Back to the ITF Grind

Back on the road internationally for the first time since June. I arrived in Heraklion, Greece at 11:00 AM yesterday after 19 hours of travelling from Florida. I felt near empty in my fuel tank, as my body was stiff, sore, and exhausted. I was determined to make it until bedtime however, to get the best training I could, given my capacity. The sights and sounds of the ITF Futures tour remain the same wherever you go in the world. The loud sound of some jacked Ukrainian guy ripping the ball on a practice court tends to feel intimidating, especially the first day you arrive without a wink of sleep. Other sounds consist of constant complaining from main draw players regarding whatever that day is, “the WORST of all time”.

I did my best to acknowledge the sounds and proceed to the best of my ability in practicing. I had accepted that today wouldn’t be my best, but to concentrate for 30 minutes without missing and to get my body in position for each shot.

I watched my buddy compete in the pre-qualifying tournament where the winner gets a maindraw wildcard and finalist a main draw doubles wildcard. These guys were solid but each of them had relatively glaring parts of their game that seemed exploitable. In comparison to the main draw guys, who were well rounded and physically fit guys. At that level, the separators become primarily the serve and the mind. How well do you move on from one point to the next and forget all the bad that that happened that happened seemingly 10 seconds ago.

Onto the preparation for my first ITF since March. I’m excited to apply all my physical and mental training over the last couple months against the best competitors in the world. It’s amazing how high the level is, but also how easily these guys will break when put under pressure. The most important thing is to be tough as nails yourself, giving nothing easy.