Florida Exchange Program Day 7
I wanna keep this up!
I don't want to change my plan, movements, mindset, or anything if I don't have to!
What's most important now isn't doing my best so I can win.
Game: Maruo. 5-all.
It's doing what I've always done before:
believing in myself!
Game: Maruo. 6-5.
Maruo leads.
Game, set.
Winner: Maruo. Score: 7-5.
Finally...
I finally won!
My first win in America!
Oh, right, before I forget...
Right before your first point, you fixed your strings and took a deep breath.
You played a lot better after that.
Yeah!
There's no real reason for that, though.
After you fell, you instinctively went to fix your strings.
It was a task someone as methodical as you could do proactively.
You then turned it into a logical routine and repeated it.
If you turn a proactive task into a routine,
its effect is that much greater.
Your logic directed
your superb instinctive decision to a positive result.
Your instincts chose the best method to win.
You felt it was okay to believe in yourself, right?
Yeah!
Honestly, I was just desperate.
Hey, Maruo.
You can finally play against Soji now.
That's right...
I won a match, so I get to play a match against Ike-kun.
Thanks, Alex.
Believing in myself turned out to be really important.
Ike-kun!
I finally won!
Oh, cool!
So, when do you think we can play a match?
Well... It's too late today,
so how about tomorrow before breakfast?
I'm fine with that, of course.
Then I'll ask the coach, just in case.
He'll be at the party tonight, too.
Party?
Oh? You hadn't heard?
Data for the Future
Six, five, four,
three, two, one...
Happy New Year!
Oh, right...
It's already New Year's.
Hey, now, did you seriously forget?
Everyone here goes home for Christmas,
but we celebrate the New Year together here.
Oh...
Oh, Eichiro!
Marcia and Alex!
So you finally won today, huh?
It's all thanks to me!
What?
Uh... Thanks, Marcia.
Ahem!
Hey, once you finish that, head back and get to bed.
What?!
But I just got here!
That's not fair! You get to have all the fun!
Don't argue. Do you realize what time it is?
Jeez, stop treating me like a kid!
You already had enough fun, didn't you?
I get how she feels,
What if you can't get up tomorrow morning?
but Marcia's still only thirteen.
I can get up just fine!
Thirteen?!
Which means...
In Japan, she'd be in her first year at middle school?!
What?
I thought she was around my age.
What are you staring at?!
Ow! That hurts!
You're way too full of yourself, Eichiro!
That's amazing, So-chan!
You're totally meant to play tennis!
You think so?
But...
I'm good at baseball and soccer, too.
You should definitely play tennis!
You'll totally get really good at it, So-chan!
Shut up!
I'm a genius at everything!
But I guess I wouldn't mind getting a little more serious about tennis.
Yeah!
Sub: Ei-chan So when Ei-chan gets over there, help him out, will you? I think he'll get a lot better. That way, I think you'll get even better too, So-chan!
Natsu hasn't said anyone would "get better" since way back then.
Maruo-kun!
Oh, Ike-kun!
Our match tomorrow morning was approved.
But there's something else that I've been meaning to ask you.
What's going on between you and Natsu?
G-Going on? Where'd this come from?
I guess you'd say, uh... W-We're friends.
Oh?
Speaking of, you've been friends with Nat-chan since you were kids, right?
Yeah. I'm also her fiancé.
I was waiting for that response!
Is that true? Or a joke?
Which is it?
I-It's a joke!
For real?
S-Sorry, it was a joke!
The serious ones are scary when they get mad.
It was really a joke?
I swear it was a joke! C'mon, forgive me!
Hey, what's everyone so excited about?
We're talking about Maruo's girlfriend.
What?! Eichiro, you have a girlfriend?!
On that day,
I got to talk with everyone about a lot of things.
We talked about our families, significant others, friends...
And about our favorite tennis athletes.
We even talked about our futures in tennis.
In the end, we just talked about tennis.
And the next morning, the first of the new year,
Florida Exchange Program Day 11 January 1st
my first opponent of the year was on the court.
Hey.
Good morning.
Did you have fun last night?
Yeah.
Despite some setbacks, it looks like you're having a good time here.
Every day goes by so quickly.
I think this is the first winter break I've had that's gone by this fast.
There were times when I was too disappointed to have fun.
But this was the first time I ever felt that way because of tennis.
All of those experiences together
made me realize how much I enjoy tennis.
I'm glad I got to come here.
That's good.
We don't have much time, so let's play one set.
All right.
From the moment I started tennis, up to now...
I thought it was fun.
I wanted to keep playing forever, so I wanted to go pro.
But after coming here
and meeting so many different people,
I realized it wasn't just fun.
There's still so much I don't know.
