ZÜRICH, Switzerland - Few stories this year have been bigger than the comeback of Martina Hingis. The five-time Grand Slam champion and former No.1 missed more than three years due to various foot and ankle injuries, but stepped back into the limelight at the start of 2006; she has since worked her way twice into the winner's circle (Rome, Kolkata) as well as back into the Top 10. This week she traveled to her native Switzerland for the Zürich Open, a Tier I tournament she won six years ago - and although she did not come away with the title this time, she made an impressive run to the quarterfinals, and allowed us to come along for the ride in the latest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Player Blog.
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Friday, October 20, 2006
I am sad to say that this is my last blog entry from Zürich, which means I lost today... :(
As you know, I played the 6pm match tonight, a quarterfinal against Svetlana Kuznetsova. My preparation was good - I hit with Radim at 2pm and before that I went for my usual run in the woods, really nothing to complain about. Svetlana just played a great match. I had my chances in certain parts, but I congratulate Svetlana for being the better player on the day.
I did my usual post-match press conference, which is never nice if you've lost, because you really don't feel like talking. But it's important for the media and that's how tennis fans hear about the matches, so I understand the importance. It's just that sometimes it's hard to do! After the press conference I had to sign a few items in the media room.
Now it's back to work, training at home in preparation for Madrid (hopefully!) On Monday morning I'll be with one of my sponsors, Omega, opening a boutique in Interlaken, so that should be fun. I've attached a pic taken from one of my previous days with Omega.
I'd like to thank you all for reading my blog this past week. I've really enjoyed writing it, I'm just sorry that today's is so short :(
All the best,
Martina x
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Thursday, October 19, 2006
Hello everyone!
So, another sunny but cold day here in Zürich! As I told you last night, I needed to mix it up a little today so I went downtown with a friend. We met for breakfast at one of the most famous and traditional cafes in Zürich, called Sprungli. It has the most amazing hot chocolate in the world. I just love it. It was funny because the waitress came and told us Roger Federer always comes to their cafe and sits in the same spot as we were sitting - obviously, the 'in' place for us Swiss tennis players! I had a little breakfast, traditional Swiss bircher muesli; for those of you who don't know what it is, it's Swiss muesli mixed with a little yoghurt and milk, and then you can add fruit too. It's really good so I suggest you try it!
Afterwards, we walked to the famous Zürich See. It was actually very foggy; you can usually see the other side of the lake, which is where my house is located. I've attached a pic taken of me at the lake this morning so you'll see!
We then walked around the city, through the old town where the artsy shops are. This is my favorite area of Zürich because there is a little more to it. Previously it was the rough part of town, but now they've cleaned the area up and made it unique. There are also a few exclusive boutiques to be found around this area.
Obviously, no girl in their right mind can go into Zürich without a) having some chocolate (mission accomplished) and b) shopping... I hit the shops and went to one of my favorite stores, Grieder, which I would describe as a smaller version of Saks Fifth and like Harvey Nics in London. We stopped for a drink in the Grieder bar, on their roof terrace, and then went back to shopping. Next, we went along to Jelmoli, where I'd been previously for the draw ceremony on Saturday. We had a little browse and then I went back to the practice courts to hit with Radim. We had a good hit! After that I went back to the hotel, went for a nice run in the woods again, did some sprints and had a good stretch.
I showered, made some calls and then met Abi and Al from Octagon for dinner. We were going to go to town but being somewhat superstitious I decided to stick with my winning formula and eat in the hotel restaurant. A little unexpected, as Vijay Armtraj walked in with his wife! He asked about my recent trip to Kolkata. Obviously I told him it was excellent because I won. I said I'd like to go back and see more of India, and Vijay suggested Goa, so maybe I will Goa there ;)
I have just sorted out my tickets for tomorrow's match. I play Svetlana at 6pm. She beat Jelena Jankovic; it looked like a pretty close match. I'm looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.
Well, it's time for bed so I will wish you good night! Or good morning wherever you are reading this...
Gute nacht! :)
