My 22nd Birthday - Uni Update, Nottingham Tennis Championships and TGI Fridays!

My birthday was a little different this year! I started the day by going to the Nottingham Tennis Championships to enjoy some incredible tennis and then finished hanging out with friends, after a yummy meal at TGI Fridays!

Click here for the vlog or see below. 
The day started off bright and early as one of my flatmates ended up waking me up at 6.30am with a hair dryer. I couldn't get back to sleep so I ended up watching some television to fill in the some of the time before getting ready. Just before we were about to leave, I woke Sam up and she decided to quickly get ready and come with me.

We actually got there in perfect time and managed to get seated 2 minutes before the match was about to start. But then we were told there was going to be a 1 hour delay due to the rain. Even though it had stopped, apparently they had to paint the chalk lines on still, hence the delay. It was alright though because there was actually quite a good amount of things to do: a big restaurant, a live band for entertainment, tennis activities, shops and even a big cartoon character. 
The first match was Daniel Evans vs Marcel Granollers. I think it's so more entertaining watching a Great British player because it's just so much more interactive when you're fully supporting and behind someone. I was actually really impressed with the quality of tennis played and I loved how close we were to the action. The players were literally sat just in front of us on the breaks and it was so close.

Ashleigh Barty vs Naomi Osaka was the only full female match we ended up watching in the end. Unfortunately, like Wimbledon, I do find women matches quite slow to watch, especially after following a high energy match previously. It was quite disappointing really because Osaka was terrible. She missed some really easy shots so it was an easy match for the Australian.

The next match had the youngest player in the competition, 19 year old Alex De Minaur vs Ilya Ivashka. I was thoroughly impressed and can defintely see how his calibre is going to get him far in the tennis career that is the start of his life. Also, Ivashka had so much strapping on his arm, I knew he wasn't going to win from the get-go.

Finally, the match I'd been waiting for came: Johanna Konta vs Donna Vekic. Konta was amazing and completely rocked the match the whole way through. After the first set, Vekic called her trainer and then the physio came onto the court. After a quick examination, she decided to take her off court for treatment. Unfortunately, by that time the rain had started coming and I was so disappointed. I was so excited to see Konta but alas it wasn't meant to be but she was amazing in the set we did see. Luckily, after looking up the results later, she did end up winning! So out of the 4 matches (singles and doubles), we had 3 with Brit's in the final. Amazing!

In the end, I left about half an hour into the rain because it was delayed for "at least" another 40 minutes. So I decided, as I was already soaking wet, I would head home, get changed and then head to TGI Friday's with everyone else.
I wore my favourite black maxi dress, dried and straightened my hair, then paired it simply with a pair of flip flops. Let's be honest, the main reason was because I couldn't be bothered to take off my Honey Rose LipSense and switch it of.
I decided to save my cards and presents, to be opened when we got home from the meal. TGIs is always such an amazing meal and it didn't disappoint in the slightest. I loved the balloon crown they gave me, and I have to say I was very happy that it wasn't as big as my 20th crown!
I'm so glad that I took my camera with me and like I said in the vlog, I love that my friends actually take pictures without my asking. it's the best!

If you want to see my birthday haul, stay tuned for Friday or click here!

I had such a lovely day and despite not spending it with family, I felt at home and content. Thank you to everyone who made it special, and thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday!

Comments