PORTOROZ, Slovenia - It has been a strong start to the season for Katarina Srebotnik, reaching the quarterfinals or better five times in singles, winning two Tier I titles in doubles with regular partner Ai Sugiyama and making it to two Grand Slam finals in mixed doubles. This week the Slovenian No.1 has her sights set on a title on home soil at the Banka Koper Slovenian Open in Portoroz, and brings us all along for the ride in the latest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Player Blog.
-----
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Unfortunately, I lost today. I didn't play badly, it's just that my opponent, Julia Goerges, played unbelievably. She was making some mistakes at the beginning and I had a good start - I was up 3-0 - but then she started serving better, hitting the ball much stronger and just turned the match around. From there it was a one-way street. I was hoping she might hit a bad patch and give me some errors, but that never came. After the match, her coach said he had never seen her play that well. It's just a shame I had to face her so early in the tournament, because I really felt like I had a few more wins in me the way I was playing.
The loss I had to Goerges at Wimbledon was really difficult to deal with; I had so many opportunities in that match and couldn't convert them, which was really disappointing. But here I just have to congratulate her on a fantastic match. The funny thing is that at Wimbledon I knew nothing about her going into the match - I had to ask other players for information on her - but this time I knew her game much better, I even practiced with her this week... Losing is never fun, but it was a much more disappointing loss for me at Wimbledon. I really think if she plays like this the rest of the week she can win the title. She's definitely playing better than her ranking. I think I'm going to have a talk with her and find out where she is planning to play next year, then avoid all of those tournaments when I make my schedule! But seriously, she's such a sweet girl. She even apologizes when she hits the lines, which is nice, but the lines are a part of the court and if you hit them then that's great, so you shouldn't feel you have to apologize. We normally apologize to each other if we hit a lucky shot or a net cord. But anyway, I wish her luck the rest of the week.
There's always some sort of drama in the morning with me! Today I was woken up by loud music. There are some people camping nearby - I can see them from the window - and at around 8:30am I heard this music, even through my ear plugs, and I just thought 'Noooo, please!' I even had the pillow on my head but could still hear it. I really didn't want to get up, get dressed and go outside to ask them myself, because if I did all that I'd be wide awake afterwards, so I called my coach to see if she could maybe do it... and she did :) Within two minutes it was off. I went back to sleep for a bit so I thank her for helping me! Then I had a warm-up with Kirilenko, a nap, and everything else was pretty much the same as the other days, the only difference being my sister couldn't visit, but she did call me to wish me good luck. Then, of course, the match.
I'll be staying here on Friday and leaving for my next tournament in Stockholm on Saturday. I would have changed my ticket to Stockholm for Friday but since we played so late the office is closed. But I'm looking forward to another day here. They've asked me to go to a TV booth during the 7pm match for a live chat, which will be fun. I may go for a swim (not with all of my clothes on like I said I would do if I won... just a normal bathing suit!)
I'd like to thank all of the people working for this event for their kindness, and all my fans that supported me this week, especially the ones who came out for both of my matches. It was a pleasure playing in front of a (nearly) full house both times. I'm sorry I couldn't make it further in the draw, but sometimes that's just how it works out. You can't win every match. I tried my best. Hopefully you all enjoyed my blog and I'll be doing it again soon!!
Until then take care,
Kata :)
What kind of music do you like? Do you have a favorite band? - Peter
I listen to pretty much everything except jazz, blues, rap, techno... I really like '80s, '90s and new music too. I've got almost 2000 songs on my iPod so I have something for just about every mood I'm in. I don't have a favorite band but I've been to a few concerts; my first one was Suzanne Vega in L.A., then Vaya Con Dios, and the biggest one I went to was Elton John in Paris. My seats weren't very good for Elton - I basically saw a little piano in the distance and a man (which I assumed was Elton John), and I saw most of what was happening on the big screen. My big wish is to see Celine Dion. She was my absolute favorite when I was younger. I had good tickets to see her once but some unfortunate circumstances came up with a rain delay - I had to finish a match the morning after the concert, so I couldn't go. Oh well, there went my all-time favorite!!
What is your most treasured title so far? - Douglas, Canada
It's like asking a mother which daughter she likes more. Each and every one of my singles, doubles and mixed titles is special in their own way. Of course singles is my priority, but I've won some big doubles titles too. But the only Grand Slam titles I've won so far have come in mixed. I'm hoping to win a doubles Grand Slam soon too. Anyway, it's really hard to pick one. I am proud of all of them.
