Sunday 7^th April 2013

We had another good practice day today before we left Barbados to head to Guadeloupe for our final event of the trip.

The morning followed the same timetable as yesterday; we had an early breakfast and then got the bus to the Hilton hotel to train on their hard courts. It was quite a hot and humid morning but the players worked very hard both in the drilling for the first hour and then in the point play after. Usually I’d prefer to get to the next event as early as possible to train on their courts and get used to the new environment but due to flights only leaving Barbados on Thursdays and Sundays we decided to stay.

At around 10.30am we decided to finish the session with some match tie-breaks. The first one was just a warm up and I beat Alex while Georgie beat Mia but the second one was the big one as we played for bus fares back to the hotel! The winners then played each other and unfortunately the boys took a beating – Georgie took me down 10-5 which some outrageous tennis (!) while single-handed Mia beat Alex 10-5. We then cooled down and changed before heading back on the bus to Café Sol for a Mexican lunch.

We got back to the hotel at 1pm and were told that we could stay in our rooms until we needed to leave for the airport which meant we could relax and take our time packing up. At 3pm we got a taxi to the airport and luckily I managed to sweet talk the check-in staff again to allow us to take our tennis bags to the plane. Unfortunately I forgot that I left my Swiss Army knife in my tennis bag and the security staff were not too pleased about it!! Luckily I managed to get it back before we boarded our 1^st flight to Dominica.

After a brief turnaround in Dominica we were told that the next flight to Guadeloupe was 16 minutes long – it was in fact 25 minutes long but still one of the shortest I’ve been on.

We arrived in Guadeloupe at just after 7.30pm and were picked up by the tournament transport who took us straight to the tournament site so that we could sign in. We then went straight to the hotel, checked in and had a quick dinner at a local restaurant before heading off to bed.

None of the players are scheduled for singles tomorrow but Alex will definitely have doubles which will be after 3.30pm.

 

Saturday 6^th April 2013

Following our day off yesterday it was back to training today to prepare all 3 players for the final week of competition in Guadeloupe which starts on Monday.

We were up reasonably early this morning for breakfast at 7.30am and then, along with our tennis bags, we squeezed into a number 11 bus to go to the Hilton hotel which was our practice site for the morning. The court next to our hotel isn’t really good enough to train on so we decided to try and sneak on the courts at the Hilton as they were much better!

After a 25 minute warm up we went through some speed and movement exercises to get the players really sharp before they hit their first ball. Unfortunately Mia’s back was playing up again so after a few minutes of hitting she stopped the session to ice and rest it. Georgie and Alex continued to train for almost 2 hours and, despite being a little slow at the start, they raised their levels throughout the session. After working on each of their individual goals we finished the session with some points and the bet was that the loser had to pay for the winner’s bus ticket back. Unfortunately Georgie lost so Jeremy had to pay up!!

We left the Hilton at around 11.30am and on the way back we stopped at Subway for lunch (another first for Georgie and Jeremy!) and then the laundrette to collect our washing. Once we arrived back at our hotel there was just enough time to have a quick chat with Jeremy before he headed off to the airport to catch his flight back to England.

For the rest of the afternoon the players had the choice of what they wanted to do; Mia’s friends from England arrived a few days ago so she spent the afternoon with them while Georgie and Alex relaxed at the hotel and then took on the waves at the beach!

Both videos will be on the Facebook page as soon as I can get a strong enough internet connection to upload them!

After all the swimming yesterday I wasn’t really up for more today so I stayed on the beach keeping an eye on both of them with a new little friend that popped up out of a hole right in front of me!!

Georgie and Alex were in the sea for almost an hour and after being battered by waves on more than a dozen occasions they eventually retired to the swimming pool at the hotel to wind down.

For dinner tonight we headed back to Mamma Mia’s for the last time and then it was back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for training and travelling tomorrow.

Friday 5^th April 2013

It was “All aboard the Jolly Roger!” today as we spent our day off out at sea on a pirate ship!

