Jackson Phillips - He's played in 4 of our different Florida leagues

We caught up with Jackson Phillips whose basically out of Florida.  He's played in our Jacksonville, Tampa Ft. Lauderdale and Miami leagues over the past 3 years.  That's amazing!

What do you like most about the league?

I like this league because it is “one stop shopping” for a tennis player.  While there are many leagues out there, every time I play in this league there is a large group of active players.  If I wanted to schedule a match for every day of the year, I could do so using this league alone.

Which league are you a member of?

I play in the Fort Lauderdale tennis league, but I have also played in the leagues for Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami.

How long have you participated in your league?

I only just recently started playing here in Fort Lauderdale, but this is my 17th season overall.

How did you first learn about it?

I don’t remember how I originally discovered it, but once I discovered it, I immediately looked for it every time I moved to new cities in Florida.

How often do you play?

At the moment, I am making improving my tennis game a priority.  And so I’ve been playing almost every day.  I intend to do that for the rest of the summer and see how good I can get.

Tell us about your most memorable match(es)

I have played over 100 matches in this league across four cities.  My memory is not the best, so I will pick a recent match.  Last season, my division was dominated by a player named Vijay Samuel.  He has an unconventional game that was literally giving the entire division fits.  The first time I played him, I lost 6-1, 6-0.  The night before the match, I texted him-

"Since we last played, I am 4-1 in the division. I am approaching our match tomorrow like I was in purgatory and the outcome between our match would result in whether I was sent to either heaven or hell for all of eternity.  I may lose, but if I lose they will have to carry me off the court on a stretcher, and possibly you too.”

And then, against all odds, I showed up and defeated him 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 in a 3.5 hour marathon.  It was his only loss of the season.  And Vijay, you can have a rematch whenever.

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?

It is tough to define my rivals because I haven’t been in Fort Lauderdale very long.  I haven’t played anyone a handful of matches yet.

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

I would like to point out that I am suffering from a playoff curse.  Overall, I have a winning record in the league, but when it comes to playoff matches, I am only 1-7.  It seems like everything that could possibly go wrong does go wrong every time the playoffs roll around.  I look forward to turning that streak around in the future.

How did you get started playing tennis?

I started playing tennis when I was very young.  My father was a tennis player, and he basically steered me into the sport.  I played through high school before taking about 20 years off and returning to the game later in life.

Do you play to compete, or for fun?

I am driven by the desire to reach a solid 4.5 rating.  For me, working towards that achievement is what makes tennis fun.  I’ve never been the sort of person who can just casually do anything at all and call it fun.  I play to meet that goal.  League matches are tools to me, and I designate each one with a purpose.  Sometimes my objective is to leave it all on the court and win.  Other times I intentionally don’t care about the result and use the opportunity to work on making specific changes to my game.

What level player are you? (NTRP rating)

Technically, I am a computer 3.5.  But as you know, that rating only updates once a year.  Considering my current UTR and WTN ratings, I am almost certainly going to get bumped to 4.0 at the end of this calendar year.  So, I am technically a 3.5 but I consider myself a 4.0.

What do you love about tennis?  

Without tennis, I don’t think I would be alive.  I have severely suffered from mental health difficulties including diagnoses of bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  For over 20 years, I’ve experienced extreme, unpredictable fluctuations in my energy levels.  And I get hit with frequent dangerous bouts of depression.  Despite trying every medication you have ever heard of along with every modern treatment option, I have struggled to get and hold jobs for many years.  Add in the fact that I’ve lived in 4 different cities in just five years, I have frequently found myself friendless and with nothing to do.  Tennis has dug me out of this hole more times than I can remember.  When I find myself in a new city, signing up for tennis leagues such as this one gets the ball rolling.  Pretty soon I find myself in better fitness, happier, interacting with many people and befriending some of them.  I love tennis not just because the game is fun to play, but because it is the only way I know to create a new life from a place of depression and struggle.