Well singles didn't go as I would have hoped.  I lost in the quarterfinals to Daniel Garza (MEX) 6-3 6-4.  He played a pretty solid match, but I definitely didn't bring my best to the table.  The good news is that Austin Krajicek and I won the doubles final 6-4 7-5 against Chase Buchanan (USA) and Carsten Ball (AUS).  I pretty much give all the credit to our cheering section for the week (pictured below).  My sister Katie and her friends always bring the intensity.  My mom took the picture, but she belongs in there as well.  I have to give her some side credit.  Doing well in front of my family is always nice.  It is also always nice to walk away with a title.  It is a scientific fact that winning never gets old.  That is just sports for you.  I definitely felt the mental fatigue kicking in a little bit during this tournament though.  It is easy to get tired after multiple weeks on the road.  I was lucky enough to finish here on Friday though so I had a couple of days to take it easy before next week's battle in Mansfield, TX.

     Now let's move to the day off activities.  My first priority on Saturday morning was to find an insane breakfast.  Nothing spells good day off like a huge tasty breakfast.  I ended up having some pumpkin pancakes that absolutely blew my face off they were so good.  It was pure magic from the first bite.  I am not a huge pumpkin person, but these things were unreal.  That just goes to show you that you shouldn't judge a book by it's title.  Something like that anyways.  My second priority was to watch some college football and pretty much do nothing for the rest of the day.  Let me just tell you first hand, the mission was accomplished.  Sunday on the other hand, I was rested up and wanted to see some of what Austin, TX has to offer.  My sister came up big and got us tickets for the Austin City Limits music festival going on in town.  It has pretty much taken over the city.  It was one of the more cool experiences I have had.   There were a bunch of different great groups playing.  There was a ridiculous amount of people there as well.  People watching was about as prime as I have ever seen.  Overall it was pretty awesome.

     I had a great weekend, and now I am ready to get back to work.  I am making the three and a half hour drive to Mansfield, TX first thing tomorrow morning.  I am looking forward to getting there and hitting some balls.  I will post again tomorrow for the first Mansfield future update.  For now though, I have to get some sleep.  I hope that you all had equally awesome weekends.  Thanks for reading along and for all the comments.  You guys are the bomb.

All the best,

Devin Britton

     It was a long day at the Polo Tennis Club (pictured below - new iPhone panoramic update aka sweetness taken by my sister Katie) here in Austin, TX.  It rained early on in the day around 7:00am.  There was a lot of cloud cover and drying was a pretty big hassle.  Matches were supposed to start at 10:00am but ended up starting at 12:30pm.  Rain delays always make for long days.  I ended up going on for my singles match against Eric Quigley (USA) at around 2:15pm.  It was a pretty up and down match for the most part but I was lucky to squeeze it out in the end 6-1 2-6 7-6(4).  I started off pretty solid, but a couple of missed break opportunities early in the second set hurt me.  He played a solid return game to break at 2-2 in the second and the momentum was lost.  He started to play better all around, and I knew I had my hands full then.  I let my frustration get the best of me and lost six straight games to go down 2-0 in the third set.  I finally picked it up in time to break back at 2-3 down in the third.  We both held serve fairly easy to the breaker.  I played a couple of big points to finish it off 7-4.  I was happy to get the W, and I am looking forward to being better tomorrow.  Austin Krajicek and I also got a routine win in doubles 6-0 6-1.  The other team wasn't putting out a lot of energy, and that's all I will say about that.  My second round singles match is second after 10:00am tomorrow and doubles semifinal is not before 3:00pm. 

     In other news the site was having a small sewage problem today.  The practice courts smelled pretty terrible.  It wasn't bad enough to make you sick, but it was more like an added weight on your shoulders.  I don't know how else to describe it.  They swore that it would be solved by tomorrow so I am optimistic.  I don't want to downgrade the facility though.  It is a beautiful place.  The people are very nice, and the courts are perfect.  It was just a little side story of the day.  It was good times to watch the people walking to the practice court.  Their facial expressions told the whole story.  

     Besides that there isn't much to be told.  I also need to get some much needed rest to be fresh and ready to go for tomorrow.  Thanks for reading along.  I appreciate all of your support. 

All the best,

Devin

     I have a lot of information to give to give you all since I haven't had access to the internet in the last week, and the week before I was too frustrated to even consider posting.  It wasn't a great week.  I am going to start with it anyways.  We can go ahead and get the bad news out of the way first.  It was the dreaded Irvine, CA future.  I lost first round of singles 6-2 1-6 6-4.  That's all I am going to say about it.  It was ugly and I don't want to go back to that dark day in my tennis life.  I am living in the present.  I'm not dwelling on the past.  I mean I can't sit here and think about how poorly I played.  It's in the past you know.  It's all good now.  Those kinds of things don't stick with you.  It is easy to get over a loss.  I'm cool (computers smashes into the wall). I am kidding.  I didn't really smash my computer.  I may have wanted to at the time though.  The good news is that Austin Krajicek (USA) and I won the doubles title there.  That definitely helped to ease the pain.  Doubles always has my back, and I love it for that. 

