I started a new topic on this because I feel this discussion deviates too far away from the topic "ITF Court Pace Ratings" and may prove interesting to maybe get others point of view on this as well...
My view on competition is this:
While I LOVE tennis at least as much and maye even MORE than the next guy, I can certainly relate to "fairness" and competing with a good "spirit"...
But, in ANY "competiton" in which a "score" is kept, what is the ultimate goal?
In any "sport", be it cards, darts, team or individual sports or whatever, isn't the idea of pitting your skills against those of your opponent with the goal of either having more points as the clock winds down, crossing the line 1st, or winning the match, isn't that what it's about on the most "basic" level?
Hey, in real tennis I LOVE to hit the ball back and forth while simply rallying or drilling equally as much as playing matches...
When we're just "hittin' some balls" I'm really not about "pissing" my opponent off by hitting a million drop shots, lobs, winners or moonballs...
At the same time, unless we're working on our consistency, when one of us gets a short ball to "attack" or an open court to hit into we usually try to "win" the point...
Conversely I, like many others, absolutely ABHOR those assholes who simply want to crush "winners" on every shot...especially when we're just rallying...OR the dreaded "dinkers" and "moonballers"
However, once we start a match or set, if he wants to use that style, so be it...if HIS game trumps MY game then good for him...
If his game trips him up with too many errors for him and too many set-ups for me, then good for me...I might not ENJOY playing this particular match, but c"est la vie...
My point, (and I suppose I'm too caught up in semantics here) is that while it's nice to play a match for "pleasure" or the "fun" of it, if you're actually "keeping score" then someone wins, someone loses...
If I'm challenged in a "pick-up" set at the local park against a perceived lower level opponent, I'll try not to "show off" and make him look bad, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the game/set score...
If he/she is struggling and IF they're open to a little constructive criticism, I'll even volunteer some "tips" during the set...so it'll be a learning experience for them...
If we're at similar levels, I know I'm in for a "dogfight" but at the same time enjoying the battle (as long as it's in the spirit of "fair" play)
If I'm playing someone who is better than me and I lose, then it'll be a learning experience for me...
Boris Becker was once upset in the 2nd round at Wimbledon by little known Peter Doohan (or was it Brie Whitehead
) and when asked his feelings about the match he responded, "I didn't lose a war, nobody died, it was a tennis match!"
While I don't necessarily advocate the "win at all costs" mentality in TE that Leena and others have alluded to, the basic "object" of ANY competition at ANY level is to "win", that why it's called a "competition"...