After a bit of a lie-in we met for breakfast just before 9am and then were picked up at 9.30am to go into Bridgetown to the docks. We then signed in and had a few glasses of fruit punch (no rum punch allowed!) before we headed over to board the boat.

Our first stop was to snorkel around the wreck of a boat but before we even left the docks Alex was already set to drive in!

Everyone was struggling with their mask & snorkels and the strange way that the lifejackets did up between your legs (!) but we had a good swim over the wreck and saw some quite big fish.

We then had a break for an hour where we had lunch and sailed up the west coast of the island. Our second and last stop of the day was to swim with two turtles, walk the plank and throw ourselves into the sea via the rope swing! Who do you think has the best technique from the plank?

Georgie definitely got the loudest cheer of the day as the boat just seemed to rock back as she went on the rope swing which caused her to go higher than anyone else – the look on her face was priceless!!

At 2pm we started our return journey to Bridgetown but the crew made sure it wasn’t a relaxing ride back as they got us all up and dancing on the top deck – something Alex definitely loved!!

We got back to the hotel around 4pm which gave the players enough time to relax before we headed out to dinner at 6pm. Tonight we went back to St. Lawrence Gap but this time we visited a great Mexican restaurant for some burritos and a chimichanga (that’s a wrap, not a dance!).

After the meal we went to Chilli Moos for the ice cream the players had been waiting for all week . . . and here’s Georgie with her prize for winning the sets yesterday!

The next two days are going to be quite light with probably one tennis session each day so that the players are fresh and ready for their final week of competition in Guadeloupe.

Thursday 4^th April 2013

It was a very disappointing day for Alex today as, for the second time in two weeks, his doubles partner has had to pull out due to not being able to change their flights.

We arrived at the tennis centre today just after 9am to be told by the referee that Christian had pulled out of the doubles semi-final due to not being able to change his original flight booking. Alex knew from the start of the event that Christian had a flight booked today but we both hoped that he would have been able to change it last night so that he could have at least played the semi-final. Alex was very disappointed but the good news was that as long as Alex turned up for the match when it was called then he would still keep the points that he has earned whereas Christian would not. I was very disappointed also and I’m sure Christian would have made the flight change if he had been in the ¼ finals of the singles today!

Following that news we headed straight down to the on-site practice courts where we warmed up and then went into some practice sets to work on all of the player’s goals from this week.  For just under 2 hours we all played each other in either a short set up to 4 games or, if one court was going faster than the other, we played a full set to 6 games. The deal was that if everyone played under match conditions then the overall winner (or runner up if I won!) would get a Chilly Moos (ice cream mix-in – similar to the Coldstones last week) bought by me.

All three players competed well and after Georgie won a close set 5-4 against Alex it was only left for her to beat me to become the overall winner. Fortunately I managed to take our set 6-2 so the final standings were: Me, Georgie, Alex and Mia – I’ll be sure to post a picture of Georgie with her ice cream!!

After the session I took the players through a surprise fitness circuit – they were all a bit worried about what I was going to come up with but were quite relieved when they found out we were going to follow the 20 station “Fit Trail” that is posted around the tournament site! I think the trail is mainly for the local adults but, after starting with a few stretching stations, it actually ended up with a few tough exercises. Here are the team in action:

By the time we had finished it was just after 1pm so there was just time for some lunch and to watch some of either the Davis Cup practice or the tournament matches before we got the 2.30pm bus back to the hotel. The rest of the afternoon was then spent taking washing to the local laundrette and visiting the supermarket to get food and money. We then had a quick visit to the beach across the road from the hotel for our first swim in the sea before changing for dinner.

Tonight we finally got to eat at the Surfer’s Café in Oistins and the food and views were definitely worth the wait.

Tomorrow will be a day off and I’ve got something special planned for the players – tune in tomorrow to find out what it is!!

