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From the Times:

Sharing stage with Federer was the highlight of 2005
By Jamie Baker
A look back over favourite memories after rising 300 places in the world rankings during the year

RANKED No 690 in the world, 2005 began with an opening match in which I won only two games. It ended with a ranking of 390 and two weeks of priceless training with Tim Henman. In between there were some memorable moments . . .

First Professional Title: After a slow start to the year, my first title came in Mexico in May and was a very timely boost.

There is no way of predicting how fast or when you are going to improve. All my hard work in the first four months of the year came together in one week. The final was probably the biggest crowd — 250 — I have played in front of and, at the time, was the biggest win of my career, with a prize of $10,000 (about £5,700).

Unfortunately for my opponent, after losing he found himself sitting next to me on the bus to the next tournament.

Worst Journey (Heathrow to Guadalajara, Mexico): In a matter of minutes, one of the smoothest long-haul flights I had been on turned into my worst nightmare.

I must admit that I felt it was a bit strange that our passports were not stamped in Mexico City before boarding our internal flight to Guadalajara, but we were assured in London that it would all be done at our final destination.

Unfortunately, when we reached that final destination, the Mexican immigration staff didn’t want to be in a 5ft radius of our passports. After three hours of negotiations we entered the country illegally, with instructions to take our passports to the local government building. Five days later, we were officially in Mexico. All for a game of tennis!

Nastiest Opponent: This honour goes to Radoslav Lukaev, from Bulgaria, and by some distance. After my experiences in Croatia and Turkey, I would say Eastern Europe has been one of the hardest places to play.

This guy was screaming at the umpire every time there was a close call, intimidating him at the change of ends, complaining about the court if he mis-hit a shot, and he would come right up to the net and mimic any good shot I hit. But his best trick came on an important point in the first set after I had missed my first serve. He held up his racket, made his way to the edge of the court and spat into the seating area surrounding the court. He then settled down to return my second serve as if nothing happened.

Best Moment in British Competition: This was undoubtedly my first British title, which came at the $10,000 event in Bolton. I would say this was probably my most consistent run of high-level performances of the year. It came in the middle of a five-week period in which I was runner-up twice, winner once and reached another semi-final. This run was unquestionably inspired by my Davis Cup experience.

Most Boring Tournament: Rather unexpectedly, this came in the Algarve in March. Four days of solid rain meant I didn’t hit a ball.

Favourite Venue: The Lewis and Clark Community College, Illinois, USA. This was an average-sized Midwestern college with basic but efficient tennis courts. Before my arrival I truly expected to be spending a week playing on some rough school courts because that’s what would happen if I was playing at a community college in this country. The well-manicured facilities that I found were so unexpected that I felt comfortable from the moment I set foot on the courts.

Most Inspiring Experience: Being part of the Great Britain Davis Cup squad and having the opportunity to be around Greg Rusedski and being part of the same event as Roger Federer was just as important as any match or tournament I have won this year.

The hunger and inspiration I am able to use from opportunities such as these are vital in my development as a player. As the rookie on the team, I had to make a speech at the official dinner. My captain felt that as I write for The Times it would be a natural progression for me.