Sunday, August 16, 2026

12:23 a.m. BST

Women’s doubles day — arguably my favorite day of the tournament.

After a long day yesterday, the earlier start definitely called for some much-needed caffeine before heading back to the venue and getting ready to compete.

Bobbi and I ended up falling just short to Roos and Shelby, who had a really great tournament. It was a close match, and even though we obviously would’ve loved to come out on the other side of it, Bobbi and I saw a lot of positives in the way we played together. There’s plenty for us to build on as we keep growing as a team throughout the rest of the year.

There was also some unexpected wildlife roaming around the venue today… apparently two cheetahs were spotted in the wild. 😂 Between Brandon and one of the carnival-themed characters walking around, it was definitely one of the more entertaining sights of the week.

Luckily, it was an earlier finish for me today, which meant some extra time to refuel, recover, and get the body ready for mixed doubles tomorrow with the kid, Ronan Camron.

After such a great week together in Chicago, I’m really looking forward to getting back out there with Ronan and seeing how our game stacks up against the talent here in England.

Mixed doubles day tomorrow. Let’s get after it.

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Friday, August 14, 2026

10:39 p.m. BST

Day 2 at the English Open looked a little different than originally planned.

After a lot of discussion with my team, I made the executive decision to sit out of singles. Coming off a ton of matches at the Chicago APP Tour stop, combined with all the travel we’ve been doing and the tournaments we still have coming up, we felt like giving my body a little extra recovery was the smartest decision. Unfortunately, singles had to be the part of this tournament we sacrificed—but now the focus is fully on women’s and mixed doubles.

We still got some really good doubles and mixed doubles points in with the crew, and Team BobKat is officially ready to take over the doubles scene tomorrow. 🐾

From there, I switched from player mode to coach mode for the rest of the day—and I’m convinced coaching might actually be harder than playing. 😂 When I’m competing, at least I’m on the court, I can control my emotions, make adjustments, and actually do something about what’s happening. Coaching from the sidelines? Completely different story. All you can do is be there for the player, trust them, and try not to lose your mind while watching.

Thankfully, all of the stress was worth it because Domi brought home the GOLD 🥇 after playing an incredible final against Roos. Couldn’t be happier or prouder of the way she competed.

And because apparently that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, I also drove in England for the first time ever. Steering wheel on the right side, driving on the opposite side of the road… you can imagine how relaxed I was. 😅 But I made it to the restaurant alive, so I’m counting that as another win for the day.

We finished the night with a really good steak dinner to refuel and get ready for a long day of doubles tomorrow.

Next up: Team BobKat takes on women’s doubles.

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Thursday, August 13, 2026

5:23 p.m. BST

We made it across the pond! 🇬🇧

We decided to get to London a few days early before the English Open to give ourselves some time to adjust to the time change… and, naturally, squeeze in a few adventures along the way.

One of the highlights was getting to tour Wimbledon and the Wimbledon Museum, including a visit to Centre Court. This one was especially special for me because of my tennis background. I played professional tennis before making the switch to pickleball and was lucky enough to play at Wimbledon one year, so being back there brought back a lot of really cool memories. Definitely a full-circle moment — just with a pickleball paddle in my bag these days!

We also somehow went from one of the most iconic venues in sports to… glamping on a farm. 😂 We stayed in a little camping container and found an inflatable water park complete with giant obstacles, plus zoo animals, pickleball AND padel. Basically, an athlete’s version of summer camp. Obviously, we had to take full advantage.

After a few days of sightseeing, adjusting to the time zone, and throwing ourselves off giant inflatable objects, it was finally time to get down to business.

This morning we made our way to Birmingham for the English Open! We got into the indoor facility, played some practice points, got a feel for the courts, and started settling into tournament mode.

Singles kicks off tomorrow, so the sightseeing portion of the trip is officially over (for now 😅). Time to play some pickle! 🏓🇬🇧