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I made a very important goal for this tournament (Holiday Adult and Junior Open at Bay Area Racquet Club). This was something I always have to do but have trouble doing. My goal was to stay relaxed and play freely with lots of love. This is a very important goal for becoming a good tennis player in my opinion.
I am surprised how many good and challenging tennis players I have met at this new level. There are always new challenges when you move up a level. At this tournament, I met some of these challenges. These challenges were not only from my opponents, but also mostly from myself. So to best prepare for my first match challenges, I went to do a warm-up with my coach. I needed to get every inch of my body moving so I can play loosely. After that, we went to check in.  I'm trying to hit a forehand... My first match was with Michelle Li. She had a great forehand that produced a lot of angle. I would mostly try to attack right at her so she can make the mistake first. I also tried to make her guess where I was going to hit. So, I tried to use a variety of shots in different places. My placement plus the type of spin and speed together, helped me win lots of points and I won this match 6-3, 6-2. When I got home, I used my roller to roll and massage my muscles knowing that if I get a pulled muscle of injury, it's going to be really hard to play or run tomorrow. Again, I was just preparing everything I could, within my ability, for the next day's match.
I woke up early on Sunday (Christmas' Eve). Because I had a match at 10:45 a.m., I needed more time to practice and warm-up my shots with my coach. When I went to practice, I hit every shot like I would at the tournament. I wanted to feel what I would feel in the match. I hit every shot freely and practiced 150%. It is very important to practice your max in order to play your max at a match or tournament. Of course, it is very hard to play like that at a tournament because of all the nerves and other feelings. I tried playing like that and it wasn't very easy  Reaching for the stars... My opponent in the Finals was Taylor Dizon. She had a really powerful serve. She would always attack if she can. And my neutralizing slices weren't working too well; and I didn't hit many shots that bounced away from her attacking strike zone. I myself tried attacking her as much as I could but she would always find a way to counter my attacks. I made Taylor move a lot which earned me some points. However, Taylor had really good patterns that also made me scrambling around the court. With a combination of experience, good shot patterns, and consistent footwork, Taylor won this match 6-4; 6-1. I have a lot things to work on--well, pretty much everything! One thing I know is, improvement comes from determination, practice, and time. I am going to use all of these to become a good tennis player. Thank you for spending time here with me... <3 Karina Zaharieva  My dad smiles. ;) |
Karina ZaharievaI'm an aspiring junior tennis player. My goal is to play professional tennis. This is my journey. I hope you enjoy my website and follow my progress. Categories
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