This week I qualified for the Wimbledon Doubles with my partner Jill Craybass. I was also fortunate enough to be given a wild card into the singles qualifying but was defeated in the second round by Shenay Perry.

My first round doubles will not be before Tuesday so I have a few days to prepare and enjoy the sights and sounds of the this great grand slam that is Wimbledon.

Play will start tomorrow so It will be exciting to see the first rounds take off as those are always tricky for most players. In a couple of hours the All Whites will kick off against Italy so I am also getting ready for that.

That is all from me

See ya

Marina

 Arrived today to Birmingham, England. I have missed the grass and even though I was jet lagged and tired today my first practice went really well and I couldn’t help but smile the whole way through.

The weather was incredible for English standards, not a cloud in the sky. Tournament starts on Monday so lets hope it will stay that way.

I got the soccer ball out today as well, it is just inevitable when you are out there on the grass, plus with the World Cup coming up and the Kiwis doing well that is just motivation in itself.

Off the bed now to pass out. Good night.

Marina

 I have been in Johannesburg for three days now. I will play my first qualifying match tomorrow. So far the tennis preparation has been good and I am ready to play some matches now.

I have not seen much of Johannesburg, apart from our hotel and the courts. Due to safety reasons we pretty much spend all our time at these two places. We are also escorted to and from the tennis by police.

The tournament is held in Soweto, and I hear it is one of the most poorest and dangerous places in Jo Burg. Nelson Mandela was also born there.

Anyways enough from me, time to fuel up for tomorrow.

Catch ya later

Marina

 I have been training in Florida for the last couple of weeks. I have been working with Christian Zahalka and training at the Chris Evert Tennis Academy. It has been very good so far. Florida is just coming out of their winter now so it has not been super hot but comfortable enough.

I had a chance to meet Chris Evert briefly, so that was a memorable occasion for me as I am a big fan. She is still hitting the ball pretty well and bringing old school back onto the court.

Unfortunately I am not playing in Miami but am planning to head off early next month to play some ITF tournaments in Asia. This training time so far has been great preparation for the upcoming events. Now it is just time to play some matches and get competitive.

Back to work again tomorrow for a start of a new training week. Maybe I will challenge Evert for a bit of one on one slice backhands cross court. Maybe we can pretend we are on a grass court too.

Ok I am off catch you next time.

(Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images AsiaPac)

 I arrived to Pattaya City this Sunday. I had a dreadful trip from Kuala Lumpur airport. Unfortunately my wallet was stolen at check in while I had a split second loss of concentration, but luckily I had my passport with me and I made it to Bangkok.

I actually arrived to Pattaya City in the wee hours of the morning, and was not able to see anything of this beautiful place until I opened my window curtains in the morning to a stunning view of a beach. All is well now however, and we just had a terrific player evening where a couple of elephants were brought out for the players to see. 

The NZ team also had a good FED Cup. We came 5th overall in the group, and the girls played some good matches. We are all off to play our own matches and tournaments now, so it is back to business and solo flying.

Bye

Marina

I have been in Melbourne now for a couple of days, just getting ready for my Tuesday start at the Aussie Open. Do not have a lot of time to update and unfortunately no photo either, but everything is going well and I am really enjoying my time here.

Marina

 I have been back home now for a week. It is great to be back for this great weather, everybody keeps telling me I should count myself lucky because it has just been terrible lately.

I am training most days now out in the sun. My first tournament for next year will be the ASB classic starting on the 4th of January. So I am mainly practicing at the ASB Tennis centre. 

It is nice to be with my family again, and I think we will be putting up the Christmas tree this weekend. I hope everybody has a great Christmas and New Years and i will catch you again soon.

Marina

 Tammy and I won the doubles title in Toyota. We played very well the whole week, and I think it was a lot of fun for the both of us.

After our victory we went out to celebrate with a big Japanese dinner and a night of full on Karaoke with some friends. It was definitely a lot of fun. I am off to Australia tomorrow morning for one more tournament and then I am back home for a little while.

Time to pack again.

Catch you soon

Marina

  I am still in Toyota. My partner Tamarine Tanasugarn and I just won our doubles semi final today. It has been a good week, after a tough loss against Date-Krumm in the singles I have still managed to play some great tennis in the doubles.

