Hard to believe that my third week down here is done. I’ve been down here for 21 days. Each day is an absolute grind, but it goes by quickly. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I could maintain this demanding schedule. Mentally, I thought I could probably do it, but physically, I had doubts. Going from the division 3 lifestyle to full blown training mode isn’t very easy on the body. Honestly, I was very afraid I’d get injured. I’ve had problems with my back, knees, hips, and elbow, and I assumed something would give out while I was down in Florida. I’ve had some minor pain the past couple weeks, but nothing that truly lasted or affected me while I played. I’ve also learned how to properly warm up and recover, and it helps immensely. So, I’m very happy that my body feels healthy.

I’m starting to get excited for my tournament in Iowa. Starting to get a little nervous too, but mostly excited to compete against other great players. It’s important for me to remember that there’s no pressure on this one tournament. I unconsciously put pressure on myself for performing well this week and “showing off” the hard work I’ve put in. But the truth is that I’ve improved immensely no matter how well I do this week. This is only the start to my career and it’s only the first couple steps in the journey. This isn’t the final push. I tend to put these players on a pedestal, but I have to remember that I belong and others players do the same to me.

I won’t play like I have something to prove. I’m going to play how I know I’m capable of playing and trusting my strokes. Time and time again, I’ve showed myself that “overhitting” and doing more than I need to do only hurts me. My game is enough and very strong. If I have to change my game plan, I will, but I will always play without tension in my body or head. That’s when I play my best tennis.

I’m not sure what else to say. I’ve posted some updates this past week, which I why this one’s shorter.