I just got back from practice where the most bizarre thing happened. It was our 1st hit at this new place. We went for a late hit around 6pm because there were qualies matches going on in the afternoon so it would have been hard to have a whole court.

Segnini and I hit for 40min and then we started to play some points. It was just us two, Dave, Emily Webley-Smith who was doing some physical on the next court and some Indonesian guys who were cleaning the courts, in the club. It is a very modern indoor hall and the courts are really nice to play on.

Like I said Segnini and I had just started to play points in fact it was the 3rd point and all at once the lights went off, we were still in the rally and I am not kidding I couldn't see my own hand in front of me it was so dark I just saw one little light on the other court which was Emily's mobile phone so I tried to walk to my chair to get my phone out so i could see at least a little bit but the chair was further than I had expected it to be, so I held my racket like a walking stick and walked really slowly to find the chair and my bag. My only thought was if the light came back on I would really look ridiculous bent over my racket. Anyway it felt really bad having no idea where anything was so we were very happy to have our mobile phones and after 5min, when the lights didn't come back on we decided that maybe it was better to leave, so using our mobile phones like a torch we managed our way out...

I had the option to choose between Italy on clay or Indonesia on hard court. Having been already once to Indonesia and having come back sick i had to think twice even though the hard courts, which is my favorite surface, attracted me more.

Fitzy, Dave and I first stopped in Singapore for four days to get used to the heat and the time change. We really struggled with the heat at the start. I remember doing the 200m after our first 1h tennis session and I just did four and was dead after that, when just three days before in Switzerland I had done 15x200m.

We arrived in Balikpapan (Indonesia) on Monday after a 2h flight. The weather was just as hot as in Singapore, and we still kept walking on court looking for the smallest bit of shade to cool ourselves. The club in Balikpapan was really nice it had a big Centre Court which is very unusual for a $25'000 Tournament. Fitzy and I played on it for our first doubles match the next day against two Indonesian girls who played very well and beat us.

Watch a video from the first days in singapore

On Wednesday we both had our 1st singles match. I played a Chinese girl. Our match started at 12 o'clock and it was the hottest day of all, 37°C. That match had nothing to do with tennis and I am very happy that I had done the physical block in February which helped me to come through in three sets. The next day I played another Chinese girl. Having missed a lot of chances I ended up losing the 1st set in the tie breaker but still managed to win it in the 3rd sets because physically I was stronger than her. In the quarter-final I played a horrible match and had no more strength left in the 3rd set which I ended up losing 6:1. It was a very disappointing tournament for me. Not only had I lost to a girl I should have beaten but also I hadn’t played my game in any of the matches.

Off court we struggled with getting in contact with our friends and families, because the internet in the hotel was on and off which was very frustrating and for four days I didn’t get a message and neither could I send one from my phone because it just couldn’t find a network. In the hotel the food wasn’t great, or maybe I should be more specific and say there were like two main courses which were edible and I ate the same for lunch and dinner for a week. Even though the people were trying really hard it was hard to communicate with them, because our Indonesian vocabulary, apart from ‘tamira kashi’ which means ‘thank you’ isn't great.

I guess you are not surprised when I tell you that I was happy to leave that place, also because once I lose badly at one place I just want to move on as fast as possible and forget that place. But we didn’t know what to expect for the next...because it was a category lower a $10'000 and every time an Indonesian person who managed to speak a little bit of English asked us where we were going next and we would say Tarakan they would give us that face where you just think, oh no!
 
Ok the city wasn’t ''great'' but the people made an unbelievable effort to make anything possible for us to feel comfortable. We had a great players party and the tournament had ball boys and linesmen from the 1st round which is not even the case in a $25'000 in Europe. The courts were a bit weird but the good thing was we were playing indoors, which meant we would still sweat as much we did the week before but the sun wouldn’t be burning down on our skin which would make it a bit easier. Fitzy and I played a bad doubles match and lost again 1st round, with Fitzy's foot starting to hurt again more in that match, which eventually led to her having to pull out of this last tournament and going home to have another scan.

I won my 1st round match singles and in the 2nd round played Damajanti, the girl who had won the tournament the week before and who is a really good player. Having played a very weak tournament the week before and having had a lot of chats with Dave I decided not to let the same thing happen. I wanted to change that thing which was holding me back everytime I would play a lesser ranked player. I had just watched the movie ‘over the top’ with Silvester Stalone saying to his son that he wouldn’t mind him to lose but if he'd lose he should lose like a winner, and that’s what I decided to do on that day. I went on court and just played fearlessly, I wasn't afraid to lose and just attacked on every opportunity I had. I played my game without any hesitation. It was the best feeling I have ever had on a tennis court. I lost the match, having had a lot of chances but the positive things I could take out of this match were huge.

Now I am in Tangung Selor, we just got here today by speedboat!!! It was quite a funny experience. The trip took 1h and we just passed uninhabited jungle all the way along. I still have no signal on my mobile phone and we have no internet in the hotel room, its mothers day but I couldn’t get hold of my mum in any way at all. Still I am very privileged to be in a place where I can see all around me exactly how lucky I am and am able to appreciate having the opportunity to travel and do what I love the most as a profession. I am very thankful to my parents, my sponsors and the MCTA for giving me this chance and for them to be working with me to achieve my goals.