Don't Go to Cacapulco! III

Well, Venus makes it sound so dandy out in Acapulco. Truth is, I was there last summer! And it was not so dandy at all, in fact, it was the worst vacation I have ever had (equaling my visit to Myrtle Beach, So. Carolina in 2005).

From what I know, Acapulco was the hot-spot for Hollywood celebrities back in the 50's. The place was hot!! The resort I stayed at had hosted the likes of Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and so on. The Hollywood scene eventually moved on to other exciting Mexican resort towns like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo; where many Americans now vacation. I got an amazing deal, so I decided to go to the infamous resort town.



Looks pretty from afar!

So get this, I get there in the evening and immediately I want to know where to go for a drink. I was directed to hit the strip where 3 BIG outdoor dance bars are located. There were hundreds of people on the strip, none taller than 5'5" Feeling like the only (giant) American in town, was a strange feeling. The next day, I headed for the beach but an awful "poo poo" smell kept me from going in the water. I inquired about the smell and the locals informed me it was ALWAYS like that. They told me that the sewage was being drained into the beach. YUCK!

I was doubtful. So I headed 3 miles north and later 6 miles south to where the new resorts were located and found that the beaches we're not any better. The "poo" smell, according to a very clever resort guide, was due to "the cleansing process that the sea undergoes around that time of the year." Very clever, I thought, but it sounded like an urban legend to me. Needless to say, going to the beach was a dead topic for the rest of my trip. Instead, I spent my time playing tennis on clay against the local junior talents, until...



I came to know the real Acapulco!

I got food poisoning from one of the restaurants in town. I had to sit in my air-conditioned room watching t.v. for a few days.



The only fun part of my trip was eating coconut salad on the side of the road on a high cliff with a great view of the beach. That was fun!

I'm always a rascal while traveling and I can never stay confined to my hotel room. I always manage to go see the real face of the town/city I'm visiting.

The Pros:
Good Scenery
Beautiful Resorts (that you shouldn't venture outside of)
Cheap Tennis Courts

The Cons:
Dirty Beaches
Bad Food
Polluted & Congested City
Limited Entertainment

Chances of making it back to Acapulco..? Hmm... not anytime soon.

Posted by bigE

"Don't go to Cacapulco!" II

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Hello again everyone!

So Isha and I did end up going around Acapulco last night. We didn't drive around too much though, because I think I almost fell into a coma, I was ready to just give up and go to sleep! But I stayed out long enough to do a bit of shopping: I got a necklace, it has silver and opal on it. It's pretty cool.

Today went really well. I woke up in the morning and went to practice, and I was having so much fun that the hour went by so fast. In the afternoon I spent some time catching up on my e-mail and watching TV shows. I've been downloading TV shows from iTunes... like Grey's Anatomy (my favorite show), The Starter Wife and The Practice. It was a slow, slow afternoon!

Later on I went out and warmed up, hit some balls and ate, the typical routine for an athlete. I'm feeling confident about my game, so nothing too much.

I had a tough start to my match tonight. She was playing well and aggressively. I wish I could have gotten more serves in. I got through it though, and I'm just looking forward to my next match tomorrow night. I don't mind playing at night, I just play when the tournament tells me to!

Well it's midnight now, I've got to calm down and try to go to bed. I can't stay up reading or watching TV shows. I love to multitask. I have a fear of missing out. It sounds childish, I know, but I really have to convince myself to go to sleep.

I'll talk to you all again after my match tomorrow night!

Venus

My note to Venus for Acapulco travel:

Dear V,

Have u gone to the beach yet? Don't get in the water! I'll tell you why later!

Are you staying at the Princess Resort next to the tennis stadium? Make sure to try the local coconut fruit salad the vendors make on the side of the road. It is divine! Trust me on this girl. It's so delicious!

Go Venus,
bigE

Don't go to Cacapulco!

Venus enters the blogsphere from Acapulco, Mexico.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Hello again everyone! I'm excited to be blogging again, this time from Acapulco!

The trip here from Dubai... oh my gosh, it was long. I didn't realize it would be that long. It took 30 hours to get here, which was my longest trip ever! But I was mentally prepared for it. I was strategic: I only slept on the first flight, and after I landed in New York, I didn't sleep until I got here. It was a winning game plan. I got a full night's sleep last night and woke up happy.

