Kim's Diary-Mixed feelings - 網球 Tennis

有提到之前版友在微風超市看到的巧克力耶!!!
害我也想去抱一桶回來了～

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03-11-2006


I just won my second round, but I still have some mixed feelings
like yesterday. There were a few games where the ball was going
exactly where I wanted it to go and I was controlling my points,
like how I usually play. But there are definitely games where I'm
still not patient enough and am not making the right decisions.


Sometimes I'd be a meter or two behind the baseline and would go
for a big shot instead of a safer one. But the more I play, the
more that will come back.


Even though yesterday was my first match in a while, I woke up
this morning and felt good. I was maybe a little stiff here and
there but mostly I was very ready to go. I really wanted to work
on the physical side of things before I came back, so that I'd
feel good and not get stiff again after tough matches.


I don't have much time - only two more tournaments this year -
so I wanted to be at a stage where I'd only be worried about my
game on the court.


Now that I'm playing regularly again, I'm getting back into
pre-match routines. Like this morning, I got some breakfast for
me, Brian and his dad; I went to the bakery and got some bread
and sandwiches. Then I made lunch a bit later. I am still having
problems with some of the waiting and eating before a match.


I'm pretty superstitious, like here at Hasselt, I'm always going
to the same locker room (there are five), trying to play on the
same side of the court and eating the same thing. I like to keep
my meals pretty plain at this tournament, which isn't always easy!
They are always making changes to the food.


I have been eating bread with just turkey and cucumber. That's
lunch. Just before a match, I'll eat pasta, vegetables and chicken,
if they have those. I try not to have too much sauce on the pasta.
Pretty plain!


I was going to give Neil Harman from the London Times a call to do
an interview this afternoon, but I ended up falling asleep! We've
been meaning to do the interview for a while, but something always
gets in the way. We'll eventually do it.


Also this afternoon I watched Caroline play her second round against
Michaella Krajicek; unfortunately she lost, but it was three sets
and she played really well. I watched one set on TV, and then drove
over to the tournament to watch the rest of it.


I practice with Caroline a lot and we always have a really good
session. I've always felt she's better in practice than in a match
but this week I've finally seen her at her best, playing as well as
I know she can play. It's exciting! Hopefully, she can keep going
forward and dominate the smaller tournaments she plays.


One thing that we've been celebrating a little bit is Halloween.
I mentioned before that Brian and I watched The Boogeyman, but I
also went out and bought some candy to give out, also little toys.
A lot of Brian's basketball friends are American so they're into it
too. No kids rang the doorbell that night but the basket is getting
pretty empty anyway!


The dogs are getting chocolate here and there. I love chocolate,
especially black chocolate, it's my favorite. I like Kinder chocolate,
anything from them I love.


I also have my own chocolate! I gave Danny from the WTA a box of it
today. It came out last year. It's a limited edition chocolate named
after me, by the Belgian company Duc d'O. It's in a thin box, which
looks like a tennis ball can, but filled with little chocolates that
look like little tennis balls! They taste good. The company asked me
to do it and I was happy to.


I got something very exciting today. One of my friends bought me a
tupperware bowl that has a lid attached, and you just put onions into
it, turn it, and it slices them up for you. It'll definitely make my
cooking much less stressful! When I cut onions, I'm crying the whole
time. I can't wait to start using it!!


This evening I had a bit of dinner at the tournament. They have food
here until the last match is done, which is a bonus. You don't have
to worry about eating at home. Usually after a match I'll just get a
quick massage and rest up. Tonight I had a bit of fruit and some pasta
to get my carbs up.

I like the food here - I'm not a huge fan of going to really nice
restaurants all the time. Sometimes Brian and I will go to them though.
My favorite one is Nobu, but they don't have that here, so whenever I
go to cities that have them (New York, London, Milan, Miami), I try to
go as much during that one week as possible! The owner of it is a big
tennis fan. I try to go every other day when I'm in one of those cities.

In the quarterfinals tomorrow I play Sandra Kloesel, whom I played in
the first round of Miami last year. I won that match, but what I
remember most was it was the middle of the day, and very hot; I was
sweating and my skin was burning. The toughest thing out there was to
get through that heat. It was draining to push yourself through the
points, but I enjoy it. That's what makes you better, pushing yourself
through tough situations like that. It gives you a little extra when
you're playing big matches or the big players.


I'm playing the night match again tomorrow so Caroline and I will
probably have some fun during the day, do some online shopping. So far
this week we haven't done a lot, because we're playing at different
times and she usually leaves in the morning while I'm still at home
resting. But tomorrow will be fun.


I'll talk to you all again after my match!


Kim


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