So, I finally met Guy … as usual I had been calling him and there was never an answer, then last week I called and he picked up. He was in Santiago De Compostela, the city under the stars – Galicia’s most magical city and finishing point for the many pilgrims that trek through France, Spain and Portugal on the Camino.
We arrange to meet 2 days later in Saint Jean de Luz, one of my favourite Basque towns and only 30 minutes from where I live. St Jean de Luz is home to some of the best seafood restaurants and cafes in France and conveniently close to many of the most famous beach breaks in Europe.
It’s 10AM, the cafe is quiet when I enter, a group of old fisherman are drinking espressos and playing dominoes, a family are having breakfast and sat on a sofa near the window reading a magazine is a surfer looking dude, he’s wearing a blue tie-dye T-shirt and bright pink beanie. As I approach he looks up and smiles…
- At last we meet
- [laughs] what are the chances of this happening
I order coffee for both of us and for the next hour we have a chat about everything that has happened in the world of Guy since we last spoke – here are some of the highlights
January – we talked again about snowboarding in Cervinia, Amsterdam and when he got home to Cornwall the surf pumped for 2 weeks solid…there was no mention of tennis
February – the surf was still pumping, he rode some perfect waves in Ireland…still no mention of tennis
March – surfing, surfing, surfing!
April – back in Spain, caught a bus with one of his mates to A Gudina and walked 200km of the Via De Plata in 8 days
Finally I asked the question:
- What about work? Have you been playing tennis or coaching?
- Uhh oh yea [laughs], but it’s just work
- I know, but what have you been up to?
- I’m doing a lot of work in the UK training coaches for the LTA. I’m still doing bits at Exeter University. I haven’t been to Batchwood for a while but I will do soon. I love those guys. I’ve been travelling a lot with some of the players I coach – we ran an awesome training camp in Spain a few weeks ago – we’re back out there again next month and I’m going to see my mate in Norway but that’s not work.
…and that was it! We chatted about surfing again, stand up paddle boarding in the Norwegian Fjords, music festivals, his art projects and then a van pulls up outside with a couple of hairy surfers in the front and just like that Guy is gone – apparently the waves are 3-4ft and offshore in Hossegor !!!!!
I don’t play tennis but I’ve got to be honest, if I did play tennis I would want Guy to be my coach
Lucia