Davis Cup High Performance Camp--Day Two

Davis Cup High Performance Camp--Day Two ~~~
©Colette Lewis 2006
San Diego--

A whirlwind of activity today for the six boys at the Davis Cup High Performance Camp, and I missed the "wall-of-sand" workout they started with at 7:00 this morning.

I caught up with them at the Barnes Center, and coaches Van Daalen and Merklein had decided that in the matches, the server would start each game down 15-30. It certainly focused their attention quickly, giving a special urgency to winning the first point.

After an hour and a half of play, it was time for sandwiches and a trip to the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, the site of the Davis Cup tie.

It was the boys' first opportunity to meet some of the team members, and under a cloudless blue sky, they witnessed a very close and spirited set of doubles between Bob and Mike Bryan and practice partners Jesse Witten and Phillip Simmonds. Captain Pat McEnroe was on the outside practice court too, observing and ballrunning. Todd Martin came by for a look, and Mardy Fish, still fighting a wrist injury, was never far from the action. James Blake and his older brother Thomas stopped over and met the boys and after the first set of doubles, McEnroe invited them to the stadium court, where the Bryans and Witten and Simmonds resumed their match.

A couple of hours later, Van Daalen, Merklein and company were back at the Barnes Tennis Center, and the boys were preparing to entertain the early arrivals for the Bryan brothers clinic. Rhyne Williams and JT Sundling played singles on the Stadium court for a half hour, and then Devin Britton and Blake Davis took on Brad Klahn and Austin Krajicek in doubles until Wayne Bryan arrived to entertain the kids, who arrived in busloads.

Coaches from Barnes, outfitted in red tees, served as focal points for the drills that papa Bryan has developed, and he could hardly have asked for a more enthusiastic and vocal group. When the twins arrived, they demonstrated skill drills and took on several different teams of youngsters, usually with the handicap of holding hands with each other or several young volunteers while they played the point. The highlight was the chest-bumping contest, where, in spite of Wayne's caution, two very young boys smacked each other so hard that they both tumbled to the court.

After the exhibition, several hundred aspiring players were sent to individual courts to drill with Barnes staff, volunteers and older juniors. Kerry Blum and Steve Bickham are probably relieved that it's over, but they did a great job of organizing and staffing it. The Barnes Tennis Center should be very proud of the role they've played in this Davis Cup tie.