Diary for 24th April
Last week my mum came out to Spain, it was all very last minute for me as she had kept it a secret to make it a surprise :), unfortunately the morning after she arrived I had to go to Barcelona for the 5 Futures up there, but I had a nice evening seeing her and great to know she's now only just down the road :).
Unfortunately, Oli has injured his foot and was unable to come to Barcelona with me, he is still injured but hopefully will be fit for next week and will join me then.
I played much better last week, my first round match was against a Russian, we were on court for almost two hours and were having really good rallies, I have never felt so fit and fast and always got the extra ball in court. I won 6.1 - 6.2. I'm definitely starting to feel more at home playing these standard tournaments now, and really feel I'm going to break through the qualies and start getting involved with the big boys in the top 500.
In the next round I had to play the 6th seed, a big lefty from Argentina ranked 910 in the world. Those who play tennis will understand me when even though I lost 6.1 - 6.3 I still felt in the match and it could have very easily have gone the other way. In the second set I had two break points at 1.3 but didn't take my chance, then I had another two at 2.4 but again let it slip through my fingers. If I had taken those chances I would have been 4.3 up and serving, but I didn't so I was in the changing room instead of a third set. When I look back at it, it was the same in my first round match, my opponent had his chances but I played better on the big points and that match could of really gone either way, it just shows how really important those big points are and that the difference from players with world ranking points and climbing the ladder and those who don't. I'm sure with the way that I'm going I will be climbing soon :)
I stayed at the club for a few more days to train on the clay and watch a bit of the main draw matches. Todd Reid was playing, he used to play Davis cup for Australia and got in the top 100 in the world, I didn't get a chance to speak to him or better yet hit with him, but I am hoping he will be here this week so hopefully I will get a chance to hit some balls with him then.
I'm in Lleadia now, just out side Barcelona. I just signed in so waiting for the draw to be put up and see what time I'm playing tomorrow. I'm off to have a good hit and a stretch in the gym, then cook a good bowl of pasta in my van, so I will be ready to give it my best tomorrow :)

Diary for 10th April
On the 28th March Oli and I drove down to Malaga for two futures, the first one was a $10,000 which is the normal standard Future. In the first round a played a guy who used to have a couple of world ranking points. I was playing well on the big points and holding my serve comfortably, but so was he and the first set went to a tie-break. I was down 4.0 in the tie-break and went on to win it 7.4, and was feeling good for the second set. He was a strong player but had a really obvious weakness, he struggled to hit his backhand above shoulder height and on clay I found it easy to kick the ball up there to him which was giving me allot of points, but then suddenly just like that it became his strength and started to take the ball on before it got above his shoulder and started to hit winners of it. I carried on going there though hoping it was luck and he wouldn't be able to do it on big points but before I knew it I had lost the second set 6.1. Obviously things had to change if I wanted to change the momentum of the match my way, so I grit my teeth and really focused on holding my serve and to put him under as much pressure as possible. He played really well and as much as I was trying I still didn't have any idea on how to beat him. I ended up loosing :(.

The club didn't have many courts and there were no clay courts to practice on, so Oli and I decided to go to the next tournament and get our heads ready for the following week.
The guys at the club were right pain in the buts and wouldn't let us use the courts until the day before the tournament as we weren't members. But it ended up being for the best as it sent us looking, we found such a better club with a massive pool, nice gym and a couple of courts just waiting to be played on, it cost us 10 Euro a hour but that's only 5 each so that was fine, we were able to use the pool, gym and camp up in the car park until the next tournament. We had a great week of training, getting up early everyday and going for a run along the local beach, having a good hit, then hitting the gym and having a swim. We spent the rest of the day re-stringing rackets, and playing touch (a little game you play in the service boxes where your not allowed to hit it hard), doesn't sound so good in black and white but it's my favourite game and a right laugh :)

The next tournament was a £15,000 which is the strongest future you can get, we knew it was going to be tough but we thought we would have a chance of getting in as we were from England and the referee has to let a certain amount of people in from each country. The unbelievable bad luck we had is that 4 strong English players who all had points had decided to come and play the same tournament, they took our spots which left us out of the tournament. We were devastated to of waited around all that time and travelled all the way down form Denia and not get in, but that happens sometimes.

When I got back to Oli's house in Denia, I phoned my coach in Australia Darren. I had been struggling to find my game on the clay and get wins under my belt, he always has had a way to make things look so simple for me and keep me focused on the right things in a tennis match rather than a 100 thoughts going through my mind and sometimes doubting myself. He sent me a great e-mail with some words that have really fired me up for Barcelona next week. I've been working harder than ever with Oli and feeling great, I'm definitely in the best shape I have ever been.

Tomorrow Oli and I are going to a different local club as we heard there are some ATP players training there, so we're going to drive there and see if we can join in with their training for a bit, a friend of Oli's has put in a good word for us so hopefully we will be allowed.

