Tennis
A "ridiculously strenuous" physical training block undertaken at the start of this year is paying dividends for Masterton tennis professional Marcus Daniell, winner of both the singles and doubles titles at a US$10,000 ($12,800) Futures tournament at Ilkley, England, last week.
In an email to the Wairarapa Times-Age, Daniell recalls being troubled by serious problems with a disc in his lower back after his memorable success in the doubles at the Heineken Open in Auckland in 2010.
However, a move to Bath, England, has been rewarding with an improved training and rehabilitation programme helping him get on top of the injury.
"I just tweaked it the wrong way a couple of months ago and it put me out of contention for a few weeks. Other than that, my body is fitter, stronger and more reliable than it has ever been, largely due to a ridiculously strenuous physical training block at the start of the year," Daniell writes.