I spent the rest of that day in Paris visiting the Eiffel Tower and taking in the beauty of the City, it was a long way from Albany and like nowhere that I had ever seen. Just as the stadium at Roland Garros overawed me, Paris was a place of architectural magnificence that you cannot describe in words and give it any justice.
I took a three hour train ride to a town called Saumur for my first European tennis tournament on the clay. Brett and Pete had already arrived a day or two earlier after having issues with a vehicle they had purchased in London, the engine blew up apparently. I was glad I didn't go three ways in the cost of it as it was something we had discussed before leaving Perth. They turned up in Saumur with a cheaper version of a vehicle that was named affectionately 'Le Car' as that was engraved on a badge on the side of the car. It was tiny.
After our initial 'how the hell are ya's?' we had a bite to eat and hit some tennis balls, the clay felt as comfortable to me as a hard court back home, maybe even more comfortable. It was a slower surface and it gave me plenty of time for my big swings. I remember doing some two on one drills then played a practice set against Pete which I won 6-4, I never forget a score. I felt confident going into the tournament three days later where I was drawn to meet a German by the name of Anton Vanderfyfer, an opponent with an intimidating name.
I actually had a hit with Anton the day before the draw came out and he didn't really scare me that much but he was steady, like most players. After day one of practice we headed into the town of Saumur for some sight seeing, it was picturesque, just how I imagined all towns to be in France, many cobble stones, many bakeries. France has a unique way of making everything simple look so ridiculously appealing.
I didn't keep a diary, none of us did so all of this information is off the top of my head however I am certain it is all 100 per cent correct. Brett and Pete may disagree but I am sticking to my story. The day before the tournament was one of both training and relaxation taking in the sights, the right mix we all felt to help us deal with the rather daunting challenge of playing against Europeans for the very first time.
My most vivid memory of the tournament was in fact watching an Argentine player by the name of Christian Segni, a remarkably talented player who owned a forehand that was World class. Rather than go through all the details I will add the chapter that I posted on my site that explained Christian's game, it was entertaining to say the least.
My match against Vanderfyfer went three sets as did Brett's and Pete's, we all lost but we were competitive. I lead 2-0 in the third and won just one more game, a bad habit I developed as a junior where I saw the finish line way too early. My victory speeches were often written in my head on a break up in the final set.
Brett's match was outstanding against a Frenchman who was totally confused with BP's tactics of coming to the net on anything that resembled a short ball. I recall the French player yelling in frustration at one point where Brett had defied logic and retrieved another sure passing shot and volleyed it for a winner. The French weren't used to seeing an opponent at the net other than to shake hands.
That night we decided to go into town and have a beer where we caught up with two Aussie girls who were in Saumur for an Equestrian event. I still remember their names as Katie and Penny, nothing wrong with my memory. We had a drink with them at a local bar until 5 rather loud English girls turned up and we switched to them for a bit more chit chat, they were hilarious. For some reason they treated us as 'celebrities' due to our Aussie accent that they found some what appealing.
We took three of them back to the Saumur Tennis Club for some more drinks and a hit of 'tennis under the influence' which looking back on was rather bold of us. We had the key to the club where the organizers let us sleep on the lounges and they trusted us to do the right thing ! Someone forgot to lock the beer fridge so without much hesitation we grabbed a few ales and hit some tennis balls with the English girls under the lights.
I am sure it was a night that they would talk about to their friends back home where meeting three Aussie tennis 'junkies' at a pub in France turned into a late night drive back to a tennis club for a night with a difference. Disappointed we didn't take names and numbers as Facebook may have joined us all back up for a few laughs many years later. Girls if ever you read this book ......
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