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Meghann Shaughnessy Diary |
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American up and coming tennis star Meghann Shaughnessy spent the
month of January 1999 in Australia. She agreed to share her experiences
with the readers of OnTheLine tennis magazine. Click here to send your reactions to Meghann. Click here to see what others had to say. Visit Meghann's homepage! The diary has been closed - Meghann is concentrating on her tennis. |
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My name is Rafael and I am Meghann's Coach. Meghann is very
disappointed and
would prefer not to write today. She lost 6/3-6/2 to Schwartz. Meghann played
one of the worst matches I have ever seen her play. She will learn to play
more relaxed in these big events as she gets older. She kept her composure and
after the match she followed her routine (of training, jogging and
stretching). As she gets in the habit of keeping her composure she will learn
to analyze and make the proper adjustments, but we are not quite there yet. This is a great accomplishment and this will allow Meghann to mature and continue developing as a player. It was very tough for her to do it but she made a big effort and did it!!! What a tough way to make a living when you are climbing the ladder. Some times you need to take a step backwards to move two forward. Meghann will have 4 or 5 days off before we leave to Tokyo, where she will play the Qualifying of the Pan Pacific Open. She is feeling a lot better now but I will make sure that she puts things in perspective and learns from this. She has really enjoyed all the encouragement and feedback from all of you. Meghann is tough and she will bounce back. I know she is going to become a great player but her mentality and emotions let her down too often. |
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All the preparation has been done! The excitement at the Grand Slams is
unbelievable. I practiced for an hour this morning with Cocheteux, another
lefty. After lunch I spent a while in the training room and then watched some matches. There were a couple of upsets today. Lisa Raymond lost to Rubbi, a French girl, Venus Williams won 9-7 in the 3rd against Talaja. The level is improving so much every year, the difference between winning and losing is a little bit of confidence. Later in the afternoon I played for an hour with my coach. We did all of the last touch ups to make sure everything is ready. At the end of the day I had a massage. It's so important to have a daily stretching routine and get massages fairly often. Staying healthy all year around is one of my goals. Tomorrow I play 4th match after 10:00. That means there are 3 matches ahead of me. Two of the matches are men's which take longer because they play best of 5 sets. I will probably be playing around 4:00. |
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I took a break this morning. I slept in until 8:30, it felt
great to wake up
without an alarm. I went downstairs to have breakfast and then I relaxed in
the room until 12:00. I went to the club and got some treatment and taped my toe for practice. I played for and hour with Labat, she is also a lefty. As soon as we discovered my first round opponent was a lefty my coach scheduled every practice with left handers! I did another hour of drills with him. We had dinner at the club. Tomorrow the per diem starts for meals and hotels. They give you a certain amount of money to help with your food and accommodation expenses. I have one more day to prepare for my match. Actually all the preparation has already been done. Tomorrow I just need to make sure everything is intact and rest well. |
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This morning I practiced from eight to ten with Meilen Tu from the US. We hit
for a while and then played points. After I showered and had treatment we
decided to go and rest in the hotel for a few hours. It's tiring when you
spend all day at the club. We played some competitive solitaire. I taught my coach the game and now he beats me. I took a nap and we went back to the club. My afternoon practice was with Stoyanova. It was very windy, not unusual for Australia. I also did some returns with a lefty from Canada in preparation for my match on Tuesday. The key with a lefty serve is to go forward with your body. At the end of the day I played 30 more minutes with my coach. We did some drills to clean my game, make sure that everything is feeling good. We attended the WTA meeting tonight. They were discussing all the new rule changes for 1999, new tournaments, cancellations, etc.. It is important to attend so you are aware of everything. They also offer food as an extra little incentive to go. |
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Practice courts are getting more and more difficult to get.
