For years fellow tournament players have been telling me about the great tournament each September in Savannah, GA. So this year I decided to check it out and I wasn't disappointed. The event if very organized and a lot of fun. I ended up losing in the first round but ended up making lots of new friends and catching up with old ones. Typically, I shoot other players but this year I found someone to shoot highlights of my match. Which was kind of cool and also scary all at once.

The courts were playing very slow so I decided to stay back from watching everyone else do the same on other courts. After getting dusted in the first set I changed game plans and went on the attack. Here I get in a solid forehand return and am able to mix in two slice backhand in between a top spin backhand before I approach the net.



This is one of my favorite points of the tournament . I get a bit jumpy on my backhand return but I am able to drive the ball which allows we to float in and carve out a forehand volley from inside the baseline. This puts my opponent on the run and I'm able to finish with one of my signature shots. Check it out!



As you can see I started to find some success with driving my backhand return and skimming approaches shots to put pressure on my opponent. The best shot of this sequence is a low volley that results in a lob that went sails wide.



In case you are wondering how I lost this match after watching these highlights here is just a sample of what went wrong. This was probably the worst shot of the tournament. I found the right tactics during this second set but I wasn't consistent enough to pull it off.



I have two more tournament on my calendar for the end of the year. Ft. Lauderdale National 35's on Clay in November and the National 40's Hard in La Jolla (San Diego) in early December. Stay tuned!

Training in extreme heat is challenging and fun until you are losing.

I sat down in my car and pushed on the ignition switch. As I rolled down the windows and set the air flow for the interior of the car I noticed one number that caught my eye. My car's thermostat has the afternoon temperature at 99 degrees. Suddenly, I felt better. At least I had a good excuse for my exhaustion.

I was depleted after my quarter-final match in the Fila Tennis Classic here in Miami. I played in the mid day sun against a younger, faster, fitter and more skilled tennis player. I was on the court for about an hour and 15 minutes. The last 1/2 hour of the match was mostly pain.

Again, the dialogue between my Ego and the Real Me was flowing with the Real Me winning the battle. I was wiped out. Each point felt as if it was the last 50 meters of an grueling 1600 meter race. I never thought of quitting I just wanted to keep battling under match conditions and hope to pull something positive from the match. At least i was burning calories and experiencing match emotions the Real Me rationalized. Ego was very quiet on this day.

After I congratulated my opponent and sat down I didn't feel good. I couldn't get my body cool and I was sweating perfously. The perspiration was the good news. My body was working overdrive to get me cooled off. I just couldn't get my breathing or heart rate to slow down. I needed to get in some shade and lug my bags to the club house. I threw on a long sleeve shirt because I didn't want to walk into the A/C pro shop and cramp up from the cool air.

Once I plopped on a chair I just sat quietly drinking the best glass of ice water I ever had. After about 20 minutes I wandered back out on the deck under the shade and watched some tennis. Eventually, I felt normal enough to hit the showers. It seemed I survived.

My thinking was with these two Florida warm up tournaments would be ideal training environments to make me match tough for Savannah which is typically hot and humid this time of year. The jury is out on his concept. I've not really enjoyed 3 of the 4 matches I played even though I won two of them. I think I like the training and practicing in the heat more than playing tournaments. With practice when you get overheated you can take a break. At this point my fitness is not nearly where it needs to be to play through pain or fatigue in matches seeking a second wind. I'm not close to giving up nor am I close to be where I would like: my elusive potential. It will take time for everything to come together including my fitness.

SPORTS and BUSINESS

Since launching TennisTIP in 2003 I do a lot less worrying. This is year six so I have seen the ups and downs of business and have overcome enough challenges that you can ride out bad stretches and understand good stretches are never to far off. Perhaps with enough training and experience the same will hold true for my game. You just have to enjoy the process and keep swinigng away and except the facts that not all will be rosy on your cash flow statements or first serve percentage.

Now back to packing for Savannah, GA and the National 40's Clay Court Championships.

Below are somewhat lame highlights (note: it's hard to find an enthusiastic camera man) from the quarter-finals but documented nonetheless. I'm 99 percent sure this forehand went sailing out! : )