We set off for the last tournament of this trip. The location is Zephyrhills, three and a half hours from Boca Raton. After friday’s doubles match, on Saturday I did a fitness workout and on Sunday we hit the road to the new location which was  followed by an adaptation practice on the new courts. For the first time in this US journey I’m staying in a hotel because I haven’t found a family to host me.

But I found a roommate, Fanny Stollar, and booked a hotel as close as possible to the tennisclub; here in America the distances are long (the closest was 8 minutes away). The hotel is in a car parking (a big one) and the room is decent, quite big, not like in France, for example, where hotels are known for having small rooms.

So another week begins.

Monday passes with another tennis practice, a conditioning workout and a new main draw. My first opponent will be a player coming from qualifications.

I’m getting into the tournament routine and I feel like my practice is getting better and better.

Both Monday and Tuesday passed by as planned. The first round follows on Wednesday. I’m playing against an American with a pretty strong serve. I’m optimistic, I have more confidence, even if I don’t have many wins this year, but confidence also comes from good training.

I get through the first match, but not after a walk in the par: I start the first set quite slow, I come back from 2-5, 0-40, tie it at 5-5 and from there I lose the set. But I felt that my level had increased and told myself to stay in the match, even tough I was losing a few games. I did so, point by point, game by game, at 4-4 in the 2nd set I broke and won the second, 6-4. In the decider, I stayed focused and maintained my level from the second set. I won it 6-1.

The second round (last 16) was against a college player.

More and more college players are performing on the circuits, both ITF and WTA. They are very well prepared. From what I understood, the rule has changed, in the sense that any player can choose to interrupt his studies after the first year – in order to become a professional and participate on a regular basis in official events – having the freedom to resume them in order to continue the education whenever he/she wants and keeping the scholarship.
Peyton Stearns and Ben Shelton just broke into top 100 a few months after deciding to play pro. The level is high, even if the players are ranked around 700-800. They have a different style of playing, a more aggressive one with stronger shots, although in the past few years the playing style has generally changed and we can see more and more girls with strong and consistent shots.

I win in the second round after maintaining a good level of play throughout it and reach the quarters, the second time this year. But a not so good match followed. My opponent had a very good day and I was not able to find solutions to destabilize her.

Off the court I haven’t been able to do much. I spent time with Fanny and created a routine that included going to dinner at a Greek restaurant in the same parking lot as the hotel, and by 20.00 we were already in the room, reading or watching TV series.

So another series of tournaments ends. A series during which I learned even more, I had new opponents and experiences, which can help me a lot in the future. I have to take the positives and see what I can improve further to achieve my goals.

Until then, it’s a long bus ride from Zephyrhills to Boca Raton. I spend there the last two days until my flight back from Miami to Europe. There were a few relaxing hours with „my family” in Florida, who did everything to make me feel good all the time (they spoiled me with good but healthy food every day). I also played pickleball, a new sport that is becoming very popular in America.

Even though while I was in the USA, I regretted – only once – the decision to participate in these tournaments (as in any career, there are moments of doubt); now, after some time, I am quite satisfied. Apart from the new and pleasant experiences off the court, I feel that I have challenged myself playing in harsh conditions, on courts that did not always suited me. I withstood alone, far from home, only in virtual contact with the coach and my close friends.

I am sure that in Europe, where I feel at home everywhere, I’ll be much more prepared and in a better form.