From Chicago to
Phoenix, the first 100 matches have been quite a journey! I found TLN
when searching for tennis on the Meetup App in 2018. I had been
playing tennis socially for years, but had yet to try a league. The
first TLN match I played was against Steve Domer, at Hamlin Park in Chicago for
the Spring 2018 season. With only 2 courts in a busy neighborhood, time
was a constraint and we chose the 10-game pro set match format. But the
match was not short, after many games with multiple deuce scores, we
were tied at 9-9 and I was due to serve. We checked the rules for
the format and it noted a 7-point tiebreaker to decide matches tied at
9-9. We played this tiebreaker out and I won the match 10-9.
Fast forward to
my 100th TLN match, a playoff match in Phoenix. Having the best record in
Division B (3.25 division), I was the #1 seed in the playoff tournament and got
to play at my home court, the lovely Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse in
Gilbert. Similar to my first TLN match in Chicago, the outcome was
decided by a tiebreaker. However this was after a full 3 sets in a
3-hour match! Josh Wolfson won 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 in a great match. I
will long remember the one match point I had, when leading 5-4 in the 3rd set.
Between my 1st and 100th match, there were quite a few notable matches and
achievements.
After my wife and
I relocated to Phoenix in 2019, I returned to playing TLN leagues.
Having only lived in the Midwest prior to the relocation, the concept of
playing outdoor tennis year round was new to me. But I definitely took
advantage, particularly with playing more tennis in winter months. As my
conditioning improved, I thought about scheduling doubleheaders. Why not
play 2 matches for 1 commute? The first doubleheader was in December
2020, playing Bret Burchard and Ryan Berns at Desert Breeze Park in Chandler
(see 2nd attached photo). Bret and Ryan also played a match that day,
with Ryan taking a break between matches. The format may have worked in
my favor, as I played Bret right after he finished a match and played Ryan
after he came back from some rest. Having won both matches that day, I
felt confident to schedule more doubleheaders and achieved playing 20 matches
for the season. That led to earning a free season. I also earned
many Player of the Year Points from all these matches, along with referring a
couple friends into TLN. That enabled me to finish in 1st place for the
2020 Player on the Year in Phoenix.