My coach and I
played for an hour on a court with four people. The drills you can do on half
a court are slightly limited but we had a good intense hit. When we finished we did an hour of drilling on the indoor courts. Today was so hot, it was around 38 degrees. When we were watching matches I had an ice pack for my toe but I ended up using it all over my neck and face. They made the main draws today. I play Barbara Schwartz from Austria. She is very tall and strong and plays flat and aggressive. Usually during tournaments you arrange your practice partners a few days in advance. Coincidentally, two days ago I had arranged to play with her! We saw each other during lunch and she asked me if I still wanted to practice. We both agreed it was ok. We hit and then played some points. When she was warming up her serve she hit a right handed serve as a joke, she is a lefty, it was pretty funny! Afterwards I did my conditioning and went to see the trainer. I did some ultra sound on my toe and I had her work on my back and shoulder. Two more days before the big day is here. The Grand Slams are so exciting, everyone wants to have a good showing here. This is where it really counts. |
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I went to practice again at 7:30 in the morning. We did a lot of drilling and
put more emphasis on the serve because I had not hit enough serves the
previous day. We played until 9:30. Afterwards we watched men's qualifying matches. I really enjoy watching men's tennis, I think it is unbelievable how some of them play. There are so many areas I'm working on that the men do so well, it helps me to see it. After lunch we went off site to some other practice courts where I played a set and some tiebreakers with Lindsay Lee. I did some light strength conditioning at the end. I didn't do any running because my toe is a little bit sore again. It's not preventing me from playing with full intensity but it continues to be a nagging injury. The women's qualifying starts tomorrow. It's strange to be a direct entrant into the main draw. Last year I qualified and lost in the first round to Rita Grande. I'm back on schedule with my mental training. I was working very hard during Nov. and Dec. but then I put it aside for the first part of this trip. I have different tapes and exercises to help me improve many different areas. When I master these techniques I'm going to be a new player. |
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This morning we started practice at 7:30. It's really difficult to get a lot
of practice time because there are so many people here. I played with my coach
from 7:30 until 9:00. We did a lot of different drilling. Then I played points
with Studenikova until 10:00. After lunch I went for treatment. In the training room the rules are supposedly first come first serve. There was a girl from Spain who just broke into the top 100 who was waiting for treatment. A formerly high ranked player walks in and guess who has priority. It's amazing to see the favoritism that goes on. I'm sure that's how it works in all different fields. In the afternoon I did serve and returns for another hour and then 30 minutes of conditioning. I'm working on staying low with my legs. I'm always standing too straight. When I came to the hotel I got on line and talked to my big brother. This instant message buddy list is pretty amazing. It's so nice to be able to communicate so often for free. |
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I hope I didn't lose the interest of anyone. I will be writing
everyday for
the rest of my trip. I had a nice two days. Yesterday we just spent the day relaxing in the hotel. We went for a walk later on in the evening to see what was around. It's not a very active area. We are about a 10 minute drive from the city. It took us about 30 minutes to find a restaurant that was open for dinner! This morning we went to the site and practiced for an hour. We hit the whole time to get the rhythm back. The courts seem to be a little bit faster than last year. Afterwards I iced my toe and did some ultra sound. We had lunch, the prices in the players restaurant are ridiculous. The tournament will start covering meals next week. For the afternoon practice we did a lot of drilling mainly focusing towards aligning with the ball and going forward. We also did a lot of serve and returns. We finished the day with about 40 minutes of conditioning. I did push-ups, sit-ups and lower back strengthening, running stairs and some sprints and low shuffling. Throughout the months of Nov. and Dec I did a lot of physical conditioning to develop a strong base for the first part of the year. I have not done much strength training since I arrived in Australia and today I noticed I had lost a little. This week I will be able to do a lot because I don't have a match until Monday or Tuesday. The tennis site is different from last year. They are putting in a new court which is going to be court #1. It will probably be ready for next year. It's funny to see all the Grand Slams each year and see how they are competing with each other. They all want to have the best facilities, player services, the most prize money etc. In my opinion the US Open is the most luxurious but my favorite is the French. I get a special feeling there. |
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We went to the club this morning for a light practice. Afterwards
we had a
lunch and went to warm up at 1:00. I went on the court at about 2:30. I played
the first set very well. I was using all of the right tactics and was very
intense. After the first set I had a big let down and was broken the first
service game. This was the turning point of the match. I had a few more
