Learning to compete, adapt and solve problems
Our trip to Singapore was about more than just competing. We travelled south with a clear purpose: to gain international match experience and test the level we had been working towards over the previous few weeks.
One of the important reasons for competing in ATF tournaments is the opportunity to play several high-quality matches. By making it through qualifying and reaching the main draw, a player can potentially gain at least five competitive matches against different opponents. That exposure is extremely valuable at this stage of development.
But tournaments are not just about winning matches. They are also about discovering what works, identifying weaknesses and learning how to solve problems under pressure.
The physical challenge of competing in 14U
Reefa’s first main-draw opponent was a Singaporean girl. At just 12 years old and standing approximately 142 cm tall, Reefa was competing against girls who were considerably bigger and physically more mature.
Some of the players were already around 160 cm, while others were approaching 170 cm.
At this age, the differences in physical development can be significant. Players enter puberty and experience growth spurts at different times. This affects their strength, speed, reach and ability to generate power.
For a younger and smaller player, these differences can become very noticeable during matches.
However, physical differences should not become an excuse. They simply mean that a player needs to develop more ways to compete.
Power alone is no longer enough
In her previous competitions, Reefa had built much of her success around aggressive tennis.
Her ability to hit with greater power and pace than most of her opponents was one of the main reasons she dominated the 12U category. When she attacked, opponents struggled to cope with the pressure.
That style of play helped her become a champion in her age group.
But 14U presented a different challenge.
Her opponents were stronger, had better defensive abilities and could absorb her attacking shots without necessarily giving away the point.
The first set of this match exposed that difference.
Reefa struggled to finish points with her usual attacking game. Her opponent defended well, neutralised her powerful shots and forced her to hit additional balls. As Reefa tried to do even more with her shots, unforced errors began to increase.
She found herself trailing 2-5.
This was an important lesson: the same weapon that makes a player successful at one level may not be enough at the next level.
She needed to develop a more complete way of constructing points.
Learning to change the game
Instead of giving up, Reefa began to change her strategy.
Rather than trying to hit through her opponent, she started focusing on making the ball and creating opportunities.
She worked on pushing her opponent further behind the baseline, using deeper balls to create space and then changing the height and trajectory of her shots.
High balls followed by low, sliced balls disrupted her opponent’s rhythm.
The variation made it more difficult for her opponent to attack consistently. It also affected her recovery and positioning. After being pushed backwards and then having to deal with a low ball, her opponent took longer to recover towards the centre of the court.
That extra time became Reefa’s opportunity.
She could then take control of the next shot and attack when the opportunity presented itself.
The objective was no longer to hit a winner immediately. It was to create a situation where the next attacking shot had a much higher chance of success.
Point by point, she started finding solutions.
From 2-5 down, she worked her way back and eventually won the first set 7-5.
What made this comeback particularly encouraging was that the change of strategy came from her own decision. She recognised that her original approach was not working and found another way to compete.
That was perhaps more valuable than winning the set itself.
The challenge of closing out a match
The second set presented another important lesson.
Reefa gained control and moved ahead 5-2. It looked as though she was close to finishing the match.
However, her opponent began to take more risks, particularly on shorter balls. Instead of allowing Reefa to dictate the same patterns, she started looking for opportunities to attack.
Reefa continued using much of the same strategy that had worked in the first set.
But her opponent had already started adjusting.
The points became more difficult, and Reefa began losing them one after another. Before long, the score was 5-5.
This was where another challenge emerged: emotional control.
As the opponent gained momentum, frustration started to affect Reefa’s ability to think clearly. Instead of calmly recognising what was happening and making another tactical adjustment, she struggled to find a solution.
She eventually lost the second set 5-7.
The lesson here is important. A strategy that works for several games does not necessarily continue working for the entire match.
Players must learn to recognise when an opponent is adapting and be prepared to respond.
Learning to reset
Before the third set, Reefa took a toilet break.
She returned looking fresher and started playing aggressively again. She began taking control of the points and managed to gain the lead.
This was another encouraging moment, but it also raised an important question about her development.
How can a player learn to reset emotionally without needing to leave the court?
The ability to recover after losing momentum, forget previous mistakes and focus on the next point is an essential part of competitive tennis.
It is not enough to know how to play good tennis when everything is going well. A player must also learn how to compete when things are going against her.
The third set: So close, yet so far
Leading 3-1 in the deciding set was not enough to secure the match.
Exhaustion was beginning to creep in. Reefa continued relying on her aggressive game to win points, but her opponent was not giving up either. She fought back to make it 3-3.
Reefa responded and moved ahead 4-3. The score went to 4-4, and then 5-4.
At 5-4, her opponent was serving to stay in the match.
The game went to deuce, and there were several opportunities for the opponent to close it out, with advantages coming her way on approximately three occasions. But Reefa kept fighting.