     The following week was in Sacramento, CA for the 100k challenger event.  I lost in the last round of qualifying to Greg Jones (AUS) 4-6 6-3 6-3.  I had a couple of chances to break early in the second set and didn't take advantage.  Unfortunately if you don't take your opportunities when they are there, they rarely show themselves again.  That is the name of the game though.  Doubles was a different story.  I teamed up with Austin Krajicek again and we had a pretty good run.  We ended up losing in the finals after having four match points 4-6 6-4 12-10 in the super tiebreaker.  Three of which were on our serve.  I think if you give us that same scenario a hundred times we maybe lose the match .05 times.  I think of it like a horse pill made of cardboard.  That's a tough pill to swallow if you know what I mean.  It just wasn't meant to be that day I guess.  It still boosted the doubles ranking a few spots so overall it was a positive tournament.  Tennis is awesome, but it can be a cruel beast every now and again.  You just have to deal with it.  

     I am currently in Austin, TX playing a futures event.  I have the honor of getting to stay with my sister Katie this week since she lives here.  My mother also made the trip from Mississippi so there is a whole gang.  It should be good times and great oldies all week.  I am teaming up with Austin again this week in doubles.  We won our first round today 6-3 6-4.  My first round of singles is tomorrow second after 10:00am so I am ready to get it going.  Second round of doubles is also tomorrow not before 3:00pm. 

     Anyways, this is my catch-up post.  I will post again tomorrow, Friday, and once on the weekend.  I plan on bringing some good news to the table this week so be on your toes.  I am tired of having to let you guys know about losses.  So it's time to turn it around.  I am looking forward to finishing off the year strong. 

     In other news I reached a career high doubles ranking of 145 on Monday.  I am pretty proud of it considering I haven't really focused on playing doubles.  So there is some positive news.  I like it when the numbers go in the right direction.  Well that is all I have for now.  Thanks for following my career, and I appreciate any comments or feedback on the website or my life. 

All the best,

Devin Britton

     I lost my semifinal singles match against Daniel Kosakowski 7-5 7-6(5).  It was a tough one.  I was up 4-1 in the first set and my serve really let me down.  My first serve percentage was probably in the forties.  He served and returned better than I did, and that ended up making the difference in the match.  I will learn from it and move on. 

     I also lost the doubles final 6-4 6-7(6) 8-10.  Ten point breakers can be incredibly frustrating.  We served well for most of the match.  One point in the breaker can really kill you though.  The other team came up with the goods when they needed it though.  I am not a big fan of losing either way.

     The good news however is... Oh wait no, the Saints got beaten in OT by Kansas City today.  I hate to give up on my team this early, but I have seen more organized Pop Warner football teams.  I will stop the hating now before I get myself in trouble.  The moral of the story is that I miss Sean Payton.  The saints fans out there will know what I am talking about. 

     I lied before.  There was some good news.  The Ole Miss Rebels won this weekend.  It may have been over Tulane but it was still a win.  Hotty Toddy!

     I am going to include my pre-match song from this week under this paragraph.  Well, it is more of a pre-match beat.  If you were a Michael Jordan fan growing up, like I was, you will get it.  I will post again tomorrow for the Irvine, CA future update.  It was an all right week here in Costa Mesa, but I hope to be better next week.  Thanks for all the support.  It means a lot to me. 

All the best,

Devin

     Well people, it has been another successful day on the west coast.  I was able to come up with the goods in singles today.  I won 6-2 6-4 against Denis Lajola (USA).  I came out hitting the ball much more clean than the last couple of days.  I was down 0-30 in three different service games and came out clean.  I didn't face a break point in the match and that's always a comforting thing.  Hopefully I can continue to keep things going and keep gaining confidence with each match.  I will play my semifinal match at 10:00AM tomorrow against Daniel Kosakowski (USA).  This will be the toughest match-up so far.  I look forward to the challenge. 

     Doubles also went well today.  Jeff Dadamo and I came out with a 6-2 6-2 win against Denis Nevolo (USA) and Nick Andrews (USA).  Denis had a three-hour battle in his singles match earlier in the day.  I am not sure he was all that pumped to have to play a doubles match soon after.  We were happy to get through to the finals though.  We will be going up against Nick Meister (USA) and Ryan Thatcher (USA) not before 3:00PM tomorrow.  They are a pretty tough team so I look forward to a good clean battle in the doubles as well. 

     The tournament official pointed out to me earlier today that it was an all-American quarterfinal in the singles today.  I can't say I have seen that very often.  I can definitely see US tennis moving in the right direction.  I know there are plenty of guys out there putting in the work.  It is just a matter of time before some of us start breaking through.   I thought that was pretty cool anyways.  That is your fun fact for the day. 

     Well that is it for me tonight.  I have to be ready to go for the early start tomorrow.  I appreciate you guys keeping up with my life.  I hope I will have more good stuff tomorrow.  Be blessed.