Have you ever tried using a wooden racquet? - Lindsay, USA
I haven't, but I'd really like to try it! The speed of my shots will probably be at least 50km less and I'm sure I'll mis-hit some shots, but I'd love to try it. I don't have one myself but my coach has one. I'll see if she'll bring it next time.
You looked stunning in your photo shoot. Do you find those kind of activities away from the court make you relaxed? - Jamie, Australia
Until the one I did here last week, I didn't really enjoy them. I prefer to be a tennis player and not a model. But this crew was so nice and the photographer did such a good job making me feel comfortable, and I did enjoy this one. This was the first one I had fun with. But at the end of the day, I'm happy to do anything I can to help promote the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and its sponsors.
-----
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Today I slept much better than yesterday. I remembered the 'do not disturb' sign for my door! There was a different cleaning lady today though, so I'm wondering if the one from yesterday didn't want to do it again!! I slept from 1:30-10:30am, a full nine hours. They say every hour of sleep before midnight is worth three hours after; so even though I had nine hours of it, it wasn't really good sleep. But today I'll try to go to sleep "when the chickens go to sleep" (it's a saying in Slovenian meaning you'll go to bed very early, like the chickens...)
Today was a very special day - my mom's birthday! I won't reveal her age, of course ;) We spoke earlier in the day and I wished her a happy birthday. I also hit for an hour with Polona Hercog (another Slovenian player), then a really fun thing happened today I have to tell you about!
Remember on Monday I mentioned Valter, the guy who helps take care of the courts who brought my coach coffee every day last week... well today he came out on the practice court after I was done with a guitar and sang me a song! It's a Serbian song, "Tamara" by Bajaga. You can see the performance in the picture in the gallery. It was another example of the special treatment they give us. He's actually very good too! Good playing, good voice... I didn't know he had this talent! Next time I'll be sure to give him some back-up with my racquet guitar ;)
After that I had an autograph session and lots of people came, including a lot of ball kids. It's always nice to meet so many of my fans. The more the better!
After a little bit of shopping I came back here to the apartment and I'm writing to all of you :) I'll probably go out for dinner with Biljana and her family and just have a really easy evening. It will be my last evening off here so I want to take this opportunity to have an early night, like the chickens do!
Until tomorrow,
Kata
Who is your best friend on the Tour? - Dano, Slovenia
Sugi! I have quite a few players I'm friends with but Ai is my best friend on the Tour. Right now we're on different continents but we're still checking up on each other - she actually just texted me saying she saw my blog, and that the photos are really nice :) And I had a big smile on my face when I saw the feature they did on her for Video On Demand (it was very good... you can watch it here).
Who is your favorite mixed doubles partner? - Dave, Canada
Wow... it's hard to choose. I've played regularly with Piet Norval, Bob Bryan and Nenad Zimonjic, but at Wimbledon I played with Mike Bryan and we did so well. I've really enjoyed playing with all of them. Right now, my regular partner is Nenad. But they're all such good players, encouraging and good-looking too :) Funny story - when I was new on the Tour I asked Liezel Huber to help me find a mixed doubles partner, and she asked me if I was looking for a good player or a good-LOOKING player! I said I would love to have both, but if I had to choose I'd definitely go for a good player. I would never pick a partner based on looks over ability - but it just so happens that all of them have been great AND good-looking!
Do you have any unusual pre-match routines? - Lynn, USA
Not anymore. I used to be superstitious - using the same shower, putting my tennis bag in the same corner of the locker room - but not now. I've learnt it doesn't matter. I guess one routine I always try to stick to is hitting for 45 minutes and having an hour's break before playing my matches. The break in there is for eating something light, getting prepared... I really don't like rushing. My worst nightmare is running late for a match, as some of you may remember from my blog last year!
-----
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Hello again everybody!
