It was a tough day, we woke up to dark foggy, morning with mist, the sky was dark gray…again we headed into the gym. Mr. B sent Roger, Riley and I to the hardcourts to try and get them playable, puddles were everywhere and just as the courts became playable it started to rain.
I noticed a big berry bush outside the courts, a mulberry bush and its branches were heavy with dark berries. Dr. Prevost from the infirmary came walking by and I asked him if it was okay to eat the berries, he said they were safe but in the future refrain from eating anything red in the wild. We picked at least a quart a piece, the berries were so ripe and sweet. I think our purple lips gave us away when we returned to the gym.
Inside it was two counselors to a court and a massive round of 'around the world' with the kids starting from one end and rotating to the far end of the court. So a camper running the gauntlet would get 16 running forehands and then would have to sidestep or run around the backside dodging balls. At least one kid per session get beaned, and at least a counselor or two, it’s great exercise, good practice but very tiring. Its also very loud. The kids were so exhausted that we played volleyball in the afternoon, the sky was the darkest gray I have every seen, almost eerie, the volleyball was a welcome treat and the kids loved it.
After dinner the rain quit and the clay courts were playable. I played Tom Vrana in singles, again he had me down 7-1, but I came back losing 8-6 in a very close match. I had the adrenaline pumping and while Tom attacked early, I started attacking and kept him at the baseline and stole momentum. At one point the pulled me off the court and I ran down a ball into the next court, dove for it, hit a high lob and he missed the overhead. What a way to win a point! Had I started attacking I would have beaten him. I was just a point from evening the match at 7-7. Tom V. is a very gracious winner and admitted that he had chocked and was lucky to pull out the match, he complemented me and made me feel better about the defeat, that was very classy.
Mr. B says over and over again that the breaks go the person that’s hustling, digging and trying the hardest. Mr. B says nice players seldom win, you have to have a bit of hostility to win, but Mr. B says take it out on the ball not your opponent. He told me once of watching a Rod Laver match once at Forrest Hills. He said the Laver lost the first set 6-1 and he could tell that Laver was upset, said his face was red as beet. He said that Laver took the court in the second set with an incredible amount of hostility. He punished the ball with that menacing forehand and Mr. B said the guy Laver was playing wasn’t even there, Laver was so pissed off at the ball. In the end Laver won the next three sets easily with a bagel in the fourth. I love that story.
Mr. B also talks about the concept of blood in the water. He says that when BJK plays she plays with the hopes of getting blood in the water. The concept works like this…in a set there’s a turning point. Both players can hold early and usually do but at 3-3 BJK would step it up and go all out for the break by attacking the second serve, once she got the break at 4-3 she serves. BJK seldom losses her serve, so she’s up 5-3. When BJK hit’s the magic number---5 games Mr. B says she’s a shark with blood in the water. She senses the blood and moves in for the kill…he calls it a ruthless but humane kill. I will never forget this story. Because for the first time he gave us a glimpse into BJK's thought make up and one of the great tennis minds. Mr. B says the other girls on the tour know that if BJK pulls ahead they don’t have a chance because she’s so relentless with her attacking game, many just fold. That's why BJK is perhaps the greatest to ever play the game.
I’m sitting here at my desk contemplating my match, I need to just hang with these players and then go for the break and the kill. Im just now getting used to clay, I need to focus more so I don’t get tight in a match. This tennis is so complex, it’s the hardest sport in the world to master, it’s a running chess game and its hard to make decisions when your head is pounding and pulse racing. I know golf is hard, there too you have to have concentration, tennis is much harder because you have stay in a high level of concentration while at the same time you’re running your ass off. If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs….
I have no clean clothes, everything stinks to high hell. Mark Sanderson is in the same boat so our first order of business is to do laundry. I just got back from the girls dorm, Bevin and I sat and listened to Lenny Saks play the piano for about an hour, this guy is really amazing. We had our own concert and it was simply perfect.
