 |
| With my partner Marcelo Melo after the mixed doubles final© Getty Images |
 |
| A quick stop at the Eiffel Tower during a past French Open© Getty Images |
Vania King has had an outstanding career since turning pro in July 2006, winning one WTA Tour singles title and seven doubles titles, including the Brisbane doubles championship in January. A 20-year-old from Long Beach, Calif., King is writing an exclusive blog for USTA.com throughout the year as she travels to different tournaments around the world. This week, she is in Paris, competing in the 2009 French Open.
Have a question for Vania?
She will be answering questions from fans in her daily blogs and would love to hear from you . Please keep in mind, however, that due to her busy playing schedule she does not have time to answer all questions.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Hey everyone!!
Well, it seems like such a long while that I've written, probably because so much has happened -- not only in the last three weeks, but just in the last week!
So I guess the first news is that yesterday we played in the finals of mixed doubles! It was an amazing experience. I played with Marcelo Melo, and I didn't even expect to play mixed doubles. We decided to play not an hour before the sign-in deadline closed! We lost in a close third-set tiebreak, and we lost the second set in a tiebreak, as well. Just one point could have made the difference, but that's how tennis is.
To update from last time, after a great week of sightseeing (thanks, Sarah!), another friend of mine, Justine, was semi-vacationing in Paris, as well, and ended up staying with me for the week. We went to the player's party on Friday and had a blast. I won't go into too much detail, but don't worry Mom, I'm OK ;) I went to dinner with Justine and her family a few times to St. Germain le Pres, near the Loevre (I still haven't been inside yet!! It may have to wait till next year...) and at the Champs Elysees.
I know my mom worries a lot about me because I'm alone and in Paris and surrounded by a lot of different people, but I feel like this is really good for me -- to be on my own and to take responsibility for my own actions.
Hmmm, well I thought I had a lot to say, but I guess all my excitement was packed into a few terse sentences... haha! Well, yesterday, after the finals, I had to take a doping test, where you pee in a cup with a person standing in front of you making sure you don't put any false urine in or something, and then after the test (which went really quickly because I had to go to the bathroom right after the match), I had to take a blood test. And let me tell you, I am SO scared of needles. Luckily, the lady who did my urine test was very nice -- a kindly, older German woman -- and she held my hand and kept talking to me, while the doctor (who was also very nice, too, he kept trying to reassure me he was going to do it quickly) drew the blood. I'm not even ashamed to admit the details because I am so petrified of needles.
So I'm here sitting in the Phillipe Chatrier Stadium locker room on the computer watching Soderling and Gonzalez play the third set, with Soderling up 2 sets to 1. I'm actually rooting for Soderling to win the title because I watched him play against Nadal, and he played just amazing. I also don't want Federer to win Roland Garros (even though it seems likely now) because then he would tie Sampras's record, and Sampras was my idol when I was growing up. I watched him on TV playing against Agassi so many times, and I just loved his game. The day after Nadal lost, I was watching Federer play against Haas and left after he was down 2 sets to 1, but it felt like Haas was letting the match slip away. I was very disappointed, but Justine was very happy to root for her countryman.
OK, so I'll leave it like that. We leave tomorrow for Birmingham, so I'm a little bit excited to leave Paris (I've been here three weeks already!), but it's always interesting to move to the next tournament. It's like once we get settled in one place, we have to move on again! Well, if you took a look at my apartment, it DEFINITELY looks like I've settled here. Or that two really messy people stayed there (I do the work of two).
OK, cheers everyone! Bisous! ;)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Hey everyone!!
I can't remember exactly what I wrote in my last blog, however there have been so many new things happening... off the court mostly, haha!! I lost in the second round of the qualifying, which was very disappointing, but I feel like I improved a lot on clay this year. (It was always my least favorite surface, and it was so bad to the point that I didn't even want to get on the court to play my matches).
In other news, wait... I'll start from the beginning because I'll get confused which days are which. My coach took me out to see Paris the second day we got here, and we went to visit St. Germain des pres, walking to the Loevre and, from the Loevre, to the Obelisk. The walk was amazing. I love the statues, especially the ones from Roman/Greek mythology. It is a beautiful place to have a relaxing stroll or sit and read a book.
From there, we went to Notre Dame, where the architecture is breathtaking. I wasn't too keen on the coin souvenirs you could buy in the church (like at a zoo, where you put in 51 cents and you get the penny souvenir), but I guess they have to make money! We walked back to the mall in Boulogne very close to where we are staying, where I ended up buying a pair of heels.
So then Friday, a friend of mine, Sarah, took me out to do some more sightseeing, to the La Defense, where we went to the mall and walked in the plaza, and then to a street off the Champs Elysees, where we went to the Hotel Athenee. She is friends with a pastry chef who is world famous, and we got to try the pastries there! They were amazing. Absolutely delicious. I felt a little bit awkward in that atmosphere, though, because everyone there was dressed in suits and ties and formal wear when it was only the afternoon!
