October featured three more tournaments across France. The first two were particularly important, representing the final real opportunities to improve my rankings ahead of the Australian Open entry deadline in December.

I started the month in Nice, competing in the final 1000-level event of the year. I opened my singles campaign with a three-set win in the round of 32, before losing 4-6, 3-6 to the world number 11 in the following round.

It was a frustrating result, particularly having led 3-1 in the opening set, but there were plenty of positives to take away. It was another strong performance against a player who will soon be direct competition for a place in the Grand Slams.

In doubles, an unseeded bye meant our first match was against seeded opposition. We eventually lost 3-6, 6-2, 7-10 to the world's third-best-ranked pairing. Having led 6-5 in the match tiebreak, we were certainly in a position to win, but the experience of our opponents ultimately made the difference.

After a week back training, I headed to Paris for what I thought would be my final two competitions of the year: a 500-level event in Fleury-les-Aubrais, followed by a 100-level tournament in Feucherolles.

I couldn't have been handed a tougher draw in the singles first round, facing the highest-ranked opponent I could have played. It was also a rematch of my first-ever win against a top-14 player back in April.

I started exceptionally well, taking the opening set 6-1, but allowed my opponent just enough room to settle into the match. He responded by taking the second set 6-2.

The final set was particularly frustrating. I had multiple game and break points across three different games, all of which I ended up losing, including three opportunities to go 5-4 up, but couldn't convert them. I eventually lost 4-6 in the deciding set.

It was disappointing to come away with a defeat after such a strong start, but it's another reminder of the importance of maintaining my level throughout an entire match.

My opponent went on to beat the world number 12 in the next round, before losing to the world number 6 in another three-set match. It shows just how small the margins are between where I am now and securing a place inside the Grand Slams.

After a few other results went my way, I knew going into the final week that my year-end singles ranking was guaranteed to be world number 18. There was no longer any possibility of finishing the year higher or lower.

Despite a strong opening match against opposition I had never beaten before, I lost in the second round to an opponent against whom I had only won one of our four meetings this year. I struggled to maintain the level I wanted for long enough periods and left myself too much to do towards the end of the match.

And that was the end of my season… until it wasn't.

After speaking with my team, we decided to add one more 100-level event in Italy at the end of November.

The decision is less about chasing ranking points and more about using the tournament as a training opportunity. With an 11-week off-season before Australia, having a competition halfway through will help break up the training block and give me an opportunity to put the changes we're implementing into practice in a competitive environment.

The first five weeks will be about making those improvements, with the tournament helping to shape the remaining five weeks of preparation.

This is particularly important given how difficult the first four months of the season can be. With relatively few tournament opportunities outside the biggest events, it's essential that I have the confidence to execute my improved game plan against the highest-ranked opposition and give myself the best possible chance of working towards securing Grand Slam qualification.

In my mind, the season is now finished. But somewhere in the back of it, there's still one more competition I'm working towards in just over three weeks' time.

Now that I'm effectively moving into my off-season, it's time to shift my attention away from competing every few weeks and towards developing my game through consistent training.

The focus is on improving both my physical and mental game, without having the constant demands of competition interrupting that process.

So, what does a typical training week look like?

In my case, it's actually quite similar to a normal training week between tournaments. The biggest difference is having the freedom to work on specific areas of my game without worrying about competing again in a week or two. It also allows me the opportunity to push harder in the gym and maximising the progress that we make.

I'll continue spending around four hours on court most days, alongside an hour in the gym five days a week.

What changes is the amount of time I can dedicate to being optimally prepared. That means more time for recovery, more specialised training goals, including injury prevention work, and the freedom to experiment with my game without worrying about losing confidence just before a competition.

Being able to maintain a consistent training schedule over several weeks is incredibly valuable. As athletes, we're so used to having our routines disrupted almost every week, constantly adapting to make things feel as normal as possible.

Having a consistent sleep schedule, a structured training programme and guaranteed time for rest and recovery makes this period an important opportunity to make the most of.

