There was no time for champagne or misty-eyed reminiscence with any besotted press pack. There was an alarm to be set, a flight to be caught and 23 hours to spent in the air, winding the way from the Mexican city of Cordoba to Scotland.
Jamie Baker, champion of the Mexico F3 event, is unlikely to be seduced by the glamour of making a living in the world of tennis. He is, however, driven by the prospect of finally fulfilling his promise at the age of 25. His victory in Mexico is yet another, unneeded reminder that motivation has never deserted the Scot despite draining, debilitating bouts with injury. Baker, too, suffered dreadfully from a blood disorder. It is no surprise to hear him speak of recovering from surgery before his in-built drive takes him towards the prospect of breaking in to the world top 200 and beyond.
Baker, ranked 213th in the world, is making a spirited tilt at climbing the ladder in a sport that has consumed his life from a young age. His travels in search of ranking points have taken him this year to Leon and Cordoba in Mexico, Tallahassee in Florida, Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Chennai in India. He is now training in London before heading out to tournaments in Athens and Fergana. The latter, of course, is in Uzbekistan. "My goal is to keep playing hard courts as it is my best surface and offers me the chance to win money and ranking points," he says, explaining why clay will only be encountered in qualifiers for the French Open next month.
His victory in Cordoba earned him about £1000, with a Lawn Tennis Association bonus scheme doubling his money. "It is all about rewarding success," he said. But the money does not travel far as Baker scours the world in search of points. He states without rancour that the costs of flights and accommodation devour any prize money earned.
"It is an incredible privilege to live life as a professional tennis player," he says. "Lots of people are condemned to working at jobs they hate while I am being part of a lifestyle, part of something I have always wanted to do. My passion has never wavered through injury or through the pain. I want to do this but it can be difficult and there is always pressure."
He is helped by an innate desire to be a winner. "I find competition hugely satisfying, particularly if I win. This is my motivation, this is what makes me train for hours and travel all over the world."
He believes he is now fitter and faster than ever. "It is hard to explain," he says. "I have never felt so much energy. It is as if I have a full tank and I am ready to go."
The destinations for the moment are the unglamorous sideshows to the ATP tour but Baker knows he is not far from "making a good living" at the sport. The margins that separate those at 200 and those in the bottom half of the top 100 are slim. The disparity in rewards, however, are huge. Baker has scrambled well to earn more than $7000 this season. Pere Riba, ranked 100, has made $80,000 in what has been an unexceptional season for the Spaniard.
The battle for Baker is to fight his way into the more lucrative arenas. He has been helped, unwittingly, by his old mate, Andy Murray. The world No.4 was part of a concerted effort by the top players to reward those at the lower end more generously in slams.
Baker, who looks likely to meet the criteria for a wildcard at Wimbledon, would earn £14,000 merely for being part of the main draw in SW19. He knows, however, that the ranking points have to be gained in spots far from the gaze of the world's media.
"I like to think I have many advantages," says Baker. He has lost his funding from Aegon but has backing from the LTA and uses the impressive facilities at Roehampton in London. He has always been a fearsome trainer and that has helped him regain his fitness and it has maintained an edge that can be heard even in the most polite, level-toned of competitors.
"I do not set particular goals," he says of his immediate future. Life has probably taught that these can be obliterated by a strain to the groin, an ache in the shoulder or a feeling of listlessness induced by a blood disorder. Baker was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in 2008 and spent three days in intensive care in Florida. He said in the immediate aftermath of that disease: "I wasn't able to look more than a week in advance."
This brush with serious illness may have contributed to a philosophy that accepts setbacks but works immediately to overcome them and go forward. "It has been a rollercoaster," he says of his recent career which has suddenly taken a turn for the better. "But I feel I can survive as a professional. I am still afloat."
The top 200 is on the horizon. If effort is properly rewarded, then much more lies beyond.
