Back in the Saddle #5 - Roland Garros

Greg's French Open profile photo

Greg's first round match in the French Open qualifying was against veteran Czech player, 32 year-old Jan Hernych, currently ranked 187, with a high ranking of 59 in April 2009. With four previous Roland Garros Main draw appearances, 6'3" Hernych progressed to the 2nd round in his first appearance in 2005, so he will have plenty of experience to bring to the match but perhaps may be a step or two slower in his later years. Greg has played Hernych once prior, winning a three set match on hard court in 2011.

Court Suzanne Lenglen with Eiffel Tower in background

On a cold, overcast day, on the slow clay courts, Greg served first in the match and after a nervous deuce game held serve. He then forced Hernych to 30-40 and converted the early break-point opportunity to lead 2-0, then after another deuce game held serve to lead 3-0. Hernych got his name on the scoreboard but was not able to break Greg, who led 4-1. Greg then broke Hernych again to get a crucial double break up and serve for the set at 5-1, which he did with aplomb, winning the first set 6-1.

Czech Jan Hernych

With Hernych serving first in the 2nd set, Greg was keen to continue to apply the pressure and did so, breaking Hernych again to lead 1-0. The next service game was a mammoth struggle for Greg to consolidate the crucial 2nd set break, with Greg saving two break pointS in a 5 or more deuce game, to eventually hold and lead 2-0. They then both held serve to go to 3-1. Greg then broke Hernych gain to go a double break up at 4-1. But Hernych broke back to get to 2-4, then held for 3-4.
At this stage Greg had visions of his 1st round match in qualifying in 2010 when he led his match by a set and 4-2, then lost 10 games in a row to lose. Keen for history not to repeat, he dug deep and served well to go 5-3 up. Thne at 5-4, with Greg still the one break up, Greg served for the match, the toughest game of them all. With new balls Greg did superbly and won the game to love, winning the match 6-1, 6-4, to proceed to the second round of qualifying.
Greg said he had strung his racquet at 48lbs, due to the cold weather, for the first time in his career, and it had turned out ok, giving that little bit extra power on the slow courts.

Two more rounds to win to enter the Main Draw.
Go Greg...

Back in the Saddle #4 - Roland Garros

After the disappointing loss in the qualifying at Bordeau, it was back into some solid training for Greg and a long wait to see it he gets into the Qualifying Tournament for the French Open. With Greg's two month injury lay-off he was unable to defend points earned last year and his ATP ranking has started to slip, so at the French Open entry cut-off date of 30th April his singles ranking at that date of 243 saw Greg at No.16 of the alternate list for qualifying. A long way-off from the qualifying draw.

However due to the awarding of wild cards to some of the French players in qualifying, coupled with other sundry withdrawals of injured players. or players not willing to travel to Paris to play qualifying, Greg has now progressed to be the No.1 alternate. With only one day left until the qualifying draw is done, let's prayer he is not left out in the cold and that there is another withdrawal (unfortunate as it is for that player) and Greg can take his place in the Roland Garros qualifying draw.

Praying hard now...
Greg's insistence on travelling to Paris for the French Open qualifying was rewarded when, unfortunately for them, a couple of players withdrew on the day before qualifying commenced and Greg moved up on the cut-off list into the qualifying draw. A relieved Greg told us he is playing second match on tonight (Tuesday), with the first match starting at 10am Paris time, so it will be around 8pm in Sydney time that he will take to the courts, if the first match is a two set match.

Back in the Saddle #3

After some excellent training on the clay courts in Prague, in which he played as many practise matches as possible and he said that his injured leg was much better, it was off to Bordeaux in France for the qualifications of the Challenger event there. The draw gods were kinder to Greg this week and now it was up to him to perform at his best, although it was only his second match in more than two months.

His opponent in Bordeaux was 29 year-old Frenchman Nicolas Renavand, currently ranked 369, with a high ranking of 308, but with a doubles ranking of 143 and no doubt adept in the art of clay court play.

