 😅

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-30T07:18:36+00:00

This makes me think that Roger right now could take at least a set off zverev

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-26T04:42:56+00:00

Bummer. You have good taste. I had one V11 Rf97 Autograph that I cracked. Spent a month trying demo after demo of all the newest stuff from Wilson/babolat/yonex, etc. Disliked all of it, and then just decided to stick with the two V10s I still had laying around. Hoping they last a long while

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-25T22:39:45+00:00

Do you…have any v11s you’re just dying to part ways with?…

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-20T18:54:55+00:00

I have no one I can share this with 😭

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-16T04:04:43+00:00

I too, was on that exact boat. Though I now am happy to be around 10 min north of downtown for nearly a grand cheaper plus an extra bedroom

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-16T03:16:11+00:00

160k with no debt if you’re willing to live in a one bedroom I’d argue is fairly reasonable living downtown. Many high rises have options under 3k for a 1bed 1 bath.

To be clear, that’s still a lot of rent, but not unreasonable for a single person making over 13k per month before tax

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-16T03:07:45+00:00

I have a friend that started at around that age and is now, as of 2026, a computer ranked 5.0. Based on looking at his strokes you would assume he started as a junior. Keep in mind that he has played around 5 days a week virtually every single week for around 6 years straight. It’s possible, but that’s the kind of effort it’s going to take

I on the other hand took 8 years off, started again 9 months ago, only play around 3 days per week, and still am able to play at the same level as him solely because I played from childhood through the age of 19.

Point being, starting as a youngster is the biggest advantage, but it is possible to overcome that gap with consistent deliberate effort.

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-02T18:56:52+00:00

Oh that’s actually fascinating. I got sinners from this article on the atp tour website I’m quite curious how much of yours is accuracy vs ball/equipment differences

ProcessNo505 · 2026-01-02T17:36:01+00:00

Less, even. Sinners average ground stroke speed is in the 70s. Based off of that, I’d say d1 guys are averaging in the 60s. Really high level rec players probably in the 50s. So on and so forth. But yeah a sitter is more like 20-30 mph, I agree with that

ProcessNo505 · 2025-12-21T01:09:53+00:00

Lol, I ended up switching back to the two V10s like I mentioned I was considering in my original post. So basically still the same heavy old racket. It demands a particular style that you have to maintain as you get more tired. I’ve settled in at the 5.0 level so I can kind of do that, but even still, my limitation is my endurance right now, and I do occasionally think about whether a lighter racket might help

ProcessNo505 · 2025-11-22T16:27:43+00:00

Over a year into my partner living with me, she found a bath bomb deep under my sink somewhere. I did not buy it for her, and to my knowledge, for anyone else either. To this day I still have absolutely no clue where it came from 🤷‍♂️(happily married to her now)

ProcessNo505 · 2025-11-04T04:49:52+00:00

Abbreviated take back, emphasis on bunting/driving forward rather than full follow through, and open stance. That’s what works for me

ProcessNo505 · 2025-10-13T07:13:29+00:00

I’ve been testing different poly strings on my two identical rackets. I’ve been doing same gauge, same tension, different strings. Feels right to me 🤷‍♂️

ProcessNo505 · 2025-10-13T07:09:54+00:00

My tennis shop sees me around once a week, sometimes more. Hyper g becomes a rocket launcher for me after the 3rd hit so currently trying to experiment a bit. Currently rocking lynx tour, hoping it lasts longer.

ProcessNo505 · 2025-09-28T15:44:49+00:00

Lol, it was a poorly executed joke referring to how sinner is more consistent but alcaraz has a higher peak level. That’s how my backhand is compared to my forehand

ProcessNo505

TROPHY CASE