After finishing a long fall season, I decided to take almost 2 weeks off of all activity to give my body and mind a break. In hindsight, I think it would have been a lot smarter to maybe take 5-7 days off of tennis, but I did not go to the gym at all during that time, which I regret. I have learned the hard way that this boom or bust type of regimen is not the way to go, rather finding a happy medium during my downtime is critical. Put it simply, my first week of training has been filled with me feeling sore almost 24/7!

Luckily, I have not been going through this grind on my own this time around. One of my friends from South Africa, Rayne, who I met while I was competing there, decided to come train and play futures here with my coach and I. The camaraderie and friendship built while sweating it out in the gym and battling it out on the court is an amazing thing. I know even when he goes back to South Africa, that he will be a friend for life!

Fitness Wake Up Call:

The first week in Florida has been beyond brutal. I started the first few days waking up at 6am to go run 4 miles before practice and then got right into footwork drills on court. I recall after the first couple days, I thought as if my legs were going to fall off, but I knew I mentally and physically just needed to push through because this hard work is what is necessary.

Even though I had not played in almost two weeks, the second day down in Florida I had to play in a Futures tournament on clay. As you could imagine, I had little rhythm, was beyond sore, and felt all over the place on the court. I was constantly off balance, inconsistent, and just out of it. Instead of doubling down and finding a way to get the win, I felt my performance and effort were subpar. I am not going to make excuses for taking time off, because at the end of the day, everyone faces adversity of some kind and it requires grit, determination, and resilience to get through those days.

            I think this match was exactly what I needed: a blunt wake up call. Endurance, strength, and cardio do not just come overnight, but require several weeks of intense training alongside consistent training during tournaments. That said, I have been in the gym almost two hours a day going through my routine and even though I am beyond sore, mentally I already feel much stronger and more dialed in. I know that this work is what will make a difference on court when it comes down to my overall stamina and those long 3 set matches.

Footwork & Balance:

            I have included a video below of a “fed-ball” forehand drill with my coach were we are working on my movement, balance through the shot, and contact point of my swing. As you might be able to see, I am still opening up my chest and hips slightly earlier than I should, but it already feels dramatically better than a week ago. I am doing lots of movement and change of direction drills to continue to work on my movement to the ball as well as my recovery after the shot. I am still a bit too much on my heels, which slows you down and does not allow you to explode to the ball. Rather, the key is to maintain an athletic stance on your toes as much as possible in order to get the ball in a quick balanced manner.

Mindset:

            My last night in San Francisco over a week ago, I went to a Warriors game with my Aunt and Uncle, and saw 3 words pop up on the massive scoreboard that really resonated with me: grit, passion, and determination. After thinking about how those words relate to me, I felt more engaged and driven to meet my goals this coming year.

Passion:

I have always been passionate about my sport from the time I was a little boy, but this year has been a completely different experience testing if that passion is real or not. Being away from family, friends, and totally outside of my comfort zone, I knew this would be the ultimate test to see how much I love this sport and the “necessary grind” that comes with it. The answer is I am absolutely passionate about what I am doing and have zero regrets.

            Grit:

I think any successful tennis player must have some level of grit, which can be defined as “courage and resolve, strength of character”. I think grit can be compared to “mental toughness”. There will be days when things are not going your way, instead of succumbing to excuses and giving up, overcoming adversity and battling through it is what is necessary to succeed at any level of competitive sports. I have realized in the transition from collegiate tennis to professional tournaments, that “grit” plays even more of a role between the player who wins the marathon match last round of qualifying versus the guy who mentally gives in and loses. One of my goals for this coming year is to be stronger mentally on the days when I am not feeling at my best. There will be days when a particular stroke may be off or my legs feel heavy, but in those moments it is about doubling down and being disciplined with my technique and intensity.             

Determination:

When faced with something difficult, do I back away or face it head on? To me, that is the core of determination. For instance, tennis constantly requires determination because without it there is no one else to turn to when you are having a bad day or are tired. Tennis has taught me the importance of resilience because I am faced with lots of new challenges on a weekly basis. Those challenges might be things such as traveling to a foreign country and playing against professional players from all over the world. This past fall, I feel I learned a lot about my character and determination in moments where I was truly out of my comfort zone. I would like to see myself strive to bring more determination to everything I do on and off the court.

Final Thoughts:

            Even though it may sound like I am complaining about how sore I am, I could not be happier with my training right now. I have a lot of positivity in the direction I am heading and feel I am continuing to grow both tactically and mentally on the court. Between interval training at the track, long workouts in the gym, or footwork drills on the court, I am ALL IN!

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