With the US Open tournament upon us, I found myself pounding two-handers cross-court, at pace, forehands consistently four blocks up, and a gratifying number of serves that didn’t hurt my shoulder or wrist-hand – could be arthritis or a previous bike injury on wrist, not just old.
I’m working with those Tibetan monk circulatory exercises on YouTube…Just sayin.’
Yeah, counting blocks is part of not actually joining a tennis group yet, want to recheck a sometimes clanky shoulder, and therefore neglected serve, because I *won’t* go into a competitive situation (I believe 3.5) with a pitty-pat, just to start games serve. Alterations in toss and expectations on location worked out pretty well in a half-hour practice between LLWS games, worth the effort as 2nd time out.
OTB Thoughts, pre-US Open, Class of 1975 time
The Schenectady OTB Open, on truly public courts, the only FREE! tournament in the world at height of tennis as the hot sport, was located half a block down to end of my street, Lakewood Avenue. Through a patch of woods, go a little right, and bam! on the back courts in Central Park. Eventually they built a proper stadium. Johan Kriek played there, all the Spanish guys too. REALLY close seats to action.
The Schenectady tennis tournament Nitty Singh built from humble origins (husband Indr, was The Lion of area tennis for years) to having a sweet scheduling spot for hard court players, mens and womens tournament, two-weeks before US Open and a couple quiet hours from NYC, has real memory weight a month from reunion. I’m smiling about the volatile Jennifer Fuchs, who often got extra looks, when shouting her name in self-encouragement sounded like- long u sound, but, you know – swearing?
Michael Stich participated-won as reigning Wimbledon champion one year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_OTB_International_Open. I watched a dynamic new talent, Andre Agassi, lose in the finals to a veteran Indian Davis Cupper, after blowing away The Human Backboard, Harold Solomon, the day before. Pete Sampras was there, but was just making full change to career-defining serve-volley style.
A best bud of brother Steve’s from Cornell stayed with us one of early years, a super-convenient half-block from those woods, beating a soon-to-be-star Jimmy Arias, in the finals. Steak dinner with wine, congrats. As an amateur, the friend could only accept a couple nice tennis shirts. I mentioned it years later, at Jim Courier’s Outback Series of former stars held at The Palisades on Lake Wylie. Arias said the biggest thrill of tournament was his Dad allowing him to keep the warm-up suit he’d won, always played in shorts-tees, just a kid with a racket.
Good Thoughts sure, but 8 will be Enough
So the ‘I’m back!’ attitude, that’s about Linton Class of ’75 Reunion in September instead of Thanksgiving – woot- woot 50! – and brother David and I expecting to duke it out on courts at some point. Pounding ground strokes and getting off decent height/speed practice serves, I’ve got to be prepared for his playing regularly with a neighbor.
We hit in a little evening mistiness last year for his birthday in July, when I was up for traditional Saratoga track and golf visit, he’s since discovered physical motion beyond house-modification work was good for him. His good serve came out of hibernation naturally from what I saw.
$10 and 12-pack of Michelob Light (as advertised, ‘for the winners’) he’d take me in straight sets – THAT was a sucker bet worth jumping on.
Before I moved to to Charlotte (Memorial Day ’95), we had a man-up bet on a Wimbledon, meaning best-of-five sets event. Even 35-plus years ago, still in decent ex-rugby shape, did I imagine I could go five sets. BUT… $10 and 12-pack of Michelob Light (as advertised, ‘for the winners’) he’d take me in straight sets – THAT was a sucker bet worth jumping on.
For two sets, I consistently blocked his bender of a serve with my trusty Wilson Advantage, black/tan *wooden* racket as he kept coming to net. He’s always been a tough pass because an agile 6′ hooper, but how much experience beyond blocking an occasional floaty one did he have? Verdict was not a lot, netted many low ones. I’m up two sets-zero when he offers double or nothing.
“You’ve got to be kidding. I’m dropping it on your toes coming in! I’m up two sets…”
‘You want the bet or not?” Absolutely! I did, and when I came down for breakfast next morning, he had a case of Michelob Light wedged against the attic door, and $20 in an envelope. I maintain those are the sports bets you GOTTA pay off on. Even this much later though, I’m sure there’s a revenge game in my near future. Tennis will probably be just ‘pro-set 8’ with David, still have my varsity letter with racket pin for reunion.
I’ll watch the Open starting now, think of watching so much quality tennis within a couple blocks of my house from years ago, and its okay to know I have time to keep working on a better serve. Yeah, for tennis and Class of ’75, I’ll cop the John Wick “I’m back! (for a week around 27th).”
Hey, everybody knows there’s a casino by river where old train building wasn’t used all those years, right? I sure do!
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