Has anyone ever said anything to you that was awkward or memorable during or after a match?  Did you think it was a strategy?

In this episode, Erin, Wendy, and Carolyn discuss awkward things opponents and teammates have said to them during adult recreational tennis matches.

Here’s a Transcript of our Conversation with Wendy

Carolyn: 0:09
Hi, this is Carolyn, and I’m here tonight with Wendy and we thought it would be fun to discuss awkward or memorable things people say or do at changeovers or during or after the match. So, Aaron, have you had anyone say anything awkward during a match?
Erin: 0:27
Oh, yes, plenty. Ones that really come to mind are either on changeovers or after matches, when someone says like, comes to shake my hand at the net and says I’m sorry, I didn’t give you a good match, yeah, and it’s so awkward. It’s so awkward because it’s like, what do you say to that?
Carolyn: 0:43
Right, like, I used to say the score doesn’t reflect the match.
Erin: 0:47
Yeah, the old, the old standby right, one of our friends. I think that happened to her, I don’t know, a while back and she just went, it’s okay. I need to remember that because instead I like try to like make people feel better and be like no, it’s fine, you know, whatever. But some of their excuses for not giving me a good match in their mind which I would say most of my matches I feel like are good matches but I think if people don’t win, sometimes they feel like they didn’t, you know, they didn’t play well. So they say sorry, I didn’t give you a good match. But some of the some of the excuses I’ve heard were like I didn’t have enough coffee this morning, or I wasn’t focused because you know I didn’t sleep a lot last night, or it’s just an excuse for them not playing well. So but then what do I say is like the opponent, it’s just, it’s awkward. It’s just fully awkward in my opinion.
Wendy: 1:38
Well, I’ve actually said to somebody I’m having back surgery in two days. Sorry, I didn’t give you a good math.
Erin: 1:44
Okay, that’s legit, though that’s legit. That’s legit, oh, that’s legit.
Wendy: 1:47
Yeah, it was. It sounds hollow when I say it now.
Erin: 1:51
Yeah, Well. And it makes the other person think like, well, did I not play well? You know, are you just like? Does the opponent say they didn’t play well, or is it just that you did play?
Wendy: 2:01
No, I think. I said, to be sure you would have beat the disc no matter what. But I didn’t want you to think that I was a completely lazy, but I mean I wasn’t running because really I can’t, but I really enjoyed watching your balls go by. To be sure you would have beat me no matter what.
Erin: 2:22
Well, that’s’s that’s. That’s maybe a better way to say it. I like that. That’s funny.
Wendy: 2:26
I’m always concerned about, like, letting my partner down, you know, right? So I, I know that um, and this actually happened today and you’re like, hey, look, you know, I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to warm up and it’s well. It’d be good if you could get it over the net, all right. And I said that’s right, that is my intention, that I promise you. We’re on the same page there.
Erin: 2:52
That reminds me of a story. I totally forgot about this till just now, just thinking about like not disappointing my partner. But my partner was having a bad day in a doubles match and I said to her I need a bar. I just, I just looked at her and I was like I need a bar right now and she was like Okay, I like she thought I meant like a drinking bar and I meant like a protein bar. So from now, like from then on, I was like I have to be careful with my words, because she had the look in her eyes was like oh my gosh, I think my partner’s gonna go over and like do a shot or drink up, you know, whatever it was. It was like a morning match, but I just said I need a bar, meaning I needed to eat something. Yes, yes.
Wendy: 3:34
And I know exactly what you meant. So now I’m worried about the other person that that’s the first place they went that they, that they’re gonna get, that they’re going to a bar.
Erin: 3:43
Yeah, yeah, I had this woman get really really upset with me in a match and because I was questioning the score, because I really legitimately thought she had called the score wrong once or twice and it may have been just me not paying attention, you know, but I was like what you know, I was like going back to receive the ball and I kind of stopped her mid not mid serve, but she called out the score and I was like wait, I don’t think that’s right.
Erin: 4:05
And she like blew up at me and after the match was over she apologized for, you know, screaming at me. But she said I thought this was really funny. She said the reason I got so upset and screamed at you is because I played in a match yesterday and there was a woman that kept questioning me on the score then too, and I was so mad because I didn’t stick up for myself and so I just decided today I was, and my first thought was like well, if she questioned you yesterday on the score and I’m questioning you today on the score, you might be the constant factor.
Carolyn: 4:38
Yeah yeah.
Wendy: 4:56
I still feel bad just going, are you sure? Because I swear I heard tape or something like that.
Wendy: 5:02
So I’m always chatty, I guess because I’m always trying to diffuse the situation. In fact, I’ve told you all this before. I think it also gives me the tattoo on my forehead that says tell me your life story. Yes, so I’ve had people come and tell me those hidden, dark secrets that you wouldn’t I wouldn’t even maybe, share with family or, you know, best friend or a priest. You know, those are things that just don’t come out and and I’m like I just don’t know why, you told me that your husband cheated on you. But there’s some weird things that have come out that I know I must have blinking light somewhere that says, please, you know, tell me everything.
