Even after endless hours of training, having the means to travel week in week out to destinations all over the world is a whole other animal. Of course there are players that come from well-off families where funding such travel is a non-issue, but not all players are so fortunate. Many have side jobs, usually teaching or coaching tennis more often than not, and work tirelessly to raise enough just to be able to travel. Others rely on their results in local tournaments to find sponsors.
All in all, the life of the journeyman is a grind. It's not uncommon for players to have 2 a days for 2 hours each session on top of on court agility workouts and time in the weight room. Some of the top players here stretch for a good half hour in the morning before they get started for the day and after their last workout just to make sure their bodies are warm and loose and to prevent future injury. The ones who make it further in the draws are usually the more disciplined players who can maintain focused despite being in a new environment, facing new opponents, new weather conditions, and even court surfaces. I've been watching these guys and it really is survival of the fittest in this profession.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to live and train like a pro and sadly it is over now. In the third and last Futures I went out to a good friend I've made here, Katsushi Fukuda, 6-3 6-1. I played as hard as I could but didn't have quite enough gas in the tank to execute my gameplay. On a more exciting note, Chub earned his first ATP point in doubles today with partner Mico Santiago! Tomorrow they'll battle against the twin duo of Wan and Peng Gao in the semifinal. In singles Chub lost to the 2 seed who came out guns hot in the 1st round. Chub wasn't blessed with the best draws, drawing the 6th, 4th, and 2nd seeds. I on the other hand had great draws comparatively but just wasn't ready for such high level tennis. Although it would have been awesome to win a point and be ranked, all I really cared about was improving during my stay here, which I can confidently say that I did!
To those of you back home, I'll see you in less than a week! We both are excited that we will be home soon. But with that being said we are really going to miss being here with all the new friends we've made. Already the players that are completely out of the 3rd Futures have left or are getting ready to leave and it's a bit sad! Cheers to the tennis world and goodnight all!
