Daniela Hantuchova's Sofia Blog: Thursday - 達妮埃拉·漢圖霍娃 Hantuchova

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Hello again everyone :)

Well, I thought both Caroline and I played a great match today, and it was
very close, but unfortunately I didn't win. It was one of those days where
you're playing great and giving your best but it's just not meant to happen.
The fact that I won more points in the match shows how many chances I had -
but I can take a lot of positives out of it, like it was 100% better for me
than the match before, and the crowd enjoyed it and gave us so much support,
which meant a lot.

The fans in Sofia are great. They've been so nice to me all week and I feel
very welcome here. I think they've really been getting into the matches and
I'm sure over the weekend it will be even more packed here. It's the first
year of the tournament being here and I think people are starting to really
realize it's a great event to have here in Bulgaria - and hopefully it will
bring more attention to tennis in the country and more kids will pick up a
racquet and start playing this sport!

Oh and also, I had a day off yesterday and I went to the Slovak embassy, and
we met the Slovak ambassador and spent some time with him. It was nice to go
there, when you're in another country it always feels like going home :)

Today was quite a late night for me, as the matches went very long today, but
now I'm back and I'm going to try and recover as much as I can for the last
match of the season tomorrow. There's no pressure so I will enjoy it!

One other thing I need to mention - obviously it's all over the news. I want
to say how sad it is to see what has happened in the US with Hurricane Sandy.
It's so unfortunate what they have had to deal with, not just what happened
when it hit, but everything that's happening now, all of the damage and
millions without power. I've been watching it very closely. New York is one
of my favorite places in the world. The people there are wonderful and I hope
they can recover...

Thanks for all of your fan questions too - I'll do a few more now.

Love,

Dani



Will you come to Monterrey in 2013? Fede, Mexico

I've absolutely loved spending time in Mexico, not just playing the tournament
in Monterrey but also training in San Luis Potosi. I love the people there and
the food is just fantastic, of course. I would love to come back there soon!


How does it feel to play against a friend like Caroline? Mari, Japan

Caroline is a great friend of mine. We enjoy practicing together and trying
to improve our games. But when we are on the court we don't give anything to
each other - we just give everything and fight hard. It's all about the win.


Do you do yoga or any other stretching exercises? Sandy

I do love yoga very, very much. I also love my adidas yoga outfits for it
because they are amazing and make it more enjoyable! But yoga is not only
enjoyable for the body, but the mind too. I started really getting into it a
couple of years ago and I try to do it as much as I can. It helps me keep fit
and healthy.


What tension do you usually use on your racquets? JC, London

Hi JC - well, it usually depends on the balls, the surface, and like here, the
altitude. For instance, here I'm stringing 6kg more than usual because of how
much the balls are flying. But it varies depending on where you are.


What is your favorite city to visit in the USA? Alex, USA

Obviously New York is my favorite, and like I mentioned earlier, I feel so
sorry for what has happened there. As for other places, I love California -
especially the San Diego area. Rancho Santa Fe as well. I just love being out
there, not just for tennis, but also golf, surfing... And of course, Indian
Wells will be a special place for me for the rest of my life. And I really
enjoy Miami too.


How much do you practice, and do you enjoy media activities? Erik

All of my training depends whether I'm in a tournament week or not - of
course it's more when I'm not at a tournament and less when I'm playing a
tournament. It can go up and down and there are a lot of factors, but in
general it's four hours of tennis and two hours of fitness. As for the media
activities, I enjoy them more in my training weeks and weeks off, just because
in a tournament I try to stay focused on the matches as much as possible - but
it's a part of my job and I've gotten more used to it after all these years,
so it's all fine!


What's the court speed and texture like in Sofia? Torben

That's actually a very good question. The first thing is the altitude - it's
about 600m here, so it's kind of like Madrid, where the balls are flying really
fast. It makes it very hard to control your shots, so I think that's why in the
first few matches here the rallies weren't that long. On the other hand, the
court surface is quite slow, so overall it's tricky, because when the ball
comes slowly, it can just stop; but then you have to be careful not to
overhit it. But aside from that, the stadium is beautiful and we all have our
own locker rooms, personalized cars and so on, and we're all really enjoying
everything here :)



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