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Players and coaches from the USTA and Barcelona Total Tennis Academy
© Michael Sell
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Eating tapas and paella off historic Las Ramblas Street, the most famous in Barcelona
© Michael Sell
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Riding the train into Barcelona
© Michael Sell
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Five boys from USTA Player Development -- Denis Kudla, Nathan Pasha, Raymond Sarmiento, Bob van Overbeek and Rhyne Williams -- traveled to Spain with coaches Michael Sell and Ricardo Acuna to practice on red clay with Spanish coaches and compete in several ITF Futures tournaments. During their trip, which took place from Feb. 12-March 20, the players wrote an exclusive blog for USTA.com. Kudla of Arlington, Va., Pasha of Atlanta, Sarmiento of Fontana, Calif., and van Overbeek of Boca Raton, Fla., wrote the first six entries, discussing their experiences both on and off the court during their time in Spain. Rhyne Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., added his thoughts on the trip before everyone headed back home to the United States.
Entry 7 - Rhyne Williams, March 19, 2009
Hola. This is Rhyne Williams, writing the final blog from the USTA trip in Espana. As I am writing this, all of the guys are packing their suitcases for our early flight home tomorrow. I have to say it seems that everyone is glad to be going home to the American hard courts. Actually, I think a massive American hamburger is what we desire most. I know everyone is looking forward to having a few days at home to kick back and relax before getting the training going again.
I have been very impressed with the way that all the guys have handled the grueling practices and physical training. It seems like we feed off of one another in match play and even in the drilling sessions. Everyone encourages one another, and we all push each other to keep working hard, even through tough times. I believe that we have a great group of guys over here. I have enjoyed my time on and off the court with all of these young men. I have learned a lot about everyone and am very happy with the new friends that I have made. We all get along great and have plenty of fun off the court.
In our downtime, we have been keeping ourselves entertained and certainly frightened by the “Saw” movie series. Saw #5 is on the playlist tonight. It seems as though everyone tries to scare one another right when the movie is over. I jump every single time. I must say, the best “scare” of the entire trip happened not five minutes ago. Coach Sell was enjoying a nice shower, but little did he know, Raymond was hiding in his room waiting for him behind the door. We all enjoyed the thought of the tough Coach Sell being frightened for any amount of time. Raymond certainly got a chuckle out of it.
Our last tennis day was filled with fun, competitive sporting events. The USTA challenged the Barcelona Total Tennis Academy in a massive duel match. There were five singles tennis matches, two doubles matches, a soccer game, and then we finished with “Padel” tennis. Our match play was great. The USTA team was in the lead going into the soccer game, but our triumph soon came to an end. I must say the American team severely needs to work on its futbol skills. I think that we crossed mid-field two times the whole game. Having said that, we did not score a goal, and our star player was Nathan Pasha, with six saves but eight goals allowed. We all gave him a hard time for that. He claims our defense wasn’t superb. We had a great time, nonetheless.
We have spent the perfect amount of time here in Spain. The trip was very beneficial for all of us. I have seen everyone in the group improve as a tennis player during these six weeks. We are all very grateful for the opportunity that has been given to us. It was awesome to get a taste of what it’s like to train as a professional. There is no doubt that the Spanish coaches love their jobs and really wanted to show us what it takes to make it on the ATP Tour. The facility that we used for our training was the Barcelona Total Tennis Academy. This is a phenomenal place and has top-notch coaching, athletic training and a beautiful set-up.
I just want to give a big thanks from all of us to everyone at the Barcelona Total Tennis Academy for supporting us and showing us a great time. I hope we can all come back sometime in the future for some more grinding on the clay! Buenos Noches from Spain.
Entry 6 - Bob van Overbeek, March 15, 2009
Hola from Spain. My name is Bob van Overbeek. I am writing to you as we are getting ready to start our last week of training here in Barcelona. We have been here for just over four weeks now, and it has been great. I have been living with Denis Kudla and for the upcoming last week Coach Berger. It has been an awesome and tiring four weeks with lots of great experiences and memories.
We have been training at Barcelona Total Tennis, and I have to say it has not been the easiest four weeks of training. The training has basically been to hit a lot of balls, run a lot, and to be very intense and focused the whole time. It has been very productive while very exhausting. I have had the opportunity to work with many different coaches here, and all of them have had great input for me and my game.
