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By Jamie Baker

July 2005:

SACRIFICE is something that has played a big part in my life so far and something that I have become more aware of as I mature (19 next week!) Choosing to play tennis has come at a price of not being able to do other things. I left home when I was 13 to play tennis, so I was not able to enjoy simple things such as being around both my parents all the time.

I travelled to tournaments at weekends, therefore I could not spend them with friends. I am always in a different place, so when I am home I do not have a set group of people to socialise with. On July 7 my brother, Steven, graduated from Glasgow University with a first-class honours degree in aeronautical engineering. The rest of my family was there, but I was sitting on a plane on my way to Chicago for some $10,000 (about £5,700) Futures events. In terms of sacrifice, this was a big one as I was hoping I could be there to give Steven the support that he so richly deserved.

What is it with me and long-distance plane journeys? My journey from Manchester to Chicago just happened to be the same day as the London bombings. When the captain announced there had been four explosions in London just before take-off it was clear something serious had happened. Having to endure eight hours of flying time before learning more was a strange feeling. However, I was feeling thankful that I was flying out of Manchester as all my other long-distance flights this year have been from Heathrow.

After arriving in Chicago in plenty of time for my connecting flight to Peoria, it was cancelled! So I was stranded until the following morning. After my experiences with immigration in Mexico I am starting to think that it is not possible for a long-distance journey to work out as planned.

When I first started playing tennis seriously, I never thought I would find myself competing in Peoria, Illinois. I didn’t even know it existed. It’s a relatively small, almost freakishly quiet (in ten days, not once was I stuck in traffic) Midwest American town. The neighbourhood in which I was lucky enough to find a family to stay with was everything I had hoped it would be.

I cannot explain how kind the Murphys — Jill, Ron and Erin — were to me and how much of a joy it was to play at such a well-run event. Life on the road did not feel like life on the road because of the kindness of these people. I think the fact that there are an abundance of generous families willing to house players for a week in most of the USTA pro circuit stops is a big reason why it is so popular.

After losing in the first round in Peoria, I was faced with the familiar task of getting my tour back on track. I felt the “heat” of this in more ways than one. I played four matches in Joplin, Missouri. The coolest temperature I played in was 98F and the hottest 107F — definitely the hottest I have felt on the court. I won my first two rounds comfortably, then came up against Izaak van der Merwe, of South Africa, in the quarter-finals. On this particular day it was 100F and I won 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 in 2 hours 58 minutes. As painful as it was, I was elated to feel like a boxer in the fifteenth round with nothing left in the tank but to somehow come away with a victory.

To read the full article go to : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,175-1713660,00.html