Shubert Blog – Quick Update

Written by: Staff on 6th October 2011

Shubert Blog - Quick Update |

Hey all, quick update for today, the weather has turned gloomy and rainy here in Southern California so not much can be done about wet courts. But we still managed to get a few hours of practice in the afternoon. Something new that has come to my attention is that I’m now ranked #1523 in the world in singles. It’s kind of a contradictory position to be in, because while I can say I’m professionally ranked, I’m not quite “ranked ranked” you know? I have not established myself, I’m still an outsider, as if I were unranked. I believe until I prove myself in more Futures events and eventually Challengers, I won’t consider myself a professional. Being a professional to me means exemplifying a way of discipline that enables a person the skills/mindset to continually strive and perform at the highest levels. One good tournament or one good showing does not show consistency or truly a level of sustained good professional play.

Anyway, immediately after arriving to practice in Santa Barbara, the legend Jimmy Connors was just finishing up an afternoon hitting session with one of his friends on a nearby court. I was not able to approach him and introduce myself because he quickly got into his car and drove off. I have known about Jimmy since I was a child, watching his matches on video and always hearing his name. When I used to work at Westwood Sporting Goods near UCLA’s campus, I always dreamed of meeting three of the most frequent customers that used to have their rackets re-strung there. #1 was Pete Sampras, who I thankfully did end up meeting at one point and then years later ended up practicing with one day. #2 was Jimmy Connors, and #3 was Jack Kramer. I did meet Jack one day in the shop and at the LA Open one year but I was never able to catch Jimmy in the shop. You see, there used to be two giant portraits of Sampras and Connors, side to side at the front of the shop, both signed and both acting as idols to me. There are also photographs of Jimmy on the walls when he and other names like Arthur Ashe were playing for UCLA. I’m sure I’ll see Jimmy another time around and hopefully get a chance to talk to him.

Practice after that was pretty routine. A lot of groundstrokes, cross courts mostly, a good grooving session. I was hitting with two juniors who just returned back from a successful junior ITF event in the Dominican Republic, one of them made the semis, the other won the whole thing! To round out the group, my buddy Aba Omodele-Lucien also was in the mix, as he prepares for his next Futures event in Austin, Texas in a few days. The energy was positive and we were able to put in some good work for the day. Later on, Aba and I went to the gym to do some balancing work, which strengthens the ankles and stabilizer muscles in the legs. After that, we tossed the medicine ball around, working the core and balance from a lunge position. A few throws up against the wall with a medicine ball quickly also creates core stability. Finally we stretched and headed home to get some rest. Even if it’s a little wet out, you have to try put in the hours and get your repetitions in. I’m currently planning on a few tournaments at the end of this month, taking the time now to completely prepare myself for battles ahead. I think I was inexperienced going into Laguna Niguel F25 and screwed my chances over by being under-prepared by over-training. Next time I won’t make that mistake… Until then I’m scheduled to attend the HSBC Cup on October 14th, part of the Champions Series Events featuring Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Michael Chang and other great names at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA! I’ll definitely have a write up for you so stay tuned!

Always trying to improve,

Shubert