The way you approach it

The month of July was diverse. A reality check after the Wimbledon high, painful but important lessons, a bit of home feels - and a heatstroke. July was intense, in its own way.

The first days of July were also our last Wimbledon days. Just when Thiemo and I were about to leave the site for good (we went there again as “visitors” on a free day before flying home), we crossed paths with Belinda Bencic, who mocked us for not staying to watch her first-round match. We joked it was for a good omen—since every Swiss player had lost while we were there. Well… she went on an incredible run and reached the semifinals, while we were already off to Canada. Since then, it’s become a running gag that wherever she plays, I try to root for her from as far away as possible. (Belinda, if you’re reading this: I’ve already booked my flights to Australia during your US Open.)

Jokes aside, we more or less flew directly to Canada for two upcoming Challenger 75 hard court events. Before leaving, we had two scheduling options: stay in Switzerland for the bigger clay tournaments—or stick to the original plan and head to Canada. Both had their pros and cons. We chose the original plan.

Looking back, the Canada trip turned out to be challenging. The 0-to-100 comeback in June had taken a toll on both of us. There wasn’t enough time between Wimbledon and Canada to reset mentally for two intense competition weeks—and playing when you’re not mentally ready is… well, tough to say the least.

One might say it was a mistake to go, or that it was a waste of time. But that’s not us. That’s not how we approach things. Despite the (mental) challenges, there were still positives: We tried new tactical things on court, Leandro stacked up more hard court matches and his body held up under the strain

We also had some important conversations about scheduling going forward - when to stick to the plan and when to adapt. Personally, I’m a fan of having a fixed schedule for the next 4–6 weeks, independent of match results. Otherwise, you’re constantly stressed about where to play next, based on match outcomes. That structure can bring a bit of calm to the chaos of this lifestyle. But - and this was a great learning - it’s just as important to check in with yourself: Are you mentally ready to really dig deep this week? If not, it might be better to take some rest days and skip a tournament. Otherwise, you risk dragging your level down, even when the tennis is actually there.

I think it’s easy to brush off “bad weeks” by saying, “That was shit - let’s forget it and move on.” But I believe those are exactly the moments when it’s worth looking a little closer (Not overanalysing & overthinking!). Pick out the positives. Take a couple of simple learnings with you, to avoid making the same mistakes over again.

Enough deep talk and philosophizing—when did I get so serious?! Anyway. After those weeks, we both had a 10-day break. We went our separate ways to recharge, since we’d basically been seeing each other every day since May. I went back to enjoy some proper Swiss summer - and having a lot of fun, playing golf and hanging out, while Leandro visited his family.

We planned to meet again in the U.S. in Edwardsville for a 25k ITF to restart the engines. Unfortunately, Leandro caught an infection and was still on medication going into the tournament. Add to that a brutal heatwave (37°, feels like 45° it showed…), and it became too much. He had to retire mid-match. It was a risk we were aware of, so no big deal.

Now, the focus is on full recovery - getting back to 100% and gearing up for Cincinnati and the US Open.

Until then, take care - and I’ll see you back here next month. Also, happy national day Switzerland.