Bronze Ball in Doubles & Tunisia Update
After receiving a lot of great feedback from the first video blog, I wanted to put together another one from Djerba, Tunisia. My doubles partner, Jeremy Sonkin, and I arrived in Tunisia late last week. It was quite the journey to get to Tunisia, but that is something you get used to as you spend more and more time on tour. I found myself mentally up and down this past week as I was in my head a lot about technique. I bring that up because I think it is important to be honest with my fellow readers about the ups and downs of this journey.
A lot of players on tour talk about how they go through low points / ruts, and recently I have felt that way. Many players I met along the way have discussed how the first year on tour is always the hardest, but after that adjustment period things become smoother usually. On another note, when competing the last thing a player can or should be thinking about is technique or doubting him or herself. I want to highlight this point because at the end of the day, you are out there all alone competing and need to problem solve on days when things are not going well. This past week was a major wake up call for me as I did not problem solve on court and ultimately lost my qualifying match against a tough opponent from England. After feeling pretty down most of the week, I was determined to shift my mindset and take control of the situation. The following day after my loss, I focused on two things:
· Positive energy
· Intensity with my footwork
Instead of thinking about everything I “have to do” on court to play my best tennis and perform, I wanted to shift the narrative to think that “I want to do” all of these things. It is amazing to see how much the mental side can impact one’s confidence, performance on court, and overall mental state. Instead of thinking negatively about past results and technical things, I shifted all my focus to my energy and footwork. This adjustment, while it may sound simple, had a huge impact as I went back to being “my own best friend on court” instead of putting myself down. I am really excited to carry this mindset into Zimbabwe and Guam!
Lastly, I am really proud of Jeremy as he picked up his first ATP Pro Point this week! This is a huge accomplishment and I hope the first of many points for him.
Clay Court Nationals Update:
After dealing with the most rain / thunder delays I have ever witnessed at a tournament, Jeremy and I came away with the Bronze Ball in doubles. This is my second Bronze Ball for this past year, which I am really proud of. In regards to singles, I ended up winning two matches before falling to the #9 seed in the Round of 32. I found myself feeling off throughout most of the tournament, I never really settled in to playing with the slippery clay. That said, I think the tournament taught me a lot about needing to stay mentally tough because we constantly had to start and stop play with all the delays.
Jeremy had an amazing week in singles and ended up making it all the way to the Finals before running out of steam! He claimed the Silver Ball in singles, which is a big accomplishment!
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My doubles partner (Jeremy Sonkin) and I in Djerba, Tunisia!