 Arrived to Toyota, Japan this Thursday. After taking two planes, two trains and a bus I finally arrived after my 24 hour journey.

I was looking out for all the Toyota cars I would find zooming around the city, but surprisingly they have all types here, even a KIA. 

This week there is also a men’s event here so getting some court time has proved difficult as there is only a small number of courts, but I am doing my best. I have seen quite a few Kiwi’s here, one is Sacha Jones, and another is Ruben Stathan. It is great to see familiar faces and actually have more than one Kiwi at a tournament.

Of course this place is typical Japan, with great Sushi and very friendly people. I am looking forward to this event, and here is a picture of me outside one Japanese restaurant.

I leave for Japan, Toyota on Wednesday.

My training here in Barcelona will come to an end in the next few days. I cannot say it has gone fast or slow, but rather a normal pace. I have enjoyed it very much and I am looking forward to my upcoming tournaments and especially to the start of the next year.

I will be home in December, however I am also looking at playing one more small ITF tournament in Australia before I head home (will update on schedule soon). After such a long period away from competition any chance to get on the match court is welcome.

I was following the All Whites this morning and I am thrilled with the result as I am sure most of NZ is. I took this picture while I was still training on the clay courts during the summer. I think its appropriate with a great win for NZ football and my slow approach to home.

Marina

 Arrived back to Barcelona yesterday. Weather is still nice and warm so I am going to enjoy it while it lasts. I have a couple of weeks of training now before I head off to Japan, so I am going to give it one last push here before I head off.

Definitely looking forward to some Japanese food. Sushi her I come.

See ya

Marina

I lost 76 76 today. Had set points in both sets but just did not manage to close it out. This one definitley hurts, but what I need is matches and that is what I have been getting. I am signed in for the dubs now here in Ismaning so I will be waiting on that tomorrow morning.

Otherwise off to do some match assesing now, catch you later.

Marina

Arrived in Ismaning, Germany yesterday afternnon. Today I managed to practice a bit on the courts and get used to the conditions. The carpet here is very nice, a lot softer then in Italy and a little bit slower. The tennis centre is great, it is just a shame it is in the middle of no where and the lovely smell of farm land envelopes the place.

I play qualies tomorrow so at the moment I am just waiting on the draw and schedule. Time for some action again tomorrow, I can´t wait.

Off to watch the WTA end of year Championships on Eurosport now, gotta love european television.

Catch ya later

Marina

Lost today 36 63 46. Was a tough match, definitely had some big chances in the 3rd to break. But over all not a bad star,t and as they say  3 out of 4 ain't bad.

Looking at how to get to Germany now for my next tournament. Looks like I will be on a train. Off to do some recovery now and get the body ready for another tournament.

Catch you soon

Marina

I got through my last round of qualies today 62 61. I am in the main draw tomorrow. I also had to move hotels today so it has been a very busy day. I hear this hotel has a washing machine, but the internet is hard to come by so I will take the good with the bad.

Otherwise the tennis side of things is good and I am really enjoying the competition and adrenilin rush on the court.

Marina

I got through my second round in the qualies today. Won 64 76. It is getting better and I feel that the match play and strategy is coming back to me. Time to start the recovery process for tomorrow and time to find a washing machine!

See Ya

Me

I got through my first round today here in Ortisei. Managed to grind it out 76 67 62. I am very rusty, and it was definitley a match that was not very pretty, however it feels good to be playing and it can only get better from here.

Internet is very scarce here (and a laundry machine is as well) however I will do my best to update and maybe put some pictures up soon. Off to hit some more balls now and get ready for tomorrow.

See ya

Finally arrived at Ortisei. It is a place that looks like something out of a fairy tale. We are definitley up in the mountains and it is freezing cold.

Had a couple of hits today and the balls are flying. The indoor carpet looks like something out of my house, but  even with all that I am feeling pretty good and the ball is coming off that racquet nicely. Off to string some racquets now.

See ya.

 Finally I am off to my first tournament. I head off next week on Wednesday. It is in Ortisei, Italy and it is actually up in the mountains, so altitude here I come. I better start getting my warm clothes out too. 

