Maruo Eiichiro Ide Yoshiaki
If I want to be freed from pressure and face him purely on our tennis,
I have to rise above the pressure.
So instead of trying to ignore the pressure like I have been,
if I actually write it down...
There are about five times as many people watching as normal,
and more than 90% of them want Ide-kun to win.
Ide-kun is coming into this match with his promise to that injured boy on the line.
He excels at such critical moments and close matches.
No, not only that.
It's the second round of the Kanto Junior.
If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals.
If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals If that happens, I have to give up on going pro
If that happens, I have to give up on going pro.
There's more than I expected...
Maybe averting my eyes was keeping it all indistinct,
which actually only added to the pressure.
Time.
In any case, I should try confronting the things I've been averting my eyes from.
This set will decide the winner.
Otherwise, look only at Ide-kun as always,
and face him head-on!
Visualize the Pressure
Maruo-kun doesn't even compare to the player he used to be.
It looks as though he's struggling with this unique "Ide Theater" atmosphere,
but what he'll ultimately need to overcome it
is mental control.
Maruo Eiichiro
Mental
Mental Strength Judgment Strategic Ability
What will Maruo-kun do?
I wrote down all the things that might cause me pressure in my notes.
There are about five times as many people watching as normal More than 90% of them want Ide-kun to win Ide-kun is coming into this match with his promise to that injured boy on the line Ide-kun excels at such critical moments and close matches If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals If that happens, I have to give up on going pro
If averting my eyes didn't work, I'll try confronting it.
Then, when play begins...
Focus on Ide-kun!
15-love.
What was that?
That was fast!
That serve was incredible.
Did my shoulder rotate more smoothly because the excess tension is gone?
So the pressure really was making me waste more energy than I realized?
Okay, one more time!
Clearly visualize my stress factors between points,
and during play, focus on my opponent.
My legs are moving well, too!
Go!
Out. 15-all.
So close!
But Ei-chan's pushing him harder now!
He's moving much more smoothly.
I moved too much that time.
It was an error, but it wasn't bad.
Since I cleared up what had me in knots on the inside,
my body itself feels relieved, too!
His movements have improved again.
What's with this guy?
With the excess tension gone, my body feels more flexible.
Spin it down the line!
That way?!
30-15.
Yes!
Since I'm able to prepare for shots more smoothly,
I can wait for the ball to come to me and decide where to hit it at the last second.
There are about five times as many people watching as normal More than 90% of them want Ide-kun to win Ide-kun is coming into this match with his promise to that injured boy on the line Ide-kun excels at such critical moments and close matches If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals If that happens, I have to give up on going pro
I'm not sure why,
but by repeating the cycle of acknowledging the pressure
and then focusing on the match,
I feel like the pressure has gradually lightened.
Then, one more time...
The moment I toss the ball up,
I can tell I'm more relaxed than in the previous point.
I can see my opponent better!
This might be
how I've always played.
40-15.
He's...
That's it, Ei-chan!
Game: Maruo. 1-0.
Final set.
Yes! I held!
Hey, Maruo kept a tight hold on his serve this time!
This is turning into a seriously awesome match!
But once it's down to the wire, Ide's got it!
Onii-chan, you can do it!
Interesting.
If we're an even match in skill,
let's fight this out to the very end!
15-love.
Whoa! Ide really is awesome!
Now keep that up!
C-Come on, Ei-chan!
Be strong, Maruo-kun!
Game: Ide. 1-all.
Maruo Eiichiro Ide Yoshiaki
Final set.
I'm sure it's better to confront the pressure,
but it must be even better to have less stress to begin with.
Then...
There are about five times as many people watching as normal More than 90% of them want Ide-kun to win Ide-kun is coming into this match with his promise to that injured boy on the line Ide-kun excels at such critical moments and close matches If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals If that happens, I have to give up on going pro
I should visualize the pressure,
then imagine erasing it.
Love-15.
Yes!
Ide got a return ace!
How did he even aim there?
Break his serve here!
Still, considering I hadn't even erased half of it,
that wasn't bad.
There are about five times as many people watching as normal More than 90% of them want Ide-kun to win Ide-kun is coming into this match with his promise to that injured boy on the line Ide-kun excels at such critical moments and close matches If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals If that happens, I have to give up on going pro
Clearly visualize the pressure again,
erase as much as I can,
and then focus on Ide-kun!
It faded more than last time!
15-all.
Yes!
This definitely works better!
Game: Maruo. 2-1.
Final set.
Maruo held serve again!
Yosshi!
Oh, so all the yelling was coming from this court.
Araya.
That Maruo's doing pretty well.
Ide's always best in the final set, and he's keeping him on even ground.
Does that mean he's gotten better again?
