Imagine for a moment that you are an excellent tennis player who regularly ranks in the Top Ten in your age group and in your state. You have an excellent first serve that you can place with pinpoint accuracy, a reliable second serve, a devastating two-hand backhand, and a well-disguised drop shot that befuddles opponents. What’s more, you cover the court with surprising speed and agility and have developed an impressive deep topspin lob. You invariably bring home some silver in local tournaments, and in state tournaments you are a good bet to reach–at minimum– the quarterfinals.
Then came the pandemic. You haven’t been able to play tennis since March, 2020, because all the courts and public clubs were shut down. Some of your wealthy competitors have their own courts or have been able to play on private courts belonging to friends. Not you…..
Now the ban has been lifted, and you and your coach have just begun to work on all aspects of your game–your first serve, second serve, drop shot, two-hand backhand, and topspin lob–because a weakness in any one aspect of your game will invariably mean defeat. At this level, opponents are quick to sniff out deficiencies and take advantage of them.
However, on the very day that you and your coach begin working in earnest, a directive comes from from the state office that coordinates tournaments and–critically–determines rankings. It says that, out of concern for “Tennis Loss” and in the absence of tournament results, rankings will be determined by a performance test that will be administered state-wide in one month. Players CONTINUE READING: We Must Do Something About “Tennis Loss”!! | The Merrow Report