SEOUL, South Korea - Daniela Hantuchova holds a special place in her heart for Seoul and this week she will not only be the Hansol Korea Open's top seed, but also its resident Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Blogger. Come along to the South Korean capital with the Slovak star...
Friday, September 25, 2009
Hello one last time from Seoul...
Unfortunately, I lost to Kimiko today. It was a very long and up-and-down match. I had chances, but all the credit to Kimiko, she was playing unbelievably. I thought she would get tired, because she hasn't been back for long and because of her age, but she didn't. She was going for her shots, hitting them flat and hard, and it was very tough for me to do anything. She never backed down. I had a few chances at 4-all in the third, but she was fighting so hard for every point. It just didn't work for me. I knew I had a tough match coming, but I didn't think she'd play this well! She had been away from the game for so long and I thought she'd make more mistakes, but she played a perfect match.
Despite the loss, this week has been very good preparation for Tokyo and Beijing. I'm so pleased I came. I saw Korea and had the chance to learn something new about another culture. I had a great week here :) It's a shame, I would love to have stayed longer... Now I've got to pack and get ready for my next tournament. I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow. It starts on Sunday so I want to get there as soon as possible. This is the great thing about tennis, that if it doesn't work out for you one week, there's always another opportunity coming up. It's not like track and field, where you have to wait another four years for the next Olympics... I always try and look at it from the positive side :)
I had a lot of fun doing the blog this week, and hearing from you guys every day was really nice, of course! I will do it again soon. You can keep up with me after this on my official website, too - www.dhantuchova.com.
Until next time :)
Daniela
How do you feel about the European indoor season, which has been one of your best seasons. It has shortened up this year. Andreas, Austria
I was thinking about that before coming here. It's my favorite part of the year. I feel like fast indoor courts are the best surface for me, after grass. Also, it's always nice after New York to stay in Europe and not have to travel again for 15 to 20 hours! I always have my best results in that season. Sometimes I saw the other players a bit tired from the long season, but I always felt pretty fresh. It's a shame it's not that long anymore. But there are still a few tournaments!
Besides Ai, who are your best friends on Tour? Anita, Australia
It's a tough sport for that. It's so individual, so when you're in a tournament, you have to focus on your game and do all the right things. When you finish with that, you spend time with your team and your family and friends from outside of tennis... To be honest it's really tough to find someone like Sugi. She's just an incredible person. So friendly, so sweet!
What are your goals for the rest of 2009 and 2010? Hayley
This year I want to get a few more good results. Tokyo and Beijing have tough draws but there's also Linz and Luxembourg. I'm already focusing on 2010. I just want to improve my ranking and game. I'm looking forward to it.
Are you excited to go to Tokyo and Beijing? Do you ever do any sightseeing in those cities? Yuki, Japan
It's tough to see much at those tournaments because the site is far from the hotel, and you can spend all day practicing, training and playing. But I do love Tokyo. I love Japanese food. And I'm really looking forward to seeing Sugi there - I want to support her at her last tournament as much as I can. I'll watch her singles matches. I hope she can do some damage - it'll be an exciting week!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
I'm definitely pleased with my match today, winning in straight sets. I felt like I was dominating from the first point until the end. It's the first day I really feel like I'm used to the time zone, and I'm not dying in the evening anymore :)
Tomorrow in the quarterfinals I play Kimiko Date Krumm. It's going to be tough. I watched a bit of her match today and she's playing very solid, it's unbelievable. It's just incredible what she has done at that age. I give her all the credit. I'm looking forward to it a lot - I never thought I'd have a chance to play her. I'm hopeful I'll play well again, but it will be a very tough match.
We kept the tradition tonight and went to the Indian restaurant again! We did look around, but still chose the same place. I am ordering different things every day, though - don't worry, I'm not that superstitious. I think going to the same place is enough! Apart from that, after the match I did some practice, had a massage and just took it easy... oh and after dinner I had a hot chocolate, I've been having one every night. I like having something sweet each day :)
I'm probably going to watch some DVDs for a bit now. Maybe some Friends again... I've seen all of them. I've probably seen all of them a few times, actually. It takes five seconds for me to realize which episode I'm watching. It's that bad.
Have a nice day and talk to you again tomorrow :)
Daniela
You have such good down the line shots. How did you develop them, or did they come naturally? Tim, UK
Thank you :) I have to say I'm pretty lucky, because they came naturally to me, both sides. I do like them a lot. It's nice to have them in my game!
Which languages do you speak? Patricia, Germany
My first language is Slovak. I also speak German, which I learnt at school when I was very young (I probably spoke it better back then!) We live close to Austria, so it comes in useful, and whenever I'm in Germany I try to use it. Of course I also speak English. Also Czech, Croatian, Slovenian, but sometimes it's a bit of guessing... I know some Italian. I'd love to learn more in the future.
How has Larry Passos helped you with your tennis? Jo, Philippines
I'm already benefiting from all of the experience he has, especially from working with a No.1. I have so much respect for him. He has helped me believe in myself a lot more, giving me confidence and making sure I work hard every day. He's very professional and knows what he wants to achieve. I see it all more clearly now - I feel like a better player. We started working together in the spring but I've actually known him for a good 10 years. He and Guga used to stay in the same place as us for Roland Garros so I met him then, and when he started travelling on the women's tour I saw him around a lot.