Well, Ide-kun will probably win, though.
Huh?
You won your match, Okada?
Yeah, just now.
Hey, Okada, what makes you say Ide will win?
If they're on even footing, and it gets down to the wire,
it's mental strength that'll do the talking in the end.
And I've never seen anyone as strong under pressure as he is.
Yes!
When we were 12, we were selected to train abroad.
He was incredible in the Florida Junior Championship.
All of us kids were freaked out to be overseas for the first time,
but he was genuinely enjoying it.
Hey, you!
You're gonna be in the match, right?
Wanna warm up with me?
In situations where everyone else is scared, he can enjoy himself.
Then, when the match started...
All right!
He attracted an audience with his usual aggressive tennis.
The press and experts praised the strength of his heart.
They said he was on a different level,
and that it wouldn't be surprising to see him playing among the world's best in a few years.
But it's Maruo who pulls it off at times like that!
What's going on today is the ideal situation for Ide!
I think you're both right.
This is truly a tough match to predict.
And no matter which one wins,
they'll be a real threat to us.
First, visualize the pressure clearly, and confront it.
Then erase as much of that image as possible.
Once I feel all my excess tension draining,
focus only on Ide-kun...
And throw him off by changing the pace!
Down the line!
Game: Maruo. 4-3.
Final set.
Yes! I held!
I was right.
Instead of just visualizing the causes of my stress,
imagining erasing them frees me from it.
Don't run, but confront it.
Stare
Once I confront it, visualize it disappearing.
It'll take time and effort, but I can beat the pressure!
Ide! You've gotta hold serve!
Onii-chan! You can do it!
Time.
Maruo Eiichiro Ide Yoshiaki
Game: Ide. 5-all.
Final set.
So the first to get a two-game lead wins?
It's Maruo's serve next.
Ide will naturally try to break that.
Ide! Break his serve!
Yosshi! Finish it here!
It all comes down to this, Ide!
Ei-chan! You can do it!
That's Takasaki Natsu!
She's in the same club as Maruo.
Nat-chan...
That's right! You can do it!
Ei-chan!
You have to hold this serve!
Maruo, don't let the adversity beat you!
I'm rooting for you!
That's right. There are people cheering for me, too.
If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals.
If that happens, I have to give up on going pro.
Ide-kun excels in close matches like these.
Maruo Eiichiro Ide Yoshiaki
It's 5-all in the final set.
The first point is vital.
The things causing me stress keep increasing as the match goes on.
So...
There are about five times as many people watching as normal More than 90% of them want Ide-kun to win Ide-kun is coming into this match with his promise to that injured boy on the line Ide-kun excels at such critical moments and close matches If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals If that happens, I have to give up on going pro It's 5-5 in the final set The first point is vital
I have to visualize erasing the pressure more carefully.
Fifteen seconds.
It's gone!
Love-15.
Yes!
Another return ace!
At this point, Ide's the best there is!
He got me.
But that wasn't my best serve.
I was able to visualize erasing the pressure better than before,
so why?
Right after the image disappeared, I felt my body relaxing.
Does that mean I shouldn't erase it completely?
A serve is the one shot you hit with your own strength alone.
That's why it's easily influenced by your mental state.
At any rate, visualizing the pressure and erasing it has proven more effective.
I lost the first point in my serve game.
If he breaks my serve now, it'll be hard to recover.
I lost the first point There are still too many unknowns It's 5-5 in the final set If I lose, I can't go to the nationals If he breaks, it'll be hard to recover I'll have to give up on going pro Not enough time
Crush
Just the act of visualizing my pressure is stressful now.
Fifteen seconds.
There are about five times as many people watching as normal More than 90% of them want Ide-kun to win Ide-kun is coming into this match with his promise to that injured boy on the line Ide-kun excels at such critical moments and close matches If I lose here, I can't go to the nationals If that happens, I have to give up on going pro It's 5-5 in the third set I lost the first point If he breaks, it'll be hard to recover
I don't have time to erase it all anymore.
Just visualize erasing as much as I can...
That's as far as it'll go?
Fault.
What was that?
It was a fault, but it was crazy fast.
Maruo hits some incredible shots sometimes.
Who could hit a shot like that in these circumstances, though?
It was a fault,
but my body moved much more sharply than when I erased the pressure completely.
So it's better if I don't erase the pressure completely?
How much should I leave, then?
If about 30% of it was left on that last shot,
Pressure
then about 40%?
How's that?
Love-30.
Yes!
Ide! Two more points!
All right! You've got it!
If he wins the next point, it'll be love-40.
I'm out of chances.
Pressure Pressure Pressure
40% didn't work.
My intuition tells me 20-30% would be best.
Pressure
But the size of the pressure changes every time.
