US Southern California Summer Tour 2011 Day 11 - 22
Benny Lin
Founder & Academy Director
US Southern California Summer Tour 2011 Day 11 - 22
Posted at : August 05, 2011
Day 11
Winston played some of his best tennis today. He was able to successfully control the match by using his big forehand. His forehand was the base of his victory today and he used it very effectively from the baseline. Having said that Winston needs to improve his game toughness because some games he played solid tennis and some game he played exactly the opposite (many easy mistakes). He fought hard today and pumped his fist high a few times. Great fighting spirit and will to win.
Charlie was just one level below his opponent. He played much better this week as he was playing against the same opponent who beat him last week. The problem is he does not have neither the technical skill and “feel and touch” to execute more advance tactical applications to beat his opponent.
Helen faced with her toughest test so far. She beat the No. 5 seed very closely. It was a battle match since the very first point. She played against a very good player but I must say Helen did an excellent job mixing her play and keeping her off guard by throwing her different kind of balls from topspin to slice and from low to high balls. Helen also fought very hard today. In fact today was the first time I saw Helen pumped her fist. The match could have gone either way, but Helen hung in tough every point chasing down every single balls because she didn’t want to lose. However, Helen’s destiny today was controlled by her opponent because she didn’t win the match, rather her opponent lost the match. Helen was too afraid to go for her shots and was waiting for her opponent to miss. If her opponent would make her shots, Helen would have lost the match, that’s why I said she didn’t control her own destiny. I told Helen after the match that she cannot afford playing 60% defensive game and 40% offensive game. If she ever wants to be a better player she has to play at least 80% offensive game.
Justin is still bothered by his arm injury which affected his performance today. I thought he looked ready and wanted to prove himself, and he started the match really well. Just that on big points he crumbled and couldn’t convert those big points. He is playing better this week but not on those big points. Nevertheless, Justin gave his heart out and played like there is no tomorrow. He is a “hustler” on the court and I mean it in a positive way because he is the kind of player that will try and use anything to win a point, and he can make you play bad without you knowing why. I hope Justin will recover soon from his injury.
Taichi must work hard and improve his basic technical competency. This tournament is too advanced for his level, but I have to admire his never-say-die attitude and his fighting spirit. Although his opponent was much stronger Taichi didn’t show any fear and he was just giving his best to hit every ball back. He gave his best today and that’s all it matters. Next week Taichi, Jackie and Charlie will be playing in Satellite event (for novice to intermediate players).
Doubles were played in the late afternoon and evening. For full result please click here: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=103136
New pictures have been posted on HKITA facebook account.
Day 12
Winston gave everything he had and played to the best of his ability but his opponent was just too steady and consistent for Winston. However what Winston did wrong today was attacking too early/ soon. His opponent won last week’s tournament and a tournament favorite but I thought Winston could give him a better run if he didn’t rush to finish the points. I thought Winston thought he could not beat his opponent just by rallying from the baseline and he had to do something extra or play out of his comfort zone, which resulted in excessive or sometime unnecessary unforced errors. Nonetheless, Winston fought hard and gave his 100% effort. After the match I told him he has to learn how slow down his game (hit one more shot) in order to win or at least to better position himself for attacking a shot. That’s what exactly his opponent did to him – made Winston hit that one more ball till he misses.
Helen played some of her best tennis today, mostly also because she was agitated by her cheating opponent. The match had to be stopped for over 10 minutes because Helen’s opponent made a very bad call. Helen hit a ball in the middle of the court and her opponent just catch the ball and called it out. Everyone was shocked. Her opponent did that – which is very unsportmanship-like – because she thought Helen gave her a bad call a point earlier on her serve. Actually her serve was really out but Helen’s opponent thought it was in. So the next point when Helen hit the ball in the middle of the court she just stopped the shot and called it out. I have never seen this before and cheating is just not acceptable – period. I felt disgusted because I know if anyone cheats on the court, they are also cheaters in real life and I was very upset because her coach didn’t say anything. Winning isn’t everything, especially if you have to cheat to get ahead. I told Helen to stop the match and ask for an umpire to be there. Luckily our team is well known for being honest and respectful so the umpire stayed for the whole match which prevented Helen’s opponent to cheat again. I was very worried for Helen but she handled the situation well. I remember I briefed the kids that sometime bad calls are just part of the game and we have to accept it and move on. Most importantly don’t let it affect our game. Anyway, Helen and her opponent played a great match. Although she score doesn’t seem that close but every game was a battle. Helen’s opponent came from a tennis academy and she is a serious player who is thinking about playing tennis full time or going to college tennis. I must say Helen played very smartly and as usual she uses different kind of shots to take her opponent out of comfort zone. The good thing today she was playing more aggressively as I saw her coming to the net a few times and took more chances on short balls. She played well the entire match, except for that one game where her opponent cheated her. Although Helen looks calm and cool from outside, the good thing is I know inside she has a fire burning for winning all her matches. Sort of like Pete Sampras. I am very pleased to see Helen was able to follow my yesterday’s advice to play more aggressively when opportunities presented itself. This is one of the reasons she won her tough match today – against a very tough opponent. Helen just keeps surprising me, which is good.