Wednesday 4^th April 2013

It was a very positive day for Alex today as he progressed through to his first ever ITF semi-final while on the other hand it was bitter disappointment for the girls as they lost an extremely close third set tie-break in their doubles.

As both doubles matches were scheduled for later in the day we had breakfast at 8am and then went into Oistins to stock up on some supplies at the supermarket. We were back at the hotel just after 9am and the plan was to warm up at 9.30am and then train on the hotel court at 10am, but the weather had other ideas! A big storm came over us at bang on 9.30am but as we’re in Barbados it didn’t last long and by 10am we were back out warming up.

Even though Mia, Georgie and Alex had to all share a half court with 2 Americans, they had a good 40 minutes warming up and then we finished the session with some doubles specific work to get them all closing in an dominating the net. We were finished by just after 11am and then it was back to the hotel for a very quick shower and change before getting the bus at 11.30am.

For the next 5 hours there wasn’t much to do apart from sit and wait for some long matches to finish but the players managed to keep themselves occupied with either school work, reading or Subway Surfers!!

At 5.15pm Alex went on for his ¼ final with Christian to play Simon D’Alfono from America and Jorge Vargas from Columbia. The first set was very close with both pairs playing well on their own service games and it went with serve until 4-3* when Alex and Christian got a vital break. Christian then went on to make 6 out of 6 first serves in the next game to hold serve and take the set 6-3.

When Alex and Christian took a 2-0 lead in the second set it looked as if their opponents were defeated but a poor service game and some poor shot selections when Christian was serving at *3-2 gave that break up. Both boys had been moving well at the net in the first set but they had become a little static in the second set which allowed their opponent to relax more. That changed at 4-4* when both Alex and Christian were a lot more active and that resulted in them getting the break that they needed. Alex continued to move well and finish volleys in the next game while Christian was serving, which helped them hold serve and take the match 6-3, 6-4. Another good performance from both players and on to the semi-finals tomorrow!!

Mia and Georgie went straight on court following Alex’s match to face Abigail Altick and Jenna Friedel from America. Both girls started well; they were very sharp at the net and even though they went *0-2 down they were definitely playing the better doubles. Mia and Georgie fought hard and continued to dominate the net which saw they win 5 out of the next 6 games to take a *5-3 lead. Mia then served for the set and despite being broken both girls stayed positive and broke back in the next game to take the set 6-4.

The performance in the first set had been of a high quality and it was almost like déjà vu in the second set as the girls once again went from *0-2 down to 4-3* up. Both girls were still playing well but some negative responses in the next game caused them to lose concentration and after Georgie was broken at *4-4 the Americans took advantage to hold serve and take the set 6-4.

The third set match tie-break was extremely close and very nerve-wracking, especially for the spectators! Mia and Georgie got a break through at 3-3* and won the next three points but the Americans kept their focus and fought hard. Our girls continued to play positive doubles and take control of the points which saw them take a 8-6 lead. Mia then served at *8-7 but both points went against them to give the Americans match point at 8-9*. The Americans couldn’t convert that chance and our girls won the next two points to take a 10-9 lead with Georgie serving. The Americans then played a good point to level the scores at *10-10. The next point was very close with both pairs playing well but after a long rally Mia had an easy smash on top of the net but she went to hit it much too hard and the ball sailed straight into the back fence! That point was always going to be difficult to recover from and, with more of a spring in their step, the Americans took the next point to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 12-10.

Both girls were bitterly disappointed with the result and even though there were so many positives to take from the match it was understandably difficult for them to see past the result.

By the time the girls had finished it was just after 8pm so they cooled down and stretched out before we got a taxi straight to Mamma Mia’s for dinner.

Schedule for tomorrow:

(1) Charlie Ridout (GBR) & Robbie Ridout  (GBR) vs Alex Hagon (GBR) & Christian Haushammer (USA) –  3rd match after 9am (not before 11am)

 

Tuesday 2^nd April 2013

It was a very long day today as we arrived on site at just after 7.30am and didn’t get the bus back to the hotel until 8pm. However, good performances from both Georgie and Alex definitely made the day worthwhile.

