'THE BLOG' CHAPTER 2

My tennis site or 'Blog' as it commonly referred is something that I put together a few years back as tennis ideas and thoughts are constantly going around in my head. I thought it would be great to one day look back on it all and try to make some sense of it. The blog initially started with a few chapters here and there which was followed by sometimes a chapter a day. Some months I would write over 30 chapters.
The idea behind it all I suppose was to help with my 'tin of worms' that needed an outlet however my obsession to write landed me in hot water on several occasions. I became rather vocal in my criticism of the way in which the sport was being not only coached but portrayed.
That's not to say that my views were perfect, we are all entitled to our opinions but my trip to Europe in 1991 gave me a view on tennis  that I wish everyone could have. With so many reality television programmes these days I considered the tour a version of reality sport. It did not give a false view on a sport that many would see, it gave a brutally realistic version that I would recommend any tennis parent or budding young player to experience.
The blog has served a huge purpose for me in that it helped me interact with other tennis converts from not only this country but in other countries who managed to find my site on the net. Some offered me support whereas others sent me anonymous 'encouragement' of other sorts. All part of the fun I told myself of owning an opinion associated with an egotistical individual sport.
My site has had around 400 chapters written on it though I have removed some that I woke up the next morning after a couple of beers and thought 'Nah we had better leave that one off Thommo'.
All the same, just writing it helped relieve some tension associated with the game. I am still passionate about tennis after 33 years of playing and 27 years of coaching it both full time and part time.
The chapters you will read in this book are both from my memories of Europe and chapters I had already written on my blog. It's a mixture I felt necessary to have that give the book a sense of both originality and past thoughts that I have acquired since 1991.