May Blog 2025
What’s usually a Tennis between Lines blog turned into more of a curves between lines month – heavy on maths, light on match courts. May was filled with mathematics studies and very little tennis. The final exams of the Beyond Sports school program were knocking at the door. At the same time, Leandro was preparing for his comeback. Managing both alone was impossible – at least not with the quality I expect of myself. That’s one of the reasons we work in a team. And the reason why May played out a little differently.
At the start of the month, Thiemo got more involved in our practice sessions, since he would be the one coaching Leandro at his first tournament in Portugal after nine months away. As my exams approached, he gradually took over, so we could both stay fully focused on our responsibilities. Of course, it wasn’t easy not to be there when tournaments were finally starting again. But I wanted to finish my studies properly – and I knew I couldn’t have everything at once. (Besides, I’ll be travelling to many more tournaments this year. They’re weren’t going to run away.)
That’s why I watched Leandro’s matches from home, on my laptop. While working through six final exams, I stayed in touch with the team through multiple phone calls every day. Unfortunately, one of those calls brought tough news: Lele had injured himself during his third match in Portugal.
In last month’s blog, I wrote about how you can’t prepare the body for competition just through gym sessions and practice. You need to play competitive matches to get match-fit – as stupid as it might sound. The tension and intensity are simply much higher in competitive play, and the body needs to adapt to that level of strain again. Leandro played three matches in three days, with the first two lasting over three hours. Eventually, during the third match, the body gave in. Shit happens. It wasn’t a major injury, but with the French Open following the week after, it was another tough moment.
It’s a fine balance – letting him keep playing while he’s winning, or pulling him out early to prevent exactly these kind of injury during a comeback, without becoming overprotective. We reflected on what we could’ve done better, took our conclusions, and moved forward.
A few days later, Leandro was already back on his feet – and I had finished my exams. That meant we were ready for another short training block, this time preparing for the grass season. Practice became more intense again as we worked our way back to 100%.
Now, I’m happy to say I’m writing this blog from Ilkley, England – which means we’re finally back on tour together after ten long months. I hope that from here on, I’ll get to share more of the tennis world again – and the stories that unfold between the lines.
Take care, everyone.