All the best,

Devin

    Just like the late great Ice Cube said, "Today was a good day."  I was able to come away with a couple of wins today.  My singles match was pretty solid for the most part.  I won 6-4 6-2 against Alexios Halabien who is a pretty strong up and comer.  The first set was not the most solid tennis ever.  I was able to squeeze out a break though and pick it up in the second set.  The storyline for the doubles wasn't nearly as clean.  Jeff and I won the first set 6-4 pretty handily.  We went up a quick break 2-1 in the second, but somehow lost four games in a row on deciding points.  We went on to lose the second set 6-3.  It is never very comforting splitting sets in doubles as the third set is decided by a ten-point tiebreaker.  Pretty much anything can happen in a ten-point buster.  It is one of the more unpredictable things out there.  We went down 4-8 in the breaker pretty quickly.  It was a comedy of errors sort of deal.  We were able to come up big and reel off six straight points somehow to win it 10-8.  I think Jeff and I both were pretty relieved to walk away with a win.  It was way more stressful than it needed to be.  Either way a win is a win so I'm happy. 

     Anyways, just a quick update today.  I play my quarterfinal match first on at 10:00AM tomorrow against Denis Lajola (USA) so I have to get some solid hours of sleep in.  Doubles semifinals will be at 3:00PM.  I will have plenty of information for you guys tomorrow.  I look forward to bringing some more good news to the table.  Thanks for reading along!

All the best,

Devin Britton

     Well I have good news and good news for you guys.  I won my first round of singles today in a tight battle against Chris Wettengel (USA) 6-4 3-6 7-5.  He played a pretty tough match and I was happy to come out with a win.  I figured if I hung in there long enough, I would have a good chance.  I always think of these kinds of matches like getting ice into a bottle of coke.  The ice never really wants to go through, but if you push hard enough eventually it will.  Even if the pushing frustrates you like crazy, you know that cold coke always tastes better.  Hopefully that makes sense.  If not, you can go ahead and completely forget about it.  I like to just go with what comes to me, and for some reason it was ice and coke bottles. 

     Anyways, let's get back to the updates.  I am playing doubles this week with Jeff Dadamo (USA).  We played once before in Winnetka 50K event and won the tournament.  So technically speaking we are undefeated.  Hopefully we can keep that streak alive this week.  We won our first round match 6-2 6-4 against a pretty solid team so we are off to a good start.  My second round of singles and doubles will be tomorrow.  Singles is not before 11:00AM against Alexios Halabien (USA) and doubles is not before 3:00PM.  I will post tomorrow night with some updates on the matches. 

     In other news I am housing with a very nice family this week.  It is Jeff Dadamo and I in the house together so it works out well.  They have cooked us some awesome dinners the last couple of nights.  It is always a huge plus when the people you stay with can cook.  Good food always makes me play better and that is a scientific fact.  They also have a stringing machine in the house, which is beautiful because I get to string my own rackets.  It is always nice to save the $18 a day on stringing. 

     Well it has been a long day today so I am going to call it quits.  It is time for me to get some shut-eye.  I will have more news for you guys tomorrow.  Thanks for reading along. 

All the best,

Devin

     I know I have been MIA for the past couple months.  I apologize for the lack of postings.  I am back and ready to get this thing going though.  I hope that you guys can find it in your hearts to forgive me for my laziness.  I won't let you down this go round. 

     I am currently in Bradenton, FL training at the famous IMG Academies (aerial view below).  It is a pretty unbelievable facility.  It covers about 450 acres and caters to tennis, baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, and football.  It is also a pretty nice perk to be about ten minutes from the beach.  I will be here for a couple more days, and then I am off to California for four weeks of tournaments.  The end of the year is going to be a pretty busy one.  Everyone is trying to get one last push of ATP points before January rolls around again.  I have no points to defend for the rest of the year, so I am looking forward to finishing off strong.  It is a good opportunity for me to put up some results.  I plan on taking full advantage of it. 

     As far as tennis goes I don't have too much exciting to report at the moment.  There are a couple of things I am excited about though.  The New Orleans Saints season opener against the Redskins is getting me amped already.  My Ole Miss Rebels are 1-0 in football and going up against UTEP on Saturday.  I couldn't be more stoked about that whole scenario.  Football season is just a better time of year.  I have had withdrawals for the past couple of months just waiting for it to roll around.  Not to mention fantasy football.  I love me some fantasy football.  I am in three leagues this year, but the most important one has to be my family league.  There is too much pride on the line.  We even have a custom made trophy for the winner (pictured below).  I dream to one day have that bad boy sitting on my mantle.  The moral of the story is football season is a thing of beauty. Never forget that. 

     That's about all I have for you today.  I am excited to get back into the rhythm of blogging and keeping you all up to date on everything.  I will have the Tour section of the website up to speed by tomorrow.  I post again sometime on Sunday.  I am also looking into getting an instagram for more photo updates.  Anyways, good stuff all around.  I look forward to our next meeting.  Thanks for reading along.

All the best,

Devin

     Qualifying play started today here in Winnetka, IL.  I was lucky enough to get a bye through to the second round of qualifying so I only had to play one match today.  It was not an easy one by any means.  I went up against Gregory Andrews (USA) who plays for Notre Dame.  I pulled out a win 7-6(2) 6-7(4) 7-5.  It was a pretty up and down match.  He came up with some pretty big forehands when he needed them.  I didn't serve quite as well as I would have liked to, but it was a good match to get through. I will go up against my doubles partner and roommate for the week Jeff Dadamo (USA) in the second round tomorrow.  We play second after 10:00AM.  There will be live scores on the ATP/WTA app for your iphones as well as online here in case you are interested. 

