Amélie blogs from Luxembourg!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Hello again everyone!

I just came from watching my friend Pauline Parmentier playing Daniela Hantuchova. She wasn't able to win but the second set was really close, which I was happy about! Pauline was playing very well in the second set.

Apart from my practice today, I had quite a relaxing day. We started off having breakfast all together, then we went on-site for an hour and a half of practice. I was planning to go to the gym but my legs were feeling a little tight, so I chose to get some treatment and a massage, as well as some stretching. I spent the rest of the afternoon taking it easy, before coming back to the site to give Pauline a little support during her match.

I usually relax by reading, watching movies on my computer or going on the internet. I spend quite a lot of my internet time on eBay, looking to buy some wine. As you may already know, wine is one of my passions, and I'm always looking to buy good bottles at good prices. You can find a lot of good buys on eBay! I talk to my friends on Skype too. As for reading, there isn't one type of book I always read. One of my best friends is an editor and he gives me advice on what books to read and which up-and-coming young writers to look out for, and I've read a lot of good books thanks to him.

I was really happy to see so many questions come in today, and I'll answer some of them now. Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you all again tomorrow!

Amélie

When you're travelling to different cities around the world, do you ever find the time to visit historical places? - Trustus, Russia
I don't usually have much time. My trips usually just consist of tennis, gym, hotel and airports! But I did go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York this year, and saw some of Tokyo last month. I was disappointed not to see the Great Wall of China in Beijing this year. I always try to see Rome when I play there, because there's so much history there and it's so beautiful. And I did spend a lot of time in Zurich last week, as I mentioned yesterday.

I'll join in on the probably gazillion people asking you: Who will be your new coach? - Marie
This is my last tournament of the year, and I'm really just trying to focus on this week for now, and after this I'll have lots of time to find the right coach. I have a few people in mind, but I'm really trying to find the best fit, because I don't have the time to go through several people before deciding on one. I want to find the right one and I'll work with them through the off-season, then go to 2009 with them. And for those of you wondering, my old coach and I still have a great relationship. Loic and I talked just a few days ago. We're still in good contact.

It was great when you and Mary Pierce were both at the top of the game a few years ago. Are you in contact with her? - Ian
I heard from her in July, so it has been a few months. When I spoke to her she was still having injury problems, and not even able to run. She's obviously in a tough situation. But she still believes she will come back and play again. I think it will happen. She's enjoying life and really trying to come back, so I wish her the best. We had some great moments and emotional wins together, especially in Fed Cup. I can't imagine being in her situation. It can't be easy.


What is your favorite movie, and favorite actors? - Shira, Israel
I get asked this a lot and it's always hard for me to pick one! It changes all the time. I'll see a movie and love it, then I'll see another one and love that. Overall, I'd say some of my favorite actors are Anthony Hopkins and Denzel Washington, and my favorite actresses are Hillary Swank, Jodie Foster and Meryl Streep. I recently saw Mamma Mia and it was brilliant. Meryl Streep was brilliant in it. I really needed to relax and that's what I got from that movie. There's also a French movie I really enjoyed recently, called Deux Jours a Tuer. It's about killing time for two days, not killing people! It's a really interesting movie...
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