My opponent in my tennis league last night was really pissed off at me for losing the first set so spectacularly. He "bageled" me, which means he beat me 6-0 (the 0 being the bagel.) At the changeover after the first set I told him, "You're playing really well, but I'm really not this bad." He didn't believe me. What he was really thinking was, "This guy doesn't belong in this league." He thought he'd been given faulty scouting reports about me. I was clearly a creampuff. A doormat. Out of his league.
What pissed him off, later, was that he thought I was sandbagging. In our post-match discussion, in which he'd told me what he thought about me after the first set, he said, "At least the scouting reports about you were right." (What's in those scouting reports? Do they say I'm scrappy? That I never give up?) But then he added, "If you'd have played better in the first set, we might have had a different outcome."
The outcome, as it turned out, was a 0-6, 6-3, 11-9 victory for me. I didn't appreciate his insinuation that I played some sort of psychological warfare on him-- pretending to be bad so he wouldn't take me seriously. I'm not that devious or clever. To be honest, after the first six games, I shared his opinion that I didn't belong in the league. I really was trying, I just couldn't find my shot. I started thinking that maybe I can't compete at my best playing on Tuesday nights after a full day of work. It always takes me a while to warm up, although usually not six games. But in the second set I calmed down, started hitting the ball better, and figured out his weakness.
When the match was over, my attempts to be a gracious winner probably just infuriated him more. After taking a 9-6 lead in the 10-point tie-break to decide the third set, he lost five straight points, including a double fault for the last point. When we shook hands, I said, "That was a good match, but I hate to win it on a double fault." I wasn't trying to rub it in, but in hindsight it probably wasn't the most tactful thing to say. When he smashed two balls into the wall to relieve his anger, I offered him the third ball for smashing. Hey, I understand, I wanted to say. I've felt that way many times. Smash as many balls as you want.
Throughout the match, whether I was winning or losing, I would say "good shot" when he hit a nice winner or "good point" after a particularly exciting point. I don't know if he thought I that was some Machiavellian strategy on my part, but I was just trying to be a good sport.
The upshot of all this is that I'm now 2-2 in the new league, which should guarantee me a spot in the league next session. (To stay in the league, I just have to finish ahead of last place.) Some really strange things would have to happen for either of the two guys I've beaten to finish ahead of me, especially with only three matches to go. I've already achieved my goal for this new league, so now I can relax and have fun. Any more victories will be gravy.
Sweet, sweet tennis gravy.
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2 comments:
"scouting report" That sounds serious. Did it mention your tactical cursing? :)
Congrats on being able to stay in your league, and even more on being a good sport. Maybe the tennis gods will reward this other guy's boorishness with a trip to the lower league.
"scouting report" That sounds serious. Did it mention your tactical cursing? :)
Oh, scouting report just refers to how we all gossip about each other's abilities. We're worse than a Grandma church social.
I'm pretty sure what mine says: He has a really weak serve and no real power, but he's consistent and can get to anything. I've been called a "warrior" by one of my opponents.
And cursing does get mentioned in scouting reports, but usually it's coded by the statement, "He gets really angry and can be rattled."
And I don't really think my opponent was a boor. He was frustrated, and I can completely understand his disappointment. He's winless so far this session, and when he bageled me, he thought, "Finally, an easy win." Then it all slipped away.
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