We have really pushed on from the initial progress we made in the first few weeks of training and as we feel like many of the technical issues have now been resolved the focus has turned more and more to tactics and matchplay. Again we have continued working on raising the level of intensity throughout points but also at the right moments throughout a set and a match as well. This has lead me to bring a lot more emotion onto the court allowing me to get more 'pumped' and 'psyched up' - which in turn results in a greater level of intensity and a reiteration of the desire and motivation to win every single point. It also helps to show your opponent how motivated you are and how much you want to win.
There have been a couple of things that we have been working on technically as well including the take back on my backhand which we have been making smoother. But ultimately I am striking the ball better than I ever have and I am showing a lot more confidence in all my shots as a result. This means I can go into matches and match situations feeling like I am much more able to use my big forehand to control points whilst also knowing I can begin to rely on my backhand to stay in control and stay in the point.
As we are nearing the end of the proposed three month training block prior to tournaments I am excited to say that I will be competing in National Club League for Wyvern throughout the next few weeks. These will act as my first few matches in the UK in order to be able to boost my rating so that I will be able to start competing regularly on the British Tour in a few weeks time. This will also act as very valuable court and match time in both doubles and singles which will allow me to put into practice the things that we have been training. The biggest obstacle for many tennis players is having the ability to take your practice game onto a match court and this is our main focus at the moment. I am able to play at a very high level on the practice court but I have to work a lot harder to bring this into matches. Initially there were just flashes of it few and far between; but I am now able to sustain a higher level of play for longer. The next step is to be able to sustain this high level of play throughout the match and once I get to this level I know that I will be able to compete for my first ATP points on the futures tour.
Off court the weather has made training on the gym rings a little easier and I have been doing a lot of core and stability work in the gym which is definitely paying off on the court. I am feeling very fit and quicker around the court as a result of some of the interval and sprint training that I have been doing and this can only improve my confidence and ability in practice and in matches. I'll keep you posted both on here and on my twitter as to how the training and the matches go over the next few weeks. Thanks for reading!