Things went a little bit late today... I was scheduled to play the 7pm match, so my day started off quite late, as I slept in until about 9:30am. People might think now that I'm lazy to sleep in that long, but when your match is at night it's pretty reasonable! Actually the day started off pretty funny because I had forgotten to put my 'do not disturb' sign on the doorknob, and so the cleaning lady was in my room when I woke up. And when I looked up from the bed and asked if she could maybe come back a little later she looked like she almost had a heart attack! She obviously didn't notice me... hopefully she's okay! But anyway that's when I woke up, and tonight I'll make sure to remember to put the sign on the door :)
I had some breakfast then practiced with Kirilenko from 12-1pm. It's always fun practicing with her, not just because we're friends but also because her coach - Eric Van Harpen - is always joking with us. Today I missed a shot in practice that I should probably not have missed, and afterwards I was doing the motion in the air, just trying to correct it. Then, from the other side of the court, Eric yells "You know, a good player knows how to hit it correctly before the shot, and stupid players know how to hit it correctly after the shot!" So I yelled back at him, "Yeah Eric, but some never know how to hit it correctly!" I was pretty proud that I gave it right back to him. But that's how we are all the time. Anyway, the rest of the practice was very relaxing. I still practice the between-the-legs shot; it's a routine now. At Wimbledon, I hit two of them in mixed doubles matches - one was a direct winner and one set my partner up for a putaway. I like having fun when I play, but you've got to practice that shot too! It's not easy. But of course when it's a really important match I don't usually try it, unless I have no other option, as sometimes you have to hit it between the legs because there's no chance to run around the ball and hit it normally.
After practice I had lunch, went back to the apartment and had a nap for an hour and a half. Then I got my equipment (racquets, grips) ready. I usually bring six racquets. Then I got myself ready with a warm-up and a talk with my coach. It was time to head to the courts... but then came the rain delay. I got there at about 6pm for my 7pm match but matches were about two hours behind, and the match before mine went to three sets, so I didn't end up going on court until quite late. We finished around 10:15pm, then I stretched and cooled down, went to press, had some dinner, watched some of my next opponent's match with my coach... in the end I was at the tournament until half past midnight, and as I was about to leave I saw some of the Spanish players waiting for a ride back too, so I drove them home! I gave them a taxi to the hotel :) It was pretty close, like 1km, so not a big deal at all!
My match against Sanda Mamic was good. I didn't feel nervous at all going on the court. The stands were also about 3/4 full, which is great for a first round. I felt like a lot of the games were close but I played well on the important points, so that's why the scoreline looks a little easier than it was.
I was very excited to see my family in the stands tonight. My parents, my sister and my grandfather were all there. Normally my sister can only make it on the weekend because she works all week, so that was a really nice surprise. I was very happy to see my parents and grandfather too, but they usually come to my matches, even in the week :) I also saw lots of friends watching. It was a very nice feeling to play in front of them. I even saw my dentist from when I was younger! It was nice to see her, this time in MY "office"! I used to be so scared when my parents took me to her... not because she gave me pain - she is a very good dentist - but just because all kids are always very scared to go to the doctor or dentist. Anyway it was great to see them all.
I'm playing Julia Goerges next... if you've been following my season, you'll know that she and I played a really long match at Wimbledon, and she beat me 16-14 in the third set in three hours and 41 minutes. It was the second-longest women's match ever there... and of course it was a tough loss. Hopefully I'll be able to give her sweet revenge here! We play on Thursday. We're friendly to each other though - like when we saw each other today, I was joking that at least we would have a third set tie-break here. But hopefully we won't have to go anywhere near that again!
If you read my blog last year, you'll remember that one of my young fans gave me a four-leaf clover as a good luck charm to take with me into my matches. Unfortunately I lost in the final last year but I still carry it around in my purse! I don't know if she's reading this right now, but I still have it :)
Well it's pretty late here - after 1am - so I'm going to answer a few questions from you guys then head to bed...
Until tomorrow!
Kata
You live in Dubai, but do you speak or read Arabic? - Jane, USA
I think Arabic is too tough for me to learn, but I have picked up a word or two. I know "shukran" means "thank you" and "afwan" means "you're welcome". Other than that I know a few bad words, but of course I won't repeat them here ;) My brain is kind of shutting down right now because it's so late so that's all I can say. The good thing about living in Dubai without knowing Arabic is that pretty much everybody speaks English. I've had no problems trying to find my way around.
What is the best match you've ever played? - Andre
Ooh, nice question. That would definitely be beating Serena at Roland Garros this year. Not just because it was beating Serena, but it was at a Grand Slam. Also, it got me into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the second time. It was a very special moment for me. And I didn't realize how important a victory it was until I was doing my press commitments afterwards - there were so many journalists requesting me, I did several interviews with TV... usually I just have a few small interviews, but this time I was in the main interview room with lots of journalists there, and I asked the lady "are you sure this is for me?!" Only after I saw how much interest there was did I realize what a big thing just happened.