chances later on in the set but I didn't take them. The main reason I lost today was that I did not convert game points. In the second set, in every game except 2 I had a game point. That means I'm converting about 10% of game points, you cannot expect to win a tennis match with that statistic. My game is ready to really achieve great things but my mind is not. I have a lot of problems with my mentality. Until I learn to play every point the same, regardless of the score I will never win big tournaments. I know I have what it takes but I'm going to have to work very hard to change my instinct. We ate dinner in the hotel room tonight. After I lose I don't want to see any tennis players, see the courts or be involved with the tournament. It's not the right attitude to have because after each match there are a lot of things to take care of. Practice, physical treatment, getting your prize money and sometimes staying around for a few days before you leave for the next tournament. After the match today I walked off the court and into the car to the hotel. I did not even shower or stretch or anything. Now I am upset with myself because that is not the professional way to do things. I took a step backwards today because I should have gone to practice and taken a light jog. I did not control my negative instinct and I'm going to keep suffering until I learn to deal with things. I'm going to take the next two days off. I'm going to rest my foot and just relax. We are leaving for Melbourne tomorrow. My coach has a few meetings in the morning and I'm going to go to a coin laundry to wash our clothes. We arrive in Melbourne at 8:30 PM. We will start practicing on Tuesday, we have a full week to get ready. I really would like to have a good showing at the Australian Open. I won't be talking to you for two days. I'm not going to do much more than eat, sleep and fly. I will let you know all the details on Tuesday. |
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I won 6-4, 6-4 against the Canadian girl. I was very strong mentally
throughout the whole match but strategy wise I did not do well at all. I was
trying to play high heavy balls but they were falling short and in the middle
very often. I had a good practice afterwards with my coach. We worked on the areas that were giving me problems during the match. I did some light conditioning and then had the trainer work on my shoulder. It's feeling fine but I like to keep everything loose for prevention. Nagyova lost to Capriati, it was a pretty tough match. Tomorrow I play Panova, a Russian girl. I played her two years ago in this same tournament and lost. I played her again this year in Istanbul and won. She is very small and fights a lot. She doesn't have any big weapons but she is very strong mentally and is pretty quick. I play not before 2:00. I need to hand wash some laundry tonight. With this humidity and heat I go through so many clothes each day! |
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We arrived safely here in Sydney. We were here two years ago.
It's amazing to
think about all of the experiences I have had and all of the things I have
learned since then. As soon as we arrived we went to the courts. We practiced with Saeki from Japan. It's very hot here, a little bit more than in Auckland. Tomorrow I play second match after 11:00 against Jeyaseelan, a Canadian girl. I lost to her two years ago in a grass court tournament. She plays with two hands on both sides and hits very aggressive. The key with her is to slow the game down. These courts will work towards my advantage because they are very slow and the ball bounces high. I need to be ready to battle it out for a long time in the heat! The Qualifying draw is so strong. Nagyova ranked #24 did not make it into the main draw. |
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Days like these are very tough to get through. Today was
an important day for
me and I did not play well at all. It was not that I was too nervous or
injured or anything I just didn't play well. I lost 6-4, 6-2 to Farina. I
think she played a pretty poor match too but she held her self together a
little better than I did. After the match I went for a quick jog and then had a light practice with my coach. We reviewed a few areas that were giving me trouble. This afternoon we went to a travel agency to organize our airline tickets and then went to the movies. The best thing to do at times like this is to get your mind off of things and then come back and put things into perspective. We saw the Waterboy, not my favorite kind of movie but at least it made us laugh a few times. Tomorrow we are leaving for Sydney. Our connection is through Melbourne and we arrive in Sydney late afternoon. We have the evening to practice and then I play the next day in the qualifying. This is a very strong tournament. If you are not ranked in the top forty you have to qualify. |
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The first thing I want to say is thank you very much to all of you who are
giving me such nice feedback. It really makes me feel good to know that you
are enjoying my diary. This morning I practiced with Lilia Osterloh, a player from the states. She played in the qualifying of this tournament. We hit for about 30 minutes and then did serve and returns. After lunch I had another practice with my coach. We played in the indoor courts because it was pretty windy. The courts inside are much faster than the others. Some people think that would disturb your rhythm, but it helps me to get set up faster so when I play outside I feel like I have all of the time in the world. Afterwards I went for a ten minute jog in a park beside the club. It's a really nice area, a good place to just go and relax. I had a massage at the end of the day, I'm feeling much looser now. After I got some treatment for my toe my coach and I watched some matches. The wild card from New Zealand (#550) upset Oremans. It's amazing to see how a player playing with a lot of emotion and intensity can beat a much better player who is having a bad day. It really evens things out. Tomorrow I play at 11:00. I had better go to sleep and get a lot of rest because tomorrow is a big day!!! |
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Today I played my first match of the year. It's nice to start with a win!! I
won 6-1, 6-4 over Golarsa an Italian lady. I'm very happy with the first set
but I began complicating myself in the 2nd. It's very important to maintain
100% intensity and focus throughout a match. This is one area I'm working on.
