Hi everyone!! I got down to Miami on Monday and am excited to be here as I grew up just a little ways down the road in Boca Raton. It is great to see my family as I don’t get to spend much time with them since I am on the road all the time and am currently living in Phoenix. Anyway….It was great to be back on the court again since I had so much time off. My Indian Wells run didn’t turn out quite how I wanted it to but I made it through and felt great physically so I am ready to get after it here in Miami. I am first on tomorrow so that is always a little nerving but I feel good and am ready to play. I am a little sad as I will not be back in Phoenix for quite some time and miss my puppy already. I will have some pics of him on the site soon so I can be sure to look at him and laugh as he is such a clown.
I need more questions from all of you who are taking the time to stop and check out this Blog and the page. I have answered a few and of course I love all the support but this is to keep you as informed as I can. If you don’t ask me questions I really do not know what you want me to talk about. Thanks again for the support and I will get back with all of you as soon as I get a chance.
[...] Miami « Bethanie Mattek Blog [...]
Best of luck for match against Pivovarova today. I will keep my questions coming
Hi bethanie!
Good luck. Your first round match doesn’t look really hard, I’m sure you will win it
Next dementieva. I think it’s winnable. She lost early at Indian Wells, and your game is perfect if you want to beat Elena. Fingers crossed and once again good luck
Philip
Hello
Unlucky defeat against Pivovarova, but today you have very good chances in doubles, so dont give up. Nice to have you back…
BTW. this is my favorite picture of you, take a look plz;
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/09_01/mattekbboyDM0309_468×501.jpg
Oh too bad
You need some time to get back to your old shape
By the way, I love how you were dressed at the pre-party
Clay season now, I’m sure you will win lots of points
Good luck bethanie !!!
Well I feel 110% physically, I just need to put it all together on the court when it counts. My offseason was great and my body feels way better than it did last year. I do have to get my rhythm for playing back as that has been my issue thus far. I am continuing to practice and work on things and hopefully I can turn it around from here on out and start climbing a little higher in the rankings.
How about posting updates about your workout routine, your practice schedule, who and where you’re working out with. The website is nice but if it needs to be kept current with updates and photos.
Kevin….It would take me some serious time to write out all my training and practice schedules but I can share a little bit of it with you. There are 4 different aspects to my preparation for tennis. In the off season I live and train in Phoenix,AZ with Jay Schroeder who owns and runs EvoSport/Ultrafit which is linked on my home page. I do all of my physical training and conditioning with he and his staff right here Phoenix. I also work with another Dr in Pennsylvania named Malcolm Conway who works in conjunction with Jay when it comes to training and rehab. Doc Conway has been helping athletes at all levels for 25yrs reach their full physical and mental potential as well as keeping them healthy. Whether you have an injury and are rehabing or are just trying to become a better athlete with training these two guys can make it happen for you more effectively and faster than anyone else that I have seen out there.
When it comes to the tennis side of things, my home club right now is the Boulder’s Resort in North Scottsdale. They have a great facility and the friendliest staff. Dale Light is the tennis director and he is great to work with there. I have different hitting partners and coaches that I work with from time to time, but I really dont have one coach that is with me all the time. I dont really want someone in my ear everyday telling me what I need to do. I like a coach that will let me figure some things out on my own and then help me if i cant figure it out.
The nutritional element of Tennis is huge as well. You have to fuel your body with what works for you. Not everyone needs the same foods, calories and diets. I have a certain routine that I follow daily with my meals that helps me perform better physically or at least I think so. I eat a wide variety of foods, but I make sure that I enjoy them as well. If you don’t like the food you put in your body you never really feel satisfied with your nutrition even if it is good for you.
Here i am rambling on again and I have some other comments I have to respond to. I will eventually put a practice and training schedule together so the fans can see how my day is broken down. You have to give me some time for that as it will take me a little while to do and of course my time is limited right now.
Awesome win against Bartoli, very tricky player. Well done. Best of luck ahead
Great 3 set win against Bartoli today, congratulations! Looks like you have some tough opponents coming up in Hantuchova and possibly Wozniacki. Best of luck.
