SOFIA, Bulgaria - The WTA's International Series has its season finale this week at the Qatar Airways Tournament Of Champions Sofia, and who better to blog from the event than former World No.5 Daniela Hantuchova? The classy Slovak gets back into the blogosphere in Bulgaria this week...

Monday, October 29, 2012

Hello again everyone! Obviously today was a busy day - we had a lot of media stuff, starting with the official picture of all of us together. They were planning to do it outside in front of the cathedral, but it was pouring with rain so we did it inside. After that we had the official draw ceremony and the All-Access Hour. It was a very busy morning! Afterwards I had lunch with my brother and my coach, then went to the site, where I practiced on the main stadium and on the other court as well. I'm playing tomorrow, so obviously I have to be ready :)

The field is really strong - that's what Stacey was also talking about today, that it might be the strongest field we've ever had at the Tournament Of Champions. It's very, very strong. Every opponent is going to be really tough and every match very open - the best thing about this is it's going to be very exciting for the fans!

Speaking of the fans, I heard people saying they're already sold out for the weekend, which would be great - and the stadium is fantastic too, which I said yesterday. Hopefully by having this tournament here, tennis in Bulgaria will become more popular and more kids will pick up racquets and play tennis. And if we can help promote tennis here in any way, it's always a good feeling.

My mom arrived today so now I have a lot of family and good people around me here. It feels nice to have so much support. Tonight we went to dinner - we went to the same place as yesterday and had some nice sushi. I have to say, the food here is amazing, not just at the hotel but also the restaurants. We have been very impressed by the city and I'm sure it will be a great week!

I have my first match tomorrow. I'm happy I can be the first match to start the tournament - I'm really looking forward to being on the court, and I hope as many fans as possible come out tomorrow to support all of us!

Have a good night :)

Love,

Dani

Daniela's Sofia Blog: Sunday