[Feb 4, 2023] First day in Antalya. I arrived at the hotel yesterday around 7pm so I had enough time for dinner and to socialize a bit with the colleagues who will also play this tournament. The trip took 12 hours in total due to the longer layover in Istanbul. The first practice is coming up, but until then I have a few hours to spare with a bit of reading and writing in this diary.

I started to read a new book: „Discipline is destiny”, by Ryan Holiday, and I found a quote that I feel applies perfectly to my career:

Life is not fair, gifts are not handed out evenly. And the reality of this inequality is that those who start at a disadvantage must be more disciplined to have a chance.

I believe I always did what was in my power, in terms of discipline.

What does discipline mean to me?

It means to be balanced, both on and off the tennis court, to go to every practice and give your best that day, and when you encounter difficulties, to overcome them, without getting discouraged. Keep working, know your body at the same time, stay balanced off the court through rest, recovering, and daily nutrition. Discipline is a lifestyle, not only for professional athletes, but for anyone who wants to attain their full potential. But don’t forget that you can and must live the moment, relax, as you like: with friends, watch a movie, read.

I became aware of this, week after week, year after year, in the circuit, thanks to every experience I went through, to all the books I read and to learning from everyone by my side.

Returning to the conditions here, I am writing these lines after finishing the first day of accommodation. As I expected, the conditions are tough. We trained with some “used” balls (this is the quality of the practice balls in these touristic resorts), which at the end of the training were not “going” from the racket anymore. These tournaments are organized in a larger complex, with many courts – here there are 23, not in a tennis club. The players say that those who organize them, do it for profit and not for us. And this is because we are not treated like professionals or, in any case, we don’t feel as such. Until a few years ago – when the ITF changed the rules a bit, those who lost early and did not stay in the official hotel until the start of the next tournament, had to pay for the practice court by the hour. Even now, we are still obliged to leave an identity document when entering the complex, as if we would run away from there. Also, until a few years ago, only W15 tournaments were organized. Now they are obliged to organize one W25 tournament for three W15 organized.

I’ve only stayed in the outside hotels in all the years I’ve been coming here, and I’ve learned to respect and get used to these strange rules.