Even worse, it's grown to a size I've never experienced before,
so I don't know exactly how big it is.
There's no way I can accurately judge the size of my pressure!
Fifteen seconds.
He's thinking about something again.
I've gotta be careful when that happens.
Visualize the causes of my pressure,
Pressure
then imagine erasing it,
leaving just a little.
That was fast!
It's working!
15-30.
Yes!
Good! That definitely went well!
It'll work!
It's best to leave 20-30% of my pressure unerased!
I'm so nervous, I think I'll fall over before he does.
Yeah, we know his future's riding on this.
Now that he's come this far, I want to give him the win!
Today's a little different from usual.
Usually, Yosshi's opponent in a close match would start to freak out by now.
But Maruo-kun is...
Idiot! If that's what you think, cheer for him more!
Yosshi! This is it!
Win this one, and you've got break point!
Yosshi!
Come on... Come on... Come on...
I've figured out how to play strong
in a high-pressure situation like this.
All that's left is to believe in myself and find out
how well I can see it through.
I'll conquer myself
and Ide-kun!
Visualize erasing all but 20-30% of the pressure.
Once I feel the excess tension draining,
focus!
30-all.
Yes!
I was right. It's working really well!
Now just stay focused!
Maruo came back from love-30.
There's really no telling how this will end.
It's coming crosscourt!
40-30.
This feeling...
I've felt it before.
Game: Maruo.
Score: 6-5. Final set.
Seriously?!
Ide! You've gotta hold!
All right! Way to hold serve!
Holding on here made a big difference!
If he takes the next game, he wins, right?
If you can keep the pressure under control,
you can beat Ide for sure!
That's right.
It was when I played Alex in Florida,
and in my match with Araya-kun, too.
I found a balance between my reason and instinct,
and I was able to play really well.
So as I used my reason to visualize the pressure and played instinctively,
I stumbled across that perfect balance?
Then if I can keep this up,
even just for this next game...
The next game is critical.
But if I can overcome it, I can win.
So, guys, lend me even more of your strength now.
The more people expect from me, the stronger I become!
I'm going to use this strength I have to make everyone smile!
Time.
To break his serve and win,
I need to stay in the same state as the previous game.
Like before, once play begins, focus on Ide-kun,
and leave the rest to my instincts!
Center!
Love-15.
Yes!
I'm still in the right state!
As far as I'm concerned,
this doesn't count as a crisis just yet!
A drop shot, now?
Maruo-kun is moving up.
Here comes Ide, too.
Get there!
No, you don't!
Love-30.
What was that?! It was awesome!
He hit it between his legs!
That actually happens?!
It was the only way to return that shot!
Are you serious?
If I'm
going to win consecutive points, it has to be here!
Interesting!
Crap! Too weak? Where will he hit it?
Another drop shot?!
15-30.
Whoa, whoa! A hit between the legs and consecutive drop shots, at a time like this?
What's going on in this match?
And they actually worked. Those two are not normal right now.
Who'd keep at it after shots like that were just returned against them?
Yes!
That's it, Ide!
If he gets you, get him back!
No.
He surprised me with the consecutive drop shots,
but my return before that was no good.
Telling myself before play began
that two more points would get me the win
just put more pressure on me.
Every time the situation changes, I have to confront myself.
Visualize all the pressure in my head,
then erase it, leaving just a bit.
I'm not sure why, but repeating that cycle put me in my best state!
So I'll do my best to repeat that again from the beginning.
It's my only chance!
That's everything I can do right now!
15-40.
Match point!
Maruo got to match point first!
Ei-chan! Finish it here!
Maruo-kun, you can do it!
You're kidding me! Ide's gonna lose a match like this?!
We don't know that yet!
Come on... Onii-chan, come on!
Hang in there, Yosshi!
Yosshi!
You're just getting started!
Even as a spectator, match point is an awful thing.
But the one who shows his utmost strength when he's backed against the wall like this
is the man named Ide.
30-40.
Game, set, and match.
Winner: Maruo.
Score: 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Incredible! Maruo actually won a close match against Ide!
You both did great!
I really got excited!
That was so fun to watch!
Maruo Eiichiro Ide Yoshiaki
I won!
Ide! You really are the best!
Damn...
Even when you lose, you look awesome!
But, hey...
That was the best match ever, so I guess it's all good.
Next Time
That was a great match against Ide.
I was able to calm down after I noticed you were there.
Oh, right...
This is Takagi Sakuya. He's from my club.
I thought I should introduce you, since you might end up playing him.
This is the fourth seed, Takagi Sakuya?
So he and Nabae-kun are friends...
Wait, he didn't even introduce himself? What's with him?
Next time on Baby Steps,
A Rude First Meeting
"A Rude First Meeting."
End