July Blog
With the same warmth as the month of July, I welcome everyone back to this blog. It’s already my fourth entry, so if you’re back here reading again, you either have no hobbies or you’re actually enjoying the reads – I hope for both our sakes, it’s the latter. Okay, seriously now. It’s time for some exposures, a little bit of stunning Swiss beauty and unwinding the mind.
The month of July started as it ended: in Switzerland - my home country. I was in the car with Luca, one of my best friends and a former roommate, on our way to practice with Lele. Among our many conversations, one happened to be about my blog. Always knowing I can count on his honest opinion, he told me: “Even though your blog is quite decent, it would be nice to know what sort of bets you guys have to do after Yatzy’s.” And he's right, I’ve always tried to avoid these exposures because they’re too humiliating to talk about. But okay, here is a list of the most horrendous bets we've had to do so far (considering it’s a game of luck – only if I lose, obviously. If I win, it’s pure talent and greatness):
Carrying the suitcases/hand luggage from door to door (including through airports)
Taking selfies with 30 hotel room numbers on 3 different floors
Granting 10 free wishes (can be literally anything, although we have a gentlemen’s agreement.)
Swiping the same clay court, including the lines, 6x in a row. (takes 20-30minutes)
Sitting on a chair in the middle of the court for 20minutes. Not allowed to speak, move, listen to something or close the eyes.
Listening to the same song on repeat with headphones for 30mins. (Pedro Pedro Pedro was my choice of song for him)
These are the tougher bets we’ve had to endure so far, with great potential for escalations soon. But here’s an appeal to you guys! If you have more creative ideas, leave feedback on my IG or on the contact page of this website. We’re open to more creativity.
Moving on to some tennis things, Lele and I prepared for his first ATP event this year (excluding the Grand Slams), specifically for a tournament on home soil in Gstaad. Since the surface was clay again and Gstaad is at high altitude, we had to specify our preparations for this event. We focused more on placements and different paces on the ball since the balls fly faster in the mountains. It was a great week with two very strong performances. Unfortunately, Lele fell short in two tiebreaks against Jan-Lenard Struff, whom I always idolized growing up as a tennis player. So, I was secretly rooting for Lele’s opponent (I’m kidding) (Or am I?). Jokes aside, we were really happy with how Lele competed at that world class level. The atmosphere and the support we received were heartwarming. We’re definitely looking forward to come back. As an additionally note, prior to the start of the tournament, I was his hitting partner for a few sessions in Gstaad. Standing on the center court, hitting some fuzzy tennis balls with that stunning mountain background scenery reminded me of how thankful I am to have the opportunity to play at such astonishing venues.
At last, the second half of this month has been really calm. I’m currently preparing for the first division team matches in Switzerland, which begin in early August (yes, actually practicing for myself). Meanwhile, Leandro flew to the US with Thiemo to start off his American hard-court swing where I’ll be replacing Thiemo as soon as my week of the team matches is over. Before all that, this meant I had a bit of vacation to enjoy some free time and a Swiss summer. Going from very busy and hectic weeks in June to an abrupt complete break at home after Gstaad, I first had to get used to unwinding my mind. To be honest, it wasn’t easy because subconsciously I always felt like I had to plan, organize or do something. But eventually I felt my mind calming down more and more, finally creating some headspace. Quite literally, my body and mind had to relearn to settle down and rest.
Finishing this blog entry during a sunset on the terrace in my garden, listening to FRED AGAIN’s new YouTube live set (if I ever get to see a live set of his, my life will be complete), I look back on a calm and relaxing Swiss summer, getting the chance to meet up with my brother and friends, which is something I often miss out due to traveling. However, I do look forward to a competition week for myself in August and then to the call of the last Grand Slam of the year – the US Open. New York, I’ll see you soon.
