Whenever I go to tournaments, I always make a point to check out players practicing. Even if it’s just for as little as 20 minutes or so, watching players practicing is always a great experience as not only is it a chance to watch all the top players dialed in and fully focused, but you get to see the way players interact with their coaches their team and also the fans.

So you can imagine how pissed off I was when I arrived at the practice courts to see them all fenced off.

Thankfully, I did get to see one or two players practicing on the unoccupied courts though, and first up was Mrs Schnyder. She was hitting with a random young dude as Rainer barked orders from the sidelines. Patty was relaxed (when is she not?) and she was hitting the ball pretty well. By the end of the session I was drowning in a pool of drool because her strokes are just so goddamn beautiful to watch, really. Most people who have seen her around have always mentioned how good she is with fans, and they were correct. After the practice she signed autographs with fans and took pictures for around 5-10 minutes even as it rained. I don’t quite remember what I said to her, but it was to the effect of “Beat that [insert insult] Wickmayer.” She laughed.

Other players I saw practicing were Querrey (who cares?), Dmitry (who reminded me exactly why i’m a fan), as well as Sharapova and the Wicked One herself (not together, thank God) from afar.

I really like this picture. Don’t have a clue why.

As the light began to fade I made my way towards court 13 for Gilles’ match. I hadn’t even been to that part of the grounds and as I walked there, I caught sight of a couple of players practising on the unlit outer courts. I decided to check them out and as I edged closer and closer realisation flooded over me. “Of course, OF COURSE!”  In every single tournament report I’ve read, someone always mentions the fact that Kiri practices far more than any other player. And lo and behold, there she was. There was Kiri being fed balls by father Yuri in the fading light, on the most secluded and detached court on the grounds. Most players were back at home and chilling out, but she was still working hard. There were a three other guys sitting down and perving on her, but for me it was probably one of the best tennis moments I’ve experienced. I didn’t even sit down. I just stood there, hands in pockets, and watched in complete silence and awe. She looked over at me a couple of times and we exchanged smiles. It’s completely cliché, but you have to see her in person to really understand just how beautiful she is as well as those volleys of hers.