Sarah Borwell writes

Sheddie · administrator

RE: Sarah Borwell writes

Sheddie · administrator

No blogs from Sarah yet this year. I hope she isn't stopping

Sheddie · administrator

3 recent blogs from Sarah:

http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=31

An excellent read on her 7 week tour to the USA, amazing how the tourneys vary from event to event....sounds like the Midland ones are musts for the players !

Sheddie · administrator

Two blogs from the last couple of weeks...

Gran Canerias:
http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=32

Tenerife:
http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=33

Both absolutely fantastic reads, sounds like she had a nightmarish time in Tenerife in particular, no wonder she sounds depressed. Hopefully a good few wins in Greece will have raised her spirits, must have been a relief to get away from the Canary Islands. It's interesting to read what the players feel about how they're viewed, I think that the ITF really ought to do more inspections to check out whether courts and playing facilites are substandard...there are certainly some shocking examples around the world...eg the classic clay (which is virtually impossible to move on, it's so slippy) in Aussie futures and the common use of dung to make clay and hard courts in a lot of Indian tourneys. Surprisingly, I've never heard any complaints about African events, from what I've heard, facilites are pretty good with internet access being provided in a lot of them etc. German futures are also regarded as being excellent.

It always amazes me at how poorly a lot of the tourneys are advertised, considering they have world class players competing in them. I'm sure that they'd get quite a few spectators coming to watch if they knew about them. For the Sutton 25K, I'm pretty sure that no one in Sutton apart from players and their families, knew about it. The olny 3 which are actually promoted quite well in Britain are Surbiton, Manchester and Frinton.

in South America they have carnival style banners advertising the tournament in the weeks before

Sheddie · administrator

Sarah on the Patras 25K

http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=34

Happycynic · Pro player

Sarah apparently is suffering from really bad back spasms, that will make tennis very hard. I can but admire her humour in this article!

http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=36

johnnylad · Tennis legend

wow! must be scary visiting doctors you don't know if you can trust...

Sheddie · administrator

http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=41

August's blog...again a great read...Sarah's body does seem to be breaking down on a worryingly regular basis, has there been an injury-free blog this yr ?

DavidC · Tennis legend

Another entertaining blog, this time from India: http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=42

Sheddie · administrator

Long time coming but well worth it....Sarah's end of season blog

http://www.lusciousmontenegro.com/sarahmore.php?id=43

Sheddie · administrator

Never realised just how much of a financial gamble, playing the Asian wtas can be

wolf · Tennis legend

Latest article: -

Its been a while for a number of reasons, one being the book! I have a lot to say, as a lot has happened, but Ill try to be conciseJ It will therefore only be a small novel and not the usual Lord of the Rings trilogy!

Belarus, did I want to go? About as much as Chelsea winning the league, not much! However, due to the strength of tournaments, I finally made it into a main draw and felt I should probably make the effort. Wrong decision from the start, but you live and learn. Due to the lack of cheap, package holiday flights going to Minsk, dont think tourism is high there, my flight ended up being about $500! I first flew from Newcastle with Easy jet and had hoped the 2 hours I gave myself in Prague, would be enough. Sometimes Im too trusting for my own good, because who in their right mind would think Easy jet would be on time. With the front door almost falling off, we were delayed by 2 hours, which caused me to miss the Czech Airlines flight and resulted in me having to stay in Prague from the Saturday night till the Monday morning. The preparation for the fastest courts in the land wasnt going to be the greatest and after asking for a Wednesday start, but playing first match on Tuesday, I was a little frazzled. After an hour hit, on courts faster than Italy, I had pretty much worked out how not to hit the ball three feet behind me. The match wasnt too impressive and I had a tough time against Bractikova, who served and returned well. Next stop, booking another flight to France for the money tournament I had entered.

