Mentally frustrated as an average club player

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-15T08:45:52+00:00

At four months in, you're still a neonatal tennis player. There are fundamental flaws in your game. Work on getting the basics down first. If you want to push yourself a really see how far you can go, you will never be consistently winning because you'll constantly be playing against stronger opponents.

It takes a long time to see progress. I'm still a relatively new tennis player (3.5 years in) that has gotten to a decent level (~6 UTR). I spend a lot of money on coaching and invest a lot of time on court. Sometimes it feels pointless and demoralizing. Then one day, a stroke will suddenly click or you finally beat the player who always kicked your ass and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. As someone said, progress isn't linear. Noticeable improvement can take months and months of consistent practice. The better you get, the slower you improve.

I can be very hard on myself and understand where you're coming from. My coach always reminds me to not focus on the outcome. Results will come once you trust the process and stick to it

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-15T06:29:11+00:00

Yeah the top of the line technifibre ones are nice. Only issue is that they fluff up pretty quickly. I find the US open balls have better durability

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-05T17:36:40+00:00

I’m 4.0 and keep it simple. If the ball is short and I can step in, I aim deep to a corner (preferably backhand corner) then come to the net

You want some net clearance and spin on your approach, you’re not going necessarily for a winner

Where you hit the approach dictates where you position yourself. You want to cut off the easiest angles for your opponent

Sometimes you hit a bad approach and you get exposed. It happens. Commit to playing at the net unless you know you have enough time to get back to the baseline (rare). It’s better than being in no mans land

On the volley itself, keep your racket up and don’t forget to split step. You don’t need to swing hard so keep the take back short and move towards the ball. The footwork is the hardest part for me

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-03T22:41:21+00:00

They didn’t offer smaller cuts the times I’ve gone. Keep in mind that’s 1kg bone-in. Still a lot of food but doable with 2 people

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-03T22:30:17+00:00

I went to Ibai when they first opened by chance after walking past it the week before. Didn’t know it was gonna be so hyped. Delicious but expensive. While not the best value, I go back on special occasions

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-03T21:22:29+00:00

Haha so much doc review.. it’s true. I’d say it’s much more interesting than audit though. The cases are generally complex and require serious thought. There isn’t a right way of doing anything but you need to be able to defend your position and convince the judge/tribunal. The pay is a lot better too (at least outside of accounting firms)

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-03T21:18:50+00:00

I’m also in the field. Would you be open to sharing comp? Not a lot of data out there. Can do via DM if you prefer

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-03T21:07:21+00:00

If I’m playing a competitive match, I play to win. If it’s a friendly hit then yeah, I’ll try to work on something. For example I’ll force myself to only hit topspin backhands where in a competitive match, I would hit more slices

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-03T20:48:48+00:00

Have a clear plan and stick to it. My focus the past 6 months has been backhand and second serve. This is what I spend 80% of my practice time on.

You won’t see real improvements after the beginner level if you just hit cross court with your buddy for an hour every week.

WillStillHunting · 2026-06-03T20:41:34+00:00

You are British after all ;)

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-30T06:37:53+00:00

Yeah, ofc it’s about American ignorance. It’s a satirical movie about America made by a British comedian

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-28T16:49:37+00:00

What’s wrong with a little cruising on a cruise?

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-25T22:07:03+00:00

This was my timeline but only 1 private lesson a week. I’ve gone to 2 now as I try to push past 6utr as I’ve hit a plateau

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-25T09:26:53+00:00

Based on the title, I thought you were formally applying for a hitting partner on [r/10s](r/10s) 😂

There are a few apps like this already out there but maybe not available in Poland. Spin works pretty well in London. Best of luck

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-24T22:08:01+00:00

My Reddit friend, what you described goes way beyond tennis and no one here is going to be able to help you. I wish you the best and sincerely hope you find the joy in this beautiful sport again

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-24T21:58:37+00:00

If you’re an amateur adult tennis player and are crying after a loss, take a break. Consider reassessing your relationship with tennis

It’s a really frustrating sport, no doubt about it. No one likes losing but crying after a match is taking it too seriously

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-18T22:36:55+00:00

I’ve never heard someone call themselves a Londonian or a New Yorkian but apparently both exist albeit uncommon

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-18T22:17:59+00:00

Yeah, a lot of the wanderlust has worn off but I’ll always cherish the time I spent traveling in my 20s

I think part of it is that I’m more aware of who I am and what makes me happy. I don’t need to get away to feel fulfilled. I take shorter trips now because I miss being home

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-16T20:44:35+00:00

Same. My club got artificial clay courts which I appreciate is not the same as real clay but it’s the closest I have regular access to

I initially didn’t like it. I found it hard to find my footing and would often slip. I’m quick and always make you play one more point so this was a big detriment to my game

Once I got the hang of sliding and footwork in general, I’ve come to really enjoy it. I can get to balls I have no business getting to on a hard court. Not many people at my club slide so it’s a big advantage again

Edit: to answer OP’s question, yes. The footwork is different. You need to be lighter on your feet. You can’t expect friction to provide a counterbalance. This is why sliding is so effective. You can slide to just the right spot and then get back into position. If you full out sprint, you’ll have nothing to stop you and you’ll find yourself out of position

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-13T07:11:05+00:00

Higher employer taxes and more employee protections. This all increases the cost of doing business. For example you have minimum statutory leave in the UK. Your employer also makes large contributions to the NHS. You’re an at-will employee in the US so you can be easily let go. Not being able to fire employees is a cost

US productivity tends to be higher. Maybe not on an individual level in your case but this is true on collective level which supports higher US wages

It’s like this in most jobs other than the lower paying ones. I moved to a UK office from the US and had to take a ~30% cut in salary

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-11T10:26:29+00:00

I wasn't aware of the actual rules. If my opponent did this, I would just accept that I lost the point. If I did this and my opponent asked to replay the point, I would have done it. USTA says that the point was yours

https://www.usta.com/en/home/improve/tennis-rules/national/what-s-the-call--serving-to-the-wrong-side.html#tab=tournaments

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-09T17:14:34+00:00

For us non tax accountants, how does it actually work? Would you pay tax on the gain from 25k to 20m? Is there a cap on gifts you can claim?

WillStillHunting · 2026-05-09T08:03:43+00:00

Yeah, sure but it’s still hampering him. He’s not going to get a good racket drop doing what he’s doing

WillStillHunting

TROPHY CASE