Lessons from Rafa - overcoming injury in my own tennis season

Like my tennis hero - the superhuman grinder, Rafael Nadal - I too faced a debilitating injury last year in 2013. Out of the sport for about 2 1/2 to 3 months with moderate Tennis Elbow. I reluctantly skipped one of the major USTA NTRP Championships of the summer, one that I had fiercely competed for years prior.

But during that time, I honed in my game, let my tennis elbow recover. I performed strengthening drills with my red TheraBand FlexBar every day.

The toughest moments were getting out to the park and seeing a beautiful sunny day, but unable to hit.

That immobilization of the mind feels many times more painful and constricting than the physical pain of the injury. Every competitor wants to get back ASAP. But I knew I had to take it a step at a time.

Recovery and Healing

I trained extra hard on my conditioning and stamina using the "Prepping Like a Pro" training program I had practiced with Yann and Dan during the previous winter.

Focusing on what you can change, and crushing it - that is what champions do. Disabilities are only limiting / crippling if you allow them to be, but mostly if it is allowed to affect you mentally.

The Desire to Compete

One day I even went to the practice wall, with a tennis elbow wrapped tightly. All the walls were taken and all the courts were full, and still I waited to see if I could try to muscle a few good strokes with a soft foam practice ball for youth. I tried both the red and the green. Fortunately, I did feel too much discomfort - however, as soon as I tried the regulation tennis ball, I could immediately feel my forehand twinge and had to stop.

Those 2-3 months could not have come at a worse time in the middle of the summer months when tennis is in full swing. I aggregated the injury in only the 2nd tournament of the season (Shilou Open). When I went out to participate in a Charity Event for wounded warriors a month later, I was not even half the player I was - losing in the first round for both singles and doubles. It was devastating.

The Will to Win, compels us. The Wisdom to Know how, enables us.

Speed bumps - Living the rest of your life

During those long tennis-less weeks I socialized more with friends and tried new activities that let my right arm rest. I echo'd what Pete Sampras experienced. For Pete during the summer of '99, he had to pull out of the US Open, but he recalled that "it was the best injury of my life because that’s where I met my wife" met some really supportive and encouraging women that helped me feel better and my mind off the game for a while. It was a very fun summer for me and probably one I will always remember fondly.

But after skipping the USTA NTRP Championship at College Park, and actually was relieved about not pushing my elbow any further. Content to be in the atmosphere, I just cheered friends on and visited the College Park Aviation Museum instead. I knew I would have 5-6 weeks to properly heal and then train to get back into form.

Returning to Action - the dividends of being well-prepared

By the end of September, I was able to regain my peek form and finally secured the DC Open title (NTRP 4.0) which I had been attempting to win for the last 4 years. It was a privilege to play on the same court as the Citi Open (ATP 500) event I had covered just about a month prior for Tennis-Bargains.com

My final tournament was out at Leesburg, VA in a beautiful facility called Ida Park. The tournament director was very professional and I have always had great memories from the very civilized competitors that I've faced there. It is one of the farthest treks for a Mid-Atlantic USTA tournament in the DC area, but in my opinion well worth it. The perfect court surface and slightly higher elevation out west also suits my game well.

By the end of that event, even though I lost in the Finals, it was a very good showing in the 2nd half of the season for me. I played solidly against a very strong adversary who was once on the same USTA team as me, during a very blustery late afternoon breeze, and we both had really long rallies.

Be the Best you *know* you can be

With that strong finish, I was able to secure the #1 ranking again for the Mid-Atlantic Men's Singles NTRP 4.0 section. The year also allowed me to "medal" in all of the notable DC area NTRP tournaments. Finishing with the finals or championship in all these locations is a very satisfying feeling. I still can remember each of the trophies and not only the final victory, but all the emotions and the electric atmosphere of USTA tennis.

I would highly encourage avid tennis players (especially singles players), to give USTA tournaments a try because it replicates the true spirit and intensity of professional tennis the best out of any of the formats available. It truly is an Open field of competition and you must learn to be completely self-sufficient in these single elimination rounds.

