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William Henzell's Blog Sep 29

I had a day of ups and down yesterday during the qualifying stage of the World Cup in Liverpool. I finally got hold of the German Olympic team shirt from my friend Patrick Baum that we didn't quite manage to do in London. From the start of my first match I felt slow, had difficulty moving and lacked consistency. I played Pierr-Luc Theriault from Canada who at just 18 is certainly a name for the future. I did some training with him during my preparations for the London Olympics when the Canadian team came to train at the Werner Schlager Academy in Vienna. I particularly struggled with playing several topspins in a row. I'd spin the first ball up and then stop to watch the action with no sense of recovery. I'd be in a poor position to continue the rally and made so many mistakes on my next attack.

I really should have lost the match. I went down 1-3 and was not looking good. I tried my keep my play as simple as I could after that, playing with greater margin for error and focusing on trying to improve stepping in and out from the table. I also changed my serve, using mostly my backspin pendulum serve which gave me half long returns which I could attack. I turned the game around and won the next three sets 11-6, 11-5, 11-6. I had a chat with the Danish coach after the match, who the Canadians had hired in to coach Pierre-Luc for the day, and he said that it had been a good effort to find solutions to get out of the situation I was in. Finding solutions when what you're doing isn't working is important for winning matches.

Finally got my shirt

I then played Ali Ahmed Saleh from Egypt who I had lost against 13-11 in the 7th set at last year's World Cup. I went through periods of playing 4 great points in a row and then missing 4 first opening topspins in a row. I had problems maintaining my consistency. In last year's match I led 3-1 in sets and 7-3 in the 5th set. At that stage I think he got a stroke of luck with one of his shots clipping the top of the net and just rolling over. He then turned the match around and I missed out on winning the group and gaining a place in the main World Cup. Yesterday I led 3-1 in sets and 6-3 and the same thing happened. I can tell you some nasty thoughts went through my mind at that stage. But I've been working on ways to combat distracting, negative thoughts. It's a matter of consciously accepting those thoughts and then consciously moving on by thinking about what you are going to do instead of worrying or getting upset. I maintained my mind and momentum, taking the match 4-1. I felt it was a personal victory and validation I've improved part of myself.

In the final match I played Thiago Monteiro from Brazil for the group win. It went bad from the start and didn't get better. He made it difficult for me by moving me around and I was often later to the ball and tried to overhit. I struggled with most of my game. I couldn't get my serves right - when I tried to keep my tomahawk serve low and fast, I served a let (sometimes 4 in a row). When I tried to go a little higher to clear the net, the serve would go half long and he is very good at attacking that ball. When I tried to get it shorter but still maintain spin, the ball went too slow and high which defeats the purpose of the serve. Again my first attacks, especially with the forehand gave me problems and I couldn't find the right timing. I lost 0-4. Given the circumstances I was pleased with having won two out of three matches. It could have been a lot worse.

I wouldn't have minded taking it easy and watching some matches for the next couple of days. But Samsonov asked me if I could warm him up for his deciding group match today and I was not about to say thanks, but no thanks Vladi.

Published date: 
Sat, 09/29/2012 - 16:45