Even though we had managed to book a practice court for this morning there was still difficulties with the players who had priority for first round matches – I think the referees have finally realised that they need to monitor who are booking the courts rather than just put the practice sheet out for anyone to write on!! Mia, Georgie and Alex had a good practice session from 8-8.30am to warm up for their matches and then Alex managed to stay on for a further 30 minutes to train with one of the other main draw players.

As Georgie was playing third match off site at Summerhayes tennis club we had to wait until the first match was completed before we could get the transport over. When we did get there at around 11.30am the second round match was at 2-1 in the first set but it wasn’t long before 6^th seed Caroline Turner took a 6-4, 4-1 lead. As the match was looking like it was coming to an end, Georgie went through her pre-match warm up and we spoke about her tactics and goals for the match. All of this was a little premature though as Jenna Friedel started her comeback after being 5-1 down in the second set. After levelling the match 6-4, 5-7 Jenna eventually went on to take the third set 6-1 and Georgie finally went on at around 2.15pm.

Georgie was playing number 2 seed Mira Ruder-Hook from America today and even though there was a difference of over 300 ranking places between them, it was not obvious on the court. After a slow and uneasy start Georgie broke the tall American at 0-2* to get the set back on serve but then struggled in her own service game at *2-3 and was broken. Unlike at the National Tennis Centre the wind at Summerhayes was blowing directly down the court which made it difficult from both ends. Because of this Georgie found it difficult to find the balance between playing aggressive tennis and maintaining consistency but at *2-5 down she started to find an excellent level. She held serve well and if it wasn’t for Mira’s accuracy of serving in the next game I think Georgie would have got the break back. Unfortunately she didn’t and Mira went on to take the first set 6-3.

Georgie continued to improve her level in the second set and from the start she had definitely found a better aggressive balance in her game. After being broken at *2-2 Georgie broke back at 3-4* but then was broken straight back which allowed Mira to serve for the match at 4-5*. The next game was definitely one of Georgie’s best as she reeled off 5 winners including 2 off Mira’s serve while only making 2 unforced errors to level the set again at *5-5. Unfortunately by this stage Georgie was finding it easier to dictate points when returning rather than when she was serving and after Georgie was broken in the next game Mira went on to take the match 6-3, 7-5.

It was a close match throughout and Georgie definitely had the game to beat her higher ranked opponent (Georgie’s stats in both sets were actually better than her opponent’s!) but a few lose games at the end of both sets cost her. There were still loads of positives to take from the match though and it’s a match we can definitely build on for next week in Guadeloupe.

We arrived back at the National Tennis Centre at 5.15pm to find that Alex (who was scheduled for 4^th match after 9am) had just started his doubles match. Alex and Christian took a 2-0 lead in the first set before their opponents got a game back. They then went on to take the first set convincingly 6-2 with some very confident play both from the back of the court and at the net.

The second set was much closer and the local support really seemed to motivate the Barbados players. The set went with serve until *3-4 despite Alex and Christian having a couple of sudden death deuce points on their opponent’s service games. Alex was then broken in the next game and the pair from Barbados held serve to win the set 6-3 much to the delight of their supporters!

As I’ve said before match tie-breaks can often be a bit of a lottery as a few cheap points can result in the match being over very quickly. At *0-3 down Alex and Christian looked a little shell shocked but they fought back well to level the tie-break at 3-3 and then looked in complete control as they went on to take the match 6-2, 3-6, 10-5. Both players were disappointed and felt as though they should have played better but they got the win and now have a chance to improve in the next match tomorrow.

