A New Season

My first tournament of the year starts two weeks from tomorrow. It seemed like last year was a long grueling year of tennis, and by the end of it all I was exhausted. Winning the doubles at Worlds was a great way to end the season, but then some of that joy was lost by the sudden passing of Chatum and Kitty. I took about 6-8 weeks off of intense training. I needed to heal physically and mentally. I've been working with Geoff and really looking forward to getting back into playing tournaments again. My spring season is pretty full right now. I have the 45 National Clay Courts in Houston March 1-8. The 40 Clay Court Nationals are in Gulf Breeze, which is only about an hour from here, March 31-April 4. I'll play both singles and doubles there. Renee and I have been playing some great doubles. It'll be fun to play a tournament together. Then Phil and I will be leaving for Majorca, Spain for the Worlds on April 23. I was considered but not chosen to play on the team this year. I knew I was on the bubble of being picked. I am disappointed, but I'll still be there the first week to practice and cheer on all the teams, before playing in the World Individuals the second week. Phil was named captain of his Austria Cup team, which really means, if you read between the lines, I'll be the "co-captain" helping him with all the emailing, travel arrangements, etc...It will be fun hleping him carry out his duties. All of these big events come on the heel of my busiest season at work. Trying to balance work and practice can be challenging.