Erin: 5:46
You’re easy to engage with. Number one, I know, you know you’re just really easy to talk to. But I think people probably also. I mean, maybe those women just don’t like awkward silences or they don’t want, you know they don’t. They want to talk on the changeover, so it’s like whatever’s going on in their life, unlike Carolyn who does not like to talk on changeovers. People have said stuff to her and it like throws her your whole game off right.
Carolyn: 6:10
Yeah Well, say, someone’s told me about their divorce before Someone’s told me about they had just gotten back from a job interview and that they you know they were really nervous and really needed to get the job, and all I can think I’m like, is this a strategy? And then a part of me is just like they need the W more than I do today. You know, like I really want. There’s a part of me that wants them to win at that point and so See, that’s what.
Erin: 6:33
That’s what, Carolyn, when someone is friendly with her, then she’s like oh, then she feels guilty beating them, Cause she thinks they’re friends.
Wendy: 6:40
You can’t have it both ways. You’re like you’re sure that they’re sabotaging you with their chat, but then you’re going to feel bad.
Carolyn: 6:47
There’s a lot of mixed emotions. Yes, a lot of mixed emotions.
Wendy: 6:51
But listen, I’ve had a captain tell me at states. You know, stop, stop with the chatting. You’re, you’re, you’re conspiring with the enemy. Really she was conspiring with the enemy.
Erin: 6:59
Really, she was conspiring with the enemy, yeah.
Wendy: 7:02
On public high school court or you know, or downtown, with construction going on and grass growing out of the court. I’m like, yep, you’re right, yeah, they got me. I mean, yeah, attendance conspiracy, yeah, attendance conspiracy.
Erin: 7:18
Oh, that’s funny. That was the same states that someone told you that you needed to win your court, right?
Wendy: 7:23
Oh yeah, that was when I yeah, that’s the same one, and in fact I had asked I had fallen down beautifully not even gracefully and knocked the fire out of my head and the same person came up to me while I’ve got blood on my hand thinking do I know my name? What day of the week is it? Can I name the year? And she leans down and just says okay, you need to win this court, the others get lost.
Erin: 7:48
See, now that’s something weird that someone says to you on the court.
Wendy: 7:54
Yes.
Erin: 7:54
But in this situation it’s your own teammate.
Wendy: 7:56
It’s my own teammate, yeah.
Carolyn: 7:59
Have you guys ever had? Also, where you think it’s some sort of strategy that people do at changeovers, Like I’ve had before somebody comment on my serve being very good and then of course you know I don’t hit another good serve, Not the serve, not that.
Erin: 8:15
The old serve strategy?
Carolyn: 8:17
Is that a serve strategy? Is that if someone does a good serve, you then mention it at the changeover. I’ve had stuff like that happen before. Have you guys had anything like that?
Wendy: 8:26
I think that happened. I actually took it at face value that I had a good serve that day.
Erin: 8:32
I think it’s yeah, no, I’ve not only nobody’s ever said it to me on changeover, but I’ve had it happen during a game. And then, yeah, you proceed to double fault the next two or three points. Yeah, it just kind of gets in your head. There was one that this didn’t happen to me, but one of our teammates told me, I don’t know, a short time ago that she played against a woman that told her that she would be a really good tennis player if she could just get her first serve in.
Wendy: 9:02
oh, that’s like me getting it over the net right yeah, that’s basically yeah yeah, we, we could win a point if you, if you got it over the net yeah yeah, you know this, and right up. I mean, there’s a club that we play that’s notorious for strategy and in between the sets, no matter what, take a bathroom take a bathroom break and it’s a long it’s usually when they lost the first set. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it happen if they’ve won the set I think it happens always.
Erin: 9:34
You do I mean, but it’s, it’s and I’ll tell you, those bathrooms are very far away, so it’s a long lull between sets.
Carolyn: 9:41
Yeah, so it’s. I mean it’s. I go to the bathroom a lot between sets though I do have to but I feel like you rush like yeah, I do, but if someone’s okay, let me make sure I’m following the logic here.
Wendy: 9:53
If they compliment your serve, it’s a strategy, it’s a strategy if they chat with you, it’s strategy, but inordinate long. Bathroom breaks is not a strategy. That it’s a strategy. If they chat with you, it’s strategy, but inordinate long bathroom breaks Is not a strategy that doesn’t bother me at all, isn’t?
Carolyn: 10:06
That doesn’t bother me at all, because I normally, if someone says they’re going to go to the bathroom, I always go. I’m like maybe I’ll go too.
Erin: 10:15
That is true.
Wendy: 10:16
Okay.
Erin: 10:16
This is actually just therapy for Carolyn.
Wendy: 10:18
It really is. This is free therapy.
Erin: 10:21
I’m just trying to figure out your issues.
Carolyn: 10:24
I only have a couple, as you can tell.
Wendy: 10:27
If we’re uncovering some stuff. I don’t know what I’m aware of.
Carolyn: 10:31
I know I have said a few things on the court I wish I wouldn’t have, but please let us know. If anyone has said to you anything strange or funny, you can message us on our website, which is SecondServePodcastcom. Thanks so much for listening and hope to see you on the court soon.