Both players started nervously, both losing serve before they started hitting some first serves and took the score along to 2-2. At 3-2 up Greg got the better of Renavand, reeling off 11 points unanswered to break Renavand and progress to 5-2. With new balls Renavand held serve for 5-3 and then Greg served for the set. Despite Greg hitting 4 out of 5 first serves Renavand blasted some return winners, breaking back and then brought out his clay court game, reeling off 5 games in a row to stun Greg and win the set 7-5.

Outplayed in the latter part of the 1st set Greg again took charge early in the 2nd set and, with some better serving and more concentration, he broke Renavand to lead 3-1, and then consolidated to get to a 5-2 lead in the set. Renavand held serve for 5-3 but there was to be no repeat of the 1st set, as Greg served out the set, winning it 6-3 to level the match.

Nicolas Renavand

Renavand had the advantage of serving first in the 3rd set and, after both players held serve, he forced Greg to 30-40, and managed to break Greg to go ahead 3-1. Greg knuckled down and fought hard but Renavand just did enough to win his service games to 30 or deuce and served for the match at 5-3. Greg saved a match point to get that game to deuce but was unable to deny Renavand on the second opportunity from winning the game, set and match 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
Disappointing. Just like last week Greg had opportunities to win the 1st set and stamp his authority on the match and take the win but had lapses during the match which cost him. It was interesting to note that the other big serving players in the qualifying struggled in the slow clay courts with most of the big servers like Greg not progressing through the 1st round and the "clay court grinders" getting the wins.
Greg himself had this to say about the match "Thanks Dad. I am not disappointed at all. I actually played really well, had a good attitude, fought hard abd couldn't really have done too much more. (Other players) Yani and Ball watched the whole match and reflected that as well. (The) guy (Renavand) was just too good on clay".

A good attitude to the match but a mindset that perhaps needs to harden up in order to progress. Losing to a person who has never progressed past 300 in the ATP rankings, on any surface, should not be a good result, if you want to get your ranking below 200, or 100 for that matter. Greg had a good 1st serve % in the match but an average win rate on that serve, and that needs to improve, as does his play on the big points. It is only his second match back after his lay-off for injury and on his worst surface too, so let's hope he will improve.

Back in the Saddle #2

Prague night scene

The medical advice Greg received was to re-commence playing on a clay court surface which would have less impact on his troubled knee tendons and provide a better chance of recovery, so Greg's first tournament was the Prague Open Challenger. However it was a destination of choice this week for all the Challenger player's wishing to get some clay court time prior to the French Open and thus Greg did not make the cut-off for the main draw and was forced to go through qualifying, his ranking having dropped to the mid 200's since he had not played for three month due to the injury.
He was seeded No.3 for the qualifying, having to win three matches to be one of 4 qualifiers going into the main draw, so he was seeded to qualify. But the draw gods were not kind, Greg drawing the highest player not to be seeded in the top 8, effectively the No.9 seed. Greg's opponent was his peer, 23 year old Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez, currently ranked 279, with a high rank of 238. A very winnable match for a match fit and healthy Greg.

Prague at night on the river

Greg served first but did not start well, dropping his first serve to trail 0-1. He tried to hit back immediately, bringing up break point on Gonzalez's next service game but was not able to break, games going with serve to 4-5, with Gonzalez serving for the set. Greg dug deep and at 30-40 broke Gonzalez to level the score at 5 games all. But Gonzalez responded, getting Greg to 15-40 in the next game and breaking him to again take the lead at 6-5 and again serve for the set, this time successfully, winning the set 7-5.

Prague night scene

Greg started the 2nd set serving well going to a 2-1 lead. With Gonzalez serving the sixteenth game with old balls, Greg returned well, getting Gonzalez to 0-40 and breaking to lead 3-1. Greg consolidated the break and got to 5-2, before breaking Gonzalez again to win the set 6-2 and level the match at 1 set all, and also get the advantage of serving first in the final set.

