First tournament of the year

I'm currently in Rancho Santa Fe playing my first tournament of the year. I'm haven't had internet for the first few days I've been here so I haven't been able to update on my first couple of rounds.

I qualified which means I won three rounds to get into the main draw. I didn't have to much trouble with my first two matches. I played two young girls, the first a young American girl and the second a young Russian. My third match was tougher. She was from Turkey and ranked ahead of me. She had a nice one handed backhand and used a lot of slice and drop shots. I now know what it's like to play against an effective slice and drop shots. It'll motivate me to work on my own! After more than 3 hours, I won in 3 sets 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

I don't know what it's like for every other player, but after 3 matches I'm mentally and physically tired. I was able to get a massage the night before my main draw match. I felt so much better going to bed that night. As I woke up and began my day, I knew it would still be tough to get through the match. My legs were still drained and moving slower than they had been the previous days. I don't know if I'm missing something that the other players are doing but I was competing around 50%. My tank kept feeling lower and lower.

What do other players do to compete at a high level day in and day out? I keep feeling less and less at my best as the tournament rolls on. So when it really count I fail. I qualify and get into the main draw where the points are, the good competition is, the do or die of it is right there. That's where I'm going to get my break. If I could just win a round or two in the main draw I would be moving right along. But I'm so tired by the time I reach that part that I can't seem to get past it.

I know it's about pushing yourself to a new level. I've really been working hard at mental toughness along with physical fitness. I worked out very hard these past two months. In my head I think I'm at a good level physically. Of course there is always room to improve, but I don't feel like I should be feeling this empty after three matches.

The main draw match was against an opponent I played last year. I knew what to expect. I knew she was beatable. But from the beginning I struggled physically. I knew it would come down to how well I could mentally stick this one out. I had my up's and down's. I would focus and fight hard for a string of points and then I would drop and make some sloppy errors. Being so drained makes it hard to mentally focus for a long period of time especially when you're also physically exerting yourself.

In my mind, there are no excuses unless you're injured. I have no excuses today. I know what I need to work on. The main issue is mental toughness. The next is to work on nutrition. I need to see if I can feel any better by getting on a "diet" of foods and nutrients that will help me recover and perform at my best.

I was pretty defeated after my singles match today. I know it's my first tournament of the year. I know I have a lot more tennis left in me. It's just hard when I know I can win and I don't. I'm not a happy camper when I lose.  On a positive note, my partner and I won our doubles match today. We beat a very talented Japanese team. I looked at their past record and one of the opponents was ranked in the top 75 in doubles a few years back. They really had some talent. It was nice to get a win after a loss in singles earlier in the day.

On to tomorrow....