The rest of the kids had their morning and afternoon training with coach Yoshida and myself. Justin couldn’t play again as he had to rest his elbow but I gave him a fitness program.
Late afternoon after our training session, coach Yoshida and I took the kids to watch Harry Porter movie. I think they enjoyed the movie very much.
Pictures have been posted on our facebook account.
Day 13
Helen’s opponent was just too good for Helen. She did exactly the same thing what Helen usually does to her opponents. Her opponent was quite a complete player and she made Helen play subpar by throwing her different kind of shots. Totally threw her off her rhythm. Helen played without any rhythm as her witty opponent for the whole match played different kind of tactics. One point she was serve and volleying, the next point she would hit a wide backhand and a drop shot. Helen was totally confused and defeated way before the match finished. Whichever tactical application Helen was trying to execute, her opponent was always one step ahead or faster than Helen. She already knew what Helen wanted to play and she was there waiting for the shot. Helen had no chance today. She gave everything, tried everything, but as I mentioned her opponent was always one step ahead – tactically. She is not stronger or better hitter than Helen but definitely she’s a wittier player on the court. Having said that, this is a great learning experience for Helen and as Dalai Lama once said - when you lose, do not lose the lesson.
Marco and partner from the US won their doubles match. They played well as a team and Marco played well too today. Justin and Winston did not play as good as they could be but their opponents were quite a formidable team. Nonetheless, all of them performed to the best to their ability and gave their best.
The rest of the team did their usual training in the morning and afternoon. Today we also did two fitness sessions and since Justin needed to rest his arms, I gave him additional fitness program. Hopefully his injury will turn out as a good thing because he can now focus on working and improving his lower body parts for tennis. I told him to stay positive and this may be a good thing for him because now he can spend more time to strengthen his lower body parts and fitness condition. And as we all know tennis is played 50% above waist and 50% below waist and I don’t need to explain how important fitness condition for a tennis player.
The kids will be going to Universal Studio, except for Marco and Jasmine. Marco has to play his semi final today and maybe final round too if he wins. The kids are very excited because we do not have Universal Studio in Hong Kong and they just added a new adventure – King Kong 3D. Coach Yoshida will be taking the kids to Universal Studio while I will be taking Marco and Jasmine to the court. On Saturday they will have to start their 3rd tournament so today is one of our very few free days.
I have posted pictures on our facebook account.
Day 14
While the rest of the group was at Universal Studio, Marco and partner were fighting neck to neck for a place in the Under 18 doubles final. Unfortunately both Marco and his partner came up short for a place in the final. The match was very tight since the very first point with both teams breaking each other’s serving game. No one could hold serve which is quite strange in doubles, but not so strange in junior doubles where their volleys are not quite formed yet. All four players didn’t want to lose and gave all they had, but Marco and his partner were just unlucky today on big points and they played too carefully on big points, especially Marco’s partner. In the second set they were down 2-5 but leveled at 5-5 (Marco played some great tennis here – dominating the match with some big shots and a lot of first serve in), only to lose the next two games because they didn’t continue playing with the same aggressiveness as when they were 2-5 down. Nevertheless, Marco and his partner fought all the way through, thus it was a great learning experience.
The rest of the kids went to Universal Studio with coach Yoshida. They had a lot of fun.
We will be starting our third tournament this weekend. This tournament is one of the most popular tournaments in the area with a lot of players competing and the matches are played in 3 different venues. I signed up Taichi, Jackie and Charlie for the satellite event (for novices). For tourament draws please click here: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=103141
Day 15
Today was a good and happy day for our team as some of our boys tasted their first singles win. Since the tournament was split to different venues coach Yoshida stayed with the girls and I stayed with the boys.
