Where A Player Eats is Becoming Important to Some Players at The Open

Written by: Staff on 25th January 2013

Where A Player Eats is Becoming Important to Some Players at The Open

epa03554359 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during a training session at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 25 January 2013. Azarenka will play the women's final on January 26th. EPA/Dennis Sabangan |

While beaten Australian Open semi-finalist Sloane Stephens boasted on Twitter of eating at the same unspecified restaurant on every night of her stay in Melbourne, China’s Li Na has put a slightly different twist on the tennis nutrition game.

The finalist who faces Victoria Azarenka for the women’s title on Saturday has dragged her team to an assortment of Melbourne’s numerous Chinese joints on a regular basis.

That might be fine for her Chinese husband – formerly her coach until relegated to the sidelines by his headstrong and ambitious 30-year-old wife. But her new Argentine coach Carlos Rodriguez might now have developed a yearning for more familiar taste sensations by now.

Li says she does mix it up in restaurant selection – but the choices never vary from her home cuisine. “I always try different, I didn’t want to do always the same. I like to try different food to enjoy the life.”

But the tennis creature of habit added: “I always take them to Chinese food – doesn’t matter they want or didn’t want. I say, ‘Tonight we go Chinese restaurant.’ They say, ‘Okay.’ Still after dinner they have to say, Thank you.

“If I have the choice, I never choose the western food.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Australian Open, Carlos Rodriguez, Li Na, Semi Finalist, sloane stephins, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka