APP Pro Vivian Glozman writes in periodically from the 2023 APP Sunmed Atlanta Metro Open. Check back for new entries throughout the weekend.
Saturday, September 30th
Time is 7:42 p.m. - Alix and I lost a tough bronze medal match against Susannah and Megan. They did a really good job coming back around and they played a really tough match. I feel bad I let Alix down a bit. She was trying to keep me positive the whole time but I think I let the previous finals match get to me and was maybe making excuses for myself, but everybody is tired and battling out here so you just have to take it one point at a time and keep fighting until the end. I'm really happy that Alix and I could grab another medal. Unfortunately we did not make Championship Sunday, but you can't make Sunday every week, so we will let the others have their day in the sun this weekend. I want to thank everyone for reading the blog and for the positive comments. I hope we can keep improving it for everyone to enjoy. I think something people can take away from this blog is that everybody is human and I think the more you humanize people and kind of get to see inside their brain a litttle and see where there head is at it broadens your perspective and you think of these professional athletes more as people rather than just the athletes you watch on TV. See you guys next week in Dallas!
5:57 p.m. - I took about 20 minutes to recover from our winner's bracket final loss, but it was a really good match. Overall, we had a really slow start in the first game, but stayed tough, won the second game, and came all the way back in the third from 4-10 down to give ourselves a match point. Unfortunately I think the pressure of the situation maybe got to us and we didn't stay on it, and they played a good last few points. So kudos to them moving on to Sunday. Hopefully Alix and I can bounce back and get this bronze medal match so we can see them again in the finals.
It's 3:31 p.m. - Alix and I just pulled out a good win against Susannah and Megan, who are always a tough team. We were down 7-1 in the first game, managed to pull that one out and then pull out a good third game. From this match I learned - not that I didn't already know - but one point can make all the difference. So just keeping the intensity high, no matter what the score is, is super important. That's something I'm definitely working on because sometimes I feel like I'm a little too nice and passive on-court. So I think we did that well in this match and I'm excited for our winner's bracket final match against Parris and Simone, who are obviously a very good team and have played together a lot of times. I will add that after talking with some people about my interview skills that I tried to go into it thinking about it as a conversation rather than a scripted answer, and that worked out much better! It's still a work in progress, but we are moving in the right direction.
Time check is 12:47 p.m. - Alix and I won our second round against Judit and Martina; it was a good match, they're really nice people. We are waiting for our semis match to go on center court again, so it looks like they just want to keep us on center! So I have this issue with on-court interviews. I rehearse my answer before because I get so nervous and then I end up not saying my answer at all, so for anyone reading, if you have tips and or media training for me, I would greatly appreciate that!!! Also, Alix will be taking over the blog in Houston in a few weeks, so we were given a disposable camera to take some pictures, so that should be exciting! I'm just excited to keep the duo rolling!
Hello, it's 11:11 a.m. right now - make a wish!!! Alix and I just finished our first round - we were put on center court and they were not streaming yet, but it's so fun when people get to watch! I forgot to mention this in the morning, but something slightly difficult sometimes going from mixed day to women's day is, for me at least, I play right in mixed and left in women's. So you kind of have to make an adjustment the day of without getting a ton of reps in the previous day. But Alix and I have played a number of times together so we know each other's games and it's easy to jump right in with her. It's always fun playing with her and we got the job done in the first round! Now I'm going to go watch Darin kill it in his bracket!
It's 9:17 this morning and we just arrived at the venue. Alix is getting treatment, she lives at Brent's tent. We're going to warm up here soon. We stopped by Chick-fil-a, you know the drill! Last night Alix and I ordered Thai food to go and then we ate it back at our host family house. This is the first time that Alix and I have stayed with a host - usually we get an Airbnb together. I did happen to stay with a host in New Jersey and Philly, through Andrei Daescu's agent, Sam Flaxman. That really worked out, she was the sweetest girl ever, but it kind of just depends on the area. Our hosts happen to play pickleball, like Darin, for example, is playing today, he played yesterday and the day before so he's crushing it here in this tournament. Alix and I were talking about it and we said it's kind of nice when our hosts play and know the scene because they can relate to what we're doing and follow along. So that's been really nice and cute. Some people don't like staying with the hosts because they have the obligation to talk to them and interact with others, but I think that's just an entitled thing. I think having a host is great because you have a built in family in a strange place you've never been and they are so nice and supportive of you and they become your second family. I think that part is really sweet that they would open their house to strangers. Our hosts are so sweet. This morning, Darin, our host "dad" (I guess that's what you call it), he packed us a cooler with fruit and ice and we got coconut water, so we're ready for today. I brought my towels to dry my hands because it gets really sweaty out here. Last night I personally did not sleep very well. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep. It be like that sometimes. But we are excited for today, women's doubles is both Alix's and my favorite event. We always say we like to get Friday out of the way so that we can enjoy Saturday together!