Unfortunately this past week, Rhyne Williams, Raymond Sarmiento and I caught a little bit of a bug, leaving the training up to Denis Kudla and Nathan Pasha. I assume they put it to good use, as they are both playing in the last round of qualifying today for the final Futures. Hopefully they can make a push into this last tournament.
This trip hasn’t been all work, however, as we have had some very good times in our van rides, coming up with anything to talk about to pass the time. No matter what we seem to talk about, it’s always hilarious. Another thing we have picked up while here is paddle tennis. It seems as if it’s more popular than tennis is.
This trip has been great in many aspects, even aside from tennis. I have made lots of new friends here in Spain. All of the guys at the academy have been really cool. And it’s been an awesome group of guys to have the chance to travel, train and live with. We all are trying very hard to learn some Espanol while we are here, and I for one am having a tough time with it. I do know that I have learned my new favorite word, “Bale,” meaning, “It’s OK” (I think).
Well, this is my one and only post. I am going to send it back to the other room for the final post of the trip. Adios mi amigos!!
Entry 5 - Raymond Sarmiento, March 9, 2009
Hello. My name is Raymond, and I am one out of the five players on this Spain trip. It has been a fun and eventful last four weeks here for us, from trying to learn Spanish to Bob stepping on an inch-and-a-half nail on a mountain run. (He was brave running the rest of the way). I was really bummed last week when I missed the six-mile run with the guys, for I had my day off and was asleep the whole time.
The people here are very friendly, as well as the coaches/players at the tennis club. Since we have been here longer, we have really gotten along with the coaches and players.
The tennis and fitness part has been tough for all of us. I have learned a lot of new things here, and I'm sure the others have, too. In the fitness part, I learned many new exercises, and it took awhile to get used to them. As for tennis, the last four weeks I learned plenty of things about my game, and I'm sure the guys have, too.
The coaches here have been really tough, and their drills have been extremely hard, but I still think Coach Berger’s drills are the toughest. I have to agree with Denis and his favorite word "cambio" (meaning switch), especially when coaches say that and the other player comes in, therefore giving me time to rest.
As for our side of the building, it has been fun. On the weekends, we have been cooking our own food, with Rhyne as the master chef and me as the co-chef (basically doing the dishes). We changed up the card game, and now we are playing Spades. Coach Sell still seems confused about the rules and challenges most of them. The food at the club has been good, too, and the reliable jamon y queso sandwich is very bueno, as well.
Next week’s Futures will be our last of the trip, and I am hoping to do well to end on a good note. All of us are playing well, and I'm starting to like clay more and more as the trip goes on. Denis got into the main draw of the current Futures, and he plays tomorrow. We all hope he wins and goes far into the tournament! Well, that's all I have to say for now, and it is way past my bedtime, anyway. Adios!
Entry 4 - Denis Kudla, March 4, 2009
Hello. We have been living here in Spain for almost three weeks. This trip has been one of the best things I have done for my tennis, and I am sure it is the same with the other guys. We have learned so much these last few weeks, as every day I am learning something new. The physical part of this trip is tough, and we have done some workouts that have amazed me.
Everything here seems to get more and more interesting, especially how we are getting to know the people better at the club, as well as the players we are practicing with. We are learning a lot about ourselves, as well. Some of the workouts are grueling, and they included a 10-km run (which is over 6 miles), which was in the mountains at one of the most unbelievable views I have ever seen. Tennis is always tough. We have not had any easy workouts at all. I have learned so much about how to play on clay and a lot about my game, and I have definitely improved a lot.
We have been getting used to Spain so far, and it seems like we are all from Spain. Weather the last few days has been all right, except for the rain, and today was especially cold in practice. The group is still funny, and our car rides to the site are definitely one of a kind. Even the coaches, I am sure, have never heard this stuff before. Our Spanish is definitely improving in my opinion, and my favorite word now is “cambio” (I think that is how you spell it), and it means switch/change, and we have been hearing it all week.
We have been training hard this week for the next Futures, and I think that it will be the best one for our group because I think almost all of us are playing really well. I can’t wait to see how we do. Our apartments so far are great. I have been living with Bob van Overbeek and Nathan Pasha (who just moved in), and we are having fun with our music and, of course, our homework.
That is so far what we have been up to, and now the blog will hopefully go back to the other apartment, and you can see what they have been up to. I am going now to hydrate. I will try to drink a whole gallon of water within the next half hour, and it's going to be great! Wish us luck, and you will hear from us soon. Adios and buenos noches!
