http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/diaries/2005-08-27/200508271125168469693.html
Carly Gullickson Diary: Entry No. 1
by Carly Gullickson
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Eighteen-year-old Carly Gullickson just turned pro and reached her
career-high ranking of No. 182 on the WTA Tour last week. She also won her
first pro singles title at the USTA Pro Circuit $50,000 event in
Charlottesville, Va., in May. Carly played in the US Open two years ago and
is back again in 2005, thanks to a wild card. She'll be sharing all her
experiences here at the US Open in a diary she's writing for USOpen.org.
Today she talks about feeling more mature, her upcoming match and the advice
her dad -- MLB pitcher Bill Gullickson -- has passed on to her.
I got here on Thursday afternoon at about 3:00. I came straight from New
Haven, Conn., where I was playing in the US Open Series Pilot Pen Tennis
tournament. My first match was against Lindsay Lee-Waters, and I won, 7-6
(4), 6-1. Then I lost in the second round to Maria Kirilenko of Russia, 5-7,
6-7 (7).
When I arrived, I checked into my hotel. The last time I was here I stayed in
Queens, but this year I'm staying downtown in Manhattan. I've only been in
New York for the US Open, but I like it. I like the city life at night. But
the last few days I've been so busy that when I'm done with everything, I
just want to go to bed.
This is my second US Open. I played two years ago, so this time around I feel
a little bit older, now that I'm 18, and more mature.
Today was Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, so I was helping out with that. I was on one
of the outside courts hitting with some of the kids, and it was a lot of fun.
I have a really busy schedule today, though, and have to run to practice in a
few minutes. After that, I have to go to a WTA meeting.
I just turned pro, so it helps to have a dad who's been a pro athlete and can
give me advice. He never tells me anything technical about tennis because he
doesn't know anything about that, but he does give me advice on stuff like
traveling on the road and having so little time with family and friends.
He's always told me that you're always going to have more bad days than good
days. I've definitely found that to be true. When he first told me that, I
was like 'Yeah, whatever Dad,' but now that I'm a little older, and this is
my first year on tour, I've realized that everyone loses matches, and you
can't get down. You have to keep going. And tennis is such a mental game. I
handle the stress by having a really good support system around me, like my
coach and my family. I think a support system is huge.
When I was younger, my dad used to travel with me to all my matches, but I
have four siblings, so now my parents stay at home with them when I'm gone.
I'm away a lot now, but when I am home, I like to hang out with my family
since I don't see them very much. A good friend of my dad's is coming to the
Open this year, and I've known him since I was 2 years old, so I'm really
excited about that.
My coach, Craig Kardon, is also awesome, and I've learned so much from him in
the last year. He's just telling me to keep calm and not worry about the
match. I'm not nervous now, but I know I will be before my match. Right
before a match I just try to keep loose and get on the bike for 5-10 minutes
to warm up.
Thinking about my first match next week against Amy Frazier, I don't really
know what to expect. I've never played her before, but I have practiced with
her a few times. I never really worry about the opponent too much and try to
focus more on preparing my own game and skills. I'm not coming into this with
any expectations. My plan is to just go out there and play my game.
When I'm not playing tennis, I like to hang out with the other players. A lot
of the American girls hang out, and everyone knows everyone, so I have a lot
of really good friends here.
I'm just going to go out there and try my best. I'll let you know how things
are going in my next entry.
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