‘I think you’ve made your point now. You’ve even gone a bit too far to get your message home. Before it gets too frightening, we aught to call a halt. Could we start again please? Could we start again?’ – Could we start again please from Jesus Christ Superstar – Andrew Lloyd Webber – 1973

No sooner had I finished yesterday’s entry I received bleak news from my doctor in England that I had returned a positive test result and I was on an emergency hospital referral. It may be nothing sinister I am told which also means it may be something sinister. I let the news sink and revert to my original plan of finding food and watching Arsenal. My hotel TV is all in German and despite several attempts I give up. I wander around the streets and eventually find a Vietnamese restaurant, I am warned from having watched Gordon Ramsay that a menu the same size as a book is a bad thing and how quickly the food came out is also bad. Gordon would have found something to complain about but I thought it was okay. I might return there tonight! The menu is big enough! I return to the hotel and listen to the football glad I have not been able to watch it. I remember being awake in bed a long time but most have slept eventually.

My appetite has escaped me at breakfast, I manage two cheese rolls but even then I I find them hard work, this could be psychological on the understanding that bowel cancer is a possibility. I am weak and shaken I make excuses for taking a taxi to the tennis again but I overcome my internal battle and am determined to walk there.

Today’s first match is Switzerland’s Susan Bandeechi, a roller coaster of an affair, she loses the first set she then wins 10 games in a row, her opponent goes from 0-4 to 4-5 but Susan fights back at the critical moment to take the final set 7-5. It’s a funny old game! Truth be told she did not really do that much wrong, her level was consistent throughout and her attitude good!

After Susan’s match I spot Simi and having been too unwell to climb down from my seat yesterday and congragulate her I have a quick word with her, wish her luck for tomorrow and PP finally gets his photo. Oh how we long for a Simi and Miri final.

A llittle wander around after that long match I see a photo opportunity which I think Oana Simion would like as I have nicknamed her the Wolf and try to get in the shade as much as I possibly can. It is very hot today and I am quite unwell, I do want to see Leonie Kung in the doubles before I leave however.

As the hour approaches I settle down in the hot sun for Leonie’s doubles match. Susan has made a point of finding me to thank me for my support earlier which was most kind of her, we have a good chat and I do warn her she is in Miri’s quarter so our short friendship may come to an end on Friday. It is not outside the rhelms of possibility I make both players marginal favourites in tomorrow’s matches. I watched Susan’s opponent yesterday and I saw enough today to be confident Susan can overcome her with her best tennis. Miri holds a 1-0 head to head over her opponent and she has me supporting her, we have a 6 win 2 loss record. Leonie loses her doubles match quite quickly and I walk back to the hotel, hot and tired thinking about what to do about food, I do have a pizza menu in the room but it is in the wrong language!

UPDATE – Due to sickness I had to abort this trip and urgently return to the UK, I did attend the tennis event one more day but was very unwell and have decided to not write anymore about this trip. I can confirm that I am safely back in the UK, staying with family and have several hospital and doctor appointments to attend. My next planned trip is to Brasov in August all being well there will be a full diary of this one.