As far as things I would like to hear about, I’ve always been curious about how other players interact with one another? Are most of the women easy to get along with, or is everyone so focused they just go about their business? Also, what are some of your pre-match routines you do to get yourself in the zone? Music, warming up, etc?
Thanks for your time in interacting with all of us through your blog!
-Robbie
Hey Bethanie.
Great win against Marion today! I was able to watch it on t.v but I was following on live score and it was very exciting. You were down a couple times in the match and you just came roaring back which was great to see. I was wondering what you think about when you’re down in a match? I normally self destruct thanks to nerves but you are able to just brush it off. I recall your 4th round match against Serena last year at Wimbledon and on break points you would serve and volley winners. Do you just go for lack of a better phrase, balls to the wall?
- Matt.
WOW
You had a really had draw in 1round: Marion Bartoli (she was in QF at the Australian Open)
What a fight! and top 20 win!
Now Razanno
No I made a mistake
Next is Hantuchova
She is tired too, she had a long match
OMG you beat Bartoli …bravooo
Good luck this night Bethanie!! Congratulations for your website
hey bethanie! bummer that you lost to hantuchova, but its awesome that you beat bartoli again. itd be cool if you could tell us some stuff about what its like to be on tour. Whats the best part about being on tour? Do you hang out with other players alot? Do you get to see male players often?
btw your site is the raddest tennis site by far
The tour is a lot of fun don’t get me wrong, but it sometimes isn’t as glamourus as it may seem. It takes so much time, effort, energy, staying power, focus and training to just play tennis day in and day out all year long. I love what I do but it is a lifestyle that you have to completely absorb yourself in so you can be successful and make it to the top. Remember, if I am not winning/good at my job I dont make any money and therefore the bills dont get paid. To me its not all about the money in pro sports, but it is nice to know that you get something in return for all the hard work that you are putting in.
I do hang out with some of the players on tour as we all know each other. You have to remember that it is a job and like any job you have to work at it to be good. There are no off days in professional sports. I might have a day that I am not playing a match at a tournament, but that day is spent getting ready for my next opponent by training, practicing and trying to get better. It is nice to have more tournaments this year where it is both WTA and ATP as the crowds are more involved and there are more people at the venues. I am friends with some of the guys on tour as well and it is good to see them more often. Thanks for checking out the site!
Hello Bethanie,
Do you rember me I was the guy in line with you at the Fresh Market in Ponte Vedera Fl. My question to you is? What do you think are the contributing factors to the decline of American tennis players on the tour.
Thank You in advance
John
John…I do remember you! That is a loaded question that I have been asked a few times. I am working on an answer for that one. Some “experts” feel it is because American players don’t have to work as hard when they are younger and go through the struggles that other players do. I dont know if I buy into that. I think it goes in waves. There are talented players from all over the world. I think one of the contributing factors that we have here in the states could be the number of options for young kids. There are so many different sports and activities to choose that tennis may actually be one of those that is getting pushed aside. Look at soccer, it is growing each year in the states, but for so many years it was not even close to being the most popular sport in the US. The same goes for rugby and cricket as they are played here in the states but are way behind baseball, football, track and basketball. I have some other thoughts on this and I will get back to you on it. Take care for now!
Hi, Bethany,
Can you fill us in on your road to becoming a professional tennis player, who supported you early on, what it was like playing without a sponsor, if you considered playing college tennis, what drives you to stand out on the court with fashion, what it is like to be in a sport where sex appeal seems more profitable than sometimes, being a professional female athlete where being an athlete is usually the domain of men, and how married life has helped your tennis? Lots of questions, I know. Please feel free to answer the ones you want. I have some interest in documenting the lives of professional female athletes, especially the ones who don’t get the benefit of media attention immediately.
Thanks, and it’s always a great pleasure watching you progress through the tour!