Afterwards, we picked up my friend Chantelle from the train station (she came from Nice to see me), and in the evening, we went to the VIP room to have some fun. ;)
I was very tired the next day, though, so I slept in a bit and, in the afternoon, went to the Lacoste Welcome Party at Roland Garros. In the evening, Sarah took us to the Eiffel Tower, where we took some great photos, and we got to see it light up and sparkle!! We also stopped by the Arc de Triomphe for some pictures. We were lucky because right after we took the pictures, it stopped sparkling.
I forgot to mention -- I took two days off (those were the two days I went out sightseeing with Sarah). I am playing doubles here, but it doesn't start until Tuesday.
Today I practiced in the morning, and it was really sweltering outside, something very unusual for Paris this time of year. The day before it was raining a little bit, so I was very surprised at the weather! After practice, I went back to the site (we were practicing off site, about five minutes walk away) and met up with Sarah for a little bit and had lunch. I stopped by the Prince distribution room located at the Radisson to pick up some racquets. I may switch to a new racquet, but we will see!!
Sarah took us out again to Montmarte this time, near Moulin Rouge, to see the views of the city atop the hill in north Paris. The area of Montmarte was very beautiful but not an area I would frequent alone and in the evening. Also in that area was where much of the movie "Amelie" took place. We passed by the diner where she worked, and the fruit shop she shopped at.
OK, so I have to go to sleep now. I was trying to write while I was still excited because when I get tired, I have no energy to be positive and write!
Cheers everyone!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Hi everyone!
So I am in beautiful Paris... which I never thought could be beautiful. It's true, the last three years I was here, my sightseeing consisted of hotel, car, site, car, hotel. We did pass by the Eiffel Tower once, and I got to see it through the car window.
Yesterday, my coach (who is French and lived in Paris for four years) took me out to see the city to basically prove to me that France is a great country and Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I must agree that Paris is a very beautiful city! I'm not sure if I can say the same about the people... but the city is beautiful!! OK, I have to admit that because I was attempting to say some words in French, I think the waitress was surprised at my effort and was nice to me.
We are staying in Boulogne in an apartment not 10 minutes walking distance from the site. On our way back from touristing yesterday, we stopped by the mall in Boulogne, where I bought some heels from Zara. Erwann (my coach) said they looked like spiderwebs, which almost deterred me from buying them, but I convinced myself it was the right thing. I also tried to withdraw money from the ATM machine, but my debit card was declined, yet again! I had the same problem in Rome, and it's really annoying because, especially overseas, you really NEED cash at times, and I don't have any! I had to end up borrowing money from Erwann. I sent a pretty direct (slightly scathing) email to my bank!!
Today we walked to Roland Garros (it took us eight minutes from the apartment to the gate of Roland Garros) at around 9 a.m., but it was raining, so we waited around for a little bit (with nothing to do but buy some expensive coffee and snacks) until around 11:30 a.m., when we headed back. We went back to the site around 2 p.m., did some fitness; meanwhile, it was still raining. So we went back again to the apartment (we are really lucky it's so close!) at around 3:15 p.m., and then came back around 5:30 p.m. The last time, we went by bike. It was HILARIOUS. The apartment owner lent us her bike, so we have this black cruiser with a basket in the front and a space in the back that someone can sit on. So I sat on the back of the bike, while my coach rode the bike to Roland Garros! I was a bit scared in the beginning because whenever he starts pedaling, the bike is really wobbly. It was definitely a new way to come to Roland Garros -- by bike! We took the bike to the practice court. I can't imagine what people will think if I pull up to my match on a bike! And because the 10 minutes was too long, we now can get to the site in two minutes!
I am also reading a book that was in the apartment called "A Year in Merde," which is about an Englishman's year of living in Paris -- rather, attempting to live in Paris. I've only gotten through a little part of it because my coach found it first, but it sounds really funny and something perfect for me to read.
So after a long day of grey skies and rain, it is now a beautiful deep blue sky outside. I really like how our apartment has a lot of large windows, so there is a lot of light. I feel really at home. It's quite amazing because, truthfully, one of my two least favorite countries (in terms of past experience) was France. But, for now, I will revise my opinion and give you the final review when I leave.
The food has been terrific. The bakery is absolutely divine. I don't like really sweet things, but the more simple things, like croissants, are a lot better than in the States! The food was also really good in Madrid, and I thought that the pasta and vegetables in Rome were great, too.
OK, so I really have to sleep now because I had a headache today -- I think because I spent too much time indoors. It's weird. I'm such a lazy person, but if I spend the whole morning in bed or inside, then I get a headache, so I have to go outside!
So, I will update soon!
Cheers!
Read Vania's past blogs:
Madrid Open in Madrid, Spain
Italian Open in Rome
Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C.
Back home in California
Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla.
BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.
Monterrey Open in Monterrey, Mexico
Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tenn.
Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, Mich.