Following Alex’s doubles match we were told that we would have to wait to see if Georgie and Mia would go on before the cut-off time of 9pm. We were all a little surprised by this as Alex’s match was the 4^th round and Georgie and Mia’s was scheduled for 8^th round on the same court!! Fortunately the referee saw sense at just before 8pm and cancelled the remaining doubles matches for the day.

We got back to the hotel at just after 8.15pm and after a quick shower and change we walked down the road to the Barbados Beach Hotel for dinner. It was then straight back to the hotel to get an early night after a long and tiring day.

Schedule for tomorrow:

Simon D’Alfonso (USA) & Jorge Vargas (COL) vs Alex Hagon (GBR) & Christian Haushammer (USA) – 5^th match after 9am (not before 1pm)

Abigail Altick (USA) & Jenna Friedel (USA) vs Georgie Axon (GBR) & Mia Smith (GBR) – 6^th match after 9am (not before 2pm)

Winner of Georgie & Mia’s match to play again after rest.

Monday 1^st April 2013

We had a mixed day today as Georgie came through her first round match convincingly while Mia took a commanding first set lead but unfortunately couldn’t maintain her level.

It was another early start this morning as the fight for practice courts continues!! We got to the club at just after 7.30am to warm up and then Mia and Georgie got on court from 8-8.30am to warm up for their singles matches while Alex had to wait until 8.30am before he could get a court. As Alex was signing in for a Lucky Loser place he needed to sign in 30 minutes before play started and then it would be a case of waiting all day to see if anyone would pull out . . . or get defaulted, like today!

During the practice session from 8-9am a German boy hit a ball over the fence and a young local spectator caught the ball but wouldn’t give it back! The German then went off the court to get the ball back and after an argument, which involved the German boy’s dad too, all three of them got into a fight. I’ve never seen anything like it at a tournament and after the police were called the German boy was eventually defaulted from singles and doubles. That meant that Alex had an opportunity to get a Lucky Loser spot but, as there were two players who lost in the last round of qualifying that both had rankings, it would have to be drawn out of a hat. Alex unfortunately picked out the other boy’s chip so lost out on a place in the main draw.

After that crazy start to the day, Georgie went on at just after 10.30am to play her first round match against Mary Meredith from America. The conditions today were very windy and it was difficult to find a rhythm from both ends of the court but Georgie started the match well and broke serve in the first game. She then went on to take a 4-0 lead and even though Mary held serve in her next two service games, Georgie served out the set to take it 6-2. At the end of the set Mary called the physio onto the court and after a brief assessment of her condition she said that her shoulder was too painful to carry on playing so she pulled out.

After the match I had a brief chat with Georgie before she cooled down and stretched out. We then all got some lunch at the club and our attentions then turned to Mia’s pre-match preparations.

Mia went on just after 1.30pm to play qualifier Madison Harrison from America who is the younger sister of top 100 player Ryan Harrison. Mia knew Madison from when she trained at the IMG academy in Florida and she had seen her play during qualifying so was ready to take her on!

Mia started the match well and just like in her match last week she was very patient from the back of the court while still maintaining an aggressive level to put her opponent under pressure. Mia took a 3-0 lead and looked in full control of the match but a few negative comments to herself after missing a couple of shots in the next game allowed her opponent back in. Madison held serve for the first time at 3-0* and, as she could see Mia was starting to get down on herself, her confidence started to grow. Madison went on to win the next 11 games in a row to go from 3-0 down in the first set to 6-3, 5-0 up in the second before Mia then held serve.

The two games at 5-0 and 5-1 were actually two of Mia’s best in the match and I had a feeling that a big fight back was about to begin but Madison served well in the last game to take the match 6-3, 6-1.

It was a disappointing match and one that if Mia could have stayed positive and maintained the level that she started the match with then she would have definitely come through it with a win.

After Mia had finished Alex and Georgie went through their band and injury prevention work for 45 mins then had a stretch out to end the day. We then got the shuttle bus back to the hotel at 4.30pm which gave the players an opportunity to relax or go swimming in the hotel pool before we left for dinner.

