Catching up with Ed Corrie (part 2 of 2)
July 18, 2012
Earlier in the grass court season I was lucky enough to experience my first ever grand slam after being awarded a wild card into the qualifying for Wimbledon. After a strong showing the week before at a Challenger in Nottingham, where I picked up my best-ever win against Jan Mertl, ranked No. 173 in the world. I had done enough in the eyes of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) and AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club) to warrant a wild card entry into qualifying. Unfortunately, because of the preparation of the grass that needs to take place, qualifying for Wimbledon is not actually held at the main site, but rather is held a 15-minute drive away at Roehampton Bank of England Club. I was drawn against a Frenchman who has been ranked as high as No. 60 in the world, Stephane Robert. I played well from the start and had the better of the early exchanges. He played at a very high tempo, taking the ball early and moving me from side-to-side which eventually took its toll. I lost in two tight sets 6-4 6-3. It was an incredible experience which I will not forget. I am hungrier than ever to keep improving and moving up the rankings, I am determined to make it through to the main draw next year! With regard to my training, I am training at Gosling International High Performance Centre, which is just a 15-minute drive from my home in Harpenden. I am being coached by my brother Tom and I am also receiving expert guidance from the physios, physical trainers and other coaches there. Tom has traveled with me to several tournaments so far and is scheduled to join me for the next few events as well. This is hugely important as he is able to see how I perform under pressure. The LTA have also been fantastic, allowing me to access the national training centre to get some needed practice matches with Britain’s top players. With my brother, we have been working hard this year to improve my forehand and my serve. In both cases, our work has been focused on creating easy power so I can play aggressively against quality opposition, without putting too much pressure on my body. The technical knowledge of Tom and other members of the team at Gosling has been pivotal to my improvements this year. The other thing we have worked hard to improve is my mental skills and developing routines that allow me to perform at my best in all different scenarios. Naturally, as with any sport, your performance varies from day to day, but the reason I have had such a productive summer so far is because I have been very consistent mentally. Physically, because of the amount of tournaments and matches I have played this year, most of what I do in the gym in geared around injury prevention, flexibility, and quickness. Then, if I get a week or two off I will put in some strength and endurance work as well in order to keep my conditioning up.
Aside from tennis, having the Olympics here in the U.K. will be very cool. I hear that the Olympic Park is going to be pretty amazing. Hopefully, the British athletes will perform to their potential and pick up some gold medals! That will only help to push sport to the next level in Britain. I think having the Olympic tennis matches at Wimbledon will make it extra special for the players. It also gives Andy (Murray) a second crack at a title there! |
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