By Emilio Sánchez Vicario, CEO and Founder at Academia Sánchez-Casal.
Yesterday, I woke up early and took the car towards Wimbledon. I was surprised by the route the driver took, but after, I was delighted by the spectacular views I had of Wimbledon and the city. Today was going to be different, or as the Brits say:
“It’s going to be a lovely day”.
I practiced with my son in preparation for my match. It was very rewarding playing with him in Wimbledon, and we were lucky enough to play close to Serena who was preparing for the semifinal. On the way back to the stadium, we passed through Murray Hill, which would vibrate with 2 five setters later in the day. The energy was already palpable in the air!
We were preparing for the match in the locker rooms and chatting with our rivals, Eltingh and Haarhuis. Our match was called, and I was amazed at how the routines that I used to do before matches came back so naturally, even though it had been years since we competed: Sergio’s presence was calming as always. Once on court, we tried to enjoy it. It was a really entertaining match, and our friendship with Jacco and Paul made the battle healthy and rewarding. Knowing that the person next to me would let me know where the ball was going on every shot, gave me the peace and calm I needed to go for my shots. I’m really enjoying playing here with Sergio and rediscovering what a great player he is. His tennis is so smooth and his directions when he goes for angles gives so much trouble to his rivals. I was so lucky to have him as a partner all those years. What an honor! Unfortunately today, we ended up losing the match, but will have another try tomorrow.
The real drama when you play at my age happens after the match. I iced everything and stretched so that I would be able to play again today. While lying in the physio bed, I started following the Federer-Cilic match, which was a real battle. Federer was getting thrashed! Could it be possible? This year, he’s been off for almost 4 months, so he’s not at his best physically, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he could come back. At two sets down, the opportunity was there for Cilic to take the match, but the survivor inside Federer, who is always at home at Wimbledon, triumphed. He focused on the moment and started to come back, winning the third set. With match points in the fourth for Cilic, Federer hung in there, becoming more aggressive, and evening the score at two sets all. And the fifth set will go down in history. Federer claimed it with class, playing his best tennis ever. What an amazing way to win. Here are Federer outstanding records:
307 wins in slams, 17 titles, 27 finals, 40 semifinals, 48 quarters, 56 sixteens
After that, I took some time to go and see the junior doubles match with Francesca Jones and Ali Collins representing England. These girls are so special. Francesca arrived to the Academia Sánchez-Casal (ASC) in Barcelona at seven years old. She developed her tennis with us for the last eight years, until May of this year when she took the step to work with a former ASC coach. We are so proud to be part of her story: she is such a fighter, and her success in getting to Wimbledon and competing in the juniors is phenomenal. Hers is one of the most admirable journeys I’ve ever seen in my many years of tennis. We will always have Fran in our hearts. She taught us what hard work, determination and drive can do for a person. Her partner, Ali, has been training with me at ASC in Florida this past year and her potential is immense. It’s been a tough year for her due to some physical set-backs, but she’s working through it. Together, Fran and Ali had a great win. I’m so proud of my girls.
To end the day, I watched Andy Murray suffer the good tennis of Tsonga. However, Andy, my favorite for the Wimbedon title this year, kicked it into turbo and ran away with the match in the fifth set.
My day was a full tennis day: I played with my family, played Wimbledon, and watched Federer and Murray triumph in epic battles. As if this wasn’t enough, on the same day the ITF also released the book My Life, My Medal, featuring stories of 118 tennis players and their Olympic stories, including Sergio and me. I strongly recommend it. How fortunate to be part of this group of players!
For all of this, I am so grateful and happy. Thank you tennis. Thank you Wimbledon!
Emilio Sánchez Vicario
CEO and Founder at Sánchez-Casal Academy