The plan tonight was to go to Oistins to see the Fish Festival and to eat at a local surfer’s restaurant but we didn’t realise that the restaurant was closed on Mondays!

So instead we had a walk around the town before heading to St. Lawrence Gap for a nice meal in a Brazilian restaurant overlooking the beach.

 

We got back to the hotel just after 8pm and then went through some psychology work as well as the individual analysis from their singles matches.

Schedule for tomorrow:

Georgie Axon (GBR) (690) vs (2) Mira Ruder-Hook (USA) (374) – 3^rd match after 9am (Summerhayes Courts)

Matthew Foster-Estwick (BAR) & Ajani King (BAR) vs Alex Hagon (GBR) & Christian Haushammer (USA) – 4^th match after 9am (not before 12pm)

Abigail Altick (USA) & Jenna Friedel (USA) vs Georgie Axon (GBR) & Mia Smith (GBR) – 8^th match after 9am (not before 4pm)

Sunday 31^st March 2013

We had another good day at the National Tennis Centre in Barbados today but, after coming through a very tough 2^nd round qualifying match, Alex didn’t quite have enough to qualify for the main draw.

We were at breakfast at 7am this morning where we met up with Georgie Axon and her dad who had arrived from Trinidad last night. Georgie is joining the team for the next two weeks and I’m really looking forward to helping her achieve some good results.

We took the 7.30am shuttle bus and, because of the free-for-all court booking system, when we arrived at the club we headed straight onto the court to warm up and then fight for a court. Alex warmed up for 30 minutes with another player while Mia and Georgie managed to stay on court for a full hour to prepare well for their main draw matches tomorrow.

After the session I sat down with Alex to go through his pre-match sheet and set some goals before he went on court to play Ethan Ammon from Trinidad. Alex started very slowly today and didn’t look comfortable on the court; he was quiet on line calls and very passive in the rally which resulted in him falling *1-4 behind despite breaking in the first game. Alex then held serve for the first time and it was obvious that he was suddenly filled with some confidence. He went on to win the next 3 games in a row with some aggressive and consistent play to serve for the set at *5-4. Unfortunately a very poor game followed but Alex didn’t dwell on it; he broke straight back and then held serve well to take the first set 7-5.

Alex fought very hard in tough conditions in the first set and after he took the first set his opponent looked completely broken. Alex isn’t the biggest of players and I think a lot of opponents think that he’s going to be a pushover but he’s got a big heart and works very hard which is why he can turn sets around like today. Despite the second set having a lot of close games, the momentum was definitely with Alex and after breaking Ethan’s serve at 1-1 there was no looking back as Alex went on to take the match 7-5, 6-1.

I was really pleased with Alex’s performance against a difficult lefty opponent and I was especially pleased with how he turned around a poor start to the match to finish with 11 winners and only 7 unforced errors in the second set.

Following the match we all got some lunch and then Mia and Georgie headed off site to the Hilton Hotel to hit with a couple of the American girls while Alex had a long wait for his last round qualifying match.

Eventually Alex went on court at 4pm to face Jeremie Euphrasie from Martinique. Jeremie had qualified last week and went on to lose in the ¼ finals so we knew it was going to be a tough match. We’d also watched Jeremie play his previous match so Alex was prepared for some heavy hitting from his opponent.

Alex held serve in the second game of the match but that was to be the only game that he could get on the board in the set as Jeremie dominated almost every rally. Alex had some opportunities to dictate the points but if he didn’t take them first time then his opponent would step up and take control.

After a very one-sided first set, and a talking to from me(!), Alex upped his game in the second set and started to play with a lot more commitment and belief. Alex was broken in the first game of the set but didn’t let his opponent get too much of a lead and continued to fight hard for every point. The set then went with serve but Alex had chances to make inroads on Jeremie’s serve at 1-2* and 2-3* but couldn’t quite get to a break back point. After a very tight game Alex then had a chance to break back at 3-4* but a very cheap error let Jeremie back in that game and then he went on to hold and break Alex to take the match 6-1, 6-3.

