Wednesday 16th May 2012
After a tough journey from Tel Aviv yesterday we had our first day in Mersin today and despite our expectations being quite low due to Dave being very tired we actually had a very positive and productive day.
Even though we didn’t get into the hotel until 12.30am this morning we had to be up to have breakfast before it closed at 10am so we decided to meet at 9.45am. We were both pretty tired and the Turkish buffet breakfast wasn’t quite our cup of tea so it was just down to seeing how many bowls of Corn Flakes and warm milk we could handle!
After getting everything ready we visited the local supermarket to stock up on water before getting a taxi to the tennis club. We’re currently staying at the 2nd official hotel but hope to move to the 1st hotel on the list by the weekend as it is directly next door to the tennis centre and it also has a very good gym. We arrived at the club just before midday and were greeted by the tournament director who went out of his way to help us out today. Some clubs can be a little funny if you turn up more than a day before the tournament starts and they often charge you to use the courts but they were very accommodating today and even took our bookings for the rest of the week!
After a long physical warm up Dave went on court with Dale Sutherland from Australia who is also preparing for qualifying this weekend. We had a really good hour and a half training session in quite hot conditions which was perfect to get over the long journey yesterday and to get a good feel for the red clay courts. Immediately after the session we decided to go through Dave’s speed and agility training which is part of his conditioning programme. The session only actually involved 3 sets of 10 different sprints but it took over half an hour to complete due to the work / rest ratio needed when doing speed training. By 2.15pm we were both pretty exhausted and in need to a good lunch – after being spoilt by an amazing restaurant at the club last week this one had a lot to live up to but I think it might have actually equalled it (no Focaccia bread though to Dave’s disappointment!!).
The view from the balcony overlooking the back 3 courts with the official hotel in the background
Following lunch we went back to the hotel to relax for the afternoon, we had planned on going for a walk on the sea front and along to the local harbour but the heavens opened and it rained for most of the day so that plan went out the window.
We decided to have dinner at the other hotel this evening and I think it was definitely the right choice. Not only did we have a nice view of the Mediterranean Sea but there was also a huge buffet to choose from. After dinner we went next door to the bowling alley where I managed to sneak a win at the darts but Dave firmly put me in my place by taking a 5-1 lead in the Pool – watch this space though, I’ll be fighting back tomorrow!
