About four weeks ago now, I embarked on a month-long trip to Canada for four tournaments - two $25ks and two challengers. This is the first of a two-part blog about my trip which involved some of the roughest travel days I've ever experienced... It took Giles and I 18 straight hours of travelling to …
Continue reading Commuting around Canada – Should all ITFs be like Quebec City and Edmonton?
I only ever seem to write blogs when I travel to France, but here we are. Last week I travelled to Rodez - a small French city located in the South, about two hours from Toulouse. In usual tennis player fashion, the travel wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Despite there being a direct flight from London …
Continue reading Breaking records in Rodez – There’s more to life than tennis
Boy, have I got a very special blog to share with you all this week. It is an honour and a privilege to share with you all the first ever guest-written blog on ‘Ace in the Hold’. It is fitting that such a monumental piece of work is written by none other than (one of) …
There’s a lot to unpack in this blog. But coincidentally, there wasn’t much for me to unpack when I landed in Rennes last week… After Cassis, I was planning to have a training week in Bath before I flew out to my next couple of tournaments in Sweden. But, after landing home at 11:30pm on …
Continue reading Up and running in Rennes – Why do the French love tennis, but hate my luggage?
Located in the South of France on the French Riviera, Cassis is a hugely popular tourist destination with amazing beaches, marinas, cliffs and calanques (look it up). The first and perhaps the only thing you might imagine when you hear about Cassis is the alcoholic liqueur - crème de cassis. But, interestingly enough, the drink …
Continue reading New Challenge(r)s in Cassis – What’s the difference between ATPs and ITFs?
I think it is possible. And I'm going to work it out. Last week when I was in Suffolk for my week off, I was sent an email from the local tennis club (the one that hosted the Thorpeness Open - check out last week’s blog here) about a charity event that was taking place. …
Continue reading Is it possible to do every Olympic sport in 24 hours?
It’s 25 degrees in the middle of Summer; everyone is wearing white; the grounds are brimming with spectators; jugs are full with Pimm's; the grass courts are in pristine* condition; the courts are packed with players pushing themselves to their limits… That’s right, you’ve guessed it. This week, I am at… The Thorpeness Open Tennis …
Continue reading Wimbledon of the East – The second biggest tennis tournament in England
“Shabbat shalom!” is how my mate, Jimmy, and I were greeted by staff at Ben Gurion airport in Tel-Aviv last Friday evening. Having been to Israel a couple of times before, I knew that we were in for a “quiet” next 24 hours, but Jimmy (who was completely unaware) was already thinking about which bus …
Continue reading What is it like to travel to Tel-Aviv on Shabbat?
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