It was disappointing to lose in the last round of qualifying but Alex’s opponent did play well and was just too strong on the day. It is another great experience for Alex to learn from and I know it will definitely make him a better player in the long run. After the match Alex signed in for a Lucky Loser and there were actually 2 available but unfortunately he didn’t get either of them!

Once the girls had signed in for the main draw, we got the bus back to the hotel at 6.30pm and then headed straight out to dinner with Georgie and Jeremy. It was Georgie and Jeremy’s first experience of the local mini-buses and even though the journey to the restaurant was quite tame, the journey back was more like normal!

Schedule for tomorrow:

(LL) Mary Meredith (USA) (UNR) vs Georgie Axon (GBR) (690) – 2^nd match after 9am

(Q) Madison Harrison (USA) (UNR) vs Mia Smith (GBR) (751) – 4^th match after 9am (not before 12pm)

Saturday 30^th March 2013

We had a solid start to week 2 today as Alex eased through his 1^st round match against Joshua Blanchard from Barbados.

Due to one of the courts being reserved for Davis cup, the tournament is being held on just three courts this week which has meant that the schedule for each day is going to be very long. As Alex was scheduled for 6^th match I decided that there was no point in getting to the club early today so we had breakfast at 9am and then practiced on the hotel court from 11-11.30am. The condition of the court was ok and it was probably the same as the practice courts that are available at the tournament site but it was interesting to have the court surface different to the outside of the court!

Alex and Mia had a good hit for just over 30 minutes and as soon as Alex felt as though he was warmed up and ready for his match we concluded the session and returned to the hotel. Both players then showered and changed before we got the local bus into Oistins to get some food from the supermarket. There is a big fish festival in town at the moment with lots of different market type stalls selling items from toys to clothes so hopefully we’ll get a chance to venture in one evening to check it out.

After lunch we got the 1.30pm shuttle to the courts and then waited for Alex’s court to become available. Even though Alex’s match was scheduled not before 3.30pm the match before his finished early so both boys agreed to go on at around 3.15pm.

Alex took control of the match from the first game and even though Joshua was a weaker player Alex made sure that he pushed himself to improve in every game. In particular, Alex worked hard on his return of serve and on developing his movement forwards to the net, both of which he did well on his way to a 6-0, 6-0 win.

After the match we still had an hour before the next bus left for the hotel so, while Alex cooled down and stretched out, Mia and I went for a 30 minute run around the cricket pitch to tick off another one of her strength and conditioning sessions for the trip. We then returned to the hotel and had a swim in the hotel pool to cool off before dinner.

Our bus journeys to and from Hastings are getting better each day and today had to be one of the best – we had 20 of us in a 12 seater mini-bus which included 2 young children trying to sleep! As always Alex loved the experience!

Schedule for tomorrow:

Ethan Ammon (TRI) (UNR) vs (8) Alex Hagon (GBR) (1811) – 2^nd match after 9am

Winner to play (WC) Jeremie Euphraise (MRN) (UNR) or William Berry (JAM) (UNR) – 6^th match after 9am (not before 2pm)

 

Friday 29^th March 2013

It was Alex’s last day of preparation today before qualifying starts tomorrow, while Mia balanced some training with some school work as she looks to be fresh for main draw on Monday.

The tournament started a shuttle bus service today which, on one hand is great as it will save us a lot of money in taxi fares but on the other hand it means that we will have to stick to their timetable which will not always fit in with our plans. After having breakfast at 8.30am we got the 9.30am shuttle and, after a delay while the other players / coaches got themselves organised, we eventually got to the club just before 10am.