Charlie and Jackie won their first match today playing in the satellite event. Satellite event is similar to the Novice event in Hong Kong so most players have never made it to the semi final of an open junior tournament. Having said that both Jackie and Charlie played really well and I enjoyed watching them battling every shot against their similar level opponents. In fact both of them won two matches today. They are very happy today and I must say I feel happy for them too. Not because they won but mostly because they played good matches, fought hard and experienced hard earned victories.
Taichi played against a strong player today although he was in the satellite event too. The good thing about Taichi is he just go out there and plays against anybody although he knew that most likely he would lose. Not many kids can do this. Sometime they rather not play, but Taichi does not care much about winning and losing and he knew he wanted to learn and the experience. Taichi still has a lot to improve fundamentally.
Winston won his first match quite comfortably but his second match was a battle. Although he lost but both players played a great match. The second set was very close it could have gone either way. I feel Winston is a very good player and he gave the No. 10 seed a scare but his footwork or more specifically court coverage was what let him down today. Winston can play good offensive game but his defensive game is far from strong because once he starts running or moved by his opponent most likely or 90% of the time he will lose the point. A good player can turn defensive situation to offensive situation but in Winston case once his opponent makes him run and put him in defensive situation Winston is pretty much finished because he can’t get to the ball on time – lack of footwork speed and thus court coverage. This is a big issue for his game and if he doesn’t improve this area he cannot ever reach his full potential as a tennis player and he will not become a good player too. I enjoyed watching his second match today. It was a good match and his opponent had a big forehand which won most of the points. But Winston didn’t back down and used his forehand too to set up and attack. Both players fought hard and gave all and although he lost Winston was happy with his performance.
Justin finally won his first match today. Although his arm is still bothering him a bit he said he doesn’t feel much pain anymore. His first match was a tougher one and he didn’t get his touch until a bit later in the game. He was struggling with short and high balls as he used to him them out earlier in the game, but later he found his touch and was able to make most of those short balls. Justin was tactically smarter than his opponents today. He was able to mix up a lot of different shots and kept his opponent guessing and off guard because they didn’t know what Justin is going to hit next. His problem today was the wind so I told Justin that he has to put more topspin into his shot because spins make the ball heavier and thus not easy to be blown away by the wind. Also topspin gives more control and increase consistency so it’s a perfect tool to have especially in the first 3 – 4 games when you are still nervous. Justin was happy he won his first match and second too. And finally he said all his hard work doing fitness in the past weeks had paid off a bit. He wants to go further in this tournament and the good thing is he will fight and I know he’s got the fitness for it. Anyway I was happy for Justin today.
Marco had a relatively easy match today. Basically he could just show up and win the match.
The girls were with coach Yoshida. He will send a report later.
I have posted new pictures on our facebook account.
Day 17
Today our team played our last tournament. Please click here for the draws: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=103143#
Last week tournament will be continued this coming Saturday and Sunday for players who are still in singles and doubles.
I put Jasmine in the satellite draw and hopefully she could win a few rounds to boost her confidence. Although she has improved her tennis, she has not been winning, which could hit her confidence and interest in tennis. She’s been working hard and training every day and I hope when she plays her match on Wednesday she can win her first match.
Charlie and Jackie continue with their winning streak in the satellite event. Not only they play better tennis now but I can see they have more confidence now. I am very happy for both Jackie and Charlie because they are improving everyday and enjoying the tournaments ever more because they have also tasted the sweetness of winning matches against players of the same caliber. Their motivation to play tennis and compete have also increased to the next level.
Helen and Winston had an easy match today. They were too strong for their respective opponents. I am hoping both Winston and Helen can go far in this tournament.
Marco was unlucky today. The match was a tough one and it could have gone either way. Too bad this tournament does not have the third set – just a super tiebreaker if players split the first two sets. If the match was continued into the third set, Marco would have won the match because his opponent was already tired. Just like his previous matches, Marco lost on important points but what makes it more hurting was the fact he missed easy shots on big points. Shots that he usually makes or should not miss, he would miss it on big points. I feel this is a combination of lack of mental toughness and finesse on his hands because usually he also misses shots that require more feel/ touch, like put away volleys. Both players fought like two gladiators because they played against each other just last week in doubles. It was a good match but Marco had many opportunities to win the match. He however came back from 0-4 to win the second set 6-4. Great come back which was not followed by a good start in the tiebreaker. Having said that I am pleased with Marco’s fighting spirit and never say die attitude. Although he has a blister on his foot from playing too much matches in the last 3 days he kept on going and gave his very best.
