Player Profile: Alan Artin - Building Friendships through tennis

We caught up with Alan Artin based out of TennisOC.com. He's played an amazing 27 matches in 4 short months of joining.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, for example: What do you do? Where did you grow up? What are your hobbies (besides tennis)?

I am an aspiring marriage and family therapist, with a passion for music and tennis. I grew up in Switzerland and came to the states when I was 6 years old. I’ve always strived for mastery and achieving my full potential, whether it’s playing a musical instrument such as piano or mastering a sport such as tennis. My biggest difficulty in life has been consistency which I am now starting to get good at in my late 20s, and my ability to believe in myself, which I am also working on.

Which league are you a member of?

I am a part of the OC Tennis League.

How long have you participated in your league?

I have been participating in the league since June of 2020.

How did you first learn about it?

I googled tennis clubs near me and found of tennis league to be the most fitting and affordable league based on the search results.

How often do you play?

I like to play 4-5 times a week.

What do you like most about the league?

I like being able to play different players of different skill levels, backgrounds, and styles of tennis. I also like how there are prize pools.

Tell us about your most memorable match(es)

My most memorable match was the match that I lost to who is also incidentally one of my close friends who I referred to the league. I knew going in I was an underdog but I tried to keep my mind calm and not be results oriented. Turns out when you win every match prior, you start to feel increased pressure to sustain your win streak as long as you can. I lost and it took a difficult mental toll on me. I had talked to friends as to how I can overcome this horrible feeling of my only loss. Turns out losing was one of the best things That could’ve happened to me. I learned about how important it is to not become fixated on score but rather become more committed to the process of playing better and improving during each game. From that point forward I moved throughout my succeeding matches with a much clearer goal and relaxed mindset that was less results oriented and more process oriented, and it is some of the most satisfying tennis I’ve been playing since. 

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?

There are 3 rivals I like playing in the league. Their names are Tyler, Daniel, and Vincent. I’ll explain each one briefly.

Tyler- Tyler is a better player than me which forces me to play better.

Daniel- Daniel has the most potential to surpass me as each time i play him he hits slightly harder and more consistent 

Vincent- Vincent puts the most mental pressure on me based on his game style

Do you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league?

Yes I found some close friendships from playing tennis to the point where we could come out for one another’s matches to offer moral support on the sidelines. We often run match highlights by one another via text and discuss our plans for upcoming matches on what we want to focus on during match play. 

How did you get started playing tennis?

I started playing in high school. From there I played club tennis in college and took lessons for some time. I did make a leap to other racquet sports at one time (table tennis, racquetball) but I find nothing compares to tennis quite like tennis. 

Do you play to compete, or for fun?

When I’m playing someone at or above my skill level I play to compete. When I play someone below my skill level I play to improve.

What level player are you? (NTRP rating)

I would say I’m a 4-4.5. I am striving to become a 5.0 player

What do you love about tennis?  

The aspect of self-reliance. Tennis is an incredibly mental game in my opinion and understanding how your thoughts and emotions translate into your game play can be the most important aspect to developing a long term successful game strategy. 

Who are your favorite pro players? Why?

Roger Federer- his grace, etiquette, and ability to play at a top level well past his prime.

Nadal- his ability to grind down his opponent through Pure physical exertion.

Djokovic- his mental game.

Dustin Brown- his unorthodox game style and his magic drop volley touch shots.

Player Profile: Alberto Sutton - 10 seasons, 100 matches and counting

We caught up with Alberto Sutton from Tennis-Seattle.com.  He's played a nice even 100 matches in his career so far and this is what he had to say:

What do you love about tennis?  

Is it ok to say "everything"? I like watching, studying, playing, dissecting stats. The details, of choosing a racket, shoes. The GOAT debate and the tour results. I like the rhythms, the strategies, the rituals. I just hope to have enough time to keep learning, and closing this "gap" between all internalized knowledge and the externalized playing/performance :-)

Which league are you a member of?

Seattle Tennis League

 

How long have you participated in your league?

I started in the Spring of 2018, currently playing my 10th season.

 

How did you first learn about it?

In short, Google. With more context: I had just picked up tennis again after a long hiatus. At first, was just taking lessons, and looking to hit. And then came the impulse to play more regularly and competitively. I signed up for a couple of partner matching and flex-league websites. Tennis-Seattle was the one where I found more active players, giving me the chance to play as frequently as I wanted.

 

How often do you play?

I try to "protect" a sacred once a week cadence, yet aim to get two, sometimes three matches per week. And that is even during the rainy, dark days during our fall and winter in Seattle. For those seasons, I got into a rhythm of pre-booking indoor courts and actively inviting the players that seem to play more regularly, in any give season.

 

What do you like most about the league?

There is so much to like. First, from an angle of "tangibles", I like how easy it is to invite players, track the standings, and browse your own match history. Then, from a "community" angle, I like the "high-liquidity" matching, and how easy going, cordial, fair the great, great majority of the players are. From a more "personal" angle, I feel the league plays an important role in my staying fit, competitive, sensible. Ah, I simply love the protocol/tradition of bringing 2 cans of balls and winner takes the sealed "trophy". Such a trivial detail, but I just like it.

 

Tell us about your most memorable match(es)

The ones I remember more vividly: a) the very first one, taking a beating from a player, nominally at same rating, but clearly much better - not so much for the beating, but because of the "newness" of competing, and learning the league etiquette. I played that guy many other times and we are still in touch. b) The match when I won my first deciding TB. c) a match when, “just because”, we decided to make it a best 3 of 5 sets - it was long! Ah, it was the same player from that "first won TB".

 

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?

I've played a several players for more than three, four matches. It's even weird to call them "rivals". The very reason we played often is because we had cordial, fun, tight matches, and like to play over and over again. I guess they are the "regulars" – more applicable term.

 

Do you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league?

Because of the league, I became an expert in court scouting. I can probably name the number of courts in each location, where are the courts with lights, which ones have unplayable cracks. I also subscribed to the majority of local parks and recreation facilities that rent indoor courts in Seattle area.

 

How did you get started playing tennis?

My dad is a big fan, and player. I grew up watching Borg x McEnroe matches, and my dad on clay courts in Brazil. I would hit against the wall with a wood racket, while he played. He was an avid “racket switcher”, so I always inherited great new rackets! Later I picked up again in College, and even organized some tennis tournaments. Lessons back then taught a very different style of tennis, flatter, lower shots. Had to re-learn the "modern" style when I got back to it, a couple of years ago.

 

Do you play to compete, or for fun?

The first verb, or motivation, that comes to mind is actually "to improve". I like studying, watching, playing. Competing helps to reinforce and measure progress. And when all that falls in place, yes, that is fun.

 

What level player are you? (NTRP rating)

3.0

 

What do you love about tennis?  

Is it ok to say "everything"? I like watching, studying, playing, dissecting stats. The details, of choosing a racket, shoes. The GOAT debate and the tour results. I like the rhythms, the strategies, the rituals. I just hope to have enough time to keep learning, and closing this "gap" between all internalized knowledge and the externalized playing/performance :-)

 

Who are your favorite pro players? Why?

I tend to like the "one-hand-back-handers". Guga was an all-time favorite. Federer is my pick among the Big 3. And I just like following Thiem and Tsitsipas. My kids are 5 and 7. They are already playing and we all cheer for Thiem. I like his style of play, and his balance of exposing emotions. Never really liked the extreme firecrackers, or the too subdued.In the WTA, I became a big fan of Naomi Osaka, having been present at the stadium when she won Indian Wells and the first US Open.