Monday, February 18, 2013

Hi there!!

I must say that Monday has been kind to me. I managed to win my match this morning in straight sets. It was a special feeling walking onto center court and being the defending champion - I got a big round of applause when they introduced me as the defending champion. And the first match is always tough, so I'm happy I won. I hope to improve for every match I play.

Before the match the umpire told us that we have hawkeye on the court. That's always fun, I think. I did challange a few times today and it was all to waste - wrong all the time. I beat my opponent but the umpire beat me today I guess....

Since coffee is one of my addictions, me and my hitting partner went to Starbucks. Like yesterday we didn't have to order, they already know what we were going to have.

It's so nice to have your own car so you can get away from the tennis a little bit. Me and Stefan always have fun conversations over our coffees. Stefan is excited 'cause he is getting married this summer. I'm also planning on getting married - just need to find that unlucky guy..... (minor detail)

Since rewarding wins is important, I went to a local jewellery store today. The tournament has been kind and given all the players a gift card. I bought myself a nice ring. After that little break we were back on the tennis court to practice. Got to take every chance you can to improve.

When we were hitting off-site a young guy came up to me asking if I could hit a few balls with him, so we did. This reminded me of when I won the tournament here in 2006. After one of my practices a 13-year-old boy came up to me:

"Hey wanna hit some balls???"
"Sure..."

We hit for 10-15 minutes and I thought, 'Wow, this guy is good, he can become a good player in the future.' And my guess was pretty good 'cause his name was Ryan Harrison, and today he is playing on the ATP World Tour. Cool.

The supervisor here is Mr. Tony Cho. He is always nice and trying to help the players no matter who they are. Already after my match this morning he could tell me I will play doubles tomorrow, and next singles match on Wednesday. That really helps so you can plan and prepare well.

Me and my fellow Swede Johanna will play at 10am tomorrow morning. That's early, which means early bedtime.

Last but not least I must say congrats to Serena for making it to number one again. It's cool to see players over 30 at their best! I also know the Swedish crowd is very excited since both Serena and Venus are coming to Bastad to play in the summer.

Before going to bed I will read my book. Right now it's a love story from Nicolas Sparks, Dear John.

Speak tomorrow again!

Sofia

Sofia's Memphis Blog: Sunday
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