Taichi did not play today he will start his match tomorrow. Taichi has also improved his tennis and coach Yoshida especially has been working hard on his game, attitude and mind set for tennis. I hope Taichi will play a good match tomorrow and win his first match.
Justin had a tough match. I admired his determination and fighting spirit throughout the match. For some reason Justin always draws some good players and this is also the case today. I thought it’s going to be a one sided match but Justin hang with him and produced some good tennis. I saw a few exchanges from the baseline and it was of a high caliber tennis. I was actually quite surprise that he could produce those kind of shots from the baseline. However, Justin’s biggest problem is his movement and coverage around the court. He’s got the exactly same problem as Winston’s. They do not have any defensive game at all because once they are moved by their opponents the point is pretty much over. This is because Justin cannot get to the position to hit the ball back effectively. I am afraid if he and Winston do not solve this problem it is going to be tough for them to even reach their full potential and play at college level. All good players have strong offensive and defensive game (just like in basketball), you need to have both games. Good players can turn defensive shot into offensive shot, but how can Justin and Winston turn those defensive shots into offensive shots if they can’t even get to the ball? On the other hand, Justin gave his very best effort to the match. Although his elbow was bothering him when serving and I asked him if he would like to stop he said he wanted to fight and finish the match. I think he was fit and if he can move faster Justin opponent stands no chance against him.
Day 18
Charlie and Jackie continued with their winning streak. Charlie played extremely well today and he had a really good match with his opponent. I thought some points that they played could not tell that they were actually playing in the satellite event. Charlie also pumped his fist high and shouted yes very loudly when he won points on big points. The match was really close but Charlie played big and didn’t hesitate to go for his shots on big points. After he won the last point he screamed “cmon” and pumped both of his fists – just as he just won a match at a grandslam tournament. I was very happy for Charlie. What Charlie did right today was he played his aggressive game and still went for his shots although it was during crucial moments. He was nervous but he was able to control his nerve and still execute his aggressive shots. He did miss a few but he also made the rest of them, which got him the win.
Jackie’s opponent was not as strong and Jackie cruised by him rather easily. Jackie also played smartly by mixing high balls with some slice and topspin shots. His opponent was not as consistent as Jackie, that’s why he won rather easily.
Taichi’s opponent was too strong for Taichi. Having said that I think Taichi has improved his game, especially on his fundamentals but he still has a lot to work on his fundamentals. Another thing he needs to work on is adding power to his game by working on his muscle strength when he returns to Hong Kong.
Winston was intimidated by his opponent in the first set. When he pointed at me and told me his opponent, I knew he was intimidated right away. Not many times Winston is faced against a player who is as tall as him but bigger in size and the # 3 seed. The first set went for just 15 minutes because Winston was mentally defeated before the match even begun. His mental defeat was mix with a few big shots from his opponent in the first few games totally wrecked havoc Winston’s mind and he lost the first set in 15 min 0-6. Winston could not even put 2 rallies on the court because he was mentally intimidated. In reality this kid is not better than Winston. Before the second set Winston walked out the court and I told him to fight and don’t play like a chicken on court. I had to use the word “chicken” because I knew this would trigger Winston’s motivation, and also told him that his opponent was not as good as he thought he was. He could beat this guy if he would just play normal tennis. So what if he hit a few nice and powerful shots? In the second set Winston did just that – he fought and played with a heart! Led by his powerful serves and forehand Winston fought from the very first point and won the second set in an old fashioned dog fight set where each player held serve until Winston broke at 6-5 to close the set 7-5. It was a nail-biting match in the super tiebreaker but Winston made one fatal mistake as he hit one double faults which no one could afford in a tiebreaker. Nevertheless, I was pleased to see Winston came back and overcame his fears and intimidation. He fought hard, gave his heart out and learned a great deal of lesson today.
The rest of the kids had their normal morning and afternoon training. Justin just did fitness today both morning and afternoon because he has to rest his arm. After Winston’s match, I also took him running for 30 minutes.
I have posted new pictures on HKITA facebook account.
Day 19
Helen was too strong for her opponent and she didn’t have to sweat to win this match. Her less stronger opponent could not keep up with Helen’s witty left hand and pace of her shots. It was pretty much one sided match.
