Aussie Summer 2015-16 #7

After another week of resting his shoulder, then fitness training during the four days of rain in Sydney, with only a little bit of hitting possible, Greg weighed up the options of either playing qualifying in the Challenger tournament in Canberra or in the ATP250tournament in Auckland. With a very strong Main Draw field and a much weaker than usual qualifying entry, Greg was confident of qualifying for the Canberra event but that may have meant playing three matches in two days, then a fourth match potentially against a Top 100 ranked player, for a return of say 2 points.

If the entries dropped low enough for Greg to make the new 2016 criteria of 16 player draw only in qualifying for the ATP250 in Auckland, Greg would only have to play two matches in two days, for a potential return of 12 points, if he won both matches and then a Main Draw match on the third or fourth day. As this was his first match back on the pro-circuit and his shoulder was still a work in progress Greg opted for the lesser tennis and greater return option, including better tournament conditions and free accommodation, and travelled to Auckland for the qualifying, hoping for some sunshine and a decent draw.
With enough withdrawals to allow Greg entry into qualifying, Greg was first match on on the Saturday. Unfortunately the entry had not dropped low enough for Greg to be seeded in the draw, which was lopsided in ranking, with four top 100 players, then the rest ranked from 250 to 2000. Greg drew the No.4 seed, 28 year-old Thiemo De Bakker, a former Wimbledon Junior Champion, with a current ranking of 99 and a high ranking of below 50. Ironically Greg and Thiemo had a hitting session the previous day.

Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker

Greg was serving well, but de Bakker was returning better, and despite five first serves Greg faced break point in the first game of the second set. He saved the first but could not save the second break-point going behind 0-1. De Bakker was also serving well, at 80%, and games quickly went to 3-1. Then Greg had an amzing game in which he served 10 first serves, but could not convert game point, eventually getting broken to trail 1-4. The rest of the match followed the same pattern. Greg struggled to hold, even though he served well and de Bakker holding easily, to run out a 6-2, 6-2 winner.
Greg was not happy with the result, or score-line, which he said did not reflect the match but he said he had played well and gained a lot from the match. He was still rusty on shot selection and serve variation. He said that the indoor courts they had practised on the previous day were a lot slower than the outdoor match courts and he had taken a bit longer than de Bakker to adjust to the speed of the court. De Bakker had returned well, and of course served too well, for Greg to make in-roads into his game.
Greg returned to Melbourne to continue training and hitting, preparing for the year ahead.
De Bakker went on to qualify for the main draw, then won his first round match, defeating Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinola, ranked 55, in straight sets.

Aussie Summer 2015-16 #6

After some success in Japan,  Greg  was keen to get into some intense training and hitting, but first he travelled to Yarrawonga in Northern Victoria to help his team from Kooyong Tennis Club secure victory in the ATL and a place in the finals at the Australian Open in January. They then contested and won their regional finals, beating the more fancied South Yarra team led by Luke Saville, the depth of the Kooyong team being a decisive factor, Greg only playing in the doubles.

Greg then came to Sydney to train with Matt Barton and others at Homebush with Wally Masur and Dave Moore. As the Australian summer of tennis ramped up, with the wild card play-off at Melbourne Park, Greg returned to Melbourne to train with the players and coaches involved in the play-off. His hard work is showing positive results, a much lighter and fitter Greg moving well and striking the ball well.

In order to get some match practise Greg entered his first Australian Money Tournament, the local Manly Seaside Tournament just down the road from his home in Manly. Seeded fifth, he cruised through his first match in the round if sixteen again veteran Jurek Stasiak 6-2, 6-1. However, the vagaries of the draw saw him matched up again the No.1 seed, training partner Matt Barton, in a match fitting of the final. Whoever won the match was destined to win the tournament, barring disaster. 

Unfortunately for Greg, Matt's booming first serve was on fire, Matt serving in the high 75-80% range and also using his booming forehand to get himself out of trouble, to maintain control through the match. Matt broke a Greg in his first service game, when in a flow start Greg failed to land s first serve, then twice saved break point opportunities, to deny Greg breaking back and winning the first set 6-3. 

Greg serving at Manly

Matt continued serving well in the second set, whilst Greg serve improved remarkably, despite feeling awkward in his shoulder. Matt again broke Greg early in the set, but this time Greg was able to convert the break point opportunities he created, levelling at 3-3, then having another break point at 4-3, but Matt again served his way out of trouble, levelling then breaking Greg at 5-5, to competently serve out the match with four first serves to win the set 7-5 and win the match 6-3, 7-5.