After scouring the web with Anna Smith for 4 hours and intermittently shouting out obscenities at the screen, I found a flight leaving Prague on the Friday and arriving in Geneva at 11.30pm. From there I would spend the night and then get on a 3-hour train to Grenoble. Id never played money tournaments in France before, but had heard great things from a number of players. For my short stay, I was treated like royalty. I was picked up from the train station, taken to my free hotel, given free food and all I had to do was play a quarter final match on the Saturday and then hopefully a semi and final on the Sunday. I chose to play the tournament because I was in desperate need of matches. The money tournament met my needs, playing many matches, with enough pressure to make me focus and tough enough to make me have to work. After playing the tournament, something that happens each week in France, you become aware of why France has so many players in the Top 100. Here I played three girls, who werent ranked, but were very good opposition. The girl I beat in the final, doesnt play any professional tournaments, mainly because she cant afford it and probably doesnt see the point when she can play three matches and sometimes take home 2000 Euros! I got a lot out of it and went to the $10 000 in Dijon with renewed confidence and an understanding of how I want to play.

The tournament in France was brilliant for a number of reasons. I played some great matches, against some of the top juniors from different countries and I played in the way that I wanted too. Each match I thoroughly enjoyed. If it wasnt for the minus 10 temperatures, forcing me to wear leggings, a skirt, 3 t-shirts and a body warmer, resulting in a tramp/bag woman kinda look, I would have probably enjoyed them even more. I was close to putting my woolly hat on, but probably a bit much. The tournament was brilliantly set up and treated us very well. I know I always moan about not having people watching, but this week was wonderful for a player who thrives off peoples support. The final had everything a big tournament would, a crowd, music playing, people cheering and some top class lines people. I lost in the final, but played well and in the only way I should play. Playing in front of such a great crowd, makes me realize why I love this sport. I just wish I could have time to enjoy it, but after a quick 1664 beer with the chef and the waiter, I rush to the station to board the Paris train, to then race across Paris on the tube for a night at the airport, before heading to Bath. Its times like these when tennis is difficult. I had such a great week and played well and you just want time to sit and enjoy it, but instead you are scrambling across Paris, with 3 heavy bags, your legs are tired, your hungry and your beginning to long for your bed, as you count the tube stops down, on the urine smelling train.

Up early the next morning for my flight to Bristol and struggling to navigate my way around Charles De Gaulle airport, talk about lack of signposts! I make it on the flight with a little sweet talking, ahh who am I kidding, pushing in and ignoring the moans from the back. Well I was going to miss my flight and I didnt want to annoy the Welsh Rarebit picking me up at the other end. Bath again was another great week, more matches, and a step up again with my singles. I served great this week and attacked at the right times, not over pressing as I did occasionally in the final the week before. My match against Guisard was probably the best I have played for a while. She played amazing and if it wasnt for some big serving at critical points, I could have quite easily lost. The final was amazingly unspectacular and a complete none event! It was Easter Sunday, with no one else playing and the people watching obviously hadnt been briefed on the art of clapping. Yes, the tennis wasnt great, very hit and miss, but its difficult to motivate yourself when you feel as though youre playing in a library and have to be very quiet. I struggled to find any rhythm, but thankfully, due to the amount of matches I had played in such a short time, 18 I think, I was playing the big points well. After a quick turn around, I hopped in Phil the Referees car to make yet another scramble to an airport to meet the Welsh rarebit and Robin. I say airport, but the lounge resembled a doctors waiting area, which was highly amusing and also very frightening. We were flying out of Gloucestershire on MANCS air, yes, I had never heard of it either and I had trained next to the airport everyday for a year. Not the greatest flier in the world, I was pretty scared as we boarded the tiny plane, hunched over so that we didnt bang our heads on the roof and greeted by the pilot who shouted back to buckle up and enjoy the flight!