For next season, I hope to compete at the NTRP 4.5 level and will continue to document my experiences. And I hope for all the readers out there that read this and all my articles, I have been one positive step building toward your own goals in tennis.

Ball Line Calls in Tennis ... Being Human

I'm writing this article because recently it has come to my attention that the "bad line call" is in fact a part of tennis. Everyone who has ever played tennis regularly has missed line calls at some point in time...

Both on the ones that were actually out (whether on a serve or on the sideline/baseline) but we played anyway AND when we made inaccurate out calls on balls that were actually in. But we made in good faith with our less than "Shot-Spot-perfect" eyes.

Yes. You are, I am, we all are H-U-M-A-N. It happens....A lot actually!

Nobody is perfect, nor faultless (Players nor Officials)

Just look at this: 2013 Australian Open Challenge Statistics compiled after this year's Grand Slam tournament. At the Top Professional Level of tennis in the ATP and WTA, the players themselves, were wrong more than 2/3 of the time (about 70% of the time, the challenger was incorrect).

Remember, there are only a very limited in the amount of challenges available per set, so you can assume that they challenged because they genuinely felt unsatisfied with the ruling made on the court.

What is maybe more interesting is how often the Officials were wrong. Even when you have officials on every line and highly-paid umpires, they were actually "Caught" by Shot-Spot being wrong about 25% of the time, and those points had to be overturned or replayed. Just for the record, that was (at least) 189 times during that tournament alone where the officials were wrong, to be precise, according to the Australian Open website.

So that means that even these are paid and trained officials during the average match are missing about 1 or 2 calls per match at a Grand Slam. And yes, this is when those players are actually playing for millions of dollars AND Wimbledon is on the line =)

Therefore in amateur matches and local pick-up games, you can expect to have a few missed calls (both in the caller's favor and sometimes a mistake in NOT calling and against their favor). If we make all calls in good faith, then for the most part, it should even out in the end. Or at least not effect the final outcome of a match...

What we do and how we react to this is the important part.

You cannot immediately over-react and assume your opponent is a cheater. Getting mad or upset or rattled about one bad call is a mental weakness.

You should assume they made a mistake and not a deliberate one. If it happens continually, then go ask for a line judge. It helps free up both players to hit the ball and not worry as much on making every call perfectly.

The USTA code of tennis says you can challenge or ask for a confirmation on the call from your opponent, but without an official there watching it is your Opponent who has the Right to make the call on his/her side of the court then you should accept it and move on. Important: *If you didn't see the ball land and space between the line and the ball, you should always assume it was in.*

Familiar Faces, Familiar Places - DC Open Revisited

DC Open Adult Open Championships

William Fitzgerald Tennis Center, Washington DC (Sept 7-9) - USTA Mid-Atlantic Tournament

Just last month in August, the ATP 500 Citi Open was held at the same location in Washington DC. It was known as the Legg Mason tournament for many years and recently switched over.

It was great that we were able to practice on the very same courts as the men and women pros just 4-5 weeks ago were competing and practicing on. The stadium court would have been the perfect place to play the Sunday finals, which surprisingly was not locked.

But seeing it without all the chairs and banners gives it a different, more apocalyptic feeling. Also, I found out that they took the smaller Grandstand and show courts and covered them in a bubble - probably for the winter indoor season.

Citi Open - Practice Courts (same ones used for DC Open in Sept)

New Practice Courts

Since last year, DC had taken a row of rarely-used Har Tru clay courts in the back corner and converted them to new Deco Turf hard courts. A smart move in my opinion. Playing on them was nice as this summer, while covering the Citi Open, most of the pros practiced or played at least once on the same surface.

So my first match was on Court 1 - the same one that Pablo Andujar (#33 in the world) had practiced on. Later, in the Semi's I was on the Court 3 where Xavier Malisse had been playing around just a month prior.

Granted that the USTA tournament was for amateurs, it included some high levels including the Men's Open players with the 1st and 2nd seeds facing off in the Sunday Final.

