Skysports.com caught up with a few of the stars of the WTA tour to see how they relax during the 'off-season'.
As another WTA season ends and another one fast-approaches,
skysports.com caught up with a few of the stars of the tour to see how they relax during the 'off-season'.
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova
Q: Have you managed to relax and enjoy some time off?
PK: It was really tough for me first the week after the Fed Cup Final as I had a lot of social duties, photo shoots and official dates with some VIPs, sponsors and even with the Czech prime minister. The following week I was with my boyfriend, Adam (Pavlasek), for his last tournament of the season as "his coach" - he was with me as a coach in Linz where I won. He managed to reach the semi-finals and jumped more than 400 places in the rankings - now already under 1000 in ATP Rankings - so we have had good success "coaching" each other! And last week we went for a short relaxing holiday in an Austrian Spa because I did not want even to hear about flying anywhere.
Q: You must be in the middle of your pre-season training by now, can you tell me about your daily regime?
PK: After a TV music award event on November 27, I left for the new season preparation in the mountains - High Tatras in Slovakia - where we started on Sunday morning with high altitude training - climbing, running, gym, massage, stretching etc. It means starting every morning and finishing late afternoon and after dinner I just fall into bed to relax and sleep to be ready to start again the next morning with the same routine. The whole body suffers, but I like it...
Q: What other activities, aside from tennis, have you been doing?
PK: I will not touch my rackets at least till next week when we start slowly with my coach to combine high altitude preparation and the first touch and feeling of new racket and balls. We are also playing a lot of different games with balls like basketball, volleyball, football tennis - a special game where a small ball is played over low net by legs/feet and head etc.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about the 2012 season?
PK: To prove that I am able to play at a high level during the whole season with concentration on Wimbledon and Olympics - it is something special for me as you can have it only once in your lifetime - plus I get to play on grass within one month at the place which I love so much!
US Open champion Sam Stosur
Q: Have you managed to relax and enjoy some time off?
SS: I was lucky enough to have three weeks off and did not do too much at all. I just moved into a new apartment which was exciting and loved hanging out at the beach and just relaxing.
Q: You must be in the middle of your pre-season training by now, can you tell me about your daily regime?
SS: I am currently just starting to work out every day and next week I will include some on court sessions in my daily routine. I love to go paddle boarding, swimming, running and boxing to mix up my training. As my work load increases on court I will usually hit about four hours a day as well as an hour of physical work with my trainer.
Q: What other activities, aside from tennis, have you been doing?
SS: Lots of swimming, walking and jogging. I really believe in mixing the exercise routine up to stay fresh and work out all the different muscles.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about the 2012 season?
SS: I am looking forward to many things as the year has many parts. I always love to play in Australia and hope I can produce my best tennis at home. The challenge of playing well in the Grand Slams is always hugely motivating and the Olympics next year will be amazing.
Ana Ivanovic
Q: Did you manage to relax and enjoy some time off?
AI: I did, thanks. I was with my boyfriend Adam Scott at two of his golf tournaments. The President's Cup in Melbourne was a lot of fun, because players' partners were really made to feel like we were part of the team. It was both relaxing and exciting at the same time - relaxing because I could forget about tennis, and exciting because it was a serious competition.
Q: You must be in the middle of your pre-season training by now, can you me about your daily regime?
AI: As always, I started with fitness only: usually two sessions a day, one cardio and one weights session. In the beginning we were working on muscle growth, but then we moved onto increasing my strength.
Q: What other activities, aside from tennis, have you been doing?
AI: We've been taking full advantage of the beautiful surroundings in Australia! We are outdoors every day. So far I have been running along the coast of Queensland, "stair climbing" to the top of amazing views, stand-up paddling in the rivers, surfing at the beach, circuit-training in the parks...I also did some surf life-saving activities at the beach. Now when I list everything, it doesn't sound so hard.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about the 2012 season?
AI: I always look forward to the Grand Slams more than any event, so they are a big part of my thoughts, and I will build my schedule with them in mind. But 2012 is also an Olympic year, and that will be very special for me, because it will be my first Olympics. I'm really looking forward to it.
Jelena Jankovic
Q: Did you manage to relax and enjoy some time off?
JJ: Yes...because I travel so much, it was fun to just hang out with my family and friends. I took a fun vacation over to Italy and played tourist.
Q: What is your daily routine for pre season training?
JJ: I'm training more than I ever have...7 hours a day....I start at 8am to 4pm everyday but Sunday...Day off...Tennis is 5 hours and fitness is 2 hours a day....I'm getting in great shape!
Q: What other activities, aside from tennis are you doing?
JJ: It's the holiday season...I'm doing some power shopping...I also saw a Cirque de Soleil show called "O"... I was amazed at the athletes that performed. Many of them were Olympic athletes and top athletes in swimming, gymnastics and synchronized swimmers.
