Day 6: WTA First rounds, Murray press, Jankovic

Media Center A at the tennis center-- our home base.

We arrived at the tennis center and picked up the schedule for the first day of women’s rounds.  Our schedule for ATP press was hectic due to problems with our credentials, but we were able to make things work. Men's play starts tomorrow, but Andy Murray had interviews and an initial press conference this afternoon.

Andy Murray's initial press conference.

After Murray we watched Jankovic's win over Zakopalova.  It was getting incredibly windy but she won straight through in three sets.  Immediately afterward she did a press conference after her flash interview. She looked great in person, and she really perked up whenever a reporter would ask a question in English. 

Jelana Jenkovic has it in the bag. 

A lot of people are off because of the national holiday, so it was fun to walk around and people watch in between press. We saw a mom take off her baby’s pants so he could go to the bathroom—on the corner of the ROLEX booth!  No one seemed to care!

By the tennis ball China Bank ATM outside of Lotus.

On the way to lunch we saw Ljubicic and some other players on the practice courts. Pretty insane to be so close. Their muscles are incredible! 

Ivan Ljubicic warming up on the practice court. 

Daniela Hantuchova on the practice courts--to face Hercog tomorrow.

The weather caused a delay for a few matches, but we were able to get out of the tennis center around 7:00pm after our work was finished, and we headed out to meet up with a friend I knew in Beijing.  We decided to get dinner and a few drinks in an area called Sanlitun. 

"Look for the Rubik's cube building" Hotel G

Lobby outside of Scarlett Wine Bar--love these paintings.

We showed our cab driver the characters and off we went to Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant in Hotel G.  The atmosphere was very cool, and the menu was in English. I had a goat cheese vegetable tartine that was amazing. It was refreshing to have something familiar, and the scene was cool, very international. On the way home our cab driver randomly surprised us in English: " America? Freedom. Democracy?  Yes."  

 Tomorrow men's play begins--things are really going to  pick up.