Cranky Pants ;)
Last season I was playing a ladies doubles match... It was a foggy, misty morning at a beautiful club outside of Orlando. A nice cool day to have great match but ooooooh no, I quickly recognized the ladies that we are about to play. One of them a lovely woman but her partner... not so much. I could tell it was her by the permanent scowl on her face ...oh yeah she's the one who enjoys a smoke break in between the first and second set. Let me tell you, anything that could go wrong in this match... went wrong. This lady accused me of foot fault on serve and volley, she called me for a verbal let, she accused me of crossing over the net on a mid court volley. She said I was making bad line calls, but worst accusation of all was... she said I was having too much fun, like having fun was against USTA rules somehow. That's was it~ I couldn't take anymore I called her cranky pants and told her to lighten up. We ended up winning the match in two sets woot woot~ and I gave Miss cranky pants a big hug and told her if she thinks I have too much fun durning this tennis match she should come to my next holiday party. :)
Top 5 Strategies for Dealing with Cranky Pants!!!
1. Don't react! Some players use confrontation to get in your head. This is a tactical strategy for some players. Just remain focused on what you came there to do... beat this opponent!
2. If discussion or arguing begins and it pertains to you~ let your partner handle it. (in doubles) The person who the anger is directed to should remain calm and quiet if at all possible. Just breathe wait for the next dust to settle, it always does.
3. Manage to keep your mind free from doubts. You know what kind of player and person you are. So don't your opponent steal your confidence ~No matter how rude or mean they are being.
4. Recognize your own body language. Treat people the way you want to be treated... just like our Mom's used to say. Kill your opponent with kindness and let your shots speak for themselves.
5. Smile and have fun. Life is too short to not enjoy every minute of your tennis matches.
5 1/2. Laugh at lunch while talking all about that cranky pants. :)
I've watched some tennis friends go through this empty nest syndrome. What do they do? Seems like they play more tennis. Why am I feeling like the opposite could be true? Find that happy tennis place, my new tennis place? Tennis used to be an exit from the hum drum of every day life of a house wife and mom. Exercise, friends, getting out of the house. Now what is it? What's it going to be for me as I grow old? Right now I just want to be locked away inside my house, huddled close with those babies and my love. I do not want to go out, I don't want to be with anyone else. Just here, just home, no more parties, no more tennis, no more chardonnay. Just me and my peeps together for our last unchanged holiday months. Where they are still my babies in my nest with me protecting them, where nothing else in the world matters.... Like the first month of his life when I stayed in my pjs all day, feeding him taking naps. That life was wonderful and simple. 
