Getting Match Tough

Watching is so much harder than playing. I know I've said it over and over...I've got to learn to be a better spectator and not live, breath, and play every point. I walk away from watching Phil's matches feeling as though I've been the one out there battling. I want him to play well and feel good about how he played....win or lose. With yesterdays win, he didn't feel good about the way he played and after today's match with Tom, he still feels like he is struggling with hitting out on the ball.

Phil and Tom have played a few times in years past with Phil winning. Given the fact that Phil has not been playing tournaments and is lacking what we call being "tournament tough", I thought he played fairly well. I could see times where he was confident and going for his shots and I could also sense his tentativeness on certain shots that he usually goes for. Tom played very well, and served especially well. He took the first set 6-3. Phil hung in the second set, breaking Tom at 4-4, to be serving for the set at 5-4. Phil lost his serve in a game that went way too fast. I just knew that if Phil could split, he would win the third. Serves were held and the second set went to a tiebreaker. Tom played well in the breaker and won the breaker 7-3 to win the match. I knew Phil would be very disappointed in himself. As a player, I know there are no words I can say that can ease the disappointment of a loss. I should know, I've lost way more times in my career than Phil ever thought about! All you can do is allow yourself to be disappointed for a while, think about what you might have done that worked and didn't work, then move on. Easier said than done, but in the big scheme of things it is a game and we have to keep it all in perspective.

To Phil's credit, he rebounded well this afternoon. He and Tom played doubles and won fairly easily, 6-2, 6-4. Tom plays his singles semis mid morning with the doubles to follow in the afternoon. They'll have their hands full with Rob Castori and Horace Reid. Phil and I are going over to Bitsy Grant to get a work out in early in the morning before heading over to Cherokee to watch the singles. I leave in about 10 days for Chicago for my Indoor Nationals. I'll be match tough just from watching and "playing" all of Phil's matches!