I got to Acapulco around 10 last night, opened the windows and the sea was right there. I was SO happy! Then I went to the player party, it was a White Party. But I was wearing my black warm-up suit! With a green stripe... Anyway, the party was really nice. The chicken was great - I really love meat, I just had to try it.

This morning it got even better. I went down for breakfast and I just knew it was American breakfast, I could just smell it! I smelled the pancakes and syrup. I was way too happy about it. I even took a picture of myself at breakfast - it was just ridiculous. The strange thing is, I usually can't stand breakfast! I never eat it. But I was just so happy to smell the syrup. I think it was the feeling of smelling something from back home. It was a long way from Dubai and there were so many hardships along the way, I didn't think I'd ever make it here. But I kept a positive attitude on the trip. I took it one mile at a time.

I was very busy today. I practiced first thing in the morning and had my workout, then spent the afternoon in interviews and meetings. Now I have a little free time. I'm trying not to fall asleep - that would undermine my whole success so far! I'm about to go to the training room and then I'm planning on just relaxing. I'll be playing matches every day starting tomorrow, so I'm hoping I can get into a car and just have a look around Acapulco tonight. Then I'm going to settle in here and hopefully start winning matches!

So, nothing too interesting yet, just living the dream in Acapulco!

Venus

I have a great story about my visit to Acapulco last year. I'll give you some good reasons to not go to caca-pulco!

Whata Dork!

#1


#2

Girl, u better work!

Sister Rivalry

At the end of last year, I was convinced 2009 was going to be the year of Venus. I predicted Venus would finally leave Serena in the dust. I felt Venus would conquer in Australia, rule Wimbledon and shine at the US Open. 2008 was a great year for Venus, she won the Year-End Championships and Wimbledon. I've never been a die-hard Venus Williams fan, so I felt my prediction was not biased in any way.


Unfortunately, this has not been the “Year of Venus” I initially imagined. Despite winning the Year-End Championships in Doha this past November, and coming into the Australian Open red-hot, her results have been less than stellar. Venus lost in the third round in Australia, in a shocking upset, while most her fans in US lay sleeping.

This week, Venus won Dubai (a premier event) by edging her sister in the semifinals. What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. The buzz is out about Venus returning to a Top-5 ranking since 2002, but unfortunately this event signals little as to what the rest of the year will be like for Venus. You see, Venus holds a 10-9 record versus Serena in head-to-head match ups. But the real measure is Serena's 10 Grand Slams to Venus' 7.

It’s apparent that the matches between the two sisters have developed into heated battles. They BOTH want to win! And, as everyone is starting to say, time is running out for both. Each win seems to matter more now, as they contemplate their individual legacies. Especially when considering Grand Slam totals. The problem for Venus, in my opinion, is that it's a little late to start getting pumped up about beating Serena. In the numerous Grand Slam Championships they’ve played each other, Serena holds a 5-2 lead over Venus. Serena brought a raw, angry determination to her matches, that uttered, "I'm the best player on this court." Venus, on the other hand, walked around the tour in those early days making way for her sister, photographing her, and applauding her. That was sweet. But it may have hurt her chances of overtaking her sister in the “grand slam” scheme of things.

So, back to the current. Venus winning Dubai, earning 800 points and beating Serena along the way, means little. Venus may go on to win Wimbledon this year, for her 8th Grand Slam Title. That's dandy, but she'll never match Serena's legacy now, as she nears the last half of her illustrious tennis career. During the first part of their rivalry, Venus held a mental edge over Serena. But instead of focusing on her own legacy in the sport, Venus was too busy coddling her younger sister's ego. And because of this, Venus allowed Serena to believe she was the better of the two. Nearly a decade later, it would appear that the lead Venus gave Serena is simply too wide to close. In a way, Serena has Venus to thank for her memorable career.

In case you didn't know, it's a Venus Weekend around here...

Trackback

Fun times with V!

Miss Williams. By that i don't mean Serena aka Aneres, Go V!

Go girl, get your hair, did!


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Flash Back!

I just ran across this video and I thought I would share this flash back of two greats playing each other.



Enjoy!