Finally this year we will have all Hong Kong final. Charlie who won by walk over today will face Jackie in the final of U16 Satellite Event. This will be an interesting match to watch as two good friends battling it out for the title.
Jackie had a tough match today. After winning the first set, Jackie started to play too defensively as like he was afraid to win. He lost the second set after just pushing the ball and his opponent bombarded big serves into Jackie’s court. Before the third set tiebreaker, I told Jackie to start hitting the balls again and he must play like the first set. You must always stick with a winning strategy and do not change it. Luckily Jackie followed my advice and his opponent started to miss a lot and couldn’t get his strong first serve in. Jackie did a good job today and in fact he hasn’t lost a match yet in the last 4 matches proved he is a good competitors. Although he is playing in the satellite event I can tell you that actually all his opponents were in the same level as Jackie or Jackie is not better than them, so for him to win the last 4 matches against players in the same level is really not an easy task.
Jasmine’s first opponent was not as strong as Jasmine. She was not in the same league as Jasmine’s. Having said that it’s really good for Jasmine to win her first match. In her final match, Jasmine had a much tougher opponent. Jasmine and her opponent played a good match which could have gone either way. Jasmine won the first set quite convincingly out of her consistency and her opponent’s lack of steadiness. However in the second set her opponent found Jasmine’s main weakness – movement – and thus started to move Jasmine around the court. As now she had to run more and chase balls Jasmine had a much tougher time returning her opponent shots and also automatically made more mistakes. Lack of movement for court coverage is a huge liability for any tennis player and this liability can easily detected by anyone who plays tournament. Jasmine fought all the way and pumped her fist a few times, she gave it all but it wasn’t enough to win the third super tiebreaker. Having said that, Jasmine played a good match and she was happy with her performance because she gave her best effort. She was also a bit unlucky in the super tiebreaker, but the match was very close. Her opponent was just a bit braver because she took more calculated chances than Jasmine.
As usual we organize morning and afternoon training for the rest of the kids who didn’t have any match. They also watched and supported their friends. Some of the kids finally realized that they only have 4 more days in the US and they almost could not believe how fast time flies here. I asked all the kids and they all said they are not ready to go home yet and wanted to stay here longer, except for Justin who goes to school here in the US.
New pictures have been posted on HKITA facebook account.
Day 20
Charlie took the court thinking he could easily beat Jackie. His attitude and mind set of thinking just being “Charlie playing against Jackie” will win him the match without having to put any effort. Jackie on the other hand – before the match – thought he would lose the match for sure as I talked to both players if they were ready and who would win the match. Therefore I told Jackie that his mind set was totally unacceptable and he should not be thinking like that. He may as well surrender now before the match to save everyone’s time! I told Jackie that believing you can win has won you 50% of the battle and this is very crucial for the outcome of the match. We have to believe that we can win and so we can give 100% effort regardless the outcome of the match. I also reminded Charlie not to be overly confident because this could backfire and I also told him Jackie has improved a lot since day 1.
In the match Jackie played very steady and kept everything simple and basic. Charlie on the other hand tried too hard and too much; he was basically goin for his shots without even think about consistency. The problem was his mind set of thinking just because he is Charlie he should win the match. He didn’t put enough effort to grind and fight for every single shot like he did in the last few matches. He was expecting an easy match – sort of like just show up and win kind of attitude. Of course after a few games where Jackie was able to hit everything back Charlie panicked and never recovered. The rest is history with Charlie missing everything from baseline rally to double faults to easy shots. Having said this both players learned a great deal of lesson today. Charlie learned a hard lesson that he should treat every opponent equally and approach the match with the same business-like attitude. Jackie learned a very important life lesson today that he should not mentally defeated before he even step into the battlefield. He proved himself today that he could beat someone who used to always beat him.
Congratulation to both Charlie and Jackie for making the final in this U16 satellite event. It was not an easy task.
Helen had a relatively easy semi final match. Her opponent was not as strong as Helen but she was quite a fighter. The match was one sided after the first few games in the first and second set because Helen was able to keep her opponent guessing by well mixing her shots. This is Helen’s strength – you’d never know what she would throw back to you. It could be flat, spin, moon ball, slice all in one play.
