World No. 76, Russian tennis player Anna Blinkova, shared how she spends her time off the court.
Q: When you say it`s best to rest after tough matches, what does that rest look like for you?
A: Besides warm-ups, stretching, and massage, I also enjoy simply lying on my bed and looking at the ceiling. I like going for walks, reading, and spending time with my team. I particularly enjoy talking about tennis, and *only* tennis, with my team. Additionally, I`m a social person and like chatting with everyone at the courts – talking to this person and that person. However, I don`t do things like going out for drinks, or visiting spas, hammams, or saunas – I don`t like those. I have a problem, I don`t know if it`s a problem or a good thing, but I really love watching tennis on TV and my phone. I watch everything – men`s, women`s, big tournaments, Challengers… I watch it all, sometimes too much. Sometimes you really need to switch off, rest, and do something else, otherwise, you can go crazy.
Q: There`s a well-known phrase that tennis is like `chess in motion`. In your opinion, is that really the case?
A: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I believe it varies. Sometimes it`s very important to build tactics against a specific opponent based on their tendencies – who makes more errors on the forehand or backhand, who likes high balls or dislikes them, who moves more or stays centered. Building combinations is also crucial for winning points. This is especially true on clay, where you can`t just reduce your opponent`s chances by hitting hard and hoping they make a mistake, because the surface is slower. On clay, it`s important to construct rallies like in chess, using different zones and trajectories, playing smartly. But at the same time, for me, it`s important not to get fixated on the opponent, but to do what I`m good at, what I do best, and not overthink things, as that can be distracting and break concentration. I often tell myself to play simply – hit into the zones where I`m most effective, and apply pressure, pressure, meaning play aggressively, with margin, and not constantly aim for the lines. Plus, sometimes it`s helpful for me just not to think at all and trust my body, my experience, and my instinct, so to speak, and just fight as hard as I can without thinking.
Q: Do you play chess now?
A: No, I`ve kind of given it up.
Q: How often do you manage to visit Russia nowadays?
A: To be honest, I don`t come often. Firstly, I have a very busy schedule. Secondly, flights are currently expensive. And unfortunately, I haven`t been able to spend more time in Russia lately.
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