Wednesday, September 19, 2018 (Court Day #199)
I dropped off our corgi for bladder stone surgery at the vet around 8:35, afterward made my way to Derby Park and arrived a few minutes after 9 a.m. under slightly misting skies. It was cold enough to want a sweatshirt. I didn’t have one but figured I’d be plenty warm in no time . . . which was the case.
John Pacholski setting up Derby instead of Dave Allenbaugh as a woman named Val looks on.
John P. and I will be playing an outdoor unsanctioned tournament on Saturday, October 6, up in the Bay Area, so we played a number of games together.
John’s wife Diane, Stuart, and George waiting between games.
Stuart and I played against lefty Steve and visor Tom. We won. Stuart may not get around much, but he’s very consistent on his drop shots and dinking.
John P. and I played a game against “grumpy” Mike (sorry, Mike!) and Chris (tall, newish tennis player). We took a quick lead but ended up losing by a couple of points. Chris was playing the best that I’ve seen him play. I remember hitting a shot thinking it was a solid winner only to have Chris manage to get it and hit it back over! He’s coming along.
John P. and I played a game against Grita and Val. On the very first service of the game, John and I took a 6-0 lead. The game was never in question. They did score four points, but that was it.
John P. and I played a game against Terry Long and Dean. Dean and Terry were both not themselves and were battling pain. Dean was also not playing as hard as he could have. As it was, John and I won. But it was not one to relish with both players taking it easy on us and also playing hurt.
I finished my day with a game against Terry Long and Dan. Terry said the ibuprofen was kicking in. And it sure seemed that way, we had regular Terry back! He was great. And Dan played the best game I’d seen him play. John and I lost that one by more than a couple of points.
What did I learn today?
I’m playing decently. Not fantastic—though Dean said we were playing well—but not poorly either. I slammed a couple of would-be winners into net. I hit balls that would have otherwise landed out. I missed three serves in the game Stuart and I played against Steve and Tom. But I felt good about the day.
John and I need to work out the kinks. There were a few hots where John awkwardly hit a ball with his backhand in the middle when I could have hit a very controlled shot with my forehand. Though, I even did the same thing once! Later, he intentionally held back and left a shot for my forehand and I hit a winner. He gave me a big smile.
Oh, and the dog surgery went well. Oliver will be fine.
Coming up on court day #200!
Number of days on a court: 199
Number of total hours: 551.5
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