Paralympic Dream Still Alive
NOT even the worst extremes of winter and a nightmare journey home could dampen the resolve and determination of Dalepak’s wheelchair tennis ace Dermot Bailey in February.
The Kettering teenager, who is 15 this month, endured a nightmare trip home after earning valuable experience against older world ranked players at the prestigious Cruyff Foundation International Wheelchair Junior Masters at Tarbes, in the south of France near the border with the Pyrenees.
The tournament ran alongside the final four days of Les Petits As at Tarbes, the able-bodied tournament where the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Justine Henin and Lindsay Davenport have all been winners or finalists as junior players in the past.
But the return trip via flights from Pau to Charles de Gaulle Airport at Paris and then back to Heathrow definitely fell into the ‘character building’ category as Dermot explained: “We were up at 4am on the day we came home which was 3am British time and didn’t land back at Heathrow until about 8.30pm. Then there was the journey back home in all the snow which we also saw at Charles de Gaulle. It left me very tired.”
He added: “There were delays at the airport, especially as they lost the wheels of one of the British lads.”
Dermot’s focus remains sharply on the London Paralympics in 2012 and his overall experience of mixing as a wild card entry in the Tarbes tournament has given him a clearer picture as to what lies ahead.
After a three day training camp, Dermot competed against the world’s number two and three players in his group of four, Tom Egberink from Holland and Briton Philip Cosgrave.
It meant a serious step up in terms of both age and ability and although he was beaten by both, he did manage a 6-0, 7-5 victory in his final group contest against South African opponent Hanno Burger, coming from 5-2 down in the second set.
The eventual winner was another British player Gordon Reid, who is ranked as the world, number one in the 18 & under category.
“It was a good week and it is important come up against these types of players in second draw and main draw events in future,” said Dermot who hopes to take part in an event in Preston at the end of the month. “All the top British players will be there in the second and main draw.”
