No-ad tennis games with Tony

 We each warmed up hitting balls against the wall and agreed to play some games. No-ad games. First player to score 4 points takes the game.

I don't think we were evenly matched, given Tony's much more extensive, though distant, experience. When we finally stopped after maybe 75 minutes, we each  had won close to the same number of games. Luck is always a factor. 

After playing, I was glad not to have played doubles. It could have been the no-ad format, but I had low anxiety about losing points by double faulting. I didn't feel like I wanted to hit winners against two people on the other side of the court. Maybe I didn't have the anxiety of letting down a doubles partner. Whatever the cause, I had less anxiety about hitting balls and could feel myself paying more attention to the ball, my footwork and how I swung at the ball. I had plenty of moments where I had no sensation of myself, but it wasn't on all points. If I hit a short ball on which Tony could finish the point, I didn't try to run down the ball, nor did I feel bad. After almost four years, maybe I'm learning something. 

Before quitting, we played mini-tennis for three minutes, during which I felt a greater connection to tennis than before. I could control almost 80% of the balls I hit, dropping them in the service box and achieving some accuracy. Tomorrow will be another day, though.