We Reached the Final … Then This Happened

Since coming back from Italy, I wanted to get on the practice court as much as I could and iron out a few things that I felt I could have improved from Italy. So I'm ready for this Surbiton tournament. I'm ready to bring my A game and also work on a few different things. So Sam and I got on the practice court together. We worked on a few technical aspects. We also got on court with Nikhil to play in a three. So we went into Surbiton feeling prepared and ready to put in a good tournament. Sam, it brought back some memories coming to Surbiton. I'd come here as a youngster to watch the tennis. There's a big grass court tennis tournament here, and it's been there for many years now. And it's one of the few clubs in the UK that still has grass. So it's a really cool club. And they've added in Padel now, so they've got new Padel courts that have just been built, which is where the tournament was played. Loads of people turned up to watch, which was awesome. And the atmosphere was just incredible. The conditions were super hot and there were a lot of tough pairs in the draw. There were no easy matches for any pairs in this. So we knew from that first match we had to be on our game. We kicked off the tournament by playing a couple of younger players, a couple of up and coming British players, and Sam and I, from the word go, were feeling. Were feeling good. We came into this match really clear on what we were trying to do, clear on how we were going to win points, and everything just started clicking straight away, which is always a nice feeling in tournaments because sometimes you want to work yourself into the tournament a little bit and get used to the courts, get used to the conditions. But Sam and I, from the word go, we felt really confident. You can see that it was quite hot, but also a little bit windy. So on some of the lobs, it was tougher. The wind changed the tactics from the different ends. Some ends it was easier to smash, bring ball back. Some ends it was a little bit trickier. And so Sam and I really went into this first match with the intention of trying to just bring our A game. A big tactic for Sam and I against any opponents is to try and get to net, use our volleys, try to rush your opponents a little bit by just taking the time away, getting to net, using our volleys to put pressure on. I think this first match gave us a good opportunity to do that, and we're really effective with It. Even in this first match, though, the heat was really noticeable. We were sweating a lot. I could just tell that with potentially five matches in this weekend, we were going to have to pace ourselves a little bit because it's a lot. It's a lot of matches, it's a lot of strain on the body. So it was definitely important for us after this match to, to hydrate, recover, because it was going to be a long weekend. Straight into this next match, we had a tough, tough match to play. We were playing Rafa and Sam. I mean, this just shows you how strong the draw was that we were playing these guys fairly early on in this tournament. And from the word go, this was a battle. We knew that Rafa and Sam were going to bring a good level. It was still super hot out there, and also the sun from one end made it super tough on the lob. So one thing that I'm using a lot when I play outdoors is my sunglasses. Never used them before when I was playing tennis, but I really need them in paddle. When the ball goes up and you're down the sunny end and you've got the sun in your eyes, it just is a complete game changer for me. So that was why I was wearing them. But, yeah, tough match. Sam and Rafa, we knew the level these guys were going to bring, and Sam and I felt that if we could just get a lead, win that first set, try and take advantage, build a bit of momentum, that we could hopefully take that through into the second. And yeah, it was a battle. We felt under pressure. It was only a few points in it, but in that first set we came out on top and managed to build a bit of momentum going into the second because we knew Sam and Rafa so well. I've played with Rafa before and Sam in tournaments, and so we knew their games well. We knew the sort of level they were going to bring. We also knew it was going to come down to a few points. And that's what I think is really interesting with Hadal, is that it's so based on momentum, winning those big points. And that can be the difference between winning the match and that's essentially what happened in this match. It was a close match. Were trying to win those important points. It was tough, but we. We got through it. After a good night's rest, we went into this semi final in very different conditions. So yesterday it was a little bit windy, but very hot. And we came into this second day with a lot of wind, still with the heat, but a lot of Wind and it really changed the game. You can see when the ball is lobbed up, we were a little bit less confident hitting those smashes. From one end the wind was so strong that if you just touch the ball the lob would fly and from the other end you could really hit the ball into the wind, which made it really tricky to compete and completely changed the tactic in this semi final. So we had to adapt to that. Going into the second day we were playing Jamie and Nikhil, a super strong pair, both the guys in the GB team as well. So we knew it was going to be a tough match. But our goal was to get a quick lead and to get ahead, try and build that momentum straight away and try and carry that through. And that's exactly what we did. And we got through that first set, got a strong lead and were managing to put pressure on these guys constantly with overheads not being as effective and you can see having to sometimes play a bandeka or a gantro on some of the lobs because the ball was moving so much. A big tactic for us was to try and get into that, that net position and maybe win the point on a volley, volley exchange. Sam and I love playing that way so it really builds into our strength. But by taking the lob out of