Bevin needs to do laundry too and the three of us are off tomorrow afternoon so we will all walk to the laundrimat and tackle this mountain of moldy-sweaty clothes.
I noticed a big berry bush outside the courts, a mulberry bush and its branches were heavy with dark berries. Dr. Prevost from the infirmary came walking by and I asked him if it was okay to eat the berries, he said they were safe but in the future refrain from eating anything red in the wild. We picked at least a quart a piece, the berries were so ripe and sweet. I think our purple lips gave us away when we returned to the gym.
Inside it was two counselors to a court and a massive round of 'around the world' with the kids starting from one end and rotating to the far end of the court. So a camper running the gauntlet would get 16 running forehands and then would have to sidestep or run around the backside dodging balls. At least one kid per session get beaned, and at least a counselor or two, it’s great exercise, good practice but very tiring. Its also very loud. The kids were so exhausted that we played volleyball in the afternoon, the sky was the darkest gray I have every seen, almost eerie, the volleyball was a welcome treat and the kids loved it.
After dinner the rain quit and the clay courts were playable. I played Tom Vrana in singles, again he had me down 7-1, but I came back losing 8-6 in a very close match. I had the adrenaline pumping and while Tom attacked early, I started attacking and kept him at the baseline and stole momentum. At one point the pulled me off the court and I ran down a ball into the next court, dove for it, hit a high lob and he missed the overhead. What a way to win a point! Had I started attacking I would have beaten him. I was just a point from evening the match at 7-7. Tom V. is a very gracious winner and admitted that he had chocked and was lucky to pull out the match, he complemented me and made me feel better about the defeat, that was very classy.
Mr. B says over and over again that the breaks go the person that’s hustling, digging and trying the hardest. Mr. B says nice players seldom win, you have to have a bit of hostility to win, but Mr. B says take it out on the ball not your opponent. He told me once of watching a Rod Laver match once at Forrest Hills. He said the Laver lost the first set 6-1 and he could tell that Laver was upset, said his face was red as beet. He said that Laver took the court in the second set with an incredible amount of hostility. He punished the ball with that menacing forehand and Mr. B said the guy Laver was playing wasn’t even there, Laver was so pissed off at the ball. In the end Laver won the next three sets easily with a bagel in the fourth. I love that story.
Mr. B also talks about the concept of blood in the water. He says that when BJK plays she plays with the hopes of getting blood in the water. The concept works like this…in a set there’s a turning point. Both players can hold early and usually do but at 3-3 BJK would step it up and go all out for the break by attacking the second serve, once she got the break at 4-3 she serves. BJK seldom losses her serve, so she’s up 5-3. When BJK hit’s the magic number---5 games Mr. B says she’s a shark with blood in the water. She senses the blood and moves in for the kill…he calls it a ruthless but humane kill. I will never forget this story. Because for the first time he gave us a glimpse into BJK's thought make up and one of the great tennis minds. Mr. B says the other girls on the tour know that if BJK pulls ahead they don’t have a chance because she’s so relentless with her attacking game, many just fold. That's why BJK is perhaps the greatest to ever play the game.
I’m sitting here at my desk contemplating my match, I need to just hang with these players and then go for the break and the kill. Im just now getting used to clay, I need to focus more so I don’t get tight in a match. This tennis is so complex, it’s the hardest sport in the world to master, it’s a running chess game and its hard to make decisions when your head is pounding and pulse racing. I know golf is hard, there too you have to have concentration, tennis is much harder because you have stay in a high level of concentration while at the same time you’re running your ass off. If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs….
I have no clean clothes, everything stinks to high hell. Mark Sanderson is in the same boat so our first order of business is to do laundry. I just got back from the girls dorm, Bevin and I sat and listened to Lenny Saks play the piano for about an hour, this guy is really amazing. We had our own concert and it was simply perfect.
Bevin needs to do laundry too and the three of us are off tomorrow afternoon so we will all walk to the laundrimat and tackle this mountain of moldy-sweaty clothes.
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