I had a couple of tactics against this player. She has a very good slice
backhand which can very dangerous if you let her control the points. I played
the majority of the balls to her forehand. Most of my other objectives were
based on myself. I put a lot of focus on my serve and attaching the returns.
It was a little bit windy today, typical of New Zealand and Australia. I don't
think I have ever played a match here without at least a slight breeze. I had
my toe taped before the match, it seemed to give me a little more support. I
didn't have any pain during the match so I'm almost completely recovered. Tomorrow is a practice day. I'm going to play at ten and then again at one. On Wednesday my opponent is Silvia Farina another Italian. She is the number 1 player in Italy and is a top 20 player. She is the number 2 seed here. It's a very good opportunity for me. To make a big jump in the rankings you need a breakthrough tournament or match. This could be mine!! |
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Today I woke up at 6:00 in the morning.We are a whole day ahead but only a
four hour difference from Arizona so the sleeping adjustment is not very
difficult. I felt a little bit tired from the trip so I slept for another two
and got up at 8:00. We went to the practice courts and played with Sandra Cacic for an hour. It was very warm and humid, I'm not used to the humidity being from Arizona. After practice I took a shower and got some treatment for my toe. It is feeling pretty good, just a little bit pain and weakness. After lunch we went to warm up for the qualifying of doubles. The warm up was focused on serve and volley games. My partner was Kristina Brandi. We lost so the rest of the tournament will be focused on singles. I'm playing singles tomorrow at 2:00. It's a big day, any day with a singles match is very important. Tonight we are eating in the room because we have a little kitchen. It's great to find a hotel with a kitchen, you can really save a lot of money. We are cooking pasta, the night before a match we always eat some sort of pasta. Dinner tonight will be simple noodles with tomato sauce because that's all we can cook. |
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We left at noon on the 31st from Phoenix Arizona where I have been training
with my conditioning coach for the last 3 months. Getting a lot stronger
physically was one of my priorities during my off-season training. I am a lot
stronger and I have changed to the long body racquet.I cannot wait to see how
I feel throughout these next tournaments. We flew from Tucson to Los Angeles. We had a 5 hour lay over in Los Angeles. We left Los Angeles at 10:30 pm. There were no tennis players on the plane (very unusual). It was a 12 hour flight. It was my first time traveling in business class. I was planning to watch a couple of movies and set my goals for the year. I slept 8 hours like a baby. What a difference!!!!! I didn't think the seats were that comfortable. We arrived in Auckland at 8:00, January 2nd. We lost a day, they are ahead 16 hours. I don't know where New Year's Eve and New Year's Day went. I had some trouble going through customs control because of the food my mom and grandma prepared. At 9:00 we checked into the hotel and took a quick shower. I had 2 practice sessions yesterday. My morning practice was from 11-12. It was a light hitting practice with volleys and groundstrokes. I sprained my toe last Sunday and yesterday was the first day I tried to push it. It felt good but by the end of the day it was pretty sore. For the afternoon practice I was going to practice with Chanda Rubin but I decided not to because I would have had to put too much intensity. For conditioning I worked on my stomach, lower back and upper body strength. The draw was made yesterday and I will play Laura Golarsa from Italy. I have never played her before. She is an experienced player (late twenties) who uses her slice backhand and comes in. Last year I lost in the Qualifying with Cara Black. We were both ranked in the 200's and she is now ranked 45 and I am 69. Everything got started here in Auckland. It has been a good year and I look forward to a great 1999. The top seeds of the tournament this year are Van Roost and Farina. Both of them were in the finals last year. There are some good first round match ups. I think that the toughest one is Mary Joe Fernandez vs Chanda Rubin. Tomorrow morning I will practice with Sandra Cacic and I will play the Doubles Qualifying in the afternoon. My doubles partner is Kristina Brandi. Her father Joe Brandi was Sampras' Coach when he won his first US Open. He has also worked with Conchita Martinez, Gigi Fernandez among others. I do not have a doubles ranking yet. Last year I only played 2 tournaments and you need 3 events to make it in the computer. I would like to Qualify so this counts as my third tournament and I have the opportunity to play more often. I enjoy the doubles because my mentality is more relaxed and I need to improve my net game. |
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