it and making it harder to finish on the Smash, that meant we had to change our game a little. For me personally, I find it still a challenge to adapt to the conditions and adjust my game accordingly. For me, my Smash is such a big weapon that when I play in windy conditions, it's almost getting a balance between when to use that smash and when not to, but also not taking it away so much that you lose a weapon. So yeah, for me that was a challenge when playing in these new conditions of how to adapt your game whilst also sticking to your strengths. In these conditions, it just comes down to a bit of grit. I think that you have to accept that you're not always going to be playing the best looking paddle. It's going to be, it's going to be one of those days where sometimes you're not timing it so well, you miss shots that you normally don't miss and, and it's really just about making the ball and making one more ball than your opponent, putting it in a position that they find uncomfortable. And that really is the difference in these conditions between winning and losing. After a tough battle in the wind in the heat, Sam and I got through the match. We were happy with our performance and ready for the final, which was going to be a tough one. So we made it to the final. Playing against Christian, GB number one and his partner. Going into the match, our game plan was really to put pressure on them with our volleys, to be aggressive, take control where we could. They're a top level pair who play regularly on the premier Padel tour, so they're not just bringing a high level, but they're bringing a really consistent level, point after point. It definitely felt like a step up in intensity, but we managed to cause them some problems with our style of play and we had some really fun points along the way. Our play of coming forward, using our volleys, trying to take the time away, also with rushing them a little bit, is actually super effective because it's not a style of play that perhaps they're used to, particularly from myself, coming from tennis. Sam also likes to play a fast game, so we definitely cause them some problems. And that's one thing for me playing at high levels is how I can use this part of my game because I do feel like my volleys are my strength. And it's also caused a lot of problems for these more traditional Padel players. So it's getting that balance between being proactive, putting pressure on them, but also not forcing it and trying to play a game that's too high risk. So playing these games is great because it's a chance to play at this level and almost test yourself to see where your game is at. But as is the case whenever you're playing at a top level of any sport is those top guys are just more consistent and they made fewer mistakes. We dipped our level from time to time, didn't win the big points, didn't play solid enough when we needed to, and although I think we competed hard and we did put them under pressure over the course of the match, they were just more solid and in the end on those big points, that's what cost us and they were able to take the golden points, take those bigger points that unfortunately we weren't able to do. Sam, this is the first time that I've actually competed against Christian and his partner. He's based in Spain, so we don't get the chance to train much or play much with him. So for me personally, it was a great test, particularly as he's in that left corner. So it gave me a chance to play with him in the cross court and to see where my level was at and I actually came away feeling really good. All in all, tough conditions, conditions that I'm not used to playing in outside with the wind final of the tournament. So this was our fifth match and so legs were a little bit tired. Not used to playing this many matches in a weekend. So overall I was really happy with the way we competed. But the one thing that stood out for me playing against these guys was just the consistency, the ability for them to not give us any cheap points. The points we had to win, we had to play so well to do. And I think the points that they won, we just gave them too many cheap points. But you know what, we didn't win the match on the day, but we did battle hard and it was a lot of fun and Christian and his partner were well deserved winners. But what a weekend. Had so much fun. Really enjoyed competing and great. I can't wait for the next tournament. Sam and I are heading off to the Netherlands straight away after this to join a GB training camp with the Dutch team. So we're going to be doing that and then we're going to be playing in another FIP the following weekend. So some great matches to get in before that and feeling good on the court. So let's see what our week in the Netherlands brings. Big tactic for us was to try and get into that, that net position and maybe win the point on a volley, volley exchange. Sam and I love playing that way so it really builds into our strength. But by taking the lob out of it and making it harder to finish on the Smash, that meant we had to change our game a little. For me personally, I find it still a challenge to adapt to the conditions and adjust my game accordingly. For me, my Smash is such a big weapon that when I play in windy conditions, it's almost getting a balance between when to use that smash and when not to, but also not taking it away so much that you lose a weapon. So yeah, for me that was a challenge. When playing in these new conditions of how to adapt your game whilst also sticking to your strengths in these conditions, it just comes down to a bit of grit. I think that you have to accept that you're not always going to be playing the best looking paddle. It's going to be, it's going to be one of those days where sometimes you're not timing it so well, you miss shots that you normally don't miss and, and it's really just about making the ball and making one more ball than your opponent, putting it in a position that they find uncomfortable and that really is the difference in these conditions between winning and losing.