My match against the 16 yr old prodigy and "Lady McEnroe" started at 9 am. Arun, my mixed doubles partner warmed me up for 10 minutes and I felt ready. Desirae Krayczak aka Baby Bullet( she supposedly acquired that name when she was 7 yrs old ina tournament as she was hitting a really hard ball), is a very talented young girl.A lefty with such crafty hands is definetly a rarity, so I have to admit- she is a good doubles player. But will she beat me in singles??? That was the question nagging me throughout.
We started out quite even, her lefty serve was tricky.She kept jamming me by serving into my body. But very soon, I held my own on my serve with 3 aces. I soon acclimatised and was starting to drive my groundies totally out of her reach. I soon raced to a 5-2 lead.then she started wilting.And started almost handing me points in a plate. After that there was no stopping me barring a couple of games which went to duece.I beat her 6-2,6-0.
The big pitfall with talented players these days is that, tennis comes so easy to them that, they forget the amount of hardwork that has to go into this. She wasnt willing to grind out the big points with me and opted for low percentage shots like drop shots,etc.
But coming back to the dad, he was'nt as crazy as I had earlier thought him to be. But by now,I hope he gets it, that talking his head off isn't a great idea all the time. He should even realize his own daughter might be embarassed by these things.
I then partnered Desirae to play a seasoned Cal Poly doubles team in the final.We won it 6-3,6-3. Arun and I joined to play the mixed where we lost the 1st set, but recovered well to win the 2nd and 3rd set. I had played 10 matches in 3 days...so how is my body feeling?? Sore, I can assure you, but not as bad as I had expected.I feel like I could easily play another couple of sets today. But then I didnt. I relaxed on my day off and got some household work done. Now,I surely feel rejuvenated. I have my next tournament in Redding,CA this upcoming weekend.
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Hi Niru,
I hope that many of your academy kids will come and watch you perform during matches, I cannot think of anything more inspiring for a youngster who wants to persue a career in tennis, aim for a scholarship or just play for fun.
There are no words for your accomplishment!!!, especially with your dual occupation player/coach and wife/mother. Your brother likes to ask the question: Is IT in you ? I don't know about other players, but you were blessed with tons of IT. That in combination with discipline and hard work makes a dangerous potion. I know you will do more than well at the games. You are an icon for India, and stand for what Indian women can achieve even with family and children. I feel very blessed and honoured to know you !
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