Ellos from the East! A beautiful sunny, dry, cool morning awaits us. A wonderful change from the hot, humid very rainy south. We finally arrived at our host home around 8:30 p.m. After starting our day at 3:30 a.m. it didn't take long for us to find our beds and flop for the night.
We flew in to NY, which by the way was an amazing view of Lady Liberty, the new Freedom Tower and the entire skyline. Hopped into our car and drove about two hours to New Haven. Natalie checked into the tournament and with a much warmer welcome then last year....she was headed to the courts. We found out after her practice that she did not make it into the qualifying draw, which wasn't much of a surprise. We knew it was a long shot, worth going for.
A stop along the drive home at Molto Bene Italian Kitchen for a wonderful dinner. And a cruise (walk) around their parking lot to admire the Car Show. Brought our gas tanks to the empty stage. We continued the drive to Kennedy and John's home for the night. Always nice to see these wonderful folks and receive their awesome welcoming hugs.
Natalie is still sleeping as I type. Today will be a practice day. She will continue to look for a partner for doubles. No one really knows Natalie here, therefore they are weary to take the chance to play with her. That is the same thing that occurred at the ITF level, not unusual. Now players at the ITF level are seeking her out because they know her and her abilities. The same thing will happen at the WTA level once players get to know Nat. Until then we just cross our fingers that someone will take the chance on her.
We will find out by one o'clock tomorrow about doubles and then decide what our next move will be. At some point, we will head to the US Open in New York. Natalie and Jackie have a fair shot at getting a wild card for doubles. They have proven themselves for over a year on the doubles court, if they don't ....it's nothing by politics. Of course, we have no control over that, we can only work on her rankings so they become high enough that we NEVER have to depend on wild cards.
Time to get ready for the day! Make it a good one folks...Love and Blessings....Sherry