The court situation this morning was a bit of a free-for-all but I had managed to get one of the staff to reserve us a court yesterday so we warmed up at 10.30am and then starting hitting at 11am. It was another hot session but our plan was always to do an hour in the morning followed by an hour and a half in the afternoon with the main focus of finding Alex’s match level. Mia and Alex worked well together and after a 20 minute warm up they went through some specific drills based on their goals from last week. We then finished the session just after 12pm with some serve and return so that Alex was ready for a practice set in the afternoon.

There wasn’t any catering facilities at the club today and as it was Good Friday most of the local food outlets were closed. Luckily Kevin, the Barbados Davis Cup captain, offered to take us into Hastings to get some food and then we returned to the club and had lunch while watching the Barbados team train.

Mia decided to rest for the afternoon session and complete some of her school work for a couple of hours while Alex and I took to the court again. Alex was supposed to play a practice set with George Cartledge but George got the times wrong so it gave me a chance to step up! We had a good set in pretty hot and humid conditions but it was in the drilling and points afterwards where the level really increased – that might have had something to do with the 50+ people that were watching the session!!

By 4pm Alex was hitting really well from the back of the court and finishing points at the net effectively. He then signed in and after cooling down and stretching out we all got the bus back to the hotel at 5pm.

We went to Mamma Mia’s for dinner again this evening and then once we got back to the hotel we continued with our psychology work until about 8.30pm when our attention turned to watching Murray take down Gasquet in the Miami semi-finals.

Alex and Mia went to bed around 9pm but it was a late one for me as I waited until after 11pm for the draw and order of play to come out – as I was told last week “they work at their own pace here on the islands!”

Schedule for tomorrow:

Joshua Blanchard (BAR) (UNR) vs (8) Alex Hagon (GBR) (1811) – 6^th match after 9am (not before 3.30pm)

Thursday 28^th March 2013

After a long day yesterday, which saw us arrive in Barbados at 10.30pm, we had a more relaxed day today as Alex started his preparations for qualifying on Saturday.

There was no set time for breakfast this morning as I wanted the players to have a lie in but they were both awake by 9am so we got something to eat and then got a feel for the hotel. We then decided to have a walk into Oistins to visit the local supermarket and stock up on food and water. Despite it being very warm, the walk was very picturesque and all of us were very impressed by the views.

Alex and Mia both had a bit of trouble with their shopping bags splitting on the walk back and Alex even tried to pay me to carry his bags!! Once we got back to the hotel we all sorted out our clothes that needed washing and then we took them to a local laundry on the way to the tennis centre.

The tennis centre is a lot smaller than the one in Trinidad and only has 4 courts but one of them is reserved for the whole week so that the Barbados and Puerto Rico teams can use it to prepare for their Davis Cup match which is next weekend. It’s going to be a really good experience for all of the players to be around a Davis Cup tie and I’m looking forward to being close to the action.

After warming up thoroughly I took Mia and Alex through some movement work with the ladder and then they had a really good session from 12.30-2pm. Both players were a little tired after the long travelling day yesterday but they worked hard and played well.

We were met by our taxi driver at 2.45pm who took us back to the laundry shop to collect our clothes and then we headed back to the hotel via a local shopping mall to get some lunch. For the rest of the afternoon the players relaxed at the hotel and kept cool in the swimming pool while I caught up on some admin work (and tried to dodge getting splashed by the side of the pool!!).

For dinner this evening we were joined by George, his coach Eddie and Matus Lazar (who Alex and George had played in the doubles in Trinidad) and his father. To get to the restaurant I decided that we would go via local minibus so all 7 of us squeezed into an already busy bus – still $2 each is much better than $50 for a taxi! Dinner tonight was at a local Italian called Mamma Mia’s in Hastings which was recommended by an English family who were staying at our hotel.

After the meal we waited for another local bus to get us back to the hotel and Alex’s excitement was obvious for everyone to see!

When we got back to the hotel we met in the lobby to go through some psychology work to help the players reflect on last week and prepare themselves for this week. Then at 9pm we headed back to our rooms for an early night.