Cleveland Wrap-Up, My Match of Momentum and Tennis Camp!

Played Sunday morning at 9 AM against Cameron Hubbs - a recent graduate from Ohio State. Lost in 3 sets....7-5, 0-6, 2-6. Hubbs plays more of an attack/offensive game. She came out firing; I merely had to run down a few balls (my style) and put them back in play, forcing her to hit 4 winners each point instead of 1. Her errors began to add up giving me a 3-0 early lead in the 1st. However, she quickly settled in and began to attack more intelligently.....pushing me behind the baseline, closing the net/angle and putting 1 volley away after another (or so it seemed). 5 games later, I was down 3-5. Gut check at this point......legs kicked back in gear and I took the next 4 games to capture the set 7-5.

Tides turned quickly, abruptly and to my dismay, at this point in the match. I am still trying to come to terms with how the match played out from this point on, and to understand it from a mental standpoint so that I can grow and learn from it. Hubbs managed to rattle off the next 9 games. After competing/winning the 1st set, how does this happen? Once I can pinpoint the answer, I'll let you know.

Given the stage and level of play, I admit to surprising myself in winning the 1st set. Because of that, perhaps I settled? To the credit of my opponent, she slightly altered her gameplan and did a much better job of mixing up pace/placement, which took me out of rhythm.

Down 0-3 in the 3rd, I did slightly recover and decide that I wasn't going to get knocked down without a fight. Believe I was down 1-3, 15-40 and fought back to win that game. Had a bit of momentum in my favor again, but couldn't capitalize on an ad point at 2-3 to even up the 3rd at 3 a piece.

Following the match, I stepped off the court, stood in place for 5 minutes, eyes slightly glazed over and took in my surroundings, where I was at and what I was/am trying to do. Honestly believe that I could write a novel about the infinite thoughts that crossed my mind in those short, yet eternal, minutes. In sum and despite the current state of emptiness/loneliness, felt blessed to be standing in the middle of Chagrin Falls, OH, to have had the opportunity to test myself and play at this level, and for the support from family and friends that I have had along my journey thus far. As Coach Rodgers later stated in trying to make me feel better, I have a limited (zero!) matchbank of experience at this level. I will continue to improve/grow and test myself again......in fact, back on the road in just a few short days to play singles and mixed (with Scott Stegemann) at the US Open Qualifier in Minneapolis:

http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=107050

Had a 10 hour drive back to Cedar Rapids following my match. Talk about time to think! Don't think I turned the radio on until I hit the State of Illinois. With our overnight Tennis Camp taking place this week, campers checked in last night. We have 20 great kids for the next 100+ hours. Luckily, we also have a tremendous staff of counselors/coaches. Many/most of the kids and counselors are returning from last year. Coach Rob is taking the lead in running the camp this year (to accommodate my travels/tournaments, thanks!), but I did stop at the Racquet Center to say Hello to the campers on my way back into town. The greeting that I received brought an immediate smile to my face.....the same was true when Emmie peaked out of her bedroom door this morning......kids have a way of doing that! Excited to spend time with Emmie, and the campers, this week! All of us will be in the pool this evening after a long day of progress on the court, and in the classroom. Wimbledon starts today also; another reason to smile! A picture of the campers on court (inside due to rain) this morning: