It has been over a week since the SPT in Västerås and I can still feel the happy vibes resonating after the weekend competition. Sofia Arvidsson and I won the tournament and of course winning can make any weekend fun, but the win felt even better since we had to put up a fight to get it. New former tennis players are rising and competition is getting tougher. This is exactly what I had so kindly asked for in my blog back in February 2017.
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The blog covered my perspective of how it is to transition from tennis to padel with hopes of catching the attention of tennis players — if they didn’t see it as advice they may have found it a bit amusing. And now, it is happening. Strong tennis women have finally taken over padel and/or are on their way to do so.
Sofia Arvidsson och Antonette Andersson - winners in Västerås.
A couple of years ago, I had attained a No. 1 ranking in Sweden, and together with my partner, I attained at least one year of consecutive wins against Swedish competition. It felt nice to have those merits but it became quite anti-climatic.
Just last year, things turned for a number of reasons. Firstly, Anna Svedenhov and Sofia Arvidsson took over the No. 1 spot. Secondly, my partner decided to go her own way so I was out of a long-term partner and was faced with the challenge of trying out different partners. Although this put a little dent in my padel routine, it turned out to be a boost for my game.
Through playing with many different partners, I learned more about my own game and how to be a flexible partner. I also learned the importance of having structure to my game which in turn, makes it easier to work together with different partners.
Another major factor contributing to my will to improve was and is the rise of the up-and-coming tennis ladies. They have sharp volleys, hard smashes, two-handed bandhands, steep learning curves and killer instincts. It is easy to get intimidated by them, but it is even easier to be inspired by them.
…Inspired to let my game continue to evolve even at my ripe age. After all, I do still have some room left in my tool box. The past year I have worked mostly on my bandejas, volleys, the walls and in general, making my selection of shots more varied.
As a solid forehand player, I’ve learned to keep the ball in play. I love defending my corner until my opponent loses patience or energy. I love running down hard smashes and turning the point around. Since I’m not a powerhouse, these are the things that get me going. However, being a classic forehand player is not enough if I’m going to keep up with the “new-comers”. I wiIl need to step it up. I will need heavier volleys, more effective smashes, quicker feet to recover the net after bandejas and/or to attack after a good chiquita, a sharper tongue to let my partner know what’s going on, and a better eye to read my opponents’ game. That’s not too much to ask for, right?
Enough of long-term goals… Short-term goals include a countdown to the adventures in Paraguay! Stay tuned…
/Antonette
