I tend to agree Oakie the more I think about it, having been a little unsure myself.

He has had a solid base for quite a number of weeks and some good development matches.

Yes there are certainly easier points to pick up in many 15Ks, though one big Italy week ( and you can have luck of the draw and events as well as play well ) could / could have made a big difference.

Maybe he will focus more on these 'easier' points in future months, and points do certainly matter as well as developing his game at Billy's stage, but still a balance. In general I can certainly see good reasons for these Italy few weeks.

Jaggy I think you struggle with where the value is in terms of playing high level professional tennis and the definition of success and how it may facilitate you making a living in the future. Admittedly you can tolerate poor living conditions when you are younger but your casual slander of 18 months of hard graft and improvement of a poorly paid professional athlete aspiring to do better is not consistent with the socialist values you regularly espouse. I suggest you drop to your knees and repent in front of your effigy of the Corbynister.

Tennis is a pyramid scheme, all sports are to a certain extent but in many there is room for many people at the top, professional football in the UK for example has room for 20 squads of 30 plus players all of whom are millionaires, another 24 squads of 30 plus who all earn incomes that probably average out around that of the prime ministers with perks, another 24 squads who earn close to that of a train driver and another 24 squads that of teacher even many of those in the conference are full time.

Tennis you have one person at the top and probably 2/3 premiership squads and then you are into a Championship squad a couple of Sky bet div 1 squads perhaps? and then bang down into the conference in terms of income. That is not the fault of the aspiring athletes who try and develop a career in it.

A working holiday would suggest a couple of weeks and then back home, unfortunately I think but can't be certain that Billy's van is his home when at work, in the way guys tarmacing the road often live on site.

Just because the rewards at this level are poor I don't think you can make assumptions about professionalism, many do poorly paid jobs, take pride in them and do them well. He is also not playing college tennis which I like but is indirectly funded by television and attendance income from more popular college sports generally played for nothing by superior athletes of low sociology economic background who never get to make a living out of it.

In 2018 he has played tournaments 2 weeks in Jan, 2 weeks in Feb and every week in a March continuing in April. 

In 2017 which saw a 500 place rise in ranking he played Jan, Feb, March 3 weeks consecutively, April 4. May and first 2 weeks of June off..June 2 weeks, July 5, August 4, September 4, October 1, November 3, December 2 weeks. That level of commitment and progress is not the product of a holiday. In the best sense as it is likely Billy enjoys and is energised by his job he has probably never done a days work in his life but that doesn't make it a holiday.