Update: Didn't get the win this time. Chiara and I went down in a tight match, 7-5, 6-2. We were very much neck and neck with them for most of the match, however I think they played slightly better and slightly more consistently on the big points. There are so many positives to take away from this week. It was my best ever doubles result, and we were neck and neck in the final with players ranked in the 100s. I feel just this week alone, I made a lot of steps forward on court, played some really good doubles and more importantly enjoyed it so much. Overall it's been a great 3 week trip, made sweeter by the result this week. I'm headed home now with a few things to work on back at base, and a lot of confidence and positive feelings to take into my next tournaments 😄

Programme: Competition

Update: It has turned into a really good week for me in Germany. Chiara and I knocked out the 2nd seeds, 6-4, 6-3, to put us into the semi finals. We dictated most of the match so were really happy with how we performed. This is the highest ranked doubles team I have beaten, they are at 2/300 WTA so a very good result for me to build upon. We then got very fortunate as we found out later that evening that our semi final opponents, the 4th seeds, had pulled out, putting us into the final; so both the semi final and final in one day! We are playing against the top seeds, who are two Romanians. We are going into the final ready for another tough battle, but confident in the doubles we are playing. We have one more day of preparation before matchday on Saturday. The match is being streamed on ITF Live Scores if anyone would like to watch 😄 Can't wait to get out there!!

Programme: Competition

Update: Happy to win my first match in Altenkirchen, Germany, $25k. I am playing this week with Chiara Scholl from USA, for our first time together. We were both really happy with our performance yesterday as we felt we meshed our games together well and played aggressive doubles. I didn't play any $25k's last year, and focused more on $15ks. So I am really happy to get off to a winning start in my first one for a while. I am aiming to do a few more $25s and above this year as it's the next step for my doubles development. Our next match in Altenkirchen is against the 2nd seeds, who are a high level and ranking so it will be a great test.

Programme: Competition

Update: Unfortunately the second week in Greece didn't go as well as I would have liked results wise. I lost in the match tiebreak in singles qualifying (another match tiebreak!) and then in a really tight match in doubles, 7-6, 7-5. Both matches were are against higher ranked opponents, and despite the result, I was pretty happy with how I played and competed and felt it was a big improvement on my first week here, which is all I can really ask of myself. As much as losing in tight matches is tough, I know that with a few extra improvements, I can turn these losses around. So lots of positives to look at! I am heading now to Germany for one week, to play doubles in a $25k event. It's a great opportunity for me to test myself against the better players and a good result will really improve my ranking. After that, I will be home to put in some work on the practice court with the rest of the ProV3 team. 💪

Programme: Competition

Update: Hello from Greece! I have been in Heraklion, Crete for the past week, playing a $15k. It didn't go exactly as I wanted, losing in the first round of singles main draw and second round of doubles, also in a match tiebreak, like Beth. Match tiebreaks can be a lottery! I definitely found it a big adjustment going from fast indoors in England to outdoor clay! I knew this was going to be a challenge, but I did get more and more acclimatised as the week went on, and was able to put in some good practice days. My next tournament starts tomorrow, also in the same location. (They have 8 tournaments here in a row.) I play someone ranked just above me in the first round of qualifying, and then doubles starts on Tuesday. So I hope to take all the good things from the practice court this week and all the match feedback, into tomorrow!

Programme: Competition

Update: Good weekend at the UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) event in Millfield. The UTR events are really cool in my opinion because they've basically been designed for British tennis players to get good quality matchplay whilst earning money to support the overseas travel. I lost in the semifinals this weekend to the eventual winner. I was pretty happy with my level in my matches, mainly because I can see the carryover from things I've been working on on the practice court, onto the match court, which is the really important thing. My last British indoor event was in October, after I'd just joined Halton and ProV3. I feel I've made a lot of strides in that time and have managed to improve my faster indoor court game to a large extent. And it's great to increase my match fitness and match level ready for my next international trip. This weekend was extra fun because Danielle was also down in Millfield, so we could watch each others matches and support each other, which is what ProV3 is all about! #Community

Programme: Competition

Update: My tournament in Latvia finished yesterday for me. I had a good run in doubles with my partner, Bella (Isabelle). We made the semi finals before going out to the top seeds. At this time of year the tournaments are very strong so it's nice to get into a semi finals early on and the extra points will take me into the 600's in the doubles rankings which is a nice boost! Singles didn't go as I would have liked; I lost in a tight match. I was happy with some things out on the court but didn't manage to impose myself on the match as much as I would have liked. The good thing is that this match provided me with lots of feedback in terms of what was going well and what needs a little bit of work. I am excited to get back to base to work on these things. I have a training week this week with a few areas to fine-tune before my next tournament, which is a UTR event in the UK next weekend. This is a good opportunity to get some more singles matches under my belt before my next trip abroad. Looking forward to getting back on court with the team!

Programme: Competition

Update: Touchdown in Latvia for my first tournament in 2020! This is a $15,000 ITF event in Liepaja, Latvia. I'm very happy to be back at tournaments after a very enjoyable winter training block at base. My recent preparation was slightly compromised by my adductor setback, but all in all I decided that this tournament was a good opportunity to see where I'm at. Not only that, I am playing doubles this week with my friend, Isabelle Haverlag from the Netherlands, and we won a recent title in Solarino, Italy so it's good for us to get back on the court together and build for 2020, as we plan to play together for a few tournaments to see how we get on. Looking forward to what this tournament has to offer 🇱🇻

Programme: Competition

Update: Very happy to be back on the court this week. My adductor improved significantly by the weekend, so I could start to test and strengthen it and do some tennis specific movements ready to get back onto court. I did a couple of pool sessions, as the weightlessness helps you to go through movements without over stressing the muscles. Then I also did some prepping in the gym. Everything went smoothly, so I started back on the court on Wednesday. Even though it was only a small setback, it felt great to be back on court! Now I am working towards my first tournament which is a $15,000 in Latvia and starts on the 20th January. I am flying to Latvia on Saturday the 18th, and am very excited to get back out and compete. So I have a full week of practice next week to get myself match ready! Good practice today with Danielle and Ed 👊

Programme: Training

Update: Unfortunately I had a small injury setback just before New Year's. I was intending to head out to Turkey on the 4th January just gone but have had to change my plans as I got a minor adductor strain. I was a little bit ill over Christmas and when I got back into training, I pushed a little hard. It's a frustrating occurrence, but definitely a learning curve for me as I didn't give myself enough recovery time after my illness and I was rushing a little bit to be as prepared as possible for the tournaments in Turkey. Fortunately it is a very minor injury; I'm hoping to be back into training this week as it's almost completely healed now. I'm aiming to be ready to play tournaments from the week of the 20th of January, which should give me around 10 days training time before I head out there. Hopefully my adductor responds well to being back on court so I can keep moving forward. Tennis is all about rolling with the punches and this is just one of those punches, and a reminder to treat my body with utmost care and attention.

Programme: Training