Friday, September 29th
It's 7:29 p.m. - We just lost a tough match to Susannah and Andrei, they're a really good team. I personally did not play very well, but you can't always play well and we fought through a lot of tough matches to get to the bronze medal. So that's something to be proud of. This is my second medal with Rob, which is really exciting. Kudos to Susannah and Andrei, they always find a way to get it done, and they're a really strong team, so I respect the hustle and grind. I'm ready to get after it with Alix tomorrow in my favorite event, which is women's doubles! Tonight, Alix and I are going to get a nice meal, we'll maybe watch some film of people we might play, and our host family has, I think, four cats, so I'm going to play with the cats because I'm a cat person! They also have a pool, so we might hop in the pool. Now I need to take a picture with my bronze medal!
The time is 6:43 p.m. - Rob and I just won our last backdraw match to make it into the bronze medal match and I had to play my good friend Alix Truong. Yesterday, she was looking at the draw and we were supposed to play each other second round and she told me 'sorry Viv, I'm never losing to you again in mixed.' So this one feels good. Sorry, Alix! It's always a little bit tricky playing against friends just because you guys are so close off the court and know each other's strengths and weaknesses. You have to put that aside when you compete because we're all professional athletes out here. To be honest, I'm friends with most people on tour, so you can't let being close to someone affect your play and whoever channels that energy best usually comes out on top. I'm excited to play Andrei and Susannah - we played them in Philly for the first time, so I'm excited to play them again, and...do better! Yaaayyy!!!
It's now 5:41 p.m. - we just finished our third backdraw match and we won it 15-13, but at one point we were down 12-3. So I'm not really sure how that happened, but sometimes you just have to get one more ball back and pray!
Okay, it's now 5:00 p.m. on the dot. I just ate a smoothie bowl that a friend so nicely got for me from Holy Bowls, and the blueberries were ginormous and amazing. Now I'm fuleled for my - I don't know what round it is, but my third backdraw match, and I don't know who we play either, but we're gonna get together and form a strategy. When I last wrote we had just lost our main draw, and now we have won two in the back. When it get's this late in the day what's important is just making sure you're stretching your body out and refueling after each match, and keeping the vibes good with your partner. Thank you to everybody reading and saying nice things about the blog! This is a new thing for me and the APP, so hopefully we can get more of these going!
It's now 2:57 p.m. - Rob and I lost our quarters match to Stefan and Alli, they played really well. I missed a couple of stupid shots at very important points but everything is a good learning experience and we're ready to make a run through the backdraw. I was asked how I rebound from losses like this, and I think you just can't get too down on yourself. You play so many matches that one match, one loss is not the end of the world. You just have to move on and learn from your mistakes and hopefully not make the same ones in your next match and every match and every tournament is a great learning experience. There's nothing really to gain from being down on yourself and having it carry over to the next match. Update: I still haven't gotten food, but maybe before our next one or our fourth one, if we're still in it!
The time is 1:22 p.m. - Rob and I won our first game. It was a good game against Riley and Greg - they're good people. I totally thought I was going to play my doubles partner and roomate and travel buddy, Alix Truong, but they did not come through in their first round. So we have to regroup and have a game plan against the people they lost to. But I'm excited for next round and we're ready to get after it! Also, I feel like I should eat something but the food is not looking very good so I don't know what I should do right now.
Hey everyone! It's Vivian Glozman. Welcome to the blog, this is entry number one! It is currently Friday, September 29th at 10:42 a.m. and I just arrived at the venue. We wanted to be here at 10 o'clock, however, we made a stop by Chick-fil-a and Starbucks to get fueled for this morning. I'm going to warm up pretty soon here. It's looking like a nice day outside!