Greg was happy with the way he played, with room for improvement, but had been aware of some "funny" sensations in his serving shoulder, and not serving at 100% to hopefully avoid any problems. He is attributing the sensations to not having served enough whilst concentrating on improving his fitness and movement. After a few days rest he will then see how his shoulder feels.

As predicted Matt Barton went on to win the Manly Seaside singles title. 

Aussie Summer 2015-16 #5

The second round of the Toyota Challenger saw Greg up against one of the local Japanese players, 26 year old Sho Katayama, who Greg had last played in the final of a Group 2 ITF Junior tournament in Thailand nine years ago. On that occasion, in a match which Greg says the score-line did not reflect the play, Greg gave poor Sho a touch-up, winning the title 6-0, 6-0. Currently ranked 970 I'm sure it will be a different story this time around, although I am sure Greg will be the favourite against the wild card recipient.
Serving first Greg had an extremely poor first serve percentage at the start of the match but however, did well enough with the second serve to hold, against Katayama, the who by comparison was serving in the 67% region and holding serve with ease. Games went to 5-5, with Greg unable to make any roads into Katayama's serve. Katayama then forced Greg to save two break points at 15-40, which he did. Then Katayama hit another superb lob as Greg approached the net, to bring up another break point. He then absolutely teed off a good first of Greg, hitting an amazing cross-court back-hand winner, which Greg had no chance of getting, to break Greg and serve for the set at 6-5. Greg forced him to deuce but Katayama was able to hold to win the first set 7-5.
The second set followed much the same pattern, Greg starting poorly again on serve but quickly improving through the games. Then at 3-2 up Greg had a medical time our to get his left leg taped by the physio. He had not appeared to have a problem, but thereafter dis struggle to move towards his left side. Nonetheless he continued, improving his serving and his shit making as the set progressed.
In one game he hit a clean forehand winner, two aces and a neat little drop shot to wrap up the game in under a minute. Unfortunately he could not do that every game. At 3-3 Greg was forced to save a two break points. Then at 4-3 Greg up a mammoth game ensued with Greg having Katayama also save two break points, with 5 deuces in the game, but Greg was unable to break. Games then went with serve to the tie-break.
In the tie-break, Katayama broke Greg 1st point and then went out to a 3-0 lead. Greg was unable to break back, and Katayama broke again, getting to 6-3 up, serving for the match with 3 match points. Greg played two great points to win both of Katayama's serves and take the score to 6-5. On his won serve he played a perfect point, taking Katayama out wide and having an easy volley into an open court covered, only to see the ball clip the net tape and bounce over his racket. A cruel end to the match, with Katayama eventually getting his revenge on Greg, winning a close match 7-5, 7-6(5).
Greg said that his knee was ok, and that being the last major tournament of the year for him should not be a problem. He thought he had played well overall but was not helped by getting free points off his 1st serve, which was not firing at times. He was annoyed that he had got though a difficult first round only to go down to a lesser ranked opposition in the second round, but such is tennis and something he must work on eliminating from his tennis. He will return to Melbourne and represent Kooyong Tennis Club in the Australian Tennis League and then work on his game, serve, fitness and movement to prepare for next year, of course hoping to stay injury free.

Aussie Summer 2015-16 #4

Greg arrived in Japan refreshed and keen to play competitive tennis again, travelling for three hours by fast train from Tokyo to Toyota, with two days to prepare and get used to the slick, fast indoor courts, always a feature of playing late in the year in Japan, and a decided advantage to the Japanese players, who are used to the surface. The draw was not good news for Greg: he had drawn the No.1 seed, 27 year-old Matt Ebden, who was in good form having battled his way back to the cusp of being top 100 again, currently ranked 103 in the ATP and hoping to improve on that to gain certainty of direct entry into the Australian Open. No doubt a match Matt would want to win, just as much as Greg did. It was going to be an interesting match.
Greg led off the serving, and on the fast courts held easily. He then had Ebden go to deuce but could not get a break point, games going to 2-2. Then at 30-30 Greg made a meal of an straight forward volley and then left a volley that dropped in, to hand a break of serve to Ebden, who then held to lead 4-2. Greg fought back though, much to Ebden's annoyance, breaking back to level at 4-4, celebrating with a fist pump, then taking the lead 5-4, then 6-5. But Ebden held serve to take the first set to the tie-break.