     In other news tonight was the sponsors/players party.  It was held at one of the local family houses.  It was a really nice setup with some good food and an awesome view of Lake Michigan.  The coolest part was that they had a raft setup in the Lake for a chipping competition and a long drive competition.  I came up pretty clutch in the chipping competition.  I can tell you honestly that I am one of the worst golfers out there, but I hit two chips on a frozen rope to the raft.  Nobody hit the raft, however I was the closest.  So I came away with a title tonight.  I am pretty proud of it.  There was also a prize for the winner, but I will find out what that is tomorrow.  The long drive competition proved to be too much for me.  I hit it hard and straight but unfortunately it just wasn't enough.  You can't win them all.  I was able to snap a shot of Tennys Sandgren (USA) striking a nice long ball (below).  He got robbed out of the title, but he walks away with his head held high.  Just look at the technique as well.  This truly was beauty and the beast. 

     That is all I have for you guys tonight.  It is time for some rest and recovery before tomorrow's battle.  I hope you guys have had a good weekend.  Thanks for tuning in to the blog.  Comments are always welcome.  Be blessed.

All the best,

Devin Britton

     I apologize for the blog slacking going on this week.  I have not been on my blogging grind.  I admit it.  I have however been on my training grind though.  I am working as hard as possible and looking forward to the upcoming tournaments.  I will be leaving for Winnetka, IL on Friday morning to get ready for the challenger event.  Which will be followed by three weeks of World Team Tennis.  I will be playing for the Springfield, MO Lasers.  I am pretty pumped to see what WTT is all about.  I have heard it is pretty awesome.  Time will tell though.  You can check the schedule here to see if you can make it to any of the matches. 

     On a different note, tropical storm Debby has been doing work down here for the past couple of days.  I haven't seen the sun in a quick minute (that is a long time in awesome people lingo).  It has literally rained for two days straight and is supposed to continue for another two days.  There have been winds up to sixty MPH and tornado warnings for the better part of today.  It isn't exactly ideal for hitting tennis balls.  Luckily we have a few indoor courts to work with.  We can usually get on for at least an hour at some point in the worst case scenario.  Needless to say, Debby is a real jerk.  That pretty much sums up that topic. 

     That is about all of the updates I have for you guys.  I do want to leave you with a little inspiration though (pictured below).  If I ever feel like I am in need of a little boost, I go to that beauty of a picture.  I can't help but get a little bit emotional sometimes.  One time I looked at it for a little too long and tackled the guy next to me out of sheer adrenaline (that didn't actually happen, but the thought did cross my mind a few times).  I just can't help but get jacked up about Ole Miss athletics, and football season is starting just around the bend.  I could talk about that all day long.  I don't want to scare you guys off though.  I love The University of Mississippi.  It is just a part of me.  I can't hide it.  It feels good to get that off my chest. 

     Anyways, it is about time for me to get some rest.  Thanks again for reading along.  I hope to have a productive week of practice before tournament time.  I will keep you guys posted.  Don't hesitate to comment and check out the other links on the site.  Be blessed.

All the best,

DB

     I kicked the week off right with a first round singles win today.  I was able to come out on top 6-4 6-4 in a tough first round against Ben McLachlan (NZL).  That is New Zealand for those of you that do not know.  I felt pretty good about the way I played and was happy to get a couple of breaks, as he was serving pretty well.  I am up against Tyler Hochwalt (USA) in the second round of singles tomorrow at 11:00AM pacific time.  Doubles didn't start off quite as smooth as I would have hoped, but Jordan Cox and I were able to come out on top in the end.  We won 6-3 2-6 10-5.  I didn't play my best match by any means.  I am glad that we were able to get the job done and stay alive though.  Second round of doubles will be tomorrow afternoon not before 3:30PM against Michael McClune (USA) and Denis LaJola (USA).

     Let's move on to the less serious stuff.  Today I was done with everything involving tennis by around 1:30ish so I was looking for some afternoon entertainment.  I was in serious need of a haircut so I made that priority one.  I went straight from the courts to the nearest cheap hair cuttery (I know it isn't a word settle down).  They hooked me up with a pretty nice looking flat top.  I am not too picky when it comes to haircuts though.  I thought about asking to get the number six (Lebron James' number) shaved into the back of my head.  I figured that could wait until after they won the championship though.  Jordan Cox and I decided to go for a little bike ride around Chico after that.  We were headed to a place called One Mile.  It is a monster man made pool that a river flows through.  It is a pretty awesome idea I think.  It looks like a good time as well.  I didn't make the effort of jumping in today.  There is still plenty of time left for that and let me just tell you right now, "I ain't scurrd."  Anyways, we biked down there and hung out for a little bit.  We checked out the scenery, and I can tell you first hand that Chico has no shortage of interesting characters around.  The people watching was good if you know what I mean. 

