Russian world No. 76 Anna Blinkova shared how she spends her time away from tennis.
Q: When you say that after tough matches it`s better to rest, what does that rest look like for you?
A: Besides warm-ups, stretching, and massage, I also like to just lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. I enjoy going for walks, reading, and spending time with my team. I love talking to my team about tennis, and *only* about tennis. Plus, I enjoy chatting with everyone casually at the courts, I`m a sociable person: I`ll talk to this one and that one. But I don`t do things like going out for drinks, or going to a spa, a hammam, or a sauna – I don`t like that. I have a problem, I don`t know if it`s a problem or a good thing, but I really love watching tennis on TV and on my phone. I watch everything: men, women, big tournaments, Challengers, I watch it all, sometimes too much. Sometimes you really need to switch off, rest, and do something else, otherwise you could go crazy.
Q: There`s a famous saying that tennis is chess in motion. In your opinion, is that really true?
A: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I think it varies. Sometimes it`s very important to build tactics against a specific opponent, because some make more errors on the forehand, some more on the backhand, some like high balls, some don`t, some are better movers, some stay more in the center. And also building combinations is very important to win points. Especially on clay, where you can`t just reduce your opponent`s chances by hitting very hard and hoping they make a mistake, because it`s a slower surface. On clay, it`s important to build points like in chess, using different zones, different trajectories, playing smart. But at the same time, for me, it`s important not to get fixated on the opponent, but to do what I know how to do, what I do best, and not think too much about it, which can be distracting and break concentration. And I often tell myself that I should play simply, meaning hitting to the zones where I`m best, and just push, push, which means playing aggressively, with margin, and not aiming for the lines. And plus, sometimes it`s useful for me to just not think about anything and trust my body, my experience, and instinct, so to speak, and not think, and just fight as best I can.
Q: Do you practice chess now?
A: No, I`ve kind of given it up.
Q: How often do you manage to visit Russia now?
A: Honestly, not often. Firstly, I have a very busy schedule. And secondly, flights are expensive now. Unfortunately, I haven`t been able to be in Russia more often yet.
Marcus Blakely 
Gilbert Pendleton