May Blog
WE ARE BACK. After receiving an overwhelming amount of positive feedback, I’m happy to share blog entry number two with all of you. And there’s a lot to share from the month of May - from handling lows, to a monkey house, all the way to French baguettes. But let’s take it from the beginning.
Last month ended with us recovering from the stomach flu. This inevitably meant we needed to take things slower in practice than we may have wished. However, there was absolutely no time for me to take things slow. The first two weeks of May were “exam season” for me. With the help of the in 2022 founded Swiss company “Beyond Sports”, I’ve been able to manage online studying alongside my sport career. It aims to help athletes achieve a better balance between their academic pursuits and sports commitments. Anyways, now it was time to show I actually studied (which I did, I promies). And so I was running between exam rooms, tennis courts and interviews (due to the upcoming French Open, the media wanted to get their piece of cake as well).
Despite having somewhat efficiently prepared Lele (Leandro) for his Challenger event in Prague, health issues still hindered him from being able to perform the way he wanted to. That’s why Lele, together with Thiemo and his physiotherapist (they sometimes travel with him, especially when I’m not able to), came back earlier from Prague than we all wished for, while I was still responding to (stupid) economics questions in Zurich.
Forced to pull out of the preparation tournament the week before the French Open, Lele and I had five days to process and recover from the tough past weeks while also getting as much court time as possible to be ready for our first Grand Slam together (no, I’m not talking about Yatzy here). It was not an easy week, I can tell you that. As much blood, sweat and tears as we put into the tennis, it was equally important to have deep talks and do activities off court. That’s the reason we found ourselves searching for lions, hanging out with monkeys or talking to kangaroos (unfortunately they didn’t talk back). Long story short, after a three-hour tennis session, we went to the zoo to talk about life, watch animals and enjoy some ice cream. In the end, we made the best out of those days and it was time to pack for the big bang - the French Open.
On Friday at noon, after a fast 4-hour train ride on the TGV, we heard the speakers say “Bienvenue à Paris”. Leandro’s first match was going to be played on Tuesday, so we spent four days practicing either on the main site or at the practice sites. The training hours on court or in the gym were short, but the quality was high. Sometimes, when individual work was needed, I was his sparring partner. This generally allows us to work more specifically with direct feedback and adjustments – Having a playing coach is a great benefit for him as well as for me, as I get the opportunity to hit some balls on legendary venues. (I wish I could say “it’s also a great way to show him I still got it”, but the scoreboards tell a different story.) In the evenings, we searched for small, local restaurants to feel the Parisian city vibe. When we were served warm baguettes, we knew we had undoubtedly arrived in Paris.
The match did not go how we had hoped, and there was plenty of post-match discussions to go through. Although this also means that there are plenty of things to take away from this experience and learn from. Failing forward, I always say.
Overall the French Open experience, which was also my first Grand Slam experience, was positively overwhelming. I really had to get used to the amount of people you’re surrounded with, the amount of small talk you’re going to have throughout the day and generally handle the dimension of the venue. Being organized is key I would say. While it’s super nice seeing many tennis friends everyday, the days on site can also be energy draining as it’s difficult to find the “off button” during the day. And one thing that feels a bit off in my opinion, is that you could tell that there’s much more business involved behind such an event than compared to “smaller tournaments”. I would love to feel a purely sports driven atmosphere, but I completely understand the network and platform a Grand Slam provides.
Having arrived back home, it was time to reset and focus on the upcoming grass season. Before that, we went on a two-day team-building event in the Swiss mountains. Tennis couldn’t have been any further, while the nature couldn’t have been any closer. It felt like a breath of fresh air for the mind. And having a fresh mind helps to work with great quality and motivation.
I hope your mind is also still fresh after reading this blog. I thank you once again for all the positive messages and see you back here soon – when I will tell you about the grass court season (saying this in a British accent) and Leandro’s consequences of losing the French “Grand Slam Yatzy”.
