Gratitude

First Week Mix-Up:

Going back to my last blog post, I mentioned how I almost could have ended up in Indonesia for a tournament, but thought I had everything sorted out. Even though I arrived safely in Stellenbosch, South Africa it turns out I was wrong. Since the tournament in Indonesia had more prize money compared to the South Africa tournament, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) would not let me play in South Africa even though I got a Wildcard into Qualifying. The ITF has a rule that does not allow players to withdraw late from a tournament to enter another tournament with less prize money. Basically, a player can only switch tournaments late if the tournament he wants to enter is a higher-level one.

After showing up to the sign-in at the tournament site in Stellenbosch, South Africa to be told I could not play was gut wrenching. I was so disappointed with myself for making the mistake of forgetting to pullout of the Indonesia tournament by the deadline.

The first few days in South Africa, I was not only intimidated by my surroundings and all the players from all over the world, but I was also pretty depressed that I was not going to be able to compete. I did not spend all this time, energy, and money to fly across the world for a vacation. I came with a very clear goal: enjoy my first international Future Tournaments, compete to the best of my ability, and see where the chips may fall.

I felt completely out of my comfort zone and was a “deer in the headlights”. The first few days felt like a kid being dropped off at school for the first time not sure what to expect and worried about making friends. I quickly realized it was not as scary as I made it out to be initially and met several players competing in the tournament from Australia, Zimbabwe, France, and South Africa who have become some of my closest friends so far. Even though tennis is an individual sport (with the exception of doubles), the camaraderie has been great as we have gotten meals together, practiced together, and hung out at the tournament hotel too.

Second Week – Finally Competing in My First International Tournament:

I finally played my first qualifying match this past Saturday in the South Africa F2 Future Tournament. I have to say I was more nervous today than I have probably ever been on a tennis court, even when I was competing in the National Championship. After having a roller-coaster week of practice following my mix-up, I was SO ready to get out on court and finally compete in a tournament.

Playing against players from all over the world has been one of the coolest experiences of my life. There are very few American players currently playing in these tournaments, so it feels completely different than what I have been used to. Moreover, I have never played in a match where a chair umpire makes all the calls from serves to groundstrokes. It definitely has been quite an adjustment, but I have to say I like it!

In the first round of qualifying, I went up against a nationally ranked South African junior player. Even though I was beyond tight and was not really hitting my shots the way I wanted, I stay disciplined and put a lot of balls in play. My opponent made a lot of unforced errors and simply did not play the bigger points as well. I won the first set fairly quick (6-3). I really started to get a bit tighter in the second set and actually went down 5-4. Luckily, I stayed composed and knew that I just needed to be smart and play high-percentage tennis. I forced a second set tiebreaker and managed to win that 7-5, ultimately winning the match 6-3 7-6. This first match felt like a total weight off of my shoulders.

Appreciating the moment:

Even though the first week did not go my way and I was not able to play in the tournament, I think it provided a lot of perspective. At first, I was quite down, had a bad attitude, and was frustrated. Yet, I quickly realized after a couple days of that negative mindset that I am still getting to do what I love. I think missing that first tournament here was a blessing in disguise. It gave me more time to adjust to my surroundings and not be intimidated by fellow competitors. Reflecting back, I think that mistake genuinely served me very well as I had a great tournament in the second week. The most important takeaway I have is that no matter what happens, good or bad, all I can do is control my attitude and mindset. I am grateful for the opportunity I have in front of me that I am able to compete and pursue my passion.

First Win Against Ranked ATP Player:

Yesterday, I competed in the Second Round of Qualifying in some of the craziest conditions I have ever played in. I went up against an Austrian player who was ranked around 1,900 in the world. Even though the conditions were terrible, I knew that this was something every single player had to accept and deal with. I was not about to go out and make excuses blaming these conditions. There was a mix of gusting winds and blazing sun, but it was the wind that was impossible to predict. The ball was moving all over the court and numerous players were mentally losing it. Even my opponent began to let the wind get to him and I knew that I had to stay tough and make as many balls as I could.

Up 6-5 in the first set serving to close it out, I could feel my heart beginning to race as I was getting excited by the moment. I took a few seconds to compose myself before serving, focused my energy on where I wanted to hit my first serve, and I hit an ace down the tee. I gave myself a fist pump as I turned to go to my towel on the back fence. I then played a few long points and closed out the first set 7-5. Fast-forward to later in the second set, and I am now up 5-3 after being down 3-2. I can feel the momentum has shifted and know that I have to stay tough and not let my foot off the gas pedal. My opponent is serving and it is 15-15, we play a long rally and I throw up a big lob in the wind. Somehow he swung and whiffed the ball and I won a huge point to go up 30-15 in that game. The next two points, I took care of business, as he was still furious about missing that overhead.

Stay tuned for more about the rest of this tournament as well as my final tournament here in South Africa that begins Saturday!

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