We made it to Jersey, thankfully. Picked up our rental car and headed to the apartment, which we had managed to find for five of us. We always seem to find the good deals and staying in an apartment with your friends, certainly makes life a lot more enjoyable. My singles in Jersey was very good and if it wasnt for my own lack of self-belief, I would have won the match. I started slowly, thinking that Ana would hit me off the court, as she tends to do in practice and I gave her a little too much respect. I need to start believing I can win these tournaments and I did, but it wasnt until too late. I played great from 4-3 down in the second, some brilliant, attacking tennis and I should have pushed on from there. With one loss of concentration and a few tired shots, the match was gone and my chance of pushing through a relatively open draw.

Off to Hamburg now, no rest for the wicked or rather the lowly ranked tennis player!

wolf · Tennis legend

Interesting blog again from Sarah, including the relevation she won a set in a doubles match without dropping a point and also came back to win a breaker from 6-1 down in a singles match. Interesting last paragraph too.
________________________________________________________

My experiences of Mexico have left me with a love and a great fear of the country. From bouts of dysentery, almost collapsing in the street wearing only a vest top and tartan pajamas, cracking a rib, 10-hour bus journeys. To players being carted off to hospitals, unbearable temperatures, **** roaches flying at you when youre trying to serve, bumpy internal flights, men whistling and staring, to a fervor for tennis which is both intoxicating and flattering. I have a passionate love hate relationship for the country, a love for the support you get and a hate for the difficult conditions you have to play in. Mexico can break even the strongest player, with shouts of get me out of here and I will never set foot in Poza Rica ever again, we all seem to head back with renewed hope that it may be different.

Mexico for me this time was no different. Upon arrival, I was met with players all with varying stages of dysentery and mental breakdown, something I was hoping I would stay away from in the short 2-week period I was there. I lost 6 pounds, which is always a bonus, especially when you dont actually feel too ill. Therefore, with a tan, a slimmer physique, and a few more points, I left Mexico for the first time, intact. I will keep this brief; otherwise, there would be no reason for you to buy the book.

The first week took me back to Coatzacoalcos, a relatively poor town by the sea, with few restaurants and little to do. Thankfully, Robin had organized housing, so a wonderful Mexican family welcomed us. It was amazingly hot that week, most days reaching 110 degrees with 100% humidity, making playing uncomfortable and not very enjoyable. My singles match was horrendous, I was playing a friend from college, and I didnt turn up at all for the match. She played well and her playing style didnt fit well with mine, but to be honest, I didnt put it all out there and didnt cope in the heat.

The doubles was only marginally better. Robin and I have wanted to play doubles together for about 5 years and once she left college, we thought we would try before I retired. We were optimistic and due to our friendship, wanted to do well for each other. This unfortunately seemed to place a lot of pressure on both of us. I didnt play particularly well in any of the matches and after picking up a horrible half volley in the semi, which resulted in Robin having her head taken off by a ball, we lost a dire match. Losing any match a set and 4-1 up, with match points is always hard, but even worse when your friend has concussion and the goals you set fall miserably short. We sat in VIPS (only decent restaurant) and picked through the state of tennis.

The final week took us to Irapuato. We were given a free hotel, which always makes any tennis player smile. The tournament was also staged in a lovely tennis club, with a great restaurant, swimming pool, and gym facilities, making our battle with dysentery slightly easier. The city was also altitude, so unlike most tournaments where the balls are in sealed containers, we used balls kept in boxes. The balls were therefore pressure less, very flat and could be squashed in half and put in your mouth. I can attest to this, as after an amazingly poor shot, I managed to fit one into my mouth. A new party piece!

My first match was a good draw, playing a girl I used to hit with in Vegas. It should have been a lot easier, but with the strangeness of the balls, it took me a while to work out how best to use them. Because of the softness of the balls, after about 5 minutes they were worthless. We would pop a ball after every set and it probably took me this long to realize, you couldnt put any type of spin onto it. They were very difficult to play with both physically and mentally, having to hit flat the majority of the time and trying to stay relaxed when a ball would inadvertently hit the fence or not even reach the net.

