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Australian Open 2012 – 15 Jan
Day 8 – Ridiculously Large Pizza Day
We are expecting a massive day today. The day before main draw starts is always big. We are quiet until about 11am then the racquets start coming in. While most qualifiers are happy bringing in one or two frames the majority of main draw players bring three, four or five racquets at a time.
Lunch today is pizza. Not just any pizza but Costco pizza. Each pizza is 6 slices. One half of a Dominos pizza has fewer calories than a single slice of Costco pizza. This is the most cheese I have seen on a single slice of pizza ever. No wonder Americans are overweight. I struggle to finish one slice. The base of the pizza is so thick that I feel as though I have eaten half a loaf of bread. No donuts for lunch today. This is a good thing.
After the pizza the racquets continue to pour in the door. I am making good time and staying on top of things until Sam Querrey’s racquets turn up. He wants 7 racquets done. My box is now very full. I get through the Querrey racquets in just under 2 hours.
Geometric polyester strings are popular at the moment. There are octagonal, hexagonal, pentagonal, square and triagonal cross sections. Some of them have very sharp edges designed to grip the ball. As a general rule I don’t like working with strings that have edges sharp enough to remove your finger prints when you handle them. My next two racquets need just such a string. It is getting late now and I am careful not to slice my fingers. I still have racquets to do after I am done with these.
Everyone works flat out throughout the afternoon and into the night. The last stringers are done before 10pm. I only need 2 Red Bulls for the day. A few of us have racquets to be done first thing in the morning and will be heading in early. I have 4 racquets for Li Na and one for Kukushkin. I get to bed around 11.30.
Shane Mikic is the pro-shop manager for the Tennis Gear stores and their online store www.tennisgear.com.au in Brisbane. He has over 17 years racquet stringing experience and is currently part of the Wilson Global Stringing Team at the 2012 US Open. The following blog shares his experiences during his time in the Wilson Stringing room.