Then came the opportunity.
A match point.
The opponent missed her first serve. It was a second serve, and Reefa knew exactly what she wanted to do. Attacking the second serve was something she normally looked to do, and this was an opportunity to finish the match.
But sometimes, doing more than the situation requires is not going to help.
Instead of simply putting the return into play and applying pressure, she went for too much. The return became an unforced error.
Match point gone.
It was the only match point she had in the entire match, and she had missed it.
That was a difficult moment, because she was so close to finishing a match that had demanded so much from her.
The match eventually went into a tiebreak.
Reefa started by trailing in the first two points, losing an early mini-break. She managed to recover one mini-break but could not hold her own serve consistently enough to turn the momentum around.
Her serve was still one of the weaker parts of her game, particularly the second serve. Under pressure, this became an area her opponent could exploit.
The tiebreak ended 4-7.
And just like that, the match was over.
She almost had it. She had fought back from 2-5 in the first set, lost the second after leading 5-2, recovered in the deciding set and even had a match point.
But it slipped away.
There went our opportunity to collect valuable ATF ranking points.
What did we learn from this match?
There are several important lessons to take away from this experience.
1. Physical development changes the demands of competition.
Moving from 12U to 14U requires more than hitting harder. Smaller and younger players need to develop better movement, positioning, anticipation and tactical awareness to compete against physically mature opponents.
2. Power needs to be supported by variation.
Power and pace remain important weapons, but players must learn to use height, depth, spin, slice and changes of direction. The ability to disrupt an opponent’s rhythm can be just as valuable as hitting a powerful shot.
3. Constructing a point is more important than rushing to finish it.
A good attacking opportunity does not always come from the first aggressive shot. Sometimes, players need to push their opponents back, create space and wait for the right ball to attack.
4. Tactical awareness means recognising when something stops working.
Reefa successfully changed her approach in the first set. However, when her opponent adjusted in the second set, she struggled to find another solution. Learning to recognise tactical changes is an important next step.
5. An attacking mindset does not mean attacking every ball.
Reefa has developed the confidence to take the initiative, and that is something we want to preserve. However, attacking tennis requires good decision-making.
At match point, she had an opportunity to attack the second serve. But the objective should have been to put pressure on the opponent, not necessarily to finish the point with one shot.
Sometimes the best attacking return is simply a deep, controlled ball that puts the opponent under pressure.
6. Knowing when to simplify is a competitive skill.
When the match gets tight, players often feel the need to do something special to win the point.
But the most important points do not always require special shots. They require good decisions, good margins and discipline.
Learning to recognise the situation and choose the right level of risk is an important part of becoming a mature competitor.
7. The serve and second serve need attention.
The tiebreak exposed another weakness. Her second serve was vulnerable, and her opponent had opportunities to take control of the points.
A player cannot expect to compete consistently at a higher level if the opponent can easily attack the second serve.
Developing a more reliable second serve, with sufficient placement, spin and depth, must become a priority.
8. Physical exhaustion affects decision-making.
By the third set, fatigue was becoming noticeable. Despite that, Reefa continued trying to win points through aggression.
This is where physical conditioning and tactical discipline come together.
A tired player needs to know how to manage energy, construct points efficiently and avoid unnecessary risks.
9. Winning a match requires emotional independence.
The ability to manage frustration, recover from mistakes and maintain clear thinking under pressure is essential.
Emotional control is not about never feeling frustrated. It is about learning to make good decisions despite those feelings.
10. Being close to winning is not the same as knowing how to finish.
Reefa had opportunities to close the match. She led in all three sets and had a match point.
The next step in her development is learning how to manage those moments.
How do we maintain our composure? How do we stay disciplined when the finish line is within reach? How do we make the right decision when the pressure is highest?
These are skills that cannot be developed through drills alone. They need to be learned through competition.
11. Independent problem-solving is a major developmental milestone.
Perhaps the most encouraging moment was seeing Reefa make her own tactical adjustment when she was 2-5 down.
She did not simply wait for instructions. She recognised the problem and found a different way to compete.
That is the kind of independence we want to develop.
The value of losing
We came to Singapore looking for experience and a test of our current level.
We did not get the ranking points we hoped for, but we got something else.
We discovered that Reefa can compete with older and physically stronger players. We saw her ability to change tactics independently. We saw her fight back from difficult situations.
But we also saw the areas that still need work: tactical adaptability, emotional control, physical endurance, serve reliability and decision-making under pressure.
Winning would have been nice. The ranking points would have been valuable.
But this defeat has given us a clearer picture of what needs to be done next.
At this stage of development, learning to compete is just as important as learning to play.
Sometimes, we learn much more from a match we lose than from a match we win.
The next level of tennis is not necessarily about hitting harder. It is about making better decisions, especially when the match matters most.