That makes me believe there are other joys I've yet to experience, too.
Ike-kun is the same age as I am
and chose to go pro.
I wonder what kind of life he has,
and how he feels about it.
Hey, Ike-kun.
What's it like being a pro?
That's a pretty broad question.
Oh, I mean like... tennis, and your life, and how you feel about it...
I thought some of that might change.
You want me to tell you?
Okay. If you beat me.
Wha—
How mean can you get?!
How likely does he think it is that I'll win?!
B-But if I say it's not possible,
it'd be like admitting defeat, and I don't want that!
Okay!
Let's play.
Okay.
Bring it!
Go in!
It hit the net!
But Ike-kun will get it.
A lob?
P-Please reach it!
No, I will reach it!
All right, 15-love.
He got to my smash and the ball that clipped the net,
and he even won the point!
Not only did he return both my luckiest shot and my best shot on this court,
he also won the point!
Then... What can I do to win points?
What kind of shot do I make?
30-love.
Was it out?
It was in!
40-love.
Game: Ike. 0-1.
How is this game so one-sided, it's scary?
I thought he was great before, but this goes beyond that!
Maybe it's because he's up against an amateur like me,
but he's thorough in his offense and never regrets the risks in it.
No matter where I hit it, he'll return it for a point in the next instant.
Where did all my hard work go?
No, that's not it!
I can understand this intensity because of that hard work!
Game: Ike. 0-2.
3-0.
Most of my strokes are returned and scored with short rallies.
Ike-kun missed only five opportunities to score on me.
This is the intensity of someone who's competing to be the best in the world!
Game: Ike. 0-4.
5-0.
I'm getting a glimpse into the world of a top-level pro.
All right, that's 6-0.
I win!
D-Damn...
H-He's too strong.
Hey...
When I asked you what it's like to be a pro,
and you said that you'd tell me if I won,
did you mean I'd understand if I won?
You have your own pro world, and Alex has his.
And only those who keep winning
and go pro can understand what that world is like.
You were telling me to become a pro and experience it myself, right?
Like I said, you have to beat me to find out.
See you later!
I want to get better!
Much better!
Florida Exchange Program Day 13
It's already the thirteenth day.
Tomorrow is the last day of my Florida exchange program.
Today will probably be my last practice match here.
Game. Winner: Terry. Score: 7-5, 6-4.
Damn it!
The second 4-5 game... That was it!
If I hadn't made such a stupid mistake, I could've turned that game around!
Have I been focusing too much on winning since I went pro?
Thinking about it after losing won't change the results.
Dad...
No matter how much you regret it, you can't go back to that second 4-5 game.
I know that already, but still...
What are you panicking for?
It looks to me like you've felt pressured to win since you turned pro.
Yeah. That's probably it.
But is that wrong?
I knew your business wasn't going well.
But you didn't say anything, put me through school, and even hired me a coach.
Of course.
And now you're putting Marcia through school, too.
So I did my best to hurry and go pro,
so I could win tournament prize money to help you out.
But instead, I just keep losing.
I'm making you suffer even more.
Thinking about stuff like that is what makes you obsess over the past.
Forget such silly things.
You prevailed, didn't you?
What is there in your past for you to regret?
Stop looking back, believe in yourself, and face forward!
Alex!
Why don't you play Maruo today?
With Alex?
I'd appreciate it, but he rejected me
on the first day because he'd rather play with another pro.
And this time, there's no deal for a chance to play against Ike-kun.
There's no way he'd accept.
Okay.
Huh?! He agreed?
All right, since the tournament's coming up,
we'll make it a three-set match.
Three sets, even?
Does this mean he's starting to respect me?
Or is it because this is his last chance to play a match with me?
No, that's not what's important right now.
Only the results will determine who is worthy of facing Alex.
I learned how important results were the hard way during my two weeks here.
I want to win.
Three-set match. Alex to serve.
Which one?
Maruo's been feeling pretty confident since he beat you.
Nah, it'll probably be Alex.
You never know.
Maruo's gotten a lot better.
During these two weeks, I learned that when Alex serves from the deuce court,
Wide 60% (Slice)
he uses a wide slice 60% of the time.
The rest of his serves are flat with a spin and up the center.
Center 30% (Flat Spin)
And after a spin, he tends to rush to the net.
I'll use this data and everything I've learned here...
to win!
It's a spin up the center!
I have to get to the ball while it's on the rise,
before Alex comes forward!
So heavy!
He was able to stop it!
Alex hasn't made it to the net yet!
That was a weak hit!
All right!
Love-15.
Whoa!
That's way different from how he played before!
That's why I said you never know.
Even from the ad court, he aims wide 60% of the time,
and up the center 30% of the time.
But unlike on the deuce court, I have to watch for the wide flat shot.