     This evening was a good time as well.  The tournament put together a Taste of Chico deal at the club.  My housing family had a station up for their mexican restaurant so Jordan and I were able to sneak in for free.  They are really hooking us up this week.  We decided to volunteer to work at our housing's station to help serve some tacos.  They seemed to be a little short handed so we jumped in and got to work (below).  As you can probably see from the pictures we were enjoying ourselves.  That is Geoff in the picture with us.  He is out housing man for the week.  Sol is the name of his restaurant.  If you are ever in Chico, CA you better not miss out on the chance to eat there.  All the meals are made of pure happiness.  You think I am kidding, but it is a fact.  On a side not, don't judge my sweating.  I was a little nervous that is all.  It was nerve-racking work.  Tacos don't come easy. 

     That is about all I have for you guys in today's post.  I hope that you were somewhat entertained.  I will post again on Friday with some more good news hopefully.  I hope that you all had a blessed day.  I am off to get some much needed beauty rest for tomorrow's battle.  Thanks for reading along. 

All the best,

DB

     It was a great week in Sacramento.  I was able to squeeze out a couple of tight matches in the semifinals and finals to get my first professional singles title.  I am pretty excited about it.  It didn't come easy by any means.  I was really happy with the way that I fought all week long.  It came down to a couple of points here or there in multiple matches, and luckily I was able to tough it out.  I look forward to more tournament wins to come.  It has been a long journey to get this one.  The Journey isn't over yet though.  I have to say that It is nice to finally have a real positive stepping stone.  I feel pretty good about it.  I hope that I can keep this positive momentum going through the coming weeks.  This tournament will push my ranking into the 450's which is a nice hundred spot jump.  It is nice to keep things moving the right direction.  Also I would like to give a special shout out to the Ariza family (my housing family for the week) for taking such good care of me.  They really went above and beyond on their housing duties and I really appreciated everything.  Thanks for a great week guys!

     So now it is on to Chico, CA for tournament number two in the series.  Jordan Cox and I had a little bit of trouble picking up our rental car in the Sacramento airport this morning.  Luckily Jordan put the charm on early on to get the nice lady on our side.  After all the issues were sorted out, we ended up with a free upgrade.  We went from a Ford Focus to a Chevy Malibu.  I can't say it was much of an upgrade but an upgrade nonetheless.  Shortly after we made a quick pit stop at Jim Denny's Hamburger and Chili.  After I won the tournament I thought, "What better way to celebrate than by eating until I want to pass out?"  So I went online and discovered Jim Denny's which is home of the HUBCAP pancake (below).  There is a plate underneath there somewhere I promise.  At first I actually thought it would be a good time to try and destroy this monster. I thought wrong.  Midway through I realized I had no shot at doing it justice.  I could have pushed through, but since I am still in tournament time I decided to stop a little bit early.  I will include the after picture though (double below).  I love food.  What can I say?  It is hard not to being born and raised in the great state of Mississippi. 

     Back to what I was saying.  We finished the meal and hit the road for Chico, CA.  It was a roughly two-hour drive and a nice one at that.  Chico is a pretty nice little city from what I have seen so far.  The courts are a little bit quicker this week, which is nice.  There is a small college downtown area.  Also Jordan and I were lucky to get another great housing family this week.  The people seem really nice and they own a Mexican restaurant.  That in itself is way more than I could ever ask for.  Mexican food and I are like soul mates.  That is probably the easiest way to describe my feelings about it.  So overall things are beautiful on my side of the country. 

     I will be starting singles this week on Wednesday.  Jordan and I play our first round of doubles tomorrow afternoon not before 4:30PM.  I was pretty upset seeing this start-time, as the NBA finals are tomorrow night starting at 6:00PM.  You have to make some sacrifices in tennis though.  That is just a fact.  I find it hard to sacrifice my Lebron James time though.  It pains me, but I know it is something I might have to do on the odd occasion.  I hope you aren't taking me too seriously here.  Purely sarcasm.  I do love Lebron though.  That is real. 

     I look forward to updating you guys again on Wednesday.  Hopefully there will be some positive news to bring.  I meant to get pictures after I won the tournament last week, but I failed on that part like usual.  I figured pictures of pancakes were probably more important.  I can't be perfect every time out.  Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this update.  Feel free to comment and ask questions.  I am all ears.  Other than that, I hope you guys all had a blessed day.  Hotty Toddy. 

All the best,

Devin Britton

     It has been a pretty good couple of days here in Sacramento.  I won my second round of singles on Thursday against Denis Lajola (USA) 6-2 6-2.  I played a pretty solid match overall.  It was a big improvement from the level of tennis in the first round so I was pretty happy with that.  Today, in the quarterfinals, I went up against Philip Bester (CAN) who is a friend of mine.  We trained and roomed together at IMG academies in Bradenton, FL from when I was fourteen to roughly seventeen and a half.  Needless to say we are pretty familiar with each other's game and have played in the past a couple of times.  I lost to him both times that we previously played but in pretty close matches.  It was a strange match overall.  It was just a couple of points here and there to decide each set.  I was lucky enough to come up big on a couple of points in the third set to take the match 6-4 2-6 6-3.  I will face Nicolas Meister (USA) in the semifinals tomorrow at 1:00PM.  The only time we have played was 7-6 in the third (barely squeezed it out) so I look forward to a tough battle.  