Matt Ebden

In the tie-break Greg got the first break, going 2-1 up, then holding serve to lead 4-1. He broke Ebden again to lead 5-1, with a double break. Ebden then appeared to be limping and handed the next two points and the tie-break to Greg 7-1 and the set 7-6.
Then during the set break Ebden took a Medical Time Out, getting some treatment for a leg ailment. Ebden started the second set confidently, holding serve to love. But he was stretching his legs and doing squats to test his leg. Greg held serve then crafted two break-points on a slower moving Ebden, but Ebden slapped some serves and forehands, landing them to get back to deuce and hold serve. Greg held comfortably as did Ebden, the score going to 3-2 in Ebden's favour, whereupon Ebden walked to the net to shake Greg's hand and retire from the match, giving Greg the victory 7-6(1), 2-3.
A surprising result for Greg and vindication of his decision to travel to Toyota, having earned a much needed 5 points, with potentially more to come in the next round. Greg was delighted with the result. He was unsure whether Ebden had carried an injury into the match, or if not, when he had incurred the injury. Ebden only showed signs of any injury when he went down 5-1 in the tie-break, appearing comfortable before that, but one will never know what happened.

Aussie Summer 2015-16 #3

Following the Canberra Challenger tournament Greg decided he needed more training and fitness before committing to playing further tournaments. He arranged to be based at home in Sydney to be able to team up with Matt Barton, who is also from the Northern Beaches, and to train at Homebush Tennis Centre, with the help of Australian Davis Cup coach Wally Masur and NSW coach Dave Moore. They had an excellent start to the week but unfortunately on the Wednesday Greg awoke to a stiff and very sore left elbow. He was unable to train and once again had the tedious routine of rest and recovery. As a result he was unable to play in either of the ITF tournament in Wollongong, nor in the first or second Challenger tournaments in Japan.
After about a 10 day lay-off he was back on the courts, training his butt off with Barton. Then he faced an agonising decision - was he well enough prepared and fit enough to incur the expense of travelling to Toyota in Japan for the last Challenger Tournament of the year, on the off-chance of getting a decent draw. Or should he stay in Sydney and continue training and hitting and getting first rate coaching, as he was in a good cycle and presenting injury free and fit for the first time in a long time. He needed the points, as he was now unranked with no points, having lot his hard earned points garnered last year due to the string of injuries this year and he did not want to start the New Year unranked. His protected ranking also expired in December, making the points even more critical. Greg discussed the matter with the coaches and Masur advised him that from what he had seen he was fit enough and striking the ball well enough to compete at Challenger level. All good advice but if he copped a high seed first round, maybe he was not at top 100-150 level just yet?

Greg agonised, weighing up the permutations, then backed by his family, decided to roll the dice, travel to Japan and see how it played out. At worst, if he lost first round, he would be able to get back from Japan, a few dollars poorer, but with time to get back to Melbourne and represent Kooyong Tennis Club in the ATL competition. At best he wins his first round and gets the points needed to compete in ITF competition next year, or progresses even further in the tournament.

Now for a favourable draw... and some good tennis by a hopefully injury free Jonesie.

Aussie Summer 2015-16 #2

The good news from the previous week’s match loss in Traralgon was that other from some normal post match stiffness Greg showed no signs of his litany of injuries, and was good to go for this week’s Challenger tournament in Canberra. Again the draw Gods were not kind, tossing up the No. 4 seed, old adversary and peer Brydan Klein, from Perth but now playing under the British flag. 26 year-old Klein had had his own issue over the years, with both behaviour and injury, but was this year enjoying a resurgence, attaining a high ranking of 169 in September, and currently ranked 178. A similar prospect to last week’s opponent, it was going to be another interesting challenge for Greg to test his level of tennis and match fitness.
Looking a lot trimmer than previously this year, Greg got off to a good start, holding serve easily in the first few games, but Klein was serving equally as well and led 4-3 at the change of balls. Serving with the new balls, Greg over-hit a few first serves, made a few errors and then quickly found himself staring down the barrel of a break-point. He was unable to defend it and Klein had a decisive break, serving for the set at 5-3, holding serve to snare the first set 6-3.

GB's Brydan Klein

The second set started inauspiciously for Greg, with a double fault getting him into difficulty in the first game, offering up three break-points to Klein at 0-40. Greg saved two of the break points before Klein succeeded in breaking Greg, to take control of the match, a set and a break up. A mammoth game at 1-3 down saw Greg go to deuce four times, saving break points and missing out on game points before Klein again prevailed, to take a stranglehold on the set at 4-1 and then go on to win the second set 6-2, and the match 6-3, 6-2.
Greg was pleased with his early performance but still has work to do on achieving match fitness, not surprising seeing how little tennis he has played over the last two years. He is able to match the better players’ tennis, his serving and groundstrokes, combined with some good play at the net, keeping him competitive at this level.
Greg is mulling over his options in the last three weeks of pro tennis this year, with Challenger tournaments in Japan or Futures tournaments in Wollongong or just working on his fitness and game until the new year.

