Irina Falconi
Irina Falconi of Atlanta won the 2011 USTA French Open Wild Card Playoffs in Boca Raton, Fla., to earn a main-draw wild card into the 2011 French Open. Falconi, a native of Ecuador who moved to New York City at age four and now resides in Atlanta, will make her third consecutive appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam event after successfully qualifying for both the 2010 US Open and the 2011 Australian Open. But first she is in Belgium this week competing in the qualifying tournament of the Brussels Ladies Open, where she is trying to earn a spot in the main draw. Falconi, who is currently ranked a career-high No. 116 in the WTA Rankings, is writing a blog for USTA.com during her time in Brussels and Paris. Check back often for updates.
Saturday, May 14
Belgium.
Chocolate.
Darn it.
Got a freaking tournament this week.
Ya feelin me?
What would YOU do?
Dark, white, milk, truffle, caramel pecan, fudge, turtle, sea salt, 85 percent, cocoa, Swiss, oh wait it's Belgium. Darn it. Chocolate, me likey.
Discipline? I got it in spades. That's why chocolate will have to wait. I'm first up tomorrow -11 am. I play a clay court spesh (specialist in tennis gangster terms). Don't worry, Jeff's got it.
Game plan, timing, chocolate croissant, warm up, coffee - it's all covered, scattered, and smothered. Speaking of waffles...
Ain't it great to have your coach with you? Even though he is an old man...
Traffic in Brussels...
This is why we take the train. Cuz that's how we do it. Public transportation is unbelievable here. Forget the tourney transportation, we got a tram baby. To ESPLANADE! That's our stop. That's where our 'hood for the week is.
From Day 1, we have taken the metro (as the Europeans call it) and it has been effortless. Then again, having a coach that happens to know Europe like the back of his head, is also very nice. Tour guide for the next six weeks? Check.
Steak.
I had the pleasure of having lunch today with my fellow American, CoCo Vandeweghe. The girl knows her cuts. I asked the question at the beginning of lunch of what is her favorite kind of food - I opened up a big can. I learned about the type of cut, the price of that specific fat, what that piece consists of, the best place to get a cheap good steak is, and the best steak she's ever had.
If you have any questions regarding steak, you and I both know who to ask.
Red clay...
Difference between green and red. Um, let's start off with color. Got a little Christmas to the colors, but they are years apart in difference. I've been playing on green for the last couple of months, and it's relatively quick, the weather doesn't affect it all that much, and it plays like a slippery hard court.
Red clay however, can change from one point to the next. That's why Nadal strings 10 sticks a day. Oh yeah.
Jeff has been trying to teach me what I should be expecting when I get on the French Open courts (which apparently are like no other.) Sunny and breezy? Firm and fast. Sunny and rainy? Firm and slow. Cloudy and rainy? Slow and slow. Rainy? Heavy, heavy, heavy. That can be within the same game. Preparation is the name of the game.
Brussels is preparing me like none other. Till tomorrow.