My second singles was difficult because I had managed to contract a cold in 100-degree weather. It can happen quite often when you are going in and out of cold air-conditioned rooms. In my match, I lacked any energy and really struggled to breathe or get going mentally. Nevertheless, I played well against an erratic player, which allowed for short points. Bo was tricky and after watching Robin lose to her the day before, I had worked out exactly how best to play her, something which Robin didnt do. Against Robin she looked like a world beater, but thankfully I found a way of playing which would take her out of her confront zone. I managed to drag myself through that match, feeling rough and headed back to bed. I wasnt really getting much better and in my match against Alabanese, I knew I had to go for every shot, whether it was hitting the fence or not. I played well, amazing what you can do when you relax and just hit. I didnt care if I won or lost, just wanted to try to get through the match as best I could. After losing the first set 6-3, I went 6-1 down in the tiebreak, where most probably thought it was over. However, surprisingly I managed to claw myself back into the match. I had watched Albanese the night before and I knew her frailties when the match got close and I preyed on them. It was a tough match, I got through on adrenaline and hard hitting, something which unfortunately would be lacking in the semi final match against Frankova. I went on against Frankova knowing I had nothing left. It had taken everything out of me the day before and with the final of doubles on my mind, I knew I wouldnt be able to put up much of a fight. It was a shame because I think the way I was playing, I could have competed well, but physically my body wasnt there and I had no chance of surviving through another round.

Our doubles improved throughout the tournament, which was a blessing after watching the first set of the first match. Our first round should have been relatively easy; however, we managed to make heavy work of it. We lost the first set 75 and after a quick discussion, we got ourselves together. This may be a record in professional tennis, Im not sure, but even we cant believe what we achieved. After losing the first point of the second set, we went on to win 30 points in a row! Winning 30 points in a row against beginners would be tough enough, but against players, who play week in, week out, is special. It wasnt until 6-0 in the super tiebreak when Robin decided to buy dinner if we won 10-0 and then proceeded to double fault, until they won a point. We won the second set 6-0 in 14 minutes and the super tiebreak 10-1 in 7 minutes! We both credit that match to an upturn in our tennis and each match after that we continued to play well. The final was always going to be difficult and due to the deuce point idea, you can never relax no matter what. We were cruising in the first set and let them get back in to the match with some nervous volleying. In the second, we had opportunities and lost every deuce point, as well as the momentum, prompting us to go to a super tiebreak. Thankfully, we managed to pull ourselves together and ended up justifying our seeded position of one.

The final was a great occasion, because not only we won, but also in Mexico, people love watching tennis and love being very vocal. The ceremony afterwards was hysterical, with men screaming at us bravo, bravo, asking us to hoist the trophy above our heads whilst 20 photographers take pictures, bringing us out bottles of corona, giving us hampers full of strawberries, children running on asking for autographs and reporters filming us for local television. We went to the local restaurant afterwards, and they gave us free food and drink, clapping us when we arrived and when we left! It really was a lovely occasion and although they may be slow and inefficient in most things they do, they really put a lot of effort and pride into making the tournaments fun for the players and even more fun for the fans.

It makes me ask one question. If organizers in Mexico are able to get 500 people to come and watch a $25 000 standard doubles match, between players who are talented, yet havent quite made it and are playing for $500, why do only a handful of people turn up for the Jankovic/Krilenko match in Rome? After seeing Henin retire, I am beginning to worry for the state of Womens tennis. If you watch it on TV, there are never large amounts of people watching the matches! When I travel the world, most people are surprised at the amount of tournaments we play, thinking its only the four grand slams where people compete! No one really knows anything about tennis and they could probably only name a handful of players. After Henin, who do we really have? Sharapova, the Williams sisters but after that, there isnt anyone who is very well known! The WTA like to market Womens tennis on sex appeal, which is a great shame, as it shows a certain amount of disrespect to the women playing, who are all very talented. It is a difficult sport, probably one of the toughest and if things continue to be organized and advertised as they are, more and more players will decide to retire early and move on to different things in their lives. For all of the devout tennis fans, I think this would be a great shame, because as a spectacle, tennis can stand up tall next to every other sport.