Which former player do you miss most on the Tour? - Royston, India
That's an easy one - definitely Monica Seles. She has always been my idol. I remember when I was playing the final of the Orange Bowl U18s and I was 15, somehow her manager arranged for her to give me a phone call the night before. My heart jumped in my chest. I didn't know what to say. When you meet someone you've adored for such a long time, you just don't know what to do. She probably felt pretty awkward! Then a few years later I met her at the French Open and had my picture taken with her. I actually framed it and still have it - I treasure it. For such a great player to be so down to Earth is something I respect a lot. So she's definitely the answer for this one!
-----
Monday, July 21, 2008
Hello again everyone :)
I'm very excited to blog from here in Portoroz again. It has been almost a year, so there's a lot to catch up on. I've had a good season this year and I'm really looking forward to playing in my home country this week.
It was a difficult ending for me at Wimbledon. Because it was raining so much on the Sunday our mixed doubles final went on court pretty late, and so it was really dark when we played. It was only when we were down 75 31 that the referee asked us if we wanted to finish the match the next day, and of course by then it was too late in the match and we didn't really have a choice. It was disappointing they didn't put us on another court earlier. Anyway, after Wimbledon I went back to my residence in Dubai, but I picked up a bit of a cold. I think it was because it was so hot but everywhere inside is air conditioned, so I may have gotten sick going in and out of that...
A relaxing week in Portoroz last week helped me get over the cold. I practiced every day but also had a lot of down time. Last year I went swimming every day the week before this tournament but this time I only swam once. It isn't the best thing to do when you're sick so I cut back on it. But I still focused hard on my tennis all week and today, the first day of the tournament, I'm feeling good and fit. So now I will be 100% about tennis and that's it. Maybe if I win the title I'll jump in the sea with all of my clothes on to celebrate! But it's such a long way to go so I can't think that far ahead. I have to take it match by match.
The week before the tournament is quiet here, but all of the people working at the club are so good at making us feel at home. There's a guy who looks after the courts here - his name is Valter - and every morning when I'd be practicing on center court he'd bring my coach, Biljana, a cup of coffee with a flower on the side. It was so sweet of him. She actually told him to not spoil her so much because then she wouldn't want to leave after this week! And I was saying he should stop because then she'll start expecting me to do that for her! Haha...
Another example of a really nice person here... We'd always have lunch at the club, and on Friday someone - a fan of mine - picked up the bill for me. I went to pay and they told me he already paid. It was very nice of him. That was the first time that has ever happened to me! I went over and thanked him and we talked for a bit. Every year I come back here and it really feels like home.
I did a photo shoot for Whirlpool last week too. It was also an interview for a Slovenian magazine, but mainly it was the photo shoot. It wasn't far from the courts, the weather was great and they all made me feel so relaxed. It was really fun. The photographer, Maja, was so easy to work with and did such an amazing job. There's a photo gallery to go with this blog, so you can see some more of her shots of me there. Normally you don't see us tennis players like that; at least I'm not used to looking like that! My coach was calling me "Kati Zeta-Jones"! Haha. My nickname is Kata but my really close friends and family call me Kati, so that's why she called me that... of course, I know I've done something bad when one of them calls me by my full name... but that's another story!
I did a spa activity for Whirlpool today, too. They did it with Jelena Jankovic and Anna Chakvetadze in Rome earlier this year. Here, Maria Kirilenko and I went to the Whirlpool booth and a group of make-up artists and hair stylists went to work on us! Afterwards we answered some fun questions for journalists and posed for pictures. It was really cool. I think it was a nice promotion for Whirlpool and us as well. I was at dinner earlier with all of the make-up on still! And Maria was a few tables away from us and had it on too... I'll have to take it off soon. But it's way better than when I do it myself. They're real professionals and did a great job.
If you remember from my blog last year, I like to play table tennis to warm up for tennis. After my practice on Sunday I played with my coach. She actually challenged me to a game! You see, I usually beat her in mini-tennis... and soccer as well... but anyway, this time she kicked my butt! She kicked it like never before. Then she said, "Kati, let me enjoy this moment, because it doesn't happen so often." So I said okay. You know, it's probably good that I lost to her, because if I win every time I'll start getting cocky, which is never a good thing. So congratulations to her :)
I'm staying at the same apartments as last year, in Marina, but I'm in a different one this year, actually the floor right below. Biljana and her family - her husband and two kids - are staying in the one I was in, right above me. I love when they come to my tournaments, and they usually only come here. Hopefully they're not too noisy this week - I'll have to hit the ceiling with my racquet! Those kids are full of energy! But they're really, really sweet kids. I haven't had to knock on the ceiling yet. I doubt I'll have to.
Well I think we're all caught up for now! I'm going to get some sleep... I'll talk to you all again tomorrow!
Kata :)