Tess
WOW!!! all kinds of questions coming at me… I will try and answer without writting to much. Well the road to a pro player would require days of typing, but all I can say is I started when I was 5 and am still trying to make it to the top. Of course my family supported me when I was young and they do now as well. It is so hard to make it without having a good base behind to help through those good and bad times. The sponsor question??? You must not have seen the bottom of the page. I do have a clothing deal with BEBE and I am currently with Wilson. If you are referring to a major money deal, than NO I don’t have that yet. I am hopeful that if I can crack the top 20 this year something like that may come my way. I never considered playing college as I was already playing pro events when I was in High School, and if you are going to make it on the WTA Tour most times college is not the answer. There are some players who do go to college and then come on tour after they graduate but the trend seems to be that if you are good enough you turn pro when you come of age.
I should break this up so others can actually read it. LOL! My driving force for fashion on the court is ME! Its not a matter of being different, it is just who I am. I think tennis clothing can be so boring at times and that is definitely not me. I just like to be comfortable and have fun with it. I would love to have my own label sometime in the near future for sports as well as everday wear. Well sex appeal can be profitable, but you still have to be good in your respective sport. Even if you are potentially the “hottest” girl on tour but you are ranked 200 you wont be getting any big deals just for looking good unless you quit tennis and get into modeling. The big thing is not always the look as much as it is the marketability. One could argue that marketability comes from sex appeal which can be true, but like I just mentioned you still have to be good in your sport.
I will give the married life question its own paragraph. I have only been married for a few short months, but I couldn’t imagine my life without it. It seems as though it would be so empty if I were not married. My husband is back in Phoenix where we live and it is way to hard to be away from him for weeks or months at a time as he has his business there. I asked him to come on tour with me so he can help me reach my goals. I can’t do it without him and it will only make our lives that much better being around each other all the time. So many people have asked me about being married on tour and how it has effected me. It has made me better in all aspects of my life both professionally and personally. I have been away from him for a week now and eventhough we talk several times a day it feels like it has been months. I can’t deal with that!
Why is your interest only in those that dont get the media attention? Tell me more about why and what you want to document.
How does it feel playing against someone you really vibe with a lot? Does it take a little bit of the intensity off or the desire to see your erstwhile partner do well makes you concede the big point here and there? I am talking about ur loss to Sania Mirza and Chuang in the quarters.
It doesn’t matter at all…It is a job and you go out there and do it. Sania and I are great friends but once we are on the court its game on. She would never let up because I am her friend and neither would I. Nadia and I had some trouble yesterday getting in our rhythm and made some mistakes that Sania and Chuang capitalized on. Im sure there will be a time when we play against each other again whether it be singles or doubles and we will laugh about it before and after the match.
Hey Bethanie!
You are hot NOW not just for personally interacting with your fans on your website but also in the game for securing the doubles title at Charleston!
Cheers are in order for proving that your loss to Sania and Chuang in Ponte Vedra (incidentally they went on to win the title) was merely a minor hiccup!
Any plans to play in India so that we too would be privileged to see your fashion statement and tennis wizardry?
HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN!!!
Im not sure if I will get over there to play or not, but if Sania needs a partner and I have the time I would come over and play there.
Bethanie this site is really cool. I love the fact that you actually read what the fans have to say and respond to us that is awesome. When you are touring how much free time do you actually have to do what you really want? I know you are busy, but do you have time to shop, see a movie, or just chill with friends. Good Luck and your style is BOMB DOT COM!!!!
LOL!!! I like your comment….I am very busy each day of the week but there is some down time if you can get your practice and training out of the way in the morning. I do watch a lot of movies at night. I am such a dork when I am on the road though since all I want to do at the end of the day is relax in the hotel room and watch House, Law&Order reruns and movies. The days just take so much out of you that by 8pm you just want some food, relaxation and sleep. Don’t be fooled, this girl can shop! My shopping escapades all depend where I am playing and what type of mood I am in. It has been a while since I went a wracked up a nice bill at the stores. I am thinking I may have to do that sometime soon. The real reason I shop on the road is I can only take so much in a suitcase and after a few weeks of rotating through the same wardrobe I get tired of it and send it home and go buy some new things. It sounds bad but im on the road the next three months with two suitcases, how much could I really bring with me??? Take care and catch up with me when you can.