Back in the Swing

Feels great to enjoy the warm almost-spring sunshine in DC with a return to the M Street courts with Andrew. Strange to think, but this spring marks the start of the fourth year of our Rafa-esque rivalry!

Here's the statistical update since 2010:

2011 - or "Enjoying Hyderabad's one outdoor leisure activity to the max"

Hot damn, 194-290 in an amazing 62 sets. That's a whole lot of tennis, and a increasingly getting-better 40% win percentage.

2012 - or "Somewhat more distracted and/or reluctant to leave the house"

Well, way less tennis for whatever reason, but 71-89 is at least a wee improvement to 44%. It's even better when you take Steve, who way outmatches me, out of the mix. How does 49% sound?!

Volley for Serve

One of the first ways I wanted to settle into living in Hyderabad was to find a tennis court to continue the heated Andrew-Jeremy tennis rivalry. It’s not as easy as walking three blocks toward Rock Creek park, though. You can’t take privileged public amenities like parks and tennis courts for granted in these parts, so we set out to find a suitable privately-owned place to play.

And here’s where I confess that I expected my diplomatic standing and, frankly, skin color, was going to open doors. “Of course, sir!” I expected to hear as gates were bring swung wide open for us. “Come play tennis on our court. We’d be honored to have a ghora come join us!”

I started the research on the phone. Cold called the most prestigious country club in town.

“Hello, my name is Jeremy. I’m an American diplomat and will live in Hyderabad for two years. Is it possible to arrange for a tour of your facilities?”

A grainy voice back. “No, sir. We are for members only.”

“Yes, of course. I understand. But I would like to see your facility to see if I would like to become a member.”

Adament. “No, sir. Members only.”

After getting the same answer at the second most prestigious club in the city, we decided to take our search to the streets. A scribbled pad of internet suggestions on places to play tennis in the city and a driver with a good sense of directions.

The first place, four courts scratched into clay/dirt, was closed. We learned from a local that it always is on Saturdays. Vaguely promising on another day.

Second, across the street, the Jubilee Hills International Club. We marched up to the reception desk, trying to look as international as possible. “Can we tour the facilities?” Same schpiel, members only. Membership costs? Ten-times what the website quoted. Ouch. Fine, we’ll just take our international selves elsewhere.

Stop three? The Tollywood Screen Actor’s Guild’s recreation center. Couldn’t talk our way into the membership rolls, actors and actresses by invitation only.

Fourth? I kid you not, a residential enclave called “Income Tax Colony.” The signs did not seem to welcome us.

Fifth, two courts scratched behind a local college’s recreation hall. Again, closed. Somewhat less than promising.

Sixth? Finally, our new tennis home. Six beautiful hard surface practice courts next to the 4,000 seat centre court at Lal Bahadur Stadium, formerly home to the Hyderabad Open.

Established by the Andhra Pradesh Sports Authority many years ago, formerly a hostel to train India’s promising young talent. A bit dilapidated in its stately ambition, not unlike much of the sporting infrastructure I remember from Hungary.

After a few minutes of wandering, we found someone. Not just anyone, but assistant coach “Johnny.” Friendly, even if he didn’t look the role of a tennis affectionado. We worked out the rental fee with him: 140 rupees an hour, three dollars. If we wanted to come back and play at night, though, he warned us, it’s an extra 17 rupees.

Per lightbulb...

(For the record, first match ended a tie. Andrew won the first set 6-0 as I warmed up – apparently -- to India and a borrowed racket. I got my act together to win the second set 7-5.)

second half stats

After I canceled on Andrew this morning -- it's not so much that it was cold, but the wind brought the conditions to an unplayable level -- i figure the year's tennis season is over...and the calculations proved tremendous growth in the second-half of the summer since i crunched the numbers last!

Playing only after the calendar hit November means the numbers average to almost three matches a month through October. Of 14 matches, I won two, MY FIRST VICTORIES EVER!!

I still lost 25 of 30 sets, but that happens. More importantly, my game total surged. In the second half of the summer, I won 37.3% of the games i played - a pretty sizable jump over the spring's 30%. Must be I was inspired by Nalbandian...

The growth, and the rivarly, to continue in Hyderabad!

Legg Mason

Andrew and I treated the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic as a costumed activity. Surely hob-nobbing amongst the DC tennis-playing elites requires sweater vests, no?

As for the tennis action? Pretty cool to watch. I don't claim to know a whole lottabout tennis, but i think i'd heard one of the four names before, so i suppose that's a good sign. Wikipedia filled in the rest.

Nalbandian (ARG) > Simon (FRA)

3-6, 6-2, 6-3

Cilic (CRO) > Tipsarenic (SRB)

7-6(4), 6-4

Nalbandian went on to win the whole darn thing, the first time he's done that in a while. I figure it was at least half due to my cheering efforts. Viva la argentine.

game set match

One year ago, I learned how to play tennis. In some ways, it's just another sport, but I've take to the game. Maybe not as a way of life, perhaps, but certainly something more interesting than just a passing hobby.

Mallory taught the game to me from scratch last summer at the ripe ole age of 28, approximately 27 years after a Madden would learn the sport. She beat me repeatedly, as you'd expect a former high school number one single to do. But every once in a while I took pride in taking her to Deuce or even stealing a game. I got so good at losing with grace that my first victory -- Mallory and I wore her parents out -- came as a surprise.

This year, Hyderabadi Andrew is my most frequent cross-court opponent. He claims some genetic proclivity to tennis, so he regularly beats me, too, but i'm getting way more competitive. Seems like half our games go to Deuce, sometimes repeatedly.

In commemoration of a year of tennis, here's a statistical analysis of my performance:

2009 (approximately 4 months of game play)

11 "matches"
19 sets (2 wins, 17 loses)
46-107 game score

2010 (approximately 2 months of game play so far, 5 months remaining)

9 "matches"
19 sets (2 wins, 17 loses)
47-107 game score

So I know what you're saying. "Jeremy," as you roll your eyes,"that's not very impressive improvement. You've improved your game win percentage from 30.07% to 30.52% over the course of a year. That's not even half-a-percentage better. Did you, in fact, get an better?"

Three impressive statistics, though, lay buried in the numbers, as I suppose all good statistics do:

A. Stamina. I play more sets per match this go-round. Last year's "matches" averaged 1.73 sets. This year, I average 2.11 sets before going home. That's a 22% increase in the length of play once I step on a court.

B. Gettin'-on-the-Board. In 2009, I was shut-out 4 times. That's right, Mallory held me without a game in 4 of our sets. This year, though? Andrew's managed the feat only once.

C. Frequency. Last year, I played tennis approximately 2.75 times per month. This year, though, I'm averaging 4.5 - almost double the old rate of play!

But the tennis lessons aren't limited to on-the-court. Some nuggets of tennis wisdom are applicable in the world at large. Among them, a tennis adage I learned playing a random Spanish-only speaking gentleman (probably Nadal's cousin) in Fond du Lac last fall: Broke at love...a bad way to go in tennis and life.