France - Dijon

The other week I was in Dijon, France. My journey started from Amsterdam and took a train straight to Paris Nord station, about a 2 and a half hour train ride. My next train was out of the Paris Bercy station which isn’t near Paris Nord. To clarify, Paris has three train stations. Paris Nord which is pretty much at the center of Paris, it’s the biggest. It has the fast trains, long distance trains, and the subway trains which they call the Metro. Then there is Paris Lyon which is in the middle of the three station and is only a few train stops away from Nord through the Metro. This station serves the Metro and fast trains as well but not as big as Nord. Then on the outer end of Paris there is Bercy. This station serves around the country but has the slower trains that stop a more stations. So from Paris Nord I decided to take the Metro instead of a taxi. So I took the Metro Line 4 towards Chalete where I needed to get off. Well I get on the train and the announcement said the next stop was the wrong direction that was needed. So I get off and walked around because I couldn’t find out how to get to the other side of the track. So after lugging my bags up and down some stairs I finally found the right track and direction that was needed. So I made it to Chalete and from there I needed to catch the 14 Line to Bercy. Once at Bercy it was about a three minute walk outside to the Bercy station. But after going through France’s subway system I don’t think France allows obese people to ride. The gates that you have to go through are so small I could hardly get my luggage through. The space is barely a foot and a half wide. It’s crazy. No wonder the French are all skinny.

Train Ride

Anyway, once at Bercy I get on the train and there is not a seat to be had. I went on about five different carriages and nothing. So I have up looking and just put my luggage and myself in the small hallway where the carriage doors are. It seemed to be a popular spot because I shared it with six others and their luggage. The only open seat was the toilet but I definitely wasn’t going to sit on that. The roof would have been a better choice. So we all stood around for about an hour and a half until a bunch of people got off at one stop. Then we all ran for the open seats for the rest of the trip.




Farmland

I got into Dijon at 4:30 and was disappointed because there was nothing that had to do with the mustard. So was bummed. I thought it would be like those Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing commercials but it wasn’t. Hahaha. But I took a taxi to the courts and it seemed to take forever, as I’m watching the fare raise even when we were idling. But there was nothing near the courts. It was all farmland. The courts were next to a fold course that was up in the woods away from the main road. But 30 euros later I was at the courts. I didn't think it would have cost that much so I only had 20 euros on me for sign-in when I needed 27. But they let me pay the rest the following day before my first round.


The site had three indoor courts but being in France it might have been outdoors it was so cold on the court. A few mornings when warming up you could see your breath. It was like playing Winter Nationals out in Arizona in Decemeber. When matches started at 8am so you were warming up at 7am playing in the dark dressed in your warmest clothes while all the parents were sitting in the cars with the heat on. So I guess I should have been used to it. Well in the first round of qualifying I played a French girl Enmer. I won in three sets 6-4,3-6,6-3. I didn't play the greatest but it was enough. The second set I missed a lot and she was hardly missed. She got a lot back and so I was forcing shots and it didn't work. Obviously. The third set though, I was relaxed and just out played her by being aggressive and not giving her anything for free.

Second round I played Lemmens, a Belgian. I won that match in two sets 6-3,6-3. It was a tough one. Every point was earned and most games had multiple deuce points. I played this match aggressively and smart. I moved well and I was lucky enough to win most of the key points. I think she was playing well enough that if I wasn't moving and hitting the way I was, even had a small mental lapse then she would have won the match. So the way the match really played out the score should have read 7-6,7-6. It was that close. But i made it to the main draw after that win, so something else to be happy about.

In the first round of the main draw I was up against another French player Cheli who was given a wild card into the main. Apparently, she wasn't sure she was going to play because she hurt her ankle before the tournament, but she played. She managed to only play a set. She retired when she was down 6-0,1-0. She couldn't run much so she just hit hoping to hit winners but she mostly just missed. I didn't realize she was stopping because her and the umpire were speaking in French and then the umpire said she's done. Then the tournament supervisor who always reminds me of my grandfather
 just in his stature came out and winked and nodded that she was finished. But good for me bad for her. I got my point and was moving on to the next round.

Second round I played another French player Arcangioli and won 6-3,6-3. Again it was a close match but I played aggressive, I moved well, and I was focused every point. I didn't give her a single free point. I ran every ball down forcing her to hit into smaller and smaller targets and eventually she made an error. So again it was another good effort on my part.

In the quarterfinals I was up against Kostova and lost 4-6,6-3,3-6. In the first set I found myself down 0-3 rather quickly. I was being pushed around the court and I was playing passively. Then from that changeover I was determined to just run for everything, look for an opportunity to take charge of the point right from the start, and to stand my ground and not let her pace knock me off the baseline. So once I did that I won four straight games and was up 4-3. Then she called for the trainer to get her leg rubbed out and well all my momentum I had came to a screeching halt. I lost the next three games and the set. But I was mad over the medical timeout so I wanted to beat her even more because I felt she abused the rules a bit. Like when players go to the bathroom. No one ever really has to use the bathroom. In women's tennis yes there will be times when it is an emergency, but that is rare. So when people go to the bathroom they really just go a stand there, some players take their water bottles with them, to make it sound more realistic, other wash their face. But the point of a bathroom break is to use the bathroom. Most players don't. Well anyway I don't know if she was really hurt but it was interesting timing. So the second set I just continued with the same gameplan. Being aggressive, moving, take control of the points. And by doing that I took the second set 6-3. I even came out of my shoe one point I was moving around the court so fast. And yes my shoe laces were tied tight so it wasn't like it was easy to get out of. In the third set we both were going at it. She would yell come on when she won a point, and I would yell come on when I won a point. We came to a point at 3-3 and I had a game point and I got cautious. I had a chance to take control of the point when I got a high ball in the middle of the court. I backed up and instead of hitting it to her forehand which was the weaker of the two groundstrokes and keeping me in forehand rallies which I wanted I changed my mind at the last second and floated my forehand to her backhand and she just cracked it and she took control of the point and won it.. Then after that she won the game and took control of the match. After that and in the final game I pressed a bit too much. Came to net too soon, or went for a bigger shot then needed and lost. But I competed until the very end. I save two match points but unfortunately not the third. But it was a great match. It was a great tournament. I competed. I was mentally tough. I moved really well.  And I gave nothing for free. So I was very happy with my result in Dijon.




The courts

 

Indoor