Entry 3 - Denis Kudla, Feb. 26, 2009
Hello. My name is Denis Kudla, and I have been in Spain for two weeks now living with Bob van Overbeek and Coach Acuna. It has been a lot of fun so far but very tough, as well. Over the last two weeks, I have learned so much from all the coaches, as well as watching the other players. Clay-court tennis is definitely something that takes time to get used to, but I think that by the end of this trip we will all leave better players and better people, as well, with everything that goes on around us.
Outside of the tennis, everything has been pretty funny, and it’s a blast being around all these guys. We always seem to have some jokes, no matter what the topic is and no matter what time it is, and I have never laughed so hard in my life. The food here is not too different from where we live, but I am enjoying it so far, and there are definitely some things that I have to get used to, but I seem to like everything so far.
This week we begin our second Futures tournament, and it looks like everyone is excited for it and is ready to play and battle. We have been getting ready for these Futures by training hard and a lot, but something that I think a lot of us have found very interesting here in Spain is paddle tennis. So many people here play this, and it looks so fun. After all this tennis, maybe we can all go up for some paddle tennis battles!!
I leave you guys with all of the fun stuff that has been going on and how we have been living for the last few weeks. I hope that the trip just keeps getting better and hope that everything goes well in our Futures tournament. Wish us luck! And like Nathan said, adios and buenos noches!!
Entry 2 - Nathan Pasha, Feb. 22, 2009
Hola. I’ve been living in Spain for over a week now in an apartment with Raymond Sarmiento, Rhyne Williams and Coach Sell. After arriving in Spain with everybody, tennis has been mentally and physically tiring but extremely beneficial. The others and I are starting to get used to it and adjusting to the different drills the Spaniards use and the movement on the red clay.
There are some other things we are still getting used to, also. For me, I am still getting used to the food, the game styles of the clay courters (the consistency, heavy spin and longer points), air drying clothes instead of putting them in the dryer, and, unfortunately, washing dishes. I never have done the dishes before and didn’t realize how annoying they can be to keep consistently doing them. Now I understand why they are always piled up in people's kitchen sinks. But I am looking forward to getting used to these things because they will improve me as a person, as well as on the court.
We have recently started competing in our first Futures tournament in Spain. In my first event, I advanced to the second round of the qualifying and then lost to a tough lefty player from Spain. After losing my match, I found some things to work on that will hopefully improve my performance for the next Futures. While some of the others and I are still adjusting to the red clay, some already seem like they have been playing on it for years, like Rhyne Williams and Raymond Sarmiento, who qualified into the first Futures of the trip! Best of luck to them throughout the tournament. I will be training hard with the others to get ready for our second Futures event.
The second full week of training starts tomorrow, and I’m excited to get back on the practice courts. I’m headed to bed to get my rest. This is my last blog, as I will be passing the torch to the other apartment, where Bob van Overbeek, Denis Kudla and Coach Acuna are living. Adios and buenos noches!!
Entry 1 - Nathan Pasha, Feb. 16, 2009
My name is Nathan Pasha, and I’m one out of the six players who went to Spain with two USTA coaches, Michael Sell and Ricardo Acuna. We flew out on Thursday afternoon from the United States to Spain and arrived around 11 a.m. For me, the first day was tough because of the lack of sleep. I seem to have a tough time sleeping on planes. And I thought because of that reason and no one else getting much sleep that we would take the first day easy by sleeping, relaxing and doing homework, but I was wrong. We were at our apartment for five minutes to drop off our bags, and then we were at the tennis center practicing with the Spanish coaches. I didn’t have the most energy in the world but got through with a productive practice.
Being in a foreign country has its own obstacles. I thought sliding on the clay was tough, but figuring out the European washing machine in our apartment was a nightmare. In our short down time after being at the courts and doing homework, Raymond and I have had a few battles with Coach Sell and Rhyne Williams in a card game called Whiss. They have gotten ALL the lucky hands so far.
It is now Monday evening, and I just completed my first two-a-day practice. From the first day I can tell that it will be a physical 5-6 weeks. We had two hard practices, along with fitness and a good amount of stretching. The one thing that I really notice about the Spanish system is that they really put more of an emphasis on movement, body position, shot selection and consistency. I feel like I’m starting to get a better sense of the way tennis should be played and how the professionals play the game. It will be grueling the rest of the trip, but I have to look at the bright side -- at least I will not be doing Jay Berger’s “George Drills” for the next five weeks!