Hey strangers! I'm back! I just wanted to give you all an update. Yes I am still playing tennis. I currently moved back to Knoxville to train. I have a new coach, new fitness regimen and new goals for the year.
I ended last year playing some great tennis. I went over to Europe and played in a couple WTA's and won a few rounds, we also played doubles in the US Open which was awesome! We lost a close three setter to the #10 seeds 7-5 in the 3rd. Over the summer I made the finals a 25K in El Paso, and won a 25K in Fort Worth not long after. So overall it wasn't a bad end to the year for me.
So now I've set my sights on becoming a top 100 singles player. It's going to take a lot of hard work and some sacrifices but I've surrounded myself with professionals, from a coach who was a former top 20 ATP player, to a strength and conditioning coach who's trained many pro athletes, to even just being back at Tennessee where winning championships is a goal. So this whole environment that I've been adopted into is a competitive one, but the goal is daily improvement and pushing your limits.
I just recently started my new fitness regimen and I've already asked for the puke bucket and I am so sore I can barely walk. But every day that I've survived the workout I know I've improved in some way, whether that be in strength, in quickness, or mental toughness, and any improvement is progress in the direction of my goals.
After being in Knoxville for the last 3-4 weeks I finally have a tournament on the horizon. On Friday I get to go to freezing cold Midland, MI in the middle of winter. Yay! But this tournament isn't about winning or losing for me. It's about trying to implement all of the things we have been working on during practice. It's about trying to find a balance of hitting, managing my fitness, and recovery that will work best for me throughout the year. It's a tester of a tournament if that's easier to understand. This new 6 week fitness plan I'm on just started and Midland happened to be right at the beginning. So I will be playing my matches and then continue my fitness as best I can in between. Once Midland is finished I'll come back to Knoxville and get right back into training and prepare for my real season to begin in March. In the meantime I will try and post here and there to keep everyone updated on what's going on. Until then, peace.