     Thursday's doubles match was not a pretty showing by any means but Jordan Cox and I were lucky to squeeze it out in the third set tiebreaker 2-6 6-0 10-7.  Today we went up against Phillip Simmonds (USA) and Vahid Mirzadeh (USA) in the semifinals of doubles.  They played pretty well and came up big on the deciding points when they needed to.  So they took us down 6-4 6-3.  The no-ad scoring system in doubles frustrates me like crazy.  I just want to let that be known to the world. 

     Besides all the tennis action it has been a pretty good time here in Sacramento.  The weather has been off the charts for the most part.  It is roughly eighty to ninety degrees every day with a slight breeze and no humidity.  I couldn't ask for it much better.  Our housing people took us out on the boat today as well.  There was a little bit of tubing involved along with some wakeboarding as well.  I had a pretty good time watching Greg Ouellette wakeboard for second.  There is nothing like watching a former Florida gator crash and burn.  No offense to any gator fans out there.  There always has to be some SEC trash talk involved.  You know how it is.  Jordan Cox also made a few attempts at wakeboarding but was unsuccessful.  I have faith that he will work out the kinks and get up one of these next couple of days though.  Perseverance is key in the wakeboarding game. 

     I would also like to give a shout-out to the king himself, Lebron James.  Without his dominant performance in game six last night, I am not sure I would have been able to get through my singles match today.  When Lebron steps up, I step up.  That is just the way it is.  Watching his 45-point performance last night was the most pumped I have been in my entire life to date.  That is a fact.  The guy was as coldblooded as I have ever seen in my life.  I was watching a little bit of the replay tonight just to reminisce on how unreal it actually was.  He is a machine and a hero.  End of story. 

     Anyways it has been real as usual.  That is all of the information I have for you today.  I hope that you all enjoyed the blog.  I will post again either tomorrow or Sunday.  Thanks for reading along.  Be blessed. 

All the best,

DB

     Well I started the week off right with a couple of wins on Tuesday.  I won my first round of singles 6-3 7-6(9-7) to keep the dream alive.  It was a pretty up and down match, but I was lucky to squeeze it out in the end.  I am going up against Denis Lajola of the USA in the second round action tomorrow morning at 10:00AM.  Doubles was pretty shaky for the most part, but we were lucky to find a way through 3-6 6-2 10-3.  We will be playing second round of doubles tomorrow as well not before 3:00PM.  I am looking forward to stepping the level of play up from the first day. 

     One of the strange things about this tournament is that they use two different types of courts for the same event.  This is pretty much the only tournament of the year that I have seen this happen.  One of the surfaces is a standard hard court that is green with red (below).  The other is a soft hard court that is green with blue (below).  When you step on it you can literally feel the cushion on the court.  It is sort of spongy like the surface they use to use for the Australian Open.  It is definitely not something you see a whole lot of in the USA.  The two surfaces play completely differently so hopefully they will keep me on one side for the entire event.  Unfortunately they are both pretty slow, but the blue side is the slower of the two without a doubt.  I have only had to play on the red side so far and am scheduled for red again tomorrow so that is good news.  I have heard quite a few guys complaining about the difference in courts.  It is what it is though.  I am happy with it so far.

     I had a day off today from matches.  I got some good practice in this morning and then it was off to the races.  The lake was calling my name (below - I was in the water before the awesome sunset obviously.  I will get an action shot during the day sometime this week though don't worry).  The water was a little cold, but the overall experience was pretty great.  I attempted my first ever front-flip into the water, but just about when I thought I had it my face broke my fall.  It wasn't the most pleasant experience of all time but an experience nonetheless.  I backed it up with a little bit of basketball action in the driveway to dry off.  It was pretty much my ideal off day.  I couldn't have asked for a better one.  Not to mention the steaks the housing cooked for dinner.  These things were absurdly good.  I almost didn't want to finish it because I was sad to see it go, but my taste buds reassured me that it was worth it.  I don't mean to rub it in, but I felt like I needed to express it to you guys. 

     Anyways, it is time for me to get some snooze in.  I appreciate you stopping in for a quick read.  I hope that your day was equally as good as mine and that there are plenty more to come.  I will give you guys an update again on Friday.  Hopefully I will have more good news to report.  Be blessed.

All the best,

DB

     Well it has been a successful couple of days on the tennis court.  Jordan Cox and I won our first two rounds of doubles to move into the semifinals tomorrow.  I won my singles first round today against Mac Styslinger (USA) 6-4 3-6 6-4.  It was interesting being out on the clay for the first time in about a year.  It was drizzling most of the day, which made the conditions extra slow.  That is not exactly ideal for my game, but I got through it so I can't complain.  I play second round of singles at 10:00am tomorrow so hopefully I will have more good news to report on Friday. 

     I am going to bring you some more pictures of the site and things on Friday.  For now I will give you my first video entry.  If you had any doubts pertaining to Jordan and I's chemistry and intensity, this video should put those doubts to rest.  I want to introduce you to BroxEW (Britton and Cox Entertainment Worldwide).  I apologize in advance for my shirtlessness.  Nobody was harmed in the making of this video don't worry.  We created this beauty a couple of years back when we were bored at a tournament.  We try to keep people on their toes.  Please refrain from judging if at all possible.  I understand if you can't hold it back though.  That is understandable.  Enjoy.

