7 Tennis Courts and Clubs in Richmond upon Thames

Danielle: Likewise! Well done! Will definitely chuck you a message in a few weeks

Sam: Great playing with you Danielle. Let me know if you want to play in the future

David: Update: around 12 days later, we resumed our battle at the crack of dawn! Unlike last time, we were bathed in sunshine and played under glorious blue skies at Barnes! Conditions were perfect! Trailing 5-2 in the second set, I needed a miracle but refused to go down without a fight! After some excellent exchanges, I eventually held my serve and reduced the deficit to 5-3. Tony led 40-15 in the ninth game and was on the verge of victory but I struck a winner and then claimed the next point to keep my slim hopes alive! However, I failed to return a deep forehand after colliding with the fence at the back of the court and then dumped a tame backhand into the net to give Tony a deserved but hard-fought win! Well played Tony! You did the damage last time and gave me too much to do! Keep up the good work and best of luck in the rest of the league! An enjoyable match with Tony on a wet and slightly windy Monday evening at Wandsworth Common! Throughout the day, we both had a close eye on the weather forecast! It was dry for most of the day but rain was predicted at around 6pm, the start time of our match! Fortunately, the skies were clear when we arrived. The opening game was a marathon and Tony finally held serve after a number of deuces. I levelled up at 1-1 but Tony took control and accelerated into a 5-1 lead. Although I reduced the deficit to 5-2, Tony eventually claimed a long ninth game to clinch the opening set! Tony started the second set strongly and made early inroads! It was soon 3-0 and I was facing a heavy defeat. Somehow I began to click into gear and hauled myself back into contention at 3-2 with some more aggressive and purposeful forehands. Unfortunately, the heavens began to open and conditions became slippery. Unfazed by the rain, Tony was in his element and wrestled back control with some excellent groundstrokes. It was effectively over at 5-2 but the rain soon hammered down and we had no choice to run for cover and end the match! Well played Tony! You were undoubtedly the better player and you look well set to earn a third successive win in our head-to-head battle! Hope we play in better weather next time! To be continued…