There was a time when tennis was for me an all-encompassing passion.
I would eat, breathe and play tennis almost every evening on the foggy Marina Tennis courts in San Francisco.
I would also naturally compete on weekends.
I don’t play the game anymore, but tennis remains one of the few sports that I can bear to view on TV.
A few days ago I watched Maria Sharapova play against a young Spanish woman named Garbine Muguruza in the quarterfinals of the French Open.
By the way, I love those four syllables names. They roll off the tongue in a delicious sounding manner and I find them much classier than those poor two or three syllables patronyms.
Let’s be frank, Sha-ra-po-va sounds much better than Du-pont.
The French TV commentator also loved that name and must have pronounced it at least a hundred times during the match. He only referred to Muguruza as the “Young Spaniard”.
Sharapova lost the first set 1-6 but armed with a steely determination she rallied and finally defeated the young Spaniard 7-5, 6-1.
Being a keen observer of human nature, I took a few notes and here is what I noticed:
– Screaming while hitting the ball greatly helps your shots.
– Wearing a visor style cap (or a bandana) instead of a regular cap is the way to go. Carrying tennis balls in knickers is very practical.
-Bouncing the ball at least six times before serving helps to concentrate.
-Munching on a piece of banana between sets looks like the thing to do.
I always try to apply everything I learn to the game of pétanque.
After all, both sports are very similar. They both use balls that are roughly of the same size and they both require the same athletic ability.
So in the next pétanque tournament, I will slightly modify my look and approach to the game.
First of all, to aerate my skull, instead of my beloved “casquette” I will wear a visor style cap. It might not help my game, but it will definitely cool the top of my head.
I will carry my spare “boules” in my knickers.
Regrettably I won’t be able to bounce my balls before shooting but I know that this would have helped.
When shooting, I will scream like a banshee.
And finally, between games, instead of an enchilada, I will chew on a piece of banana .
My philosophy has always been “don’t be afraid to innovate”.
If the above-mentioned moves work for the champs, I don’t see any reason why it would not work for me.
Alain
PS: To see a picture full size, click on it.