Hvala from Hampo (working on my Serbian),

Last week saw Ilija, Henri and myself visit a town called Mansfield which was, and believe it or not, still is situated midway between Dallas and Fort Worth. The tournament was played at a lovely country club which had 15 hard courts, a golf course and a driving range. Unfortunately I didn’t have any time to sneak in a round or top up on my formidable swing because both the boys had a relatively successful week.

Henri picked up his first ATP point, a great breakthrough for any aspiring junior and a nice platform from which he can now build on. In Ilija’s case he doubled his tally to two points also reaching the second round of the singles as well as reaching his 17th year on planet Earth - at least physically anyway!!!!!!! They teamed up together to make the quarters of the doubles, possibly could have gone further had it not been for a glorious line call from the confident adjudicator!!!! I hope you all detect a hint of sarcasm there.

The week was made that much more enjoyable because the three of us were housed with a lovely and really hospitable family. They lived only minutes from the courts and I think Henri and Ilija found their second home for the week in the backyard jacuzzi. I must admit, this thing was sensational; it came with every massage feature you could wish for and didn’t leave a body part untouched if you were willing to stay in there long enough. Once I think the boys overdid it based on their very white prune like fingers and feet.

It is always more relaxing for the team when we are in housing and a nice change up from living out of a suitcase and hotel room. I must thank Kevin, Anita and Ryan for putting up with the three of us for the 10 days we were there and after being warned by Anita in a pre-arrival email about her “cooking disabilities,” I think her homemade tomato based pasta sauce is tough to beat. Whilst we were there we were training at 24-hour fitness, which I was amazed to learn is actually open 24 hours and people do go and pump out sessions there in the early hours. I suppose if you can’t sleep it is not a bad remedy to jump on the treadmill and whip out a few miles.

It is one of the biggest steps in a player’s career to make that transition from the junior to the professional ranks. Players are battling for survival, fighting not only for points to boost their ranking but also for prize money, often to pay for the week’s accommodation or food. Competition out here is tough and players don’t fizzle out mid way through a second set. They are now mixing with experienced players, players who are physically stronger than them and sometimes this can be daunting. It is important they keep on their path forward and keep putting in the effort on and off the court so not to get bogged down at a level where there are literally thousands of players trying to break through to the next stage. Our guys have started strongly in their first few pro tournaments and already are starting to make a name for themselves.

I am now with Ilija in Baton Rouge in Louisiana. I have to wind up this blog now to go and watch the American football game between LSU and Auburn which seems to be the biggest thing that has hit this happening town in a while. Let’s hope Ilija can continue his climb up the rankings.

Chow

Hampo