Hi all,

Well, tennis fever has hit Melbourne, it’s plastered all over the front and back pages of the papers and television networks are covering it none stop. The Australian Open has arrived!!!

With Melbourne being such a sports rich city, with so many events from the Grand Prix to the Commonwealth Games last year etc, it is still amazing (and I suppose a credit to tennis) how the Australian Open still remains the biggest sporting event of the year.

A good week’s training last week culminated in a much better performance from Ilija at Nottinghill on the weekend, the last lead up tournament to the Australian Open.

Unfortunately he lost in the last round qualifying to Deni Zmak from Croatia 7-6, 7-5, 14 12 in the first set tie break. His opponent went on to make the round of 16 in the main draw but Ilija can hold his head up high and know that it was one of those matches where the result came down to a few decisive points at the latter end of both sets.

He beat the number 10 seed in the first round from New Zealand, after being match point down so it was an eventful day overall and Ilija was one tired boy at the end of it.

We trained at some hardcourts near my house for five days, and Ilija has been training at a Fitness First around the corner. We trained twice a day on the court and he did one physical session each day except for Friday when he signed in at Nottinghill. We also ventured into Melbourne Park to watch some of the qualifying for the Open and tomorrow will head in again to watch some of the main draw action although it has been incredibly hot and a lot of matches are being postponed because of it. This is one of the major talking points with James Blake today calling for a review of the heat policy.

Ilija signs in on Friday for the qualifying at the Australian open and we are quietly confident that he can take some of the form from Nottinghill and more into it. Coupled with another good week under his belt there will most likely be further improvement in his game and mind.

Until then, when we will send some pics from the Australian Open, all the best

Hampo and Ilija