This tennis thing with Clement Chidekh? Wild how fast he shot up. Everyone was talking, figured I’d peek behind the curtain, see what tricks he used. No magic, just grind. Here’s how I tried walking in his shoes for a bit.
Step 1: Obsession Hits Hard
Saw Chidekh’s story online one lazy Sunday. Dude went from college courts to pro tournaments crazy fast. Fired up the laptop that night, digging. How’d he do it? Realized fast: super intense focus. No drifting. So I scribbled down this basic plan on a pizza napkin:
- Grind daily: No days off unless bones break
- Beat the wall: Practice serve & returns solo for hours
- Cheap fixes: YouTube tutorials ’cause couldn’t afford real coaches
Grabbed my rusty racket next morning. Felt stupid hitting against the garage door while the neighbors walked dogs. But hey, started.
Step 2: Hitting Like a Madman
Clement worked on fitness hard. Figured that was key. Could barely run two laps around the block without coughing. Emptied the sad basement gym corner – dusty treadmill, mismatched dumbbells. Started simple:
- Mornings = Death: Ran sprints till breakfast tasted like blood
- Lunch Break Punishment: Lifted weights ’til arms shook lifting coffee
- Wall Ball Sessions: Smashing foam balls ’til dark every damn day
Felt like a truck hit me after week one. But saw Clement’s interviews – he talked about embracing that suck. So kept grinding, eating eggs like they were going extinct.
Step 3: Playing Smarter (and Hungrier)
Clement didn’t just bash balls. He targeted weak spots. Stalked local coaches at public courts, asked dumb questions. Watched endless slow-mo pro matches on an old tablet. Started seeing patterns:
- Killer Serves: Practiced tossing & snapping wrist ’til elbow whined
- No Mercy: Attacked short balls immediately, drilled approach shots
- Mental Grit: Stopped whining after bad points. Just reset.
Signed up for trash-tier local tournaments. Lost early, badly. But each loss showed where I sucked worse. Fixed one thing each week. Serve got meaner. Returns got sharper.
Step 4: Jumping into the Fire
Knew Clement entered every event possible. Scraped together entry fees for any Futures event within driving range. Gas station food budget. Slept in my car twice. Got stomped first few rounds – reality check. Didn’t quit.
Kept refining:
- Video Diaries: Recorded matches, spotted lazy footwork between sets
- Strategy Shifts: Stopped playing safe, went aggressive early in points
- Net Rush: Forced myself to charge net even if scared
Started clawing wins. Quarters here, a semi there. Beat a guy ranked top 800 once. Felt unreal. Kept chasing points. Rankings finally started creeping up after months bleeding cash.
The Ugly Truth
Fast rise ain’t glamorous. Clement’s path? Pure grit soaked in sweat. Did similar for months:
- Sacrificed Everything: Social life? Dead. Parties? Gone. All tennis, all day.
- Pain Management: Ibuprofen was breakfast. Ice baths after every session.
- Mental Wars: Doubts screamed daily. Ignored them. Just hit more balls.
Finally qualified for a low-level Challenger qualifier. Nerves ate me alive first set. Remembered Chidekh’s interviews – “play your game, not the moment.” Fought back. Won one freaking match.
Progress felt slow as hell. But looking back? That relentless focus – eating, sleeping, breathing tennis – changed everything. No genius shortcuts. Just obsessed work. Clement climbed because he outworked everyone around him. Tried copying that fire. It burns, but man, it pushes you higher.