Centre Court at the Prague Open

After three months injury layoff, three sets of tennis would test Greg's match fitness level. He started and held serve to get to 2-2 but could not make the same in-roads on Gonzalez's serve as in the 2nd set. Greg saved a break point opportunity against him and the score went to 3-3. He then went 15-40 down against a resurgent Gonzalez and saved the first break point but then Gonzalez prevailed, to break and lead 4-3. Gonzalez shut Greg out in the his next game, going up 5-3, then pressured Greg's serve enough to get him to 30-40 and match point., breaking a tired Greg again, to win the 3rd set 6-3 and the match 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

Alejandro Gonzalez


In a tough first up match Greg needed to win in straight sets, and the early break of serve in the first set, and again when he levelled the match at 5-5, proved decisive.
Whilst disappointed in the result, Greg said his leg felt ok and he had played well, just losing intensity and penetration in the 3rd set, especially on his first serve, his 1st serve percentage being good but his win rate on those 1st serves dropping to a low 60%.
Greg is hoping to contest the doubles, depending on whether he can make the cut, otherwise it will be some more training before heading for Bordeaux for the next tournament.

Back in the saddle #1

 After a long six weeks of inactivity, rehabilitation and recovery for the injured tendon below his knee of his left leg, Greg is now on a plane bound for Europe to recommence playing tournaments. Greg was fortunate to have the hospitality of Tony and Robyn Summers, who kindly provided him with a home in Melbourne for the six weeks, as well as letting him have use of a set of wheels to get to physio and training. Greg's good friends the Macfarlane family also provided much support for him, with motherly kindness from Jan and culinary delights from Stuart, plenty of gaming support and the occasional hit with Andrew, and much friendship from Steph.

Greg in relaxed mode...

After a couple of weeks rest, accompanied by therapeutic physio, Greg's leg had not got much better, so he had to have more rest and intensive physio, provided by Tennis Australia's physio Anne-Marie and strength and conditioning coach Aaron, who helped Greg throughout the six weeks period. A program was developed to strengthen the muscles around his knee to provide more support to the troubled tendons. Gradually the condition improved and Greg could gradually start having on-court sessions to test his leg and aid the recovery process. He had some good, positive days where the leg felt great, with some more stressful worrying days were the pain returned, which made him somewhat depressed.
Greg has been hitting on clay courts for the last week, helped by good friend Dave Bidmeade, who provided him with quality hitting, and TA head coach Tod Woodbridge, at the Kooyong Tennis Club.
His leg is still not 100% right but all the advice is that it will slowly continue to improve even when he is playing at 110% and he should not do any further damage to the tendons. He says he can now fully load the leg without any problems but does still "feel" the leg and has some lingering pain after a heavy training session. He has decided it is time to return to tournament play and test his leg under extreme playing conditions while continuing the rehabilitation through strengthening the muscles and physiotherapy.
So time to get back in the saddle...
Wish him well and wish him luck.

USA Tour Autumn 2012 #3



Mountain backdrop of Indian Wells

After his close loss in the qualifying at Indian Wells, Greg was back on the training court but his left leg was still giving him a lot of pain. After consultation with the tournament physios Greg had an MRI scan done on the troublesome knee last Friday, which indicated that he probably had inflammation on the tendon where it inserts into bone below the knee but there was no evidence of any damage to the bone. So good news and bad news. The prognosis is that, in order to improve, the leg needs complete rest and then some physio to restore strength and fitness.

Melbourne on the Yarra River

So Greg has stopped training and has withdrawn from the Challenger tournament in Mexico. He is flying back to Melbourne for a couple of weeks of rest and physio. If the leg repairs, and after suitable tests, he will then be able to resume tennis and fitness training to get his fitness and form back before he re-commences tournament play.
Good luck Greg. We hope the leg gets better and that it is only a small blip in your career. Enjoy the break from tennis.

