At most tournaments, my entire day is spent between the press conference room and my desk, with the monitor in front of me.
Especially in the early days of an event, when there are still many players in the draw, it’s impossible to roam around or watch live tennis in the stands because there’s just too much going on.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun during those early days of a tournament, especially when you get Maria Sharapova in a good mood, providing some sarcastic gems.
Take this nugget from today. The Russian was fielding questions from the press when a female reporter took the microphone.
“I think you’re from Bulgaria, right?” said Sharapova, recognizing the journalist. “I remember a few of your questions a couple of years ago.
She added laughing: “I think we’ve moved on from that,” referring to her former relationship with Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, which naturally prompted many uncomfortable questions from his native land’s press.
When your ex tries everything to get your attention… @MariaSharapova at @tiebreaktens pic.twitter.com/4URFIhQoxS
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) May 4, 2017
It was ATP Media Day on Sunday and five of the top eight seeds were scheduled to do pre-tournament press conferences – Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem.
Nadal ended up getting a rain check because turns out he his otitis (ear infection), which has been causing him a lot of pain. So he asked if his presser could be done on Monday instead.
During Djokovic’s press conference, I was so engrossed in what he was saying that I didn’t even realise there was someone sitting next to me. Not until that someone patted my shoulder, and when I looked to my right, I found tournament director and former Wimbledon champion Manolo Santana sitting next to me. “I like your shoes,” he whispered. The cutest moment of the day, hands down!
