Today marked the beginning of club tennis season. I played
my first match for AS Montferrand in Clermont-Ferrand, FRA against an opposing
team from Normandy. The same team that was home to my friends Robi and Mesa in past
seasons. Unfortunately, we lost 0-6 in total, but it was still a worthwhile
experience and initiation into interclub matches. With early rain in the
morning, we were forced to play indoors on carpet. Contrary to my previous
experience, this carpet was relatively slow with weird bounces and soft Babolat
balls. My teammates were far outmatched by our opponents as two of them are 14
years old and one is nearly 30 years old. I had the most competitive match, but
I came up short on one service game in each set. I lost without any chances to
break my opponent who was a big-serving lefty. Then in our doubles, we lost in
the third-set tiebreak to a much stronger team. I did my best to carry my
partner despite his inexperience in doubles, however we came up just short.
Team matches in Europe have a very different feel in
comparison to the college matches I played in the U.S. The lack of spectators
and noise is certainly weird and changes the vibe making it feel more professional.
As someone who has played with noise from the fans and the other matches for
the last five years, I missed the adrenaline and pressure you feel from the
college environment. I can easily understand why the adjustment to the
intensity of college tennis is so difficult for freshman to come from European interclub
matches. Our next club match will be in Paris next Sunday, against the best
team in our conference so I am anticipating a challenging dual.
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