Geoff Watts - Pro Tip 1

Don't be out-gamed

Pro Top Tip from Geoff Watts,
Teaching Professional at Pensacola Racquet Club (PRC)

For some of you, this might be a review... 1,000 apologies. For the rest, I hope this helps.

First, a true story.

A long time ago, as a freshman tennis player at the University of West Florida, I observed one of the finest examples of bare-bone competitive instinct displayed on a tennis court.

Our hero, a former teammate - who will be known during this missive simply as Cornelius - was at the bitter end of a 3-plus hour singles match serving for the match 5-4 up in the third-set tiebreaker.

The first two sets were settled in tiebreaks as well and as Cornelius trudged on and watched in horror while the day's final three doubles matches went on without him, his legs began cramping uncontrollably.

What to do?

In an extremely astute and savvy move of gamesmanship, Cornelius purposely bounced one of his first-serve bounces off his front foot.

While the ball rolled slowly all the way to the net ...Cornelius shook his off leg cramps during an equally deliberate trip to and from the net - to the silent disbelief of his opponent.

Boom!...Service ace.

Match point...

Again, more cramps.

Again another ball off of the front toe rolling slowly to the net, another chance to gather himself in front of a now infuriated opponent forced to try and return another of Cornelius' first serves.

Boom!...Service winner.
Game-set-match.

Three sets, three-plus hours, three tiebreakers whittled down to two brilliant moments of gamesmanship.

What now does that have to do with us, you ask?

For those on the business end of similar shenanigans, this is your pep-talk.

All of us have similar stories where you and your partner felt the reason for a tough loss came down not just to winners and errors, but a bad call (or several); scoring errors; suspicious injuries; long changeovers; etc. When a fishy moment reveals itself in a match it is incumbent on those who feel they are on the short end of the proverbial stick to take a brief stand.

For example: (polite voice) "Are you sure that ball was out?"; (polite voice) "That ball bounced twice didn't it?"; (polite voice) "I'm not sure we have the score correct. Can we go through the points again." The point is not to get the disagreement of the moment overturned, the point is to prevent future injustices from occurring again. When the opposition knows you're paying attention to every competitive nuance that tennis players are charged with policing upon themselves as part of the "Gentlemen's Code" (rule-book parlance - not mine, sorry ladies) they'll be much more reluctant to try and pull a fast one.

This journalist sees nothing wrong with competitive toughness. Winning a hotly contested match is extremely addictive. Makes ya wanna do it again...and again...and again.

The term "hard-nosed competitor" is the highest complement paid to anyone who participates in athletics.

Which brings us back to Cornelius.

He did what he had to do...at the time...cramping like a madman...to win a slugfest of epic proportions.

Was he outside the rulebook in doing so?

While that's certainly a matter of individual interpretation, this journalist can only call it hard-nosed. So the next time y'all are out there duking it out shot-for-shot with a tough opponent, make sure there is no confusion as to whether the bounced twice, who was hit where and whether or not you agree with a particular call at a particular time.

Call the score out.

Hard-nosed competitors respect hard-nosed competitors.

As for Cornelius' vanquished opponent, he eventually came around over a couple of frosty beers.

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