     That is all the entertainment I can give you for tonight.  It has been a long day so I am going to go get some rest and relaxation in before I get some sleep.  There has been a new edition to the website.  You can now subscribe to the blog along with a couple of other things.  It is under the Stay Connected header, which is just below my rankings.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  Anyways I hope you all had a great day.  Thanks for reading.  See you all on Friday.

All the best,

DB

     Well I made it back into the USA safe and sound.  The flights went smoothly for the most part.  I had an hour layover in the Houston airport.  With immigrations and another security screening it proved to be just enough time to get to my gate.  I got a decent jog in down the airport hallways.  There is nothing like getting a good sweat in before a flight.  I felt bad for the lady next to me.  I probably should have packed an extra deodorant in the computer bag.  Oh well, you win some you lose some.  I was just happy to be there.  Luckily all of my bags made it to Tampa.  One of the main problems with flying out of Mexico is that they do not let you carry-on your tennis bag.  Tennis rackets are apparently a form of weaponry down there.  Tennis players generally do not like to check their tennis bags.  I personally don't trust the airport to get it there on time.  If they lose your tennis bag you are in pretty bad shape for tournament time if you know what I mean.  Also the extra $40 isn't much fun to hand over.  Airports these days right?  Luckily they came through this time so props to United Airlines.

     My brother from another mother Jordan Cox (Old school picture of he and I below) picked me up from the airport.  I roomed with Jordan and his brother Brad for three and a half years in the dorms here at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy before I went to Ole Miss.  Anyways we went straight to the beach from the airport.  We played a little beach volleyball mixed with some frisbee action.  It was a little cloudy, but overall a pretty nice first few hours in Florida.  We had a incredibly nice home cooked meal afterwards courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Cox.  We had a little steak, lamb chops, sausage, potatoes, broccoli, and an incredible salad.  I enjoyed the heck out of it.  It was a great first meal in the USA.  I couldn't have asked for much more. 

     I got a good practice in on the clay courts with Jordan today.  It is always interesting going from altitude back to sea level.  It feels like the ball weighs about ten pounds.  In a couple of days I will be feeling normal again.  The 10k futures tournament in Tampa, FL is starting tomorrow.  Luckily I have a Wednesday start for singles so I have an extra day to get acclimated.  Jordan and I are playing doubles together this week.  We are playing our first round not before 3:00pm tomorrow.  I am looking forward to a good week of clay court tennis.  This will probably be one of my only weeks of the year on clay so it will be a short clay court season this year. 

     Anyways this will have to be a shorter post since I do not have much to report.  On Wednesday I will have some results to report though so be ready for some good action then.  I hope that you all had a great day.  I am off to Carrabba's to get myself some good Italian food.  Don't forget that comment questions are welcomed.  Also a few of the other pages have had some updates so check them out when you get a chance.  Thanks for stopping by. 

All the best,

D Britt

     Well Darian King and I got the job done in the doubles today 6-2 6-0.  I watched The Avengers last night so I was pumped up and ready to go to war.  I highly recommend it if you are into the whole superhero thing.  I mean who doesn't like a good superhero flick?  Somebody told me I have a similar physique as Thor.  You check him out and decide for yourself.  Ok fine, nobody said that.  It would be awesome if they did though right?  That guy is a beast.  Anyways we are on to the semifinals of doubles tomorrow.  Second round of singles will be tomorrow at 1:30pm followed by doubles not before 4:30pm.  Hopefully I can keep the momentum going.  That is about it on the updates on the business end of things.

     It was a pretty uneventful day for the most part.  I had a good hit and got a decent workout in.  I am pretty drained from all the sun today.  That is what I have come to expect here in Mexico though.  I did experience my first licuado this afternoon.  It is pretty much just a smoothie but Mexican.  The ingredients were banana, granola, and one other that I couldn't identify.  If I had to guess I would say condensed milk. I tried asking the lady exacty what it was, but once again the communication barrier proved to be too much.  I am not exactly sure I want to know what it was either.  It was being scooped out of what looked like a paint bucket.  I don't discriminate against containers though.  It tasted pretty awesome so I was a happy camper. 

      I will give you guys some more entertainment on Friday.  There will be a possible short post again tomorrow since I play singles and doubles.  I am pretty whipped at the moment though so I am going to get some much needed beauty rest.  I hope you all had a blessed day. 

All the best,

Devin

     So I survived my first full week as a blogger.  I am feeling loose as a goose and ready for week two.  Can you feel the intensity in the air right now?  I know I can.  I am ready to snap some necks and cash some checks.  Let's do this thing. 

     I had to throw in a little motivational speech in there to make sure you guys were awake.  Ok, on to the updates.  So I took the bus from Celaya to Guadalajara yesterday at 4:30pm.  First off, the bus was incredible.  The legroom was off the charts.  The seats reclined into semi-beds.  There were footrests that folded down from the seat in front of me.  Not to mention that the views were incredible since it I was on the road during the sunset.  I snapped a couple of shots that I have to share with you guys (below).  I couldn't decide which one was more awesome.  So I am just going to throw a duo of pictures at you.  All of this action came for the beautiful price of 410 pesos ($32 roughly).  The only down side is that I was forced to watch Eat, Pray, Love followed by Pretty Woman in Spanish.  I decided to watch Zoolander just afterwards on my computer to try and balance things out. 

