Day 6 – Wed 12th Jan
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First day of qualies.
TIRED!!!!! Up at 6.30. Body is telling me it needs more sleep. Throat is sore and sinus playing up. My body’s reaction to lack of sleep. It’s trying to slow me down. On the machine at 7.15. One rkt due at 8am and 3 more due soon after. More rkts came in for me while I was doing those. Had a racquet due every 30min for the rest of the morning. Flat out. At one stage I was handed 2 racquets both due in 20min. Had to palm one off. Forgot to bring my red bull – Mistake #1. Struggle street. Tried out a new taping method for my fingers – Mistake #2. I need the pads of my fingers free of tape. tape here slows me right down and catches the string too. Slowed me down.
Seems that all of the rkts I got this morning were 18 x 20 patterns. With the 1 piece pattern we are using these are not easy to do in a hurry.
Hit the wall at 3pm. Lack of sleep and food hit me hard. Couldn’t concentrate and see straight. Off to the cafe for a quick coffee. If I sat still for long enough I would have passed out.
Had an issue with a player re tension. I did 2 at 53.5lbs for him mon which he played with stright away. Then Tues he went up to 54 and did not use the rkt until wed afternoon. Said the 53.5lbs felt tighter than the 54. The counter staff did not ask the right questions and did not inform him of the tension drop which occurs overnight. So he asks for 54lbs for his wed match in an hour. He likes it. So then drops the rkt in again wed night for a thurs match. Asking for 54lbs. By the time Thurs rolls around it will be too loose. Frustrating. He has not been told. I bumped the tension up half a pound. When dealing with any players. Whether they are social or pros you need to ask questions and educate them. These guys are no different from shop customers.
Rained late in the day which slowed things down. Not too many to do that night.
Flood is all over the TV. What a mess. I picked a good time to leave Brisbane. All of the suburbs around my place are flooded. I live very close to the river and city. All smashed. Home at 10ish.
Shane Mikic is the proshop manager for the Tennis Gear stores and their online store www.tennisgear.com.au in Brisbane. He has over 16 years racquet stringing experience and is currently part of the Wilson Global Stringing Team at the 2011 Australian Open. The following blog shares his experiences during his time in the Wilson Stringing room.