In her final match, she had a tough few games against a feisty opponent. Both players exchanged powerful rallies from the baseline and the match was close until the 6th game where Helen’s mix of different kind of shots proved too much to handle for her harder hitting opponent. Helen played exactly the same throughout the second set and closed the match quite comfortably in the second set. I thought after a few games Helen is definitely one level better than her opponent. Congratulation to Helen for winning her second tournament.
I was very happy for Justin and Marco. Justin won his first ever tournament. He made it all the way to the final in a few occasions but he never won a trophy. However today he broke that spell and won his first ever “winner’s” trophy. Both players played solid tennis in their semi final and final match. Great team work and they supported each other during good and bad times too, which was very important especially for players like Marco who is more emotionally involved. Before the final match I reminded both kids to just play basic doubles and try to impose fears to their opponents by moving more at the net, and no matter what happens make sure to give 100% effort.
The rest of the kids had their usual training in the morning and afternoon. Tomorrow will be our last free day so I am taking the kids to UCLA for a campus tour, but not before we do our morning fitness session! In the afternoon I may give the kids a rest and some time for shopping at a nearby mall.
Pictures have been posted on HKITA facebook account.
Day 21
Today our team drove to Los Angeles to visit UCLA. As one of the top academic institutions in the West Coast, UCLA also boosts a beautiful and historical campus.
In the afternoon I gave the kids a well deserved rest from tennis. Some of them stayed at the hotel and went swimming, and some of them went to a nearby South Coast Mall.
Day 22
Helen had no chance as her opponent dominated the whole match. She gave her best and tried different tactics but her opponent was just too powerful. She is about 180cm tall and can serve like a boy. She was truly powerful, too powerful for Helen. I thought Helen could do better today but she just was not used to powerful shots so many times she hit the ball too late and the fact her opponent is a lefty did not help at all. I personally thought her opponent wasn’t that much better, just more powerful. She hits everything heavier and with more pace, but also consistent too. Helen used all her tactics and everything under her sleeves but nothing worked. Nonetheless, she gave her best and learned a valuable lesson today. I think if Helen would play her again in the future, she could do better.
Marco and Justin had an easy match. They will play their next matches tomorrow.
I thought Charlie and Jackie will play in the final again but that’s not the case as Jackie fell to his more consistent opponent today. Both players exchanged many rallies from the baseline but somehow Jackie’s opponent could come up with better angles. I also thought Jackie ran out of gas in the third set because he didn’t run as fast as he did in the first two sets. When you can’t get to the ball, you make yourselves vulnerable to your opponent. Although Jackie lost but he did well and he was happy because he knew he gave his full effort into the match.
Charlie had another tough match today. Second set went to a tiebreaker, luckily he played well on important points. He hung in there and controlled his nerves really well because he was able to come up with good shots on big points, at 5-5 and 6-5 in the tiebreaker. Charlie’s forehand was his weapon and he won a lot of points from his forehand but I have to commend his mental toughness because he was able to control his forehand on big points. Tomorrow Charlie will play against Jackie’s conqueror, I am sure he will give his best to revenge his friend’s loss.
After one hour of rest, Jackie and Charlie took the court again for their doubles match. It was a battle since the very first point. I was not sure if I could say the kids play doubles because at one point I saw all four players stayed at the baseline ☺. But surely I know all four of them didn’t want to lose. What makes the match interesting is all of them are of similar level. Maybe for open players the match could be an easy one but for Jackie and Charlie it was a tough match and having won the match it’s a triumph for them. Good job boys and congratulations.
Tomorrow evening after the final matches we will be leaving back to Hong Kong. This tour has been very fruitful for everyone. The kids played lots of tennis, surely improved their game, had lots of fun and learned and experienced many new things that will broaden their horizon. I do hope after they come home they don’t stop working on their tennis because sometime this is a mistake that players make. After a daily routine of intensive training and tournament, if you stop too long you will lose everything you accumulated during the tour, especially the fitness part. So parents make sure after they return to Hong Kong they don’t just relax thinking they deserve 1 or 2 weeks of rest. Two days is more than enough to get over jetlag and then back to training again because their most important goal for now is to keep getting better and stronger in all aspect of their game thus continued training throughout their tennis career span is a must.
This will be my last report from this tour. Coach Yoshida will be taking the team to Hong Kong while I will be staying here for 2 more days. I had a great time with the kids, they all nice and respectful kids and I am sure I will miss them. Thank you for reading and I will see you all in Hong Kong.
I have posted pictures on HKITA facebook account.