Like Riding a Bike

Today Phil played his first match in the tournament, which is also the first tournament match he's played since July '09. He admittedly was nervous, and I was very nervous for him. He's been working very hard to get back into playing shape, both on and off the court. As he always stresses to me, there is no substitution for match play. I knew he was ready to play, but nerves can do strange things to the psyche if you allow it to.

His match was scheduled for nine this morning. In order for us to get a warm up in before the 8:00 matches started we had to be up very early and at the courts by 7:15, which we did. The matches were on time and luckily Phil was assigned a great viewing court. I could tell Phil was a little nervous. He won the first point with a drop shot, and as the match wore on he became more sure of himself. He got an early break to go up 3-1 and never looked back, finishing with a one and love win. I was so proud of his effort and even more proud that he has his mojo back.

Tomorrow he plays at 10:30 against a guy he's played a few times in the past and had good success with. I won't play until Saturday. I'm so ready to get started. I only hope the gusty winds subside by the time my match rolls around.