IT’S a little after nine in the morning in Albury and most people are just getting their work day started.
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However, on the other side of the world, Sam Groth is getting ready to turn in for the night, having had a good day at his “office” — a first-round win as the top seed in an ATP Futures event in Spain.
The big-serving right-hander from Albury is the latest nomination for the Norske Skog Young Achiever of the Year award.
The talented serve-volleyer has been living just outside Barcelona for the past few weeks, preparing for the grass and hardcourt tournaments that will suit his style of play.
“I’ve just been training the past couple of weeks,” he said recently.
“I had my first tournament today and I won easily, 6-3, 6-1, so it was pretty comfortable.
“I’m spending six weeks in Spain now as a kind of building phase, I’m just trying to get myself physically and mentally strong.
“Once I’ve finished here I’ll be trying to make a push for the rest of the year on surfaces that suit my game more, the hardcourt season leading into the grasscourt tournaments.”
And while he eventually lost in the quarter-finals to unheralded qualifier Alexander Lobkov 6-3 3-6 6-1, Groth believes his time spent in Spain will pay off big in the long run.
The 21-year-old plans on consolidating the form he displayed during the Australian summer, when he pushed the experienced Mardy Fish to four sets in Groth’s grand slam single’s debut at the Australian Open.
“I think I had chances in that match,” Groth said.
“The guy was the No.20 in the world and he beat (Lleyton) Hewitt a couple of weeks ago in straight sets, so obviously he can play a bit.
“I had a pretty good summer overall, some really good wins and a couple of really tight losses against guys ranked in the top 100.
“I think I had a decent finish to last year and a good start to this year but I think I can get better.”
With a current ranking of 283, Groth is Australia’s ninth ranked player, down from his career high of 230 in July last year.
But he said coach James Trotman, who signed on with Groth in October, had already made improvements, both noticeable and subtle, to his game.
“James has been really good for my game,” he said.
“I’ve been with the AIS for a couple of years but this is the first time I’ve had a coach that’s been with me, one-on-one.
“We’ve been together since October and he’s really switched on. It certainly helps having someone like him around all the time.
“I think he’s been focused on making my strengths even stronger. My serve is good but I want it to be the best serve in the world and if I want to compete with the top guys consistently — it’s one thing I’ve already got that can still get better.
“I’ve also been working very hard physically, movement-wise, as I’m a pretty big guy and I’m just trying to control the things I can control, so I’ve got full control over how I move around the court.
“Just trying to be competitive, staying mentally and physically strong on court and not going away, always trying to find a way even when things aren’t going my way.
“It’s very easy to win when things are going well and you’re playing your best tennis but it’s when things aren’t going well that you have to find a different way to win.”
All in all, life is pretty good for Groth right now, after he married partner Jarmila — who plays on the WTA Tour — in a whirlwind visit to Albury last month.
And despite their busy schedules, they still have to find time to have a honeymoon — not that Groth is complaining. He figures it’s easier having someone who understands the pressures and demands of a professional tennis career.
“We haven’t had time yet (for a honeymoon),” Groth laughed.
“We got married on the Tuesday, she flew out on the Thursday, I flew out on the Friday, so we’ve got another four weeks or so before we can meet up and do something then.
“But it’s easy over here in Europe, we can fly down to the Greek islands or the Canary Islands or something like that, it just depends on how much time we can take off.
“And yeah, it can be hard at times being away (from each other), but at the same time we both understand what we’re going through and I think that helps a lot.
“We do get to spend a lot of time together, at the grand slams, and we spent the whole Australian summer together, and we see a lot more of each other than if one of us wasn’t playing.”