While we lay sleeping

I woke up this morning, without even bothering to look at the match scores from last night, which included Venus, Blake, Tsonga and Gulbis.

Well, it didn't take long for me to learn that Venus got knocked out by Carla Suarez Navarro, in the 2nd round!

OMG, I had written in Venus as my favorite to win the Australian Open, over her sister Serena. Especially after Serena's performance last night. Up until the Australian Open, it looked to me like Venus was playing amazing and hungry tennis.

Venus' Australian Open record is 33-10 - almost identical to her French Open record of 35-12. Which is not bad by any means, just not as impressive as her 5 titles and 58-7 record at Wimbledon.

Since 2004, Venus has had exits in the 3RD, 4TH, 1ST, QF and now in the 2RD at the Australian. Next time, I'll go with my heart. Go JJ!

Australian Open Draw Out - WTA

The draw for the Australian Open has just been posted! And here’s a Mobster Blogster view-from-the-sky outlook of this year’s key attractions on the women’s side of the field.

Upper Half of the Draw
Jelena on cruise control until Marion Bartoli in the Round of 16; a possible tricky match up. Look for Jelena to meet Vera Zvonareva in the Quarters.

Ivanovic gets a slightly thicker quarter of the draw with many young talents hiding behind every corner. Watch for a possible repeat of last years match between Ivanovic and the smart and feisty Caroline Wozniacki in the Round of 16. If Ana can scrape by with a win there, look for a blockbuster Roland Garros rematch with Dinara Safina in the Quarterfinals.

Lower Half of the Draw
Venus is gifted a watered-down quarter of the draw, with the prospect of facing a collection of the weakest servers on the WTA tour. She is likely to face the surprise Olympic Champion, Elena Dementieva, in the Quarterfinals.

Serena gets a bunch of sentimental crowd favorites in her quarter of the draw: Amelie Mauresmo, Jie Zheng, and Nicole Vaidasova. However, it's unlikely any of these match-ups will materialize. Here we go again - another Semifinal match-up between Venus and Serena.

2009 Projections - Part II

WTA HEADLINES

Injured, Injured, Mono

Three interesting comebacks to watch for on the WTA:
Maria Sharapova – will her nagging shoulder injury indefinitely suspend her return to the top of the game? Her recent announcement to withdraw from the Australian Open only fuels the doubtful fires.
Amelie Mauresmo – can she regain her fitness and form in 2009, or does she face retirement?
Nicole Vaidasova - once touted as a future Top 10 elite player, can she recover from a dismal 2008 season to realize her true potential?

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

An inspired Venus Williams can have one of the best seasons of her veteran career. For the past three years, her performance has shown steady improvement. Will 2009 be the year of Venus? If little sister Serena has anything to say about it, 2009 will more likely be the year of Serena. Whatever the outcome, their newly found commitment towards their careers and legacy will inspire both to show up to win. We predict, however, that Venus will outlast Serena in the game and produce better tennis for a longer duration of time. This could very well be the year that Venus puts herself first, leaving baby sister Serena behind.

Anando 2009

Ana Ivanovic's off season was as busy as ever with vacationing, buying a new $4.5M mansion in Mallorca, and ,of course, Nando. With Ana being completely smitten by Fernando Verdasco, will her focus on winning be a little clouded? And imagine what would happen if their relationship were to end!

We think that Ana's results this year will be less than stellar. But who needs a Grand Slam when you have love!

The Return of the Queen

The WTA Tour is keeping a close watch for any signs of a Justine Henin return. If rumors do surface, they are likely to occur after Wimbledon.

Confessions of a teenage drama queen
Watch as the young stars of the WTA tour continue their climb up the world stage of tennis.

Bank your deposits on Caroline Wozniacki and Dominika Cibulkova. One of these young talents will work her way into the Top 10 for 2009.

American tennis fans will become more familiar with the name Coco Vandeweghe, as this feisty teenager begins her promising journey up the pro-women's tour.

Retirement Roll Call
Who will make the official announcement first: Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Patty Schnyder, or Mary Pierce?

2009 WTA Thread to follow

Jelena Jankovic will be tested, out-gunned and hunted by the competition as she attempts to validate her #1 ranking with a Grand Slam title. She said a lot during the off season, and will have to back those words up with a ton of action. Is she up to the challenge? We think so.