Preparation has been going pretty well since the ankle sprain, and today I played my first set. Rehab has been pretty intense in the gym and I think I have recovered quicker then expected. The weather here is still warm so I am still going to indulge playing in a singlet top.

Otherwise nothing new to report here, I heard back home that the All Whites have an awesome chance to qualify for the world cup so come on the All Whites!

See ya

Marina

 Finally I am back on the court again. Ankle is looking and feeling much better.

Yesterday I hit some balls with very little movement and it went quite well. That is me in the picture taking a load off the foot after my little work out.

 Well after a bit of a tumble from the other day I am now officially in laying down mode with the foot elevated. It is definitely not much fun, but some friends here have lent me their movie collection so I am trying my best to be preoccupied with something else.

On the day I sprained my ankle I was actually playing a match with one of the guys here. I was winning and I was just about to step it up a notch and finish off the match, but then a running forehand put an end to all that.

The foot may be sidelined, however the mind will do its best to get it stronger and back on the court as soon as possible.

Back to movie time now, will catch you later.

 Here in Barcelona besides from being on the tennis court I am also in the gym once a day.  The trainer I work with is Javier Capitan “Capi” (pictured) and he is one strong guy. A lot of the stuff we do is a bit new to me, especially in the flexibility department, however I am getting much better at it. That doesn’t mean that I can do the splits or put my feet behind my head (the latter being something that I don’t really want to do), but some of the stretching we do is definitely helping me on the tennis court.

We also do many footwork exercises. And some of these involve dancing to a beat while incorporating tennis movement from the court. It is really quite fun and a way of training that is not monotonous.

Regarding the US Open, my viewing options are very minimal as it is only on the television if you have cable, which unfortunately I don’t. However I am up to date as I look at the scores and highlights on the Internet. My grandma has also done a good job in reporting thus far. In her own words she said the women’s side has had some big surprises while the men are chugging along as usual with Federer winning everything as per normal. I think she summed it up pretty well.

That’s all from me.

Adios  

 I went to see Barcelona play at their home stadium (Camp Nou) on Monday night. The current European Champs were incredible to see live. The stadium has the ability to seat 100, 000 people, Monday night was not that packed but never the less it looked very full to me.

The last football match I saw live was in NZ. It was about seven years ago when the Kings were playing in Auckland one night. This was definitely a bit different. These guys are incredibly talented and the terrific atmosphere that was bought on by thousands of Barca fans is something I will never forget.

The match finished close to midnight and I had to get out of there quick because once everyone hits the roads it becomes a very long night. The guys hammered me on the court the next day of course, but that was fine by me, I was all smiles.  

 I have been asked a bit about my average day here in Barcelona. So I will fill you in.

Well it starts with me driving to the club in my little manual car that I have to drive on the wrong side of the road. My practice starts at 9am and I am on the court for a couple of hours. I have a few hours to spare around noon where I have lunch and get on my computer. I am back on the court at 2:30 where I play for about one and half hours and straight after that I am off to do a fitness session. The recovery process begins at the end of the day where I might get into the pool or I might get a few niggles fixed with the body. By this time it is about six or seven in the evening and I head home.

This happens on alternate days of the week as I am still slowly easing out of recovery mode with my hip injury. My day does not actually sound all too exciting when I read this back, however I am really enjoying my time here and I definitely feel like I am getting back into shape.

I have met some great people here. Working with Stefan Ortega and Sergio Casal is terrific. Every fitness session I have with Javier Capitan is a new and most of the time fun experience. I have also met quite a few kids here who like to stop by my practices and have a chat. One fourteen-year-old girl asked me how old I was the other day. I told her that I was 21. Her reply was “Oh my god that is really old” so I am definitely experiencing new things here in Barca.

Pictured here on the left is Andros and I after a tennis practice. Andros does look dryer then me but that is only because he put on a third shirt. 

Anyways I am off to bed, catch you all again soon.

Marina

 I had a chance to take a trip into the centre of Barcelona last weekend to check out some sites. It is truly a wonderful city filled with amazing sites, colours and history.

