Comebacks, Mullets & Travel Tales
2026 we are off! This year kicked off in a way I have never experienced before: with Australian Fireworks.“This year” is actually a perfect way to start this entry. As I mentioned in my last blog, I have some new ideas and goals for TennisBetweenLines while keeping the core intact: insights between the tennis lines. But let’s take it one by one.
First things first: I have some amazing news to share. We got one new follower in the last six weeks! I’m kidding, we did not (crying on the inside). But jokes aside, TennisBetweenLines made it to an official newspaper! A kind journalist I’ve known for a long time liked the concept of my blog, and offered me a monthly column in the Volkstimme. So, believe it or not, I now have my own official column called “Coaches Corner.”
Now let’s get to the real part and a long awaited one: Life on the tour.
Our journey began in Brisbane. A long-awaited start, since we were coming back from an injury break that had held us back since early September. Unfortunately, the field this year was stronger than ever, and we missed entry into the qualifying draw by just one spot. So instead of matches, training and sightseeing were on the schedule. Also nice, just not quite the plan - though I think the kangaroo at Lone Pine Sanctuary, which we got to feed, probably didn’t mind.
It was also fun seeing my Australian tennis friends Rinky, Tristian, and Dane again — and for the first time in their home country. I’ve known them since juniors, and two of them have stayed at my place in Switzerland once. We always joked that I should come to Australia someday. I even promised them I’d get a mullet while there - so I did. Walked into a hairdresser and told them: “I want a mullet.” Respect the culture, I’d say to that.
Next, we headed to Melbourne for the main event: the Australian Open. We were greeted with temperatures up to 45°C. I had never experienced that before. It felt roughly like someone was holding a hairdryer to your face — constantly. Absolutely wild. But if you want to get the general vibe of Melbourne, imagine a street musician not hitting the right notes to a cover of Tiny Dancer by Elton John — but people are still dancing and vibing to it. That’s Melbourne.
Eventually, the weather cooled down a bit, and the excitement for the tournament started building. During this phase, a lot of coaching energy goes into mental and tactical aspects. By this point in the “pre-season,” everyone had trained enough — fresh, motivated, and hungry. Now it’s all about fine-tuning: mental preperation for the event and tactical adjustments for specific opponents.
We had mixed results: one win and one close three-set loss. Time to breathe? Only on the flight back to Europe (you can do that multiple times during those flight hours…) After 26 hours traveling and a 15 hours stop at home, we were already back at Zurich Airport, heading to Lisbon. Next tournament. Smaller stage, same intensity.
For coaching, this meant preparing the player for new conditions, reflecting on lessons from previous weeks, and getting them “game ready” again. After some solid matches, though, the body stopped us. Comebacks are tricky: match fitness only comes from a lot of matches - but when is it too much too soon? The result: mid-match retirement, rest, and medical checks - all to hopefully be ready for Switzerland in the Davis Cup just 14 days later.
To find out how the Davis Cup went, and what the upcoming months have to offer, come back here in a few weeks for more insights around tennis and life on tour. All I can say is, we’ll be spending plenty more time in planes, cars, and on tennis courts.
Now before I end things here, I want to introduce to you the new idea I told you earlier that sparked in my mind while traveling to Australia at the end of December 2025: a mini-series of travel stories - one short travel story at the end each blog entry about a funny, strange, or unforgettable travel moment. Being on the road so often, it isn’t rare to see things along the road that makes you wonder: “Did this really just happen?” So, Welcome to Serve & Story and its first episode.
At Zurich Airport, heading to Australia, I went through security. They have these new scanners where you can leave electronics and liquids in your bag — super efficient. So efficient, in fact, that the couple behind me thought they could put their house cats on the belt. Yes, actual cats in travel bags. Luckily, a staff member spotted it in time, and two security guards ended up holding the cats while the couple walked through. Absolutely absurd. I’ve seen guards check passports, hold guns, or inspect documents — but never petting cats on duty. I wonder if the cats had security cuddles included in their ticket.
I hope you enjoyed the New beginning and I look forward to seeing you back here. If you want to help me grow this blog — and with it, its community (tempted to call it Tweeners) — please share it or subscribe by clicking the button below.
So that’s it for the first entry of 2026 — a little late, but hopefully worth the wait. Here’s to new seasons, new stories, and more adventures between the lines. Stay tuned for the next blog.
