Tennis obsession and breakthrough?

Someone has commented on a tennis video, “swing fast, not hard.” I dimly recall “liking” this comment two months ago.  I’m only now beginning to swing fast.  Swinging hard–that’s like hitting flatter, hitting into the ball and swinging into the court. I’d strung my racket to 60# hoping to keep balls from flying over the baseline—I’ve begun to swing over the back of the ball, finishing high and catching the racquet over my left shoulders. I thought I was already doing that, but this week it feels different, though I don’t know what it looks like. 

Swinging fast with lower string tension will do what: balls spin more or sail long?

Re the type of strings and the tension of those strings. A full bed of polyester might go “dead" in under ten hours of play. 

Next, does a lower strung racquet have less control?

I restrung the racquets at 50 lb. The Racquettune app on my phone said the stick strung with poly was 43.3# while the one strung with a multifilament read 50#. Weeks later they’re at 38 and 43 lb. Both racquets play very differently from when they were strung at 55-60#. I could put more spin on the ball because it didn’t jump off as quickly and I really felt like the ball was on the strings longer. Am I getting better or is the racquet strung more appropriately for me? 

April 1, 2023.  64° in Vegas yesterday and sunny—tennis with Tom.  I was huffing and puffing all over the court chasing down errant balls. I finally saw Tom, in his sweatsuit, barely breathing more than a hibernating bear. I asked, “why aren’t you winded like I am?” 

Tom: “I’m not moving very much.”

Me (thinking): “Yeah, you have a static ready position on your heels, you don’t split-step, you don’t chase down balls and you look like you’re here to do community service as punishment for some crime.” 

I refrained from cruelly suggesting that he play golf instead of Tennis. 

I watched him as he picked up balls—he was walking pretty slowly.  (The beat of a different drummer?) He was framing 80-90% of his volleys. 

I had theories about those things: He doesn’t want to play with me and only came out because he can’t bear the idea of offending me.  His thyroid has dropped out of gear. He’s still on Standard Time. He had a bad night. He has psychic pain. His joints hurt. Listening to jazz makes people sluggish. He needs a Tony Robbins refresher seminar.  He needs Tennis lessons. He needs golf lessons.  Maybe this is who he is now.