INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - She missed the entire Australian season with a knee injury but asserted herself with a vengeance in Monterrey last week, making it all the way to the final. Now, Li Na is hoping to leave her mark at the $4.5-million BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Come along to the desert with the Chinese trailblazer in the latest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Blog.
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Hello one more time from Indian Wells,
I lost to Vera Zvonareva today, 64 64. I had chances to go up in both sets but just didn't take them. I have had lots of close matches with Vera and this was another one. Not only was every game very close, every point was very close. I think she was playing very well, and she put a lot of pressure on me today. I am staying positive though. I was excited to play in Indian Wells and I had good wins before this match. I'm looking forward to going to Miami now.
My coach gave me our schedule for tomorrow and he said we're practicing and then leaving for Miami! There was no time in there for shopping. I'm going to talk to him tonight and try to push him to change his plan!
Thank you to all of my fans for reading my first blog. I'll do it again soon :)
What are your goals for 2009? Sun, China
I hope to stay healthy and play the whole season. In the last two or three years I have missed many months at a time each year with injury, so I'm going to try not to let that happen this year. Also, I really want to win the China Open. It has been growing every year and this year it is bigger than ever. I also want to do well at the Grand Slams, it doesn't matter which one!
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Sunday, March 15, 2009
Hello again everyone :)
It's very late right now, so I might keep tonight's blog a bit short. My match with Amélie Mauresmo was scheduled for not before 8:30pm, and it's about 11pm right now! Most of my day, until about 5pm, was for sleep :) Well rest, I wasn't sleeping the whole time. I practiced from 6-7 then ate right before the match, and now I'll probably just have a shower and go straight to bed!
Playing Amélie is not easy. She plays so smart and has so many different shots. She made me run all over the court and even served and volleyed, so I really had to focus. She has a lot of experience. But I won, 75 62. I'm very happy with my game and I hope to play like this in my next match, against Vera Zvonareva. I haven't thought about that match yet but of course it will be very tough.
Tomorrow is another day off from matches. I'll practice around 3pm then maybe get a massage, then go back to the room. Yesterday I had a day off too and I didn't do anything interesting, just talked with my friend on the internet and practiced. I really like shopping but every day I say I'll do it the next day then I never do, so now I'll wait for the tournament to be done before going shopping!
Thank you all for your questions. It's really late right now, so I'll answer more of them next time. Hopefully you all understand :)
I'll talk to you all again after my next match!
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Friday, March 13, 2009
Hi everyone!
I just came from winning my second round match with Patty Schnyder. It was very tough. She plays so smart and made me work so hard to win every point. I was just focusing on myself and my tennis today, and I'm so happy to win. It's a little late now, about 8 o'clock, so my husband and I will go to dinner at this really good French restaurant and then I'll probably go to sleep!
My day off yesterday was very relaxing. I practiced once then had a massage, then just spent the rest of the day at the hotel, surfing the internet and talking to my friends on it too. I haven't seen the city too much yet but maybe tomorrow, we will see. There's a big shopping mall I want to go to, but I normally wait until the end of the tournament before I buy anything. It depends on how far I go :)
To all of you reading, I'll try my best to keep winning - trust me! I'll talk to you all again after my next match.
How do you stay positive during an injury lay-off? Robert, UK
Even when I am injured, I'm still working hard on everything. So I have to stay positive. It's hard. My team helps with that a lot. They are always behind me, supporting me. They push me a lot. Because it's not easy to be injured, and it's not easy to come back from it. They sometimes even yell at me to keep working harder, and I would just do it. It worked!
What's your favorite city to play in? Jenna, UK
Before it was Paris. It's so nice and relaxing, and it's so romantic. It doesn't seem as busy as other places. Now I like Indian Wells too. It just looks perfect. In practice here I looked at my coach and said, 'Look at the mountains and the sky, it looks like a postcard!' The weather is good too. It's just perfect here.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Hello and welcome to my blog.
I just finished my first round match with Tamarine Tanasugarn. First rounds are always tough, but this one was more difficult because we're friends. It was hard for me to fight on the court. She plays so fast too. But I was able to use her pace and move her around the court. I'm happy to make it to the second round.
The beginning of the year was tough for me. I didn't play in Australia because I had an operation on my knee. I was watching some tennis on TV and I knew I had to work hard to come back. It's hard to be positive when the last few years I've missed many months each year because of an injury, but I am hoping this year I'll have no injuries. I hope I can play the whole season!
I had a good week in Monterrey last week. I love new tournaments. Every day I was thinking about how nice it was there, the hotel and courts were so nice and the people were all so friendly. If I have a chance I'll go back next year. I tried to do some shopping but I didn't buy much, but I looked around a lot.
I came to Indian Wells on Monday night and have just been practicing and getting ready for the tournament since. Tomorrow I have a day off from playing but I'll practice and then I have my annual physical (the Tour gives us a physical exam each year to help us prevent injuries and teach us about health and nutrition...)
I'm hoping I'll have a good tournament and a good year, too - this is the year of the cow in China, so hopefully everyone will have a good time!
I'll talk to you all again after my next match :)