Familiar Faces in the DC Tournament Scene

Ms. Salie

As always, Ms. Salie was the referee and has been there for many, many DC tournaments. I've seen her at the Howard University (Banneker), Turkey Thicket and several other courts through the years. Always smiling but also knowing when to lay down the law. She will come by, put up the singles sticks and then wish you a good match. You can trust her calls and rely on her to be there when there's a problem.

Mr. Harris

My favorite part of these annual summer USTA tournaments are the pleasant people who include fellow players at various levels and NTRPs. This year I was lucky enough to run into my role model, in the 50's and over division, Mr. Harris.

This guy is the nicest tennis player and person you'll ever meet on or off the court at these USTA tournaments. Also, he knows how to win with what he's got; an improv man with jazz talents, he reins in the hardest hitters and more determined foes. He is also a perennial - practically ever tournament I have enter in the past 2 years, he is there. Right as rain.

Last month, he was even voted by his peers for the Sportsmanship Award at the Bruce Francis Memorial Tournament.

Babolat Tennis Bag

During the last tournament, I saw that he was carrying around a Babolat Team bag along with another blue duffle bag. It just so turned out that I had just received an extra one - this one a 6-pack, just slightly bigger Babolat Team bag that I was planning to use for my upcoming bag review and then simply give away to another one of my many Tennis-Bargain Fans. But then I thought to myself - here's a man, with all his wins and matches, deserves a spare tennis bag.

In the past, I've thought of these gifts as "spoils of war" - which is what I call my treasure chest of strings, grips, bags, clothes, even custom shoes that go to victors of tennis - dripping in sponsorship and marketing juice, they dress you up nice and pretty to make them look good and their stuff sell like hotcakes.

But here was a man sporting none of that. Sunscreen stained and battle-tattered polos, still fighting and coming up with win among the best in the arena. Sure he will still win and lose like everyone else, but his mindset is what is incredible. He doesn't need to boast himself (doesn't even fist-pump or say com'mon), nor put anyone else down to succeed. He's always positive and gives you a bear hug at the end, win or lose.

"Greatful Dead Bob"

So I approached him to offer a new Babolat Bag to him. And being Mr. Harris, he insists that it be donated to another guy - someone who if you just met, you might say looks like he came "straight out of a Grateful Dead concert" because of his tie-dye shirts and straw brimmed hat :) whom I'll call "Bob".

Well Bob had just lost his first round match and was looking a little bit down. I had seen him in a previous tournament but thought nothing much - he was a big, round fella riding who had rode his bike (probably from the metro). I looked at the black backpack he had been hauling his stuff in - it was beat up pretty badly and had to be tied close with some extra string.

Mr. Harris always knew who needed help and his selflessness is never lost on him. I found out later that Bob sometimes went around collecting used tennis using his bike helmet as a bucket sometimes...probably to give them to some kids later on or use as practice balls? Bob was very grateful for the unexpected gift. And I had a found a good home for the bag. Worse players like me, have owned much newer equipment and been blessed with much nicer tennis clothes. It was fitting that a good heart and strong player be rewarded for once.

Worthy Prizes for Worthwhile People

All the trophies, medals and ribbons you collect as Champion are just pieces of metal and fabric in the end...they will only go so far toward making you happy and remembered off the tennis court.

In the end, you have to give back. To your own charities. In your own way. Don't let others tell you or sway you with constant begging or wallowing or complaining. You can't always find them advertised on a big billboard - sometimes it's just one man, sometimes it's just one bag.

Deserving folks are out there in the real world - just have to find them, or ask Mr. Harris to point them out.

You'll feel a sense of inner contentment / "cosmic balance" and satisfaction that somehow the big titles and ranking points just do not provide.

Giving Back: feels impossible when you have little or nothing to give. Yet feels natural when you see these people have everything to gain.

USTA 2011 Season

#1 Ranking for 4.0 NTRP Singles Mid-Atlantic (800 points)

Tournament Results for 2011 (13-3 record)