The Middlesex Winter Tennis Postal League started for me last Friday. Playing an away match in West London on a very quick and low bouncing indoor carpet, it was always going to be a challenge.
However, I soon took a 4-1 lead in the first set, serving really well and playing some good passing ground strokes. My opponent then used all his experience of the surface using spin very well especially on his serve which I found difficult to return. The first set eventually went to a tie-break which I lost 7-5.
In the second set, I tried to be more aggressive and despite a few ripping back-hand strokes, my opponent continued to bamboozle me with low bouncing and spinning slices. He eventually took the second set 6-1.
All in all, despite losing, I took away some really useful experience of playing on indoor carpet. Despite being a very competitive sportsman, it’s more important for me to come away from a match knowing that I played well, rather than the result. On this surface, I feel I couldn’t have played much better. I have to be happy with that.
So what’s the lesson here? Well, win, lose or draw, enjoy every moment of life. I even enjoyed the 2 hour drive home bumper to bumper on the M25 listening and singing along terribly to the CDs in my car. AsStephen Covey suggests, “you have the ability to respond” to any situation in life.
Keep well and be positive!