It's increasingly uncommon to have an off-season this long, and I know next year's will be considerably shorter as we enter the Paralympic qualification year.

I hadn't actually realised this was going to happen, but I've reached a new career-high doubles ranking of world number 17!

It probably won't last for too long, as the points I earned from winning tournaments in October and November last year begin to drop off, but it's another encouraging sign that things are heading in the right direction.

I started the year ranked 31 in the world for doubles. While I always felt that ranking was a poor reflection of my actual level, it's one thing to know where you believe you belong and another to go out and earn the results to prove it.

There's now an official Instagram account for The Next Level!

I wanted to create a better way to share smaller, bite-sized updates throughout the month, giving people who are interested in following the journey a little more insight between newsletter editions.

If there's anything in particular you'd like to see on there, let me know!

Go and check it out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextlevelnewsletter

One of my goals over the next few months, both on and off the court, is to become more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

It's not something that comes particularly naturally to me. Having effectively restarted my life at 14, losing my memories and everyone I knew before that point, has shaped the way I approach life.

Balance is incredibly important in any form of work, and perhaps even more so in sport.

Individual sports place so much responsibility on you as an athlete. You're accountable for your own decisions, the standards you maintain and the work you put in. It's easy to sacrifice balance in pursuit of your goals, but having things outside of your everyday work can be just as important. They can improve your mood, give you more energy and ultimately have a positive impact on your performance.

I've always been incredibly goal-focused, and for a long time that meant looking at my career through just one lens: performance.

Everything I did needed to have a purpose. If something didn't directly benefit my career, I often saw it as taking away from it.

Over the past few years, I've increasingly recognised the importance of finding a better balance, but that doesn't mean it comes naturally.

Any elite athlete will tell you that their career has to come first. From training and recovery to nutrition and hydration, so much of our everyday lives revolve around performing at our best.

But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy everything else life has to offer.

When I'm travelling for tournaments, I love exploring the cities I'm visiting. Every place has something different to offer, whether that's the culture, language, landscape or history.

At home, however, it's much easier to fall into the routine of being fully focused on preparing for the next competition and doing very little else.

When you're only home for a week or two at a time, it isn't such a problem. But when you're looking at more than 10 weeks at home over the next three months, you start to realise just how important it is to make time for other things you enjoy.

I'm still in the early stages of figuring out exactly how I want to make the most of my time away from training. The next step is pushing myself to try new things and actually make them happen.

It's something I'm working on, and a small but important step in the right direction.

I'm used to playing quite a few events throughout November, but that won't be the case this year.

After deciding not to enter the Doubles Masters or return to Taiwan for some additional 100-level events, my attention is now firmly on the final event of the year in Italy.

Once that's finished, it'll be back to full-time training until Australia in January. Hopefully with a day or two off around Christmas!

The Australian Open ranking acceptance deadline falls in the middle of December, so I'll update you next month on how that's looking and explain a little more about the process of trying to qualify for a Grand Slam.

For now, at least, I know exactly where my singles ranking will finish the year. I've done everything I can at this stage, and the next opportunity to change that will come in the new season.

THE FOCUS: Working as hard as possible in training to get myself physically prepared ahead of the season starting again in January, while continuing to develop the areas of my game that will make the biggest difference in competition.

THE GOAL: Continue improving my level and do everything I can to break into the Grand Slams in 2027. It's closer than ever, but the challenge is turning what I know I'm capable of in training into consistent performances in matches, particularly under pressure.

THE TAKEAWAY: One of the hardest parts of sport is maintaining the standards required to achieve your goals, while finding the right balance between working towards those goals and enjoying life outside of sport. It’s easy to become so focused on achieving your ambitions that you lose sight of everything else, but finding that balance is just as important for long-term success. It’s something that takes time, and something I’m continuing to work on.

Every month brings a new challenge, a new lesson, and another opportunity to improve.

The Next Level is built through the work nobody sees.

On to the next one.

Andrew

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