What do you think of Korean culture? Oliver, Canada
I have to say, I'm very impressed. I'm very glad I got this opportunity to explore another culture. They make me feel very welcome - it's probably the same with anyone. They're very Westernized here. People are dressed very nicely, which is one of the first things I notice :) They have the best shops, they work very hard, they're very organized, always on time... The facilities here are just wonderful.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Hello again everyone :)
For a first round match, today was really good. Ayumi was playing very well - it wasn't an easy first round. But I was very happy the way I dealt with things. From 1-1 to 5-1 in the third set I definitely picked it up. I was relaxed and went for my shots, I played the perfect game. I can definitely take lots of positives out of the match. It was also nice to get on court after many days of practice. The crowd was great, they make me feel very welcome here!
After the match I went to the practice courts for a bit, got a massage, then did an autograph session for the tournament and Prince. The people here are so nice. They gave me gifts, like a bouquet of flowers, which I brought back to the hotel with me. I'm looking at them right now :) We also went to the Indian restaurant again, and again it was excellent!
I'd like to thank the Slovak Ambassador, who came to the match today. It's so nice to have Slovak support in Korea, it made me feel very good. In New York there were many Slovaks in the crowd too. I'm used to having crowd support around the world, but to have fans from back home makes it even more special.
I'm looking forward to being on the court again tomorrow. I'm going to try my best, as always. Now I'm ready for sleep though...
Until tomorrow,
Daniela
Do you plan to play doubles with Ai Sugiyama before she retires this year? And who will be your doubles partner next year? Dan
We're playing our last tournament together in Tokyo. It's really sad, but I'm really glad I'll be a part of her last tournament. Ai has given me so many wonderful memories on the court, and we're great friends, so it's going to be tough to see her go. She's such a great fighter and a great person. The tennis world will miss her, for sure I will. It won't be easy to find another one like her. Next year I may play some doubles here and there but I'm really going to try focusing on my singles. One of the reasons I was playing doubles so much was because Ai was one of my best friends, and we were having so much fun :)
Who is your favorite character on Friends? Loveleane, Philippines
I don't think the show would be as great if any of them weren't there. But I think Joey is the funniest... Chandler too. It's hard to choose. I love them all!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
It was a good day today!
The weather was great with lots of sunshine, I had a good practice, a nice massage... I got back to the hotel around 6pm. I'm trying to take it easy because I have my first match tomorrow. I went shopping for a little bit, an hour or so... I just looked around and there's some very impressive shopping! Nice clothes, all the best brands - I only looked around today but I'll definitely be going again before I leave and actually doing some shopping :) After that we went out for a nice dinner with my coach. There's a nice Indian restaurant here at the hotel. I hadn't had Indian in years, but it was excellent. We'll go again.
Right now I'm just getting ready for tomorrow, relaxing. I can't find anything to watch on TV here so I'll probably put a DVD on. I love Friends - I could watch it all day long! There's also a movie I love, Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith, that is one of the nicest movies I've ever seen. Of course, I always have my Gladiator DVD with me as well - my favorite movie.
I'm excited to play tomorrow... I've been here for four days and I'm used to the time difference now, and I can't wait to go on court.
Have a good day :)
Daniela
I know you like fashion, so now that you've moved from Nike to adidas, are you planning on designing your own apparel? Adrienne, USA
Definitely! I'm already thinking about it. I just started wearing adidas so I haven't had time yet, but when the season is over I'll be talking to the designers. These clothes are very feminine and suit me very well. I'm proud to be a part of adidas.
You mentioned watching Mecir at the Olympics - what was it like for you to represent your country at the Olympics? Riccardo, Italy
Good question! It was a once in a lifetime experience. Especially being there for your country at opening ceremony and playing with my flag on my t-shirt, it all meant so much to me. It's the same with Fed Cup, too - and winning it - was one of my most memorable moments. The atmosphere is incredible. Playing for my country was a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I'll never forget it.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Hello from Seoul :)
It's very special for me to be here. In 1988 I watched Miloslav Mecir win gold at the Seoul Olympics - it was the first time I saw tennis on TV and that match was the reason I started playing. After seeing him win, I asked for my first racquet. It's amazing to be playing in the very same stadium...
It was a long trip here! I'm still fighting jet lag. After the US Open I went home for about a week. I didn't even have much time to get used to the time difference there, and now I'm in an even further time zone. Hopefully I'll get used to it!
As you may know, I had some problems with injury last year. I really feel I'm getting back to my best now. I had a great summer, playing well at Wimbledon and then some very good results at Stanford, Cincinnati and the US Open - I was really pleased with how I played at those tournaments. I'm injury free and am hoping I can get some more good wins before the end of the year.
It has been interesting here so far. I've been focused on tennis the last few days, but I have to say the hotel is really nice and there's shopping right here too. I'm not surprised... I heard lots of good things about this tournament. The courts are so close to the hotel, which is convenient. The people here are trying so hard and the Tournament Director is so nice. Tonight we had the player party right here in the hotel - it was nicely done! We took some questions and had pictures taken with some people. Overall it was a great way to end the day for me.
Today I could only practice indoors because it was raining. Tomorrow I have two practice times, but the second one won't be too intense because I play my first match Wednesday. I want to rest a bit, but I also need to get used to the outdoor courts. My coach and I are completely out of it with the time difference! I've been going to sleep so early... one morning I woke up at 5am.
I'm excited to answer your questions... so please send them in!
Talk to you all tomorrow :)
Daniela