Ratty · County player

I'm sure that women cricketers and footballers are very talented too, FOR WOMEN!!!!

It a sad fact of basic biology that if you want to see top class sport, you have to watch men playing it. They are almost always faster, stronger, fitter and more competitive, all as a result of their testosterone.

So, women get the casual viewer on TV, and the fans who are already there at mixed tournaments (although it's noticeable that the men's matches get bigger crowds), but tend not to draw the crowds at WTA-only events.

And if you're not selling women's tennis on sex appeal, then it has about as much going for it as women's rugby.

Sorry.

wolf · Tennis legend

Build up to the Grass
2008-05-26

After reading the various posts on THE website, hearing the same questions, statements being made around this time of year and also pre-empting the abuse all of us will get over the next month, I thought I would writeJ I cant really speak on behalf of the juniors, I am not at Roehampton enough to see their desire or need to compete, but I am very qualified to comment on the over the hill girls (anyone over the age of 18 nowadays, which makes me ancient!).

As always around this time of year, people start discussing Wild Cards, who will get one, whose more deserving, do any of us deserve it? As always, there are those who understand the importance of them, see the improvement the girls have made, and there are always the select few who think the WCs should be given to foreigners! Why? I have no clue, but its probably part of the British mentality, which is always hard to shift.

In every country, which holds a Grand Slam, the countrymen/women are all given Wild Cards. Some of them, shock horror, lose first round! Do they get belittled, pulled apart for being inferior, told that they should never get given a Wild Card and the up and coming Russian, something ova, should get the chance instead? Of course not, their standards and achievements are put in perspective and they are able to look at the bigger picture. Dont get me wrong, none of us take the Wild Cards for granted, we are all very lucky to be able to have the opportunity to compete in such a prestigious tournament and also the possibility of picking up a lot of points and propelling our ranking in the right direction. Whats possibly more important for some of us, is the money we receive over the grass court weeks. I have read that some people dont think we should get such hand outs, that we are not deserving of such a large amount of money, but if I could just put it all in perspective, than the few who disagree may understand how vital it is!

For 365 days of the year all of us dedicate our lives to tennis. Training for 6 hours a day, traveling to far off places, away from friends and family, missing Christmas day and birthdays, all with the dream that our hard work and endeavor will pay off. Tennis is not like football, where you can sit on the bench for most of it, hide away on the field when you cant be bothered to play, train for 2 hours a day and then go and pick up your pay check for 50 grand a week, which no matter what, win or lose, you are going to get. W e are all going to lose once a week, unless your lucky enough to win the tournament, so having to deal with that each week, when your in a far off place, on your own, can be devastating. Whats worse, you cant even console yourself with taking home a nice big check, you are instead left to worry about your debts, whether you can afford the next flight and asking questions of why dont you just stop and get a normal job so you can actually have money in the bank and maybe a car or a house? All of these worries and questions because, the 70 pounds you have taken home from the tournament, is just not going to cover anything. Even if you do well at a tournament, which is getting harder and harder due to the new WTA road map, (which involves having fewer and fewer lower standard tournaments, therefore making the cut offs considerably higher), the prize money is still abysmal. I won a $25 000 in doubles, beating girls who were top 50 in the world and I won 275 Euros, not even enough to cover the cost of the hotel! If I was in a normal job, my salary would have gone up in the last 20 yrs, almost in line with the cost of living! The ITF has not moved our income up for over 20 years, so with the cost of living quadrupling, you can imagine how hard it is to make ends meet. Whats worse we have George Bush who has single handedly destroyed the American economy, so every pay check can be cut in half! Is anyone starting to get the drift?

