This year, my first tournament trip of the clay season was in Serbia. I skipped it last year, so it was my first time competing there. However, as soon as I arrived, my baggage was lost.
It was eventually found, but the tournament was held in a town about three hours by car from the airport. Going back to the airport to pick it up was difficult, and on top of that, deliveries were apparently not made on weekends.
I had my rackets with me in my carry-on luggage, but my clothes and tennis shoes were in the missing baggage. In the end, I had no choice but to buy new ones.

The more you travel and move from place to place, the more likely unexpected problems are to happen. It becomes a test of how well you can adapt. Since we were traveling as part of the academy team with a coach accompanying us, the coach kindly took us shopping to get what we needed. I am truly grateful to him.
Despite the situation, I felt that I was able to play at a level I was satisfied with. I managed to win a match, but unfortunately I couldn’t make it through to the main draw.

Since another tournament trip was coming up soon, and I was also concerned about the school assignments that had piled up, I decided not to wait for the doubles entry and returned to the academy.
My lost baggage had already arrived at the Serbian airport over the weekend. I was finally reunited with it at the airport when I returned for my flight home. The suitcase had traveled all that way without being opened once before I got back to the academy — at this point, it’s something I can only laugh about.

After returning to the academy, I worked through my school assignments and resumed training for the next tournament.
My next trip will be to Gran Canaria, where I also competed last year. I’m really looking forward to it.