     The facility here in Guadalajara is pretty incredible.  They held the 2011 Pan American games here so it has all sorts of different sporting setups.  I haven't gotten around to seeing any of them besides the tennis courts just yet though.  They have a pretty good-sized stadium court (below) and multiple smaller stadium seated courts.  It would be one hundred times better if people were actually here to sit in the stands.  Unfortunately in futures tournaments that is something you rarely find.  Although in Mexico you will usually find about as big of a crowd as anywhere else in the world.  They love their tennis here.  I will give them credit for that.  Anyways the setup is pretty awesome.  The one real downside is that there is no grub to be found anywhere on site.  I plan on packing my own lunch tomorrow.  Subway is just across the street from the hotel so problem solved.  It is also roughly 90 plus degrees during the day. Shade is not something that is easily found.  The sun is pretty brutal I am not going to lie.  It is not all that humid here.  It is mostly just purebred heat.  I am definitely getting a good bronzing.  I did lather on a little 100 SPF sunscreen to try and avoid getting scorched today though.  Overall this place is pretty sweet.  I can't complain.

     I start playing singles tomorrow at 12:30pm.  I play the same guy as I played first round last week.  This is pretty rare but happens every once in a while.  They make the draw by choosing two players to randomly draw chips out of an ITF official bag.  So it is purely the luck of the draw.  I am playing doubles with Darian King (BAR) again this week.  We played our first round of doubles today and won 6-4 6-3 so on to the second round on Wednesday.  That is about all the info I have for you at this point in time.  I will probably throw a shorter post in tomorrow after my singles.  I believe the comment section is up and running perfectly now.  So feel free to say hello, make fun, or just like and share with you friends.  Any of those options are cool with me.  Anyways it has been fun.  You know what they say, "Monday, fun day."  By they, I mean nobody.  For real though I am out of here.  Have a good one people. 

All the best,

DB

     Well today was a beautiful day here in Celaya, Mexico.  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the ball was going in between the lines.  That last one is a key ingredient.  I won my singles 6-0 6-2 against Mauricio Astorga (MEX).  I played well and did the things I needed to do to get through.  Darian King and I also won our doubles 6-0 3-6 10-7 (super tiebreaker for the third set).  It was a pretty strange doubles match.  We came out pretty hot.  We were making every return and getting all the lucky breaks.  Then boom second set hit us like a sack of bricks.  Our opponent played a good return game at 0-1 to break.  Just like that the momentum shifted.  Momentum is a very fragile thing in tennis.  It is something you really have to take care of.  If not, then someone is always waiting to steal it from you.  We were luckily able to raise our level of play in the tiebreaker and get it done in the end.  My semifinals of singles will be at 11:00am and our doubles is not before 3:00pm.  So it will be another full day of tennis tomorrow. 

     One of the more funny things I have found at the futures here in Mexico are the practice balls (above).  In every other country that I have been to you get one new can of practice balls every day.  Here is a whole different story.  You have to give a deposit of fifty pesos in order to get four practice balls.  As you can see, the selection is stellar.  I would say fifty percent of the balls in the bucket are already popped or within two minutes of popping.  So you must choose your four very wisely.  I usually spend about five minutes shuffling through the bucket hoping to find a hidden gem somewhere.  Let me just confirm to you that it's not there.  During the matches we change balls every eleven and thirteen games.  So since I only played fourteen games, I shook hands with my opponent and the referee.  Then I jogged out to pick up the somewhat fresh balls on the court.  I threw them in my bag and went on my way.  I consider that a big win in itself.  It is the little things in life you know?

     On to the serious stuff.  This bad boy (above) aka the gym is where all the magic has been happening this week.  You should have seen the before picture.  I have pretty much left the gym in shambles.  You might notice a white piece of paper on the far treadmill.  Most likely says out of order due to over use.  You're welcome.  Seriously though.  It may not look like much, but it has everything you could possibly need minus a underwater treadmill (only joking, underwater treadmills aren't a necessity).  It is tough to really get a good work out in during the middle of a tournament.  So you have to get a little in here and there in order to stay on point with your fitness level.  I try to get some mini workout sessions in each day just to keep everything up to date.  So far it is working like a charm.  I am also a little bit superstitious (by a little I mean a lot), so if I do something one day and win.  You can expect me to do that same thing every day after until I lose.  Thus why I have had Subway for dinner every night before a match.  Like I said in my previous post. Us athletes are a strange breed. 

     Side not for the day.  Spanish speaking people really struggle with the name Devin.  I have been called David, Dave, and Davin up to this point.  It keeps me alert, that much is for sure.  I find it pretty entertaining myself.  It is always good to be called a few different names for a few weeks to keep things fresh. 

     Anyways, it is dinnertime.  I am off to Subway to get myself a foot long pechuga de pollo (grilled chicken).  There have been a few little problems with the comments section, but it should be all good now.  Some of your comments may have been lost in mix.  I promise they have not been forgotten though.  I hope everyone has had a great day and have an even better weekend.  I will post again tomorrow night after all the action is over with.  Thanks for hearing me out. 

All the best,

Davin