Tell us a little bit about yourself, for example: What do you do? Where did you grow up? What are your hobbies (besides tennis)? (Feel free to share any interesting details about your life.)
I’m
a product manager for a small software company (50). Fortunately, this
company does have tennis players. Just like everyone in the Bay Area, I
wasn’t born here but came here from Europe 20+ years ago. Besides tennis,
I like to run. I’ve ran 10K, half marathons, full marathons and
50K. I think the running helps my footwork on the tennis court J I
also like to bike, both road bike and mountain bike. Hiking is also
something I enjoy. I have hiked Mt Whitney and Half Dome among others…
Which
league are you a member of?
I
am currently part of USTA combo and Tennis San Jose. In
the past, I have tried USTA flex (bad), eTennisleague (bad), tennisround (bad),
racketlogger (average) and Tennis San Jose (the best).
How
long have you participated in your league?
I
have been with Tennis San Jose since 2014 and have played 125+ matches. Geoff's Profile.
How
did you first learn about it?
I
learned about Tennis San Jose by googling Flex leagues in the bay area.
How
often do you play?
I
love this game and can literally play every day. Sometimes, I play every
day for 10 days straight. Sometimes I only play 1-2 times a week.
On average, I play 2-3 times a week.
This
league is better than the other ones in many ways. First of all the
majority of signed up players are motivated to play (not many flakers).
Second, you can replay someone 1-2 times depending win/lose. Third, the
staff of this league is on top of it and will respond to your emails very
quickly. Fourth, there are many leagues throughout the year. Most
other leagues have a really long time from the time the previous league
finishes to the time the new one starts but not Tennis San Jose.
Tell
us about your most memorable match(es)
I
can think of one match that lasted hours. We were both getting tired and
every game went through add in/add out. It seemed like it would never
end. I was playing someone who I had beaten before and should have beaten
them faster but it was a playoff match so it was important and neither one of
us wanted to give it away. I eventually managed to take it in the tie
break after we had been playing for more than three hours
Who
are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?
There
are so many! Ted Nguyen is one of my favorite players as he can place the ball
left and right all day long and I just run left right left right… We’ve
played each other many times over the last two years and it’s always intense
Do
you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league?
This
is my favorite league as it’s the one that gets me the most matches.
There are many other flex leagues out there but many of them don’t have good
staff and don’t have quality players. By quality I mean people who sign
up who actually want to play.
How
did you get started playing tennis?
My
mom plays tennis and got me started. I started with tennis lessons when I
was around 5 years old. In my teens, I played maybe once a month.
It’s not until the last 2-3 years that I kicked it into full gear and started
playing a lot more.
What
level player are you? (NTRP rating)
My
USTA rating is 3.5. Unfortunately, I don’t play enough in USTA to be
bumped up. I consider myself a 4.0 player. Geoff's TennisSanJose.com rating is Advanced 4.0.
What
do you love about tennis?
I
love playing tennis because it gets my mind to focus on tennis and forget about
all the other stressful things around me. I love the fact that you could
win to a better opponent or loose to a weaker opponent. You could have a
really great day or a really bad day. It’s very mental! Sometimes I
think it’s more mental than physical… I love to meet players from
different background and cultures. Especially living in the Bay Area,
people come from all over the world to be here, it’s always interesting to hear
their story how they got here. I’ve played players from the US, Canada,
Mexico, Japan, India, China, Korean, Vietnam, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal,
Belgium, South Africa, Argentina, and Jamaica to name a few… I have also
played players from different job backgrounds…
Who
are your favorite pro players? Why?
My
favorite pro player is Pet Sampras. He was always a smooth player who
kept it cool. He was also a great person off the court. He inspired
me to play more tennis and to be a better person off the court.
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