A stand out for me was Gaudi’s architecture and design. The Sagrada Familia is one of the most amazing structures I have ever seen. His creation of the Park Guell was also incredible as he managed to incorporate everything with the natural surroundings. I took many pictures, check some out in the gallery.

Other wise on the tennis front I am very happy with my progression, it feels good to be back on the clay and in the sunshine. Off to practice now, catch you later.

Marina

Just a quick not to say that I have touched down in Barcelona this morning. I  have been looking at the academy today and had a light hit on the clay. Everything looks really good so far, plus the weather is perfect. I wonder how long I can last before I hit the jet lag wall, it is 2:30pm right now, wish me luck.

Catch you again soon.

Marina

I am heading for Barcelona next Monday and I am quite excited. Not that Auckland isn’t exciting with its great weather, but I am looking forward to some sun. I am playing everyday now, my progress is going great and even though my Spanish is quite limited I think I will feel quite comfortable in what I hear is a very cool city.

The time at home has been great with family and friends. I will miss driving my black and funky KIA Soul Burner. I will miss the fresh food and the fact that my Grandma spoils me all day. But most of all I will miss New Zealand, because even though it rains non-stop and the All Blacks are struggling it is still the greatest place to live in.

On that note take care everyone and I will give you an update once I arrive in Spain.

Best

Marina

 After spending the whole day watching my recorded men’s final in between my daily activities I have finally finished it tonight. I have to say it was a mission. Not only did I not turn on my car radio, but before I spoke to any familiar face I had to remind them not to tell me the result of the final. Plus the awkward gazes I would get when I would block my ears and start singing out loud when I heard a piece of sports news some where was also pretty silly, next time I will just stay up and watch it. 

However I thought it was a very good match. In my heart I wanted Roddick to win. The effort and pure will power he put into the match was amazing.  For me at the end it was hard to see someone get so close to a title they have been chasing all their life and then lose it while it was within their reach.

So Federer has his 15 titles. Serena beat her sister. And I guess life goes on after Wimbledon. Hope you enjoyed the tennis.

Catch you later

Marina

 The women's final has arrived at Wimbledon. The Williams sisters are always heavy contenders on the grass and it has proved true again this year. After watching the match between Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva I have to say the quality of tennis was superb. Because both women are very physically strong the points and rallies sometimes were superb to watch. Looking to the final I think Venus is the better grass court player but I will put my money on Serena as I think she will take the title purely through determination.

On the mens side I think Federer will have his record this year. I was disappointed that Djokovic lost to Hass in the QF as I like the way he plays and I would have liked to see him in the finals. Otherwise there is a lot of recorded tennis on my television but just not enough time to see it all, then again there is always time after Wimbledon.

See Ya

Marina

 After getting back today from a nice little holiday I have to say my Wimbledon report will be very limited. Not only was I completely isolated from a lot of things on my holiday, for example a tv and a computer, I also did not know that Michael jackson died until a couple of days ago. But I will give it my best.

Looking at the women's draw it seems to me that the Williams sisters are playing well again on their best suited surface. Safina, also having a big serve and a strong game is another one in the semis. And Dementieva who has a great baseline game and who has worked hard on her serve and improved it over the years is a bit of a surprise semifinalist for me, but I guess you can never count her out.

Sabine Lisicki a fellow junior of mine is the big surprise of the tournament reaching the QF, however her game is based very much on power and strength so it is not a surprise that she is doing well on the grass. We once had a practice session in Tokyo where she was serving and smashing the living day lights out of the ball and I was trying my best to avoid bodily harm by dodging these balls. This time around I guess everything was going in.

Otherwise the men's side of things is also interesting with Federer trying to break Sampras's record. Most of the big names are in the QF, however Hewitt is the one that has been grinding it out a lot over the last few years so i am glad he is doing well at Wimbledon again. 

I will be putting on my television to record over night now that I am back in the real world. Thank you all for your kind comments and questions over the last week or so. Until the next time

Marina

 Hi everyone. This is just a quick hello and my chance to do my very first blog on the site. More blogs or updates will be coming up for week two of Wimbledon as I am off for a little holiday and sunshine in a few days. However hope you look around and enjoy yourself and if you have any questions or comments feel free to write them in.

Hope you all enjoy the grass court season, I know I am missing it for sure.

See you

Marina