Filip Peliwo’s Blog: Walkin’ Over
October 31, 2012 · Print This Article
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Hey everyone,
Bit of a strange day today. I got up at 8AM, had breakfast, and then headed down to the club at 10AM for my off-court workout. While I was at the gym, a tournament official came up to me and told me that my first-round opponents in single “wasn’t coming.” Was he sick, injured or just plain intimidated by the amount of iron I was pumping? I have no idea. Regardless, this meant I was through to the second round without having to play a single point. It’s not the best way to win a match, but I’ll take it – any additional rest I can get is a plus going forward!
Even though I had one less match to play, it did not mean that I got to lounge around, on the contrary. After gym, I hit for a bit with my doubles partner George to warm him up for his first round singles match (which he lost in two very tight sets, unfortunately). After that, I went to the player’s cafeteria to grab a bit to eat. Once I got done digesting, I had a good practice session with Olivier Sajous of Haiti, the eighth-seeded player this week. We played a practice set and he definitely made me hit a lot of tough shots, though I ended up winning 6-4!
Unlike at the Grand Slams or at the bigger ATP tournaments, players at the Futures level are often expected to play several matches in the same day. The ability to quickly recover both mentally and physically is a great asset to have for players at this level. Fortunately, I didn’t have to pull double-duty today, given my walkover win in singles, but in the afternoon, I still had my second round doubles match to gear up for. A bit after 2PM, I ate a quick snack and headed onto the court for the third time today for doubles with George.
We got off to a great start, leading 7-5 4-1, but just couldn’t close the match out and ended up losing in the match tiebreak 8 points to 10, which was a big disappointment especially considering how close we were to winning. It’s never easy taking a loss, but the key now is to focus on the next match. That’s the key in competitive tennis – you can’t dwell on the past. All you can do is to learn from your mistakes so that you can get the win the next time around.
A few of you have been asking me about what I have been up to during my downtime this week. The answer is actually pretty simple: catching up on sleep! With the type of schedule that we have, any extra amount of time in bed is highly welcomed.
Also, I am a big music fan and have the massive iTunes playlists to match. This week I have been listening to a lot of Treble Charger – “Red,” “American Psycho,” “Hundred Million,” “Brand New Low,” just to name a few songs. The tracks off of Third Eye Blind’s first album has also been getting a lot of airtime on my iPhone.
Finally, I have been busy answering questions from my fans on Twitter (@FilipPeliwo) and on the Talk Tennis message board (tt.tennis-warehouse.com). I always enjoy sharing my life on tour with tennis fans, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or comments on what you’d like me to write about!
My next singles match is scheduled on Thursday, which means tomorrow will be a practice day. I’ll be sure to report back tomorrow night, and tell you how that went.
Take care.
Filip
(Transcribed by Jack Han)
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