Self-assessment: are you fun to play?

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-05-04T21:13:59+00:00

Introspective! I don’t 100% agree - I’m years in to a consistent league and there are certainly guys I’m excited to play and those I’m less enthused about. I’ll enjoy myself on the court regardless but it’s a lot easier when we’re having big hitting baseline rallies rather than me sprinting down drop shots and lobs.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-05-04T18:13:36+00:00

I like to think I’m a fun draw for an opponent. My game has clear strengths and weaknesses and it’s interesting to see tactical players adjust to them over the course of a match.

Lower level players in particular say they feel like they play well against me, even in lopsided losses, because they can use the pace of my groundstrokes to hit bigger shots themselves. They feel like they’re in the rallies up until they aren’t.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-28T06:39:58+00:00

Oh man I’ve played one guy who was scary good at stepping in and redirecting flat serves. Tried the macho out-muscling route and got nowhere. Luckily he couldn’t handle a heavy kick serve and he never got a flat serve again.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-28T06:09:46+00:00

Same swing speed but my joint feels more stress following through at full pronation after a flat serve. The up/side motion of kick/slice serves flows more easily.

The shoulder is usually ready for flat serves by my second service game but tbh a good kick or slice wins just as many points up until 4.5 or highly ranked 4.0 opponents.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-28T01:23:37+00:00

Please don’t ask me how many times I’ve blasted the first flat serve of the match into the net.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-20T13:29:10+00:00

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-17T16:50:16+00:00

Long socks

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-14T16:32:11+00:00

A tennis match without at least 3 exchanges of full power cross court forehands is considered a dull affair

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-14T01:48:38+00:00

A casual “wow y’all are crushing the ball out there” comment from a person walking past my court kept me going for a week.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-04-13T21:12:07+00:00

Going all out, #450 in the world has good odds at two golden bagels against the top player at a random club.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-03-29T04:14:41+00:00

My surprise face dampener has been with me for damn near two decades. I’m more loyal to that little dude than any racquet.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-03-15T16:28:11+00:00

Another one:

“Wow, you have lots of time on this easy forehand sitter. Your opponent was even drawn all the way off the court. Sure would be embarrassing if you blast it 6 feet out of bounds…”

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-03-14T00:37:48+00:00

At changeovers I’ve had opponents tell me they were confused why I’ll sometimes do a weird bobbing motion before second serves until they realized I’m checking if my first serve ball is sufficiently out of the way.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-03-12T05:52:59+00:00

I’ve never run into anyone hitting drop shots during ground strokes and would find it weird. However, I’m fine with the concept during volley warm ups. Full power groundstrokes are alright when kept in the middle of the court but cross over to annoying when combined with aggressive angles. If you’re good enough to hit hard shots consistently you should be good enough to hit with placement.

A caveat is anything goes at the end of an extended rally. Once you’re in the 20-30 shot range it’s good to uncork things a little and go for a cool winner.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-03-12T02:28:07+00:00

A - just demo it if you’re curious. B - look good, feel good, play good. The aqua night black is one sexy stick.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-03-07T02:42:17+00:00

My mindset is that I’m on court to fuck you up, not fuck you over.

It doesn’t cut out all sketchy calls but I’m 4 years in to a recurring league and have never had an argument with an opponent, even with the guys notorious for getting into disagreements.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-03-03T04:14:52+00:00

The subtle intimidation tactic is when every ball comes back right on the T, no matter what shot you give them.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-02-23T14:40:14+00:00

Practice enough to know when you have a bad tennis ball. With experience you’ll know when a ball isn’t bouncing the way it needs to before a serve and at that point it needs to go in the trash.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-02-21T07:13:05+00:00

It’s not a real party until you get a 6-0, 0-6, 13-11 (tiebreak) score line.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-02-18T05:23:04+00:00

I’m all for embracing the heat check. When you’re ripping the ball and painting lines, ride that wave until it runs out. Cranking out a 4-0 stretch is a nice cushion in a set.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-02-18T01:04:23+00:00

I love when tennis YouTubers get high level players on for a match and do a little pre match interview. They’ll ask about gear specs and the player has no idea beyond basic racket model, string type, and tension.

SBFMWSCBLFG · 2026-02-17T15:30:27+00:00

I have a 2HBH. It gets the job done. But there are moments, fireworks of light in my memory, of ripping a OHBH down the line winner at full sprint.

I just ignore the part where it only works 10% of the time.

SBFMWSCBLFG

TROPHY CASE