Aussie Summer 2015-16 #1

It was about seven weeks ago that a disconsolate Greg returned to Melbourne from the USA, struggling with an inflamed right elbow and his continuing struggle with other ailments. He convalesced for a few weeks, allowing his body even more time to repair, then commenced with a slow build-up of training and fitness. He had planned to play a Futures tournament last well but decided to defer on the side of caution, as he was suffering from a bad cold, which had hindered his preparation. Now was the time to test his body, his fitness and his game in real match conditions. So off to Traralgon, 150km east of Melbourne, he went for this week's Challenger tournament, with no great expectations.
The "draw gods" were not kind to Greg and on a cool windy morning, typical weather for Traralgon, he faced up against the No. 2 seed, fellow Sydneysider Jordan Thomspon, currently at a ranking high of 164. Thompson was a finalist in the previous Challenger he had played in in Asia, so was in good form. A stern test for Greg in his first match back indeed.
Serving first, a bit rusty after little match practise this year, Greg was immediately under pressure to hold serve, but he did just enough to hold. He was unable to make any inroads into Thompson's serve, games going with serve to 4-4. Greg then wavered a bit, two wayward forehands presenting Thompson the opportunity to break, which he did, going ahead 5-4 and serving for the set. At 40-15 up it looked like Thompson's set but two good returns saw Greg save the set point and level at deuce, then break, to square the set at 5-5.

Jordan Thompson

Both players held serve to get to 6-6 and the tie-break. Greg had some early opportunities but two shots hitting the tale denied him the lead and it was Thompson who went ahead, leading 5-2. Greg held his serve to close the gap to 5-4. Thompson had set point on his serve at 6-4 but Greg fought back, breaking and holding serve to swap ends at 6-6. Both players then each had set points as the serves alternated. Greg needed some luck to snatch the set but had none, and it was Thompson who got the decisive break to win the tie-break 15-13 and snare the first set 7-6.
Having lost such a long and close set Greg started assessing how his body was handling the intensity and demands on his first match back. His previous long three set match, which he lost 7-6 at the death, and switch saw him out of tennis for a further two was foremost in his mind. And whilst he was distracted Thompson was straight into winning the second set, holding serve, breaking Greg and holding again to lead 3-0. Greg rallied to hold for 3-1 but Thompson had the momentum and confidently held serve, then breaking Greg again before serving out the set 6-1.
Greg was not happy about losing the set but was buoyed by his performance in the first set, having stayed with a player in form and almost winning the set, but for some luck. He was wary of pushing himself too hard in the second set after the rigours of the first set and Thompson was able to capitalise, get on a roll and run away with the second set.
Greg said his body, whilst a bit stiff and tired, seems to be ok, but wanted to give it a few days before judging if all was ok to push harder with his training. He is, at this stage, planning to play in next week's Challenger tournament in Canberra.

Off Again 2015 #2 - Calgary... and beyond

It's been almost three weeks since Greg played that epic three set match against South African Fritz Wolmarans, unfortunately losing 76 in the 3rd set. The good thing is that his troubled back felt good during and after the match and the rest of his body, including his serving shoulder, although a bit stiff, felt good the next morning. However, the second morning after the match Greg awoke with a very sore right elbow, which he could hardly move. He initially thought it was just stiffness from the long first match back at full match pace and hoped that the elbow would improve each day before the next tournament.
He travelled to Calgary for the next Futures event and requested a Wednesday match to give his elbow as much time as possible to recover. As (bad) luck would have it Greg drew the No.1 seed (Canadian Philip Bester) and the tournament officials were happy to schedule the match for Wednesday evening, hoping for another epic night match for the spectators. But it never happened - Greg was forced to forfeit the match, giving Bester a walkover in the first round, as Greg was unable to hit at full pace and his elbow was still sore and stiff from strained ligaments.
Greg then travelled to New York to catch a bit of the US Open play and seek further medical help and advice from the ATP physios and medical staff, with regard to his elbow and ongoing treatment.
Hopefully Greg will be back in action after a few more weeks rest and rehabilitation.