Another day in paradise at Seabright Lawn and Tennis Club on a spectacular fall morning. As a tournament progresses the parking lot gets less crowded as players who have been eliminated leave for homes around the country. There is something very different about the last couple of days of an event.
Another successful day on the courts with a win in singles and doubles. I am into the quarterfinals of the singles and semifinals of the doubles.
My singles match was against a really nice guy named Dennis Bowers from California
It was a spectacular day on Wednesday. The green grass, blue sky and all white tennis clothes. The only sound is the racket hitting the ball as there is no sound when the ball bounces. It is a spiritual and unique tennis experience.
Pictures from the Medal Ceremony
Nearly three years ago, the co chair of the Grand Masters Maccabian team, Marty Bloom, called me to see if I would come on board as the coach of this team. When I agreed he told me that USA Maccabi execs said that coaches could not play. It would be too much work and that playing would interfere with what needed to be done. I had never won a Gold medal in the Maccabian Games. It was a hole in my tennis resume.
So I, of course, had a different story. I could coach 23 slightly experienced players aged 65, 70, 75 and 80 and overs and I could compete as well. If they wanted me to coach then they would have to let me play. A typical story of mine of creating a high bar. People said that it would be too tough to keep my game at the level at which it needed to be to succeed. Not my story….
Messages from three of my grandchildren, Madelyn, Soren and Sienna
I play Joe Oren for the gold tomorrow at 9:30AM. He is a fine player who is #1 in Israel in our age group. He and I have come across each other a couple of times at Senior Davis Cup matches although we have never played.
I have been asked by my teammates what I am thinking about tonight and if I am nervous.
My old story before big matches used to be that I would be edgy, nervous, worried and filled with obsessive and repetitive thoughts about the next day. I would often be focused on my opponent. I would worry that I wouldn’t play well….
Eleven of my teammates advanced to the gold medal round today with semifinal wins. We started with twenty three players on our teams and fifteen of them will leave Israel with medals and memories of a lifetime. How many people can, in one week, march in front of 40,000 people, compete for the USA and get a bronze, silver or gold medal. It is a small number. I have come to love many of these guys as we have worked on this over the last year. We are bonded forever and I am a better person for it. For me, each medal feels like personal gold. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach these guys….
Tomorrow morning is the semis and I play a fine player from Argentina. I am a strong favorite in the minds of most of the people in the Games based on how I have moved through the draw until now. There was a time that being the favorite felt like a burden to me, but that has passed over the years. Being the favorite has to do with the past. I know that whatever happens in the past has very little to do with the present. Nadal and Federer can certainly attest to that. Everything has to do with what I bring to the court tomorrow. My opponent and I are starting the match at the same starting line. The score starts at 0-0. We both will be on the 39×78 and we both have a 3 foot net.
I know who I am and what I need to do. Play with dignity and class. Ball in the court. Play within myself. Compete for every single point. Never quit. Welcome the adversity. Be accepting of how things play out. Find solutions. Be a positive role model for my USA teammates who are playing for medals for the first time in their lives.
Play with joy!
There is very little to write about my two matches today. I won easily, playing well within myself as my opponents were unable to hurt me in any way. The red clay is slowing the pace down and I can run down any ball. Knowing that to be the case I can play with high shot tolerance, meaning I can put the ball back in play and not have concern that they will be able to hit a winner. I have made so few errors in my matches. Add that into my opponents not being able to hit winners and it is a winning formula. For my five matches in the round robin part of the tournament, I have won 40 games in a row….
