06/04/2026
Bucharest 250 🇷🇴
The next stop on our journey was Romania. A tournament both Sander Gillé and I played, with different partners, last year as well.
In the first round, we matched up against the all-German team of Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner (both ATP 47 doubles as they have the same amount of points)
Their level was high from the start, and a couple of deciding points went their way as they raced ahead to win the first set 6-0. We knew we had to hang in there early in the second, and after surviving a 0-40 hole early on, we were able to switch the momentum. A tightly contested second set went our way 6-4. The super tiebreak was in our hands multiple times, but we ended up saving a match point to win 0/6 6/4 11/9.
The QF was against the French pairing of Sadio Doumbia (ATP 21) and Fabien Reboul (ATP 22), the nr. 1 seeds of the tournament. Another first set where the opponents had most of the answers went against us, this time 2/6. We needed to make adjustments, and did, going up a break in the second set. Ultimately, we allowed them back in and played a sloppy tiebreak, losing the match 2/6 6/7 (1)
Still, we played two matches where we showed high-level tennis and resilience. Our process and training are showing up more and more in matches, and I'm confident it will lead to the way up!
It reminds me of a great idea from a James Clear newsletter:
"My personal rule is that it's a good idea to be patient as long as I'm in the mix.
If I'm taking action, putting in my reps, and trying things out, then I should remain patient and see what opportunities arise. But if I'm not taking action consistently, then I'm not practising patience. I'm just waiting."
Love it! 📈
Up next: Monza 125! 🇮🇹
