Collee was very nervous at first when told about his upcoming tennis match.
While UCD AFC will take on one of the best teams in the Airtricity League Premier Division in the shape of Shelbourne
on Friday night, Collee will be anxiously hoping the Boys in Blue come out with all three points. He will have reason to be nervous for another reason as he has been drawn against up and coming Russian Tennis Player, Arina Rodionova, in the very first Mascot v ATP Ranked Tennis Match to be held in the UCD Bowl.
The game will be held at half time with rules yet to be determined, but the rumour mill is predicting a best of one game. It will be a tough ask for young Collee as he gets to grips with a new sport but he is determined to rise to the challenge and says, "Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the fight in the dog!" The Arina Rodionova camp was keeping quiet as they struggle to find Youtube clips of any of Collee's previous encounters with the raquet and ball.
Collee was spotted out on the court from early this morning practising his serve and volley game. He acknowledged that he may be inexperienced at this level but
he is determined to give it his best shop, "I have been training hard all morning, the UCD tennis team have given me a few pointers and I am delighted to have them in my kennel!"
The mind games started early as Collee banned all press and media from his training camp unless they were trained photographers, using the best equipment who could present Collee in the best possible light. They did their best and there is no doubt Collee looks like a seasoned pro. "I have applied to take part in Wimbledon this year, but they are sticking to their all white attire rule which may be a stumbling block as Blue is my colour! Also the competition will clash with UCD's Premier Division games, but the idea is there!"
Good luck Collee!