Next week we drive up to Barcelona where we'll play 4 futures back to back, then I'm heading to Munich to play club tennis for a month which should be really good and by the time that has finished it will be peak tennis season in Europe and my goal is to have a few points by then from Barcelona so I can play a couple of challengers too :)

Diary For 29th May 2008
Once I finished working in Germany I decided to come back to the UK. I'm not treating it as coming home, but just part of the tour. It seems like the best option for me at the moment for a couple of reasons. 1 - since I haven't been in Australia this year to defend my ranking, I have gone down to not even in the top 200 in Australia which means it's allot harder for me to get into the Futures with that ranking, and my UK ranking also needs improving, so being back here will give me a chance to get that at a good standard so hopefully I wont have any trouble getting into the upcoming Futures. 2 - There are some good money tournaments coming up here and 3 - I can speak the language and know allot of people here which makes it easier to pick up quick cash in hand work.
It's been great since I've been back, within a day I was back in my gym and found a job working for a friend in his factory from 9pm - 6am, I've been doing that for the last 2 weeks and it's been pretty tiring but it's my last night tonight :). Then the plan is with the money I've got from that and my sponsorship money I will be able to get back onto the match court very soon and try winning some money that way.
My first tournament is in Sheffield starting next week, although I haven't found out for sure whether I'm in or not yet, but it should be OK.
I've mainly been working on the physical side of my game and been going to the gym and doing allot of fitness since I've been back. I've had a couple good hits swell though, Lloyd and I had a really close practice set the other day. We train really well together as we've known each other from the start of our tennis carers, and no matter what day it is neither of us want to loose to each other, so most the time it becomes a very high tempo match, and the other day was no different. I'm glad to say that after a few good rallies (and a tight call on his side :), but only joking around to try and wind me up) I won 7.5 and also won the 5 pounds we put on the match...which he still hasn't paid me !! :)
Tim Hewitt was back in town today, so I grabbed him for a hit, it's always good when he's down as he's ranked about 900 in the world and isn't afraid to sweat a bit. So we had a good hit for a hour or so earlier on.
It's funny how tennis works sometimes, as I'm just as good as Tim and Tim had set points last year against the guy who just took Andy Murray to 5 sets in the French Open, so I think that shows that allot can happen in a year and Tim and I could just as much be playing in the French Open next year, same as allot of other up coming players.
Everything off the court is great, the van is still plugging away with no problems and all in all I couldn't be happier :)

Diary For 7th May 2008
My first round match in Lleadia was the last on for the day, I played against a full time player who trains in the Barcelona academy. I wasn't playing well at all in the beginning, but I was playing the right tennis at the right times and was able to hold my service games and push him a bit on his. At 4 all in the first set I was break point down, we both played a very aggressive point, which ended up him at the net and me having to hit a passing shot cross court, I was certain it was a winner but he called it out, when I had a closer look at the mark it was so close we had to call the referee down to decide for us, deep down it did look more out than in but on a point like this I had to be sure. Unfortunately the ball was out and after a good service game from him the first set had slipped away from me just like that. I was starting to play allot better now though and realised I had only missed out on the first set by not even an inch, so was feeling fired up and ready for a come back. At 3.2 down serving I made a unforced error and he hit a net chord to go 40.0 up, I played a good couple of points to get back to 40.30 but I didn't know what to do when I hit a great first serve out wide and he hit a slap backhand down the line which I'm sure he had his eyes shut for. He held his serve and just like that I was a set and 2.5 down. I felt very confused, a minute ago I was right in the match and even felt in control, now I was 4 points away from being sent home. I took my time and told myself "I'm only one break down, just put your head down and fight harder than him on those big points and the tables will turn back the other way again". But even with making good first serves and no unforced errors, he played 2 or 3 great points and I was sent home :(.
I didn't get into the next tournament as it was a 64 draw and my ranking wasn't high enough, so I had a little weekend off in Barcelona down on the beach and having a look in the town. Its a pretty awesome place, like a different world compared to the rest of Spain. People there were really friendly and I met a few lads on holiday with their girlfriends there from Holland, I spent most the time with them and feel I've got some good connections now if I ever go to Holland, same for them if they ever come to UK :)
As there weren't any more tournaments is Spain for a while, I went back down to Denia to give the re-stringing machine back to Oli and spent a couple days with my mum which was nice. I then gave her a lift to the airport, saying one of our many goodbyes, then continued on through France into Germany where my plan was to find a bit of work and train with an old friend Geatano, who i travelled with last time I was in Europe. Unfortunately he was away in Italy playing but Darren (my coach in Australia) used to live in Memmingen a place just outside Munich and not too far from me, so I went there to meet his ex wife and also see if she knew of anywhere to get some extra cash. But my luck wasn't with me that weekend and she was also away. So I just hung around Memmingen for a couple days asking pretty much every pub, restaurant, gym, tennis club ect for any work but it was all the same story, either you had to speak German or the job was already taken.
Anyway after a couple days I got an e-mail from Geatano saying to get round to his house in a couple hours for a big meal :), so now I'm here and been training hard with him for the last couple days and he has also got me a job working in a factory from 8am to 3pm, its not the best pay...8 euros an hour but thats 64 euros a day and still time for training in the evenings so its fine for me.
I'm hoping next week to maybe go and play a money tournament, which I'm 90% sure Ill do. :)

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