Nice return!
But that wasn't enough.
Cross-court is ideal for a forehand!
Opposite?!
Out. Love-30.
Th-Thank goodness!
Aw, what a waste.
No, Maruo basically just forced him to miss.
Right now, Alex is far more skilled than I am.
I'm no match for his technique, power, or experience.
But I can make up the gap between us by making use of what I've studied!
I will win, and I'll see what lies beyond!
Yes!
Game: Maruo. 1-0.
I can't believe he broke Alex's serve.
Game: Maruo. 2-0.
Game: Alex. 2-1.
Game: Maruo. 3-1.
Game: Alex. 3-2.
I never would've expected this game to progress like this after Maruo's one-break lead.
My pattern of going in with a forehand after my serve is obvious to him.
So this is the power of those notebooks?
Game: Maruo. Maruo leads, 4-2.
Just two weeks ago, Maruo wasn't even worth a second look.
And now, because of his meticulous reviewing, he's leading this game.
Fault!
A flat wide shot from the deuce court?
I've never seen that pattern in his serves before.
A slice up the middle!
This is new, too!
A slice backhand!
But he's been pivoting forward with a forehand or using a spin until now!
Oh, crap!
15-love.
It's starting to deviate from my data...
I know exactly what's in those notebooks.
It's my own past. I just didn't look back on it.
If you think you've figured me out in just two weeks, you're sorely mistaken.
I'll be using that notion against you.
This tennis differs from my data...
If Alex is changing his strategy, does that mean he caught on to my strategy?
Which means I broke through the first phase!
This proves that the tactics in my notebook worked!
I knew that Alex would change his strategy if what I wrote worked.
In the second phase, he was focused on the opposite half of the court.
His ad court serves go toward the center now rather than wide.
Wide
Center
Look out for spins more than flats!
Before now, if it spun at the center, he'd dash forward.
But now, he's not coming forward!
Push forward while I can still read the situation!
Use my control to reach the back!
Return dash!
Yes!
15-all.
He saw through me again.
How was he able to see that?
After he confirmed that I wasn't coming to the net,
he started hitting to my backhand.
He focused on volleying and didn't let me pivot for my forehand.
He steadied his delivery, and now he's trying to lock me in a stalemate.
Is he waiting for me to make a move first?
If that's the case,
I'll pivot, and hit up the line with my forehand!
There it is!
15-30.
Yes!
That's amazing.
He met that forehand with a return ace.
He read Alex's moves.
I know now.
It's not about technique.
His strategy is a step ahead of mine.
Does this mean he's gone so far as to envision
what it's like to have these returned?
That he knows what patterns to expect next if I change my strategy?
If he's writing not just from the past,
but also what could happen in the future,
I've underestimated those notebooks.
I finally understand what Soji was talking about.
But he probably won't let you win so easily.
That may very well be the case.
But...
I will win this match!
Out!
15-40!
Game: Maruo. 5-2.
Whoa!
He broke Alex's serve again!
You prevailed, didn't you?
What is there in your past for you to regret?
Stop looking back, believe in yourself, and face forward!
Dad, I've played offensively while only looking forward,
never fearing mistakes or looking back.
I've gotten this far because I was able to do so.
But I'm missing something necessary to move forward...
Even if I can't change the past,
if there's something there that can change the future...
Time!
Maybe there are pasts that are
meant to be forgotten, and others meant to be accepted.
15-love.
Out. 30-love.
Alex is starting to make more errors now.
Yeah...
He's not only attacking with his forehand,
he's starting to use his backhand, too.
Normally you'd never see someone on his level do such a thing.
30-15.
Like changing his basic style in the middle of a match.
That's probably why he's missing so much.
Out. 40-15.
Out!
First set winner: Maruo.
Score: 6-2.
I can't believe it!
Maruo won a set!
He would've won the whole thing if it weren't a three-set match!
No, I think Alex is knowingly playing this as a three-set match.
All right. That was worth one ball.
It's not that my backhand is bad. I'm just confident in my forehand.
If you're coming at me with data,
I'll just have to play in a manner that you can't figure out.
It'll take a bit of time to get used to this style of play,
but I can adjust it.
Your notebook was impressive.
Those strong backhands will eventually score a point.
If that happens, I won't be able to use my strategy from before.
This is where...
This is where the real match starts!
Next Time
His play style is different now.
I have to find a way to deal
with the different serves without relying on my data.
Isn't there some way to narrow down all the possibilities?
I can't think of anything!
If that's the case, I'll use a simpler strategy.
I won't let him use his forehand so easily!
That's it!
Watch carefully and go for it!
Next time on Baby Steps,
Awakening to Simplicity
"Awakening to Simplicity."
End