I am currently playing in a 25K tournament in Lutz, Florida, which is north of Tampa, Florida and I am staying with some very nice folks from the Netherlands who offered housing to players in the tournament. They asked me some questions over dinner, and I realized that the questions these people ask me are not so different from the questions I get in any other place I travel. I thought it might be fun to share the FAQ list, complete with answers:
Do they put you with somebody automatically in doubles?
No, there is no “they” who places doubles partners together. Players must find their own partners. There are lists at tournaments for people who are looking for partners—they include doubles rankings of the people signed up for the tournament. If you are available and looking for a partner you can use the list and put down your contact information.
What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been to/played at?
My favorite place to play is Spain because I enjoy practicing my Spanish there. However, in terms of the “coolest” place I have played at, definitely I say Australia. Nowhere else will you see a flock of bright red, and white and yellow parrots flying above, or hear a kookaburra (which is really an amazing sound) while you are playing a match. It’s like a tropical/prehistoric game park down under, and a very interesting experience all around.
Are you friends with the other players?
Yes and no. Some of my best friends are fellow tennis players, but when it comes down to game day and they are on the other side of the net obviously we have to compete against each other. Some players are mere acquaintances and we are not really ‘friends’ per say. It is usually in a player’s best interest to be friendly off the court with the other players, but never to the extent that it somehow hurts your own results.
I think most players would agree with what I say on this topic, although there are a few who like to stay separate from the other players all the time and don’t find being friendly beneficial.
What’s the best ranking you’ve ever had?
316 in singles and 189 in doubles.
How many years have you been playing tennis, and how many years have you been playing tennis professionally?
I started tennis at 7 years old so I have been playing for 20 years. I started playing professionally in June of 2005, so subtracting the year I took off to coach I have played as a pro for almost 5 years.
Where do you go after this and when is your next tournament?
I will go home to Dallas after this tournament and my next tournament will not be until the beginning of February in either Midland, Michigan or California.
Have you ever played anybody famous like Maria Sharapova or the Williams’ sisters?
No, but I have played against plenty of current top 100 players.
How much do you get if you win the whole tournament?
This answer depends on the tournament obviously. For this tournament at the moment, a 25K, you earn around $3,000 for winning singles and almost $1,000 each person for winning doubles.
What’s your ranking?
411 in doubles, 828 in singles.
What’s the biggest tournament you’ve ever played in?
A couple of lower tier WTA tournaments in Memphis, Acapulco and Quebec City.
Did you go to school?
Yes I graduated from Stanford with a degree in psychology in 2005, and I also played for TCU my senior year of college.
Where are you from?
I was born in Oklahoma City, I lived for two years at Stanford when I was younger and we moved to Seattle when I was 7. I currently live in Texas although I have also lived in Florida and California since graduating from college. I normally tell people that I am from Seattle because that’s where I spent the majority of my time growing up and that’s where my parents still reside.
How do you deal with relationships while you travel so much, is it hard to meet people or have a relationship?
To answer this question I usually tell my housing my current relationship status and listen to the other players in my housing share their status. The answers can be endless in their variety, everybody has different circumstances and comes from a different place.
If somebody is in a relationship what follows is a discussion of long distance relationships and how hard it can be to be away from your significant other. If somebody is not in a relationship then sometimes the housing tries to think of young men to set you up with. Either that or the discussion just stops there, after a little talk about how hard it can be to get to know people when you are only in a place for a couple weeks at a time.
Do you travel a lot?
Between September and November of last year (2010) I played 6 tournaments in 6 different places ranging from Puerto Rico, to Albuerque, to Dallas, Texas. And that is a relatively easy schedule. Yes, I do travel often.
One year I was gone for 2 ½ months in the fall to Asia and Australia. Lots of the girls from Argentina and Australia do that kind of travel regularly because of tournament availability in their home country and the prices of airfare to get back home. It is more efficient to buy one long round-trip ticket and play for a couple of months at a time than for them to go home in between. Girls from the USA travel to Europe for months at a time in the summer during the clay and grass season in Europe also.
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