Yesterday I came back from Dubai. A place from which I come back with mixed feelings. I was really looking forward to go having heard a lot of exciting things but my enthusiasm was dumpt when I saw the hotel prices which where unbelievable high. We arrived there on Wednesday and in the first four days we changed in three different hotels. Finally we found one with a reasonable price and with walking distance to the tennis club. It was a Hotel Apartment which we, Dave and I, shared with a French girl. Funny though a day later when the draw was done we found out that we would play first round against each other.

I started the tournament well; I won the first two matches playing well. Then in the last qualies round I played a Russian girl. I feel ashamed having lost the match the way I did because on that day I was striking the ball better then ever, but mentally I wasn’t switched on. I had game balls and break balls in the first four games but didn’t win one of them. 

However there were two lucky loser spots, nowadays it doesn’t go by ranking anymore but they draw the players and I got drew as the 3rd one. That meant if anyone wouldn’t come or got injured and pulled out before her match started then I would play. Luckily though the next day a girl didn’t come and I could take her spot. I played a British girl who had qualified. We both started a bit nervous, both knowing that it was a big opportunity. I went up 5:3 and played a bad service game but still managed to win the set 7:5. Then I went down 1:4 and at this point I have to go back in time and say that two days before I had twisted my ankle. We were walking back to the hotel after a practice and because they are still building everywhere we weren’t walking on a proper street and I stepped into a whole and twisted it. It wasn’t hurting on that day but by playing two matches the next day (single and doubles) it started to hurt. I felt the pain from the beginning of the match but because of the pain and being 1:4 down I started to play harder because I knew I wasn’t able to run as much as normally. So I just relaxed and started to win game after game till to being 5:4 up and 0:30 her serving and this is the point on which at night before going to sleep I still think about. I missed a slice in a rally where she wasn’t hurting me, and I know I am not allowed to do these mistakes if I want to win matches like these, because then on 15:30 she got lucky and had a netball. We went to the tiebreak and I didn’t start it well. At 1:4 after having missed two forehands in a row I snapped and used the F word which I shouted too loud so that the umpire gave me a penalty point. I couldn’t believe it, it was the first time that happened to me. I got a few warnings but never a penalty point but since I am working with the MCTA Team I am speaking so much English that even on court I started to speak in English to myself, which isn’t an advantage because all the umpires know what I am saying whereas before I could say anything and never got fined for it. Anyway I went down 1:6 and she started to choke so badly that I went up 7:6. She must have relaxed on that point because after having such a lead and then choke so badly you have nothing to lose anymore. The whole match her serve was decent but on that point she served a great serve down the T which I just touched but didn’t manage to play it over the net. The next two points I didn’t play great, especially at 7:8 I should have gone to the net but didn’t. 3rd set I lost 6:1, I am not using my foot as an excuse, because I know I lost it mentally I was too disappointed but also because I know I couldn’t run anymore. She used a lot of drop shots on which I just couldn’t get to.

 
It was a great match probably the best I have ever played mentally and the way I stroked the ball but at the same time it is a huge disappointment because I had the chances and by just being mentally a bit tougher I am sure I would have won that match. Probably also if my net game had been better but I know that is something I still have to work on and I also realise there were other things I first had to improve this year.

 
My season finishes here, I will have to take at least ten days off because of the foot and then hopefully go to England around the 4th January to practice.


It hasn’t been a great year result wise but my game improved a lot and I know it will pay off next year.
I am really looking forward to the next tournament in January especially because my good friend and doubles partner Anna Fitzpatrick will be back and I am looking forward to some great doubles matches.

I wish you all Merry Christmas and hope you will continue to read our blogs next year!