USA Tour Autumn 2012 #2

After more rest and a few days hitting Greg decided to contest the Qualifying for the Indian Wells ATP 500 tournament. He was not lucky in the draw though, getting matched up against the No.2 seed in qualifying, 25 year-old German Tobias Kamke, currently ranked 88. Greg recently played against Kamke, going down in straight sets to the German in the final round of qualifying in Brisbane in early January. A tough match for his first encounter for three weeks.
Greg served first in the 1st set, in gusty wind conditions, and it was he who was playing better in the first set, creating a break point opportunity at 3-2. He was not able to convert and Kamke held serve, games going with serve to 5-4, Greg leading. Greg then pressurised Kamke and forced a break point opportunity to win the set. Kamke's nerve held but two more break-point opportunities saw Greg win the game, and the 1st set 6-4.
Greg could not maintain the intensity and Kamke came storming back, breaking Greg's serve at 1-1, then holding, before breaking again to take a decisive 4-1 lead. Greg was not able to make any in-roads into Kamke's serve in the 2nd set, and Kamke held again to go 5-1 up. Greg forced Kamke to serve out the set at 2-5, which he duly did, winning the set 6-2 and levelling the match at 4-4.

German Tobias Kamke

Both players were struggling to serve in the windy conditions and at 1-1 Kamke again forced Greg to save a break pint opportunity, then converted another opportunity to go a brrak-up at 2-1. Greg hit back in the bery next game, breaking Kamke to level at 2-2, then held serve, games going with serve to 4-4. It was the business end of the match and Greg felt the pressure of not having any matches under the belt for the past three weeks, fitness lacking as well. Kamke upped the ante and forced Greg to break-point, converting to go 5-4 up. Greg was unable to break Kamke as he served for the match and Kamke won the 3rd set 6-4 and a closely fought tussel 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Whilst bitterly disappointed with the loss, Greg can take a lot from the match. He had improved vastly on his last showing against Kamke, when not having played or trained properly for three weeks. Hopefully his leg held up well and he will recover quickly from the match.

USA Tour Autumn 2012 #1

It has been a frustrating three weeks for Greg who has been struggling to recover from an annoying injury to to his left leg. After the Caloundra Challenger tournament, where he played with the injury, an inflammation of a tendon where it inserts into the bone just below his left knee, Greg received a cortisone injection in the area of the injury and had a few days of rest to let the cortisone take effect. After a week off he then headed for Jacksonville, Florida for a training session under the guidance of ex-tour player, former No.4 ranked Todd Martin. Greg was accompanied by fellow Australian Marinko Matosevic, who hit with Greg while Todd provided coaching.

During those four days Greg's injury flared up again and he did not get as much on court training as he would have liked. He and Marinko then went to Delray Beach in Florida for the qualifying of an ATP250 tour event. Seeded No.6 in the qualifying, Greg had a favourable draw but was not able to compete, withdrawing due to the injury. Greg was then forced to watch from the sidelines the whole week while he treated the injury with ice-packs, inflammatories and rest. 

Marinko Matosevic

On the Friday of the third week Greg then left for Indian Wells where he had made the cut for qualifying for the ATP500 tournament, which commences on Tuesday (USA time). He will be joined by Tennis Australia coach Joshua Eagle, with a decision still to be made whether Greg's leg has recovered enough, and also whether he had enough hitting behind him and is fit enough to compete at that level. Otherwise he might just give his leg more time to heal, before a tournament in Mexico next week or return home for more treatment.

Marinko wins semi-final

While Greg was resting up in Delray Beach, his mate Marinko was having the best tournament of his life, qualifying for the Main Draw, then recording victories over big serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic, No.6 seed Alex Bogomolov, last years winner Ernest Gulbis and Israeli Dudi Sela to reach his first ATP tour final. Marinko was on a 12 match winning streak, having won the Caloundra Challenger, qualifying and reaching the final. In a great fighting match Marinko was not able to extend the streak, losing a close final 46, 67 to big serving South African Kevin Anderson. Well done Marinko, who rises to his best ranking at 129.
Let's hope Greg's leg responds to treatment and rest and is able to continue playing this session in America.