I am not saying Wimbledon should be a nice pay day for us, just for the sake of giving us money. But, it is needed! I am in debt, quite a lot of it and the grass court season helps me to keep going. Without it, I would have had to retire 3 years ago. We all work hard throughout the year and arent really repaid, this is a good time for us to be thankful for what we do. I stay in contact with all the girls, I watch them train when Im away with them, and I attest to how hard they all work and how many sacrifices they make! Mel undertook the most grueling work schedule at the beginning of the year, playing almost every week, in every continent of the world, to try to push herself forward. Traveling is debilitating and to be able to get off a 24-hour flight and train is a difficult task. Anne is top 100, how many times have I read negative things written about Anne. However, her work ethic is starting to pay off and she deserves everything she gets. Katie is meticulous with everything she does, possibly the most single minded out of all of us and this is possibly, why she is the first to have a six-pack. Something I will never achieve! Trust me; you dont get one of them sitting around watching TV. Bally has recovered from numerous injuries and yet she still comes back and will continue to fly up the rankings, because of the work I have seen her putting in over the last few months. Cavaday has struggled, but she is working as hard as the rest of us, putting the hours in on and off the court. Anna Smith, Anna Fitzpatrick, Stoop, Hawkins, Rae all work hard, and they do it because they want it, not for the money or for the acclaim, but because they want to try to achieve something. Those of you who think we dont deserve it, I just wish you could travel with us for a month and see what we go through. Yes, you cant compare our lives to nurses who work 24 hours a day and get paid a pittance, but we work hard and we get minimum wage for it-until we make it.

All the girls this year can push on from the grass, its just a process and as we have all said before, just wait and see. I am betting that a lot of you last year would never have guessed we would have had one girl in the top 100 and 4 knocking at the door, just hang in with us and see what will happen this time next year!!

Oh and in response to someone saying that, no one knows who the Brits are! If Cornet or Svasay hit a security guard or ticket taker on the nose, they wouldnt know who they were either and they are top 20 in the world! Its not down to our low standard, but to the poor publicity and marketing given to Womens tennis, thats not our fault!

When the girls all give interviews this year, about pushing on after their 4th round loss, I hope all you non-believers sit up and take note! We are working hard, everyday we put ourselves out there and whether we win or lose; we still take home a pay check (after expenses) which is less than most McDonalds managers!

I have not written this to moan about our lives or to plead poverty. The job we have chosen has given us so many opportunities and experiences in life, which few can say they have had. I am sure the daily routine of working in an office is as demanding and the worry of mortgages, house bills, as worrying. I simply wanted to describe to you how complex tennis can be and how when we step out on the court, it has taken a lot of hard work to get us there.

Ill give you a run down of my last few days of trying my hardest to make money and pay off some of my debts. I left Strasbourg on Thursday morning at 820am. Arrived in Paris after a 3-hour journey, grabbed my 40 kg weights (my bags), and jumped in a taxi to scramble across Paris to pick up another train to Avignon. Arrived in Avignon after 7 hours of traveling and had a gentle hit for 2 hours. Relaxed in Avignon, sightseeing on my own (can be a lonely life). The following day, up at 7am for my first match of the day. Won in 2hours and rested, for the final at 530pm. Spent the night with my family and then got up at 7am for another train back to Paris. After 3 hours, once again had to jump into another taxi and get across to another station. Waited there for 2 hours and jumped on the next train for an hour and a half. Met my French League team in Rouen and then spent 4 hours crammed in a car driving to La Rocehlle. Got there at 6pm, had a very gentle hit, as I was struggling to really move my legs after 9 hours of traveling. The next morning, up at 7am for our French league match. Played a singles and a doubles, finished at 5pm, showered, ate and jumped in the crammed car again for the 5 and a half hour drive to Amiens. Arrived at 11.30pm, slept well and I am now writing this, ready for my hour train to Paris and then my 2 and a half hour Eurostar to London, followed by a wonderful, bag carrying hour across London! It was financially very beneficial, however within 3 days, I played many matches and managed to travel over 25 hours in 3 days! This isnt unusual.

Enjoy the Grass and DISCUSS;)