2014 Gratitude List – Twitter Meet-ups

As I focus on mundane and tedious things like lining up a new job for 2015, I’m feeling especially grateful for the elements that made my tennis travels extra special this year. Twitter has been a godsend for my tennis obsession. My timeline serves as a saucy companion during early morning or late night matches.

I’m not shy about meeting new people in the tennis twitter-verse, because these meetings have usually been a good time. Yes, occasionally there are some who think that a high twitter follower count means they can put on airs or that being a “professional writer” means they can’t stop for a chat and a drink. Nonetheless, regardless of who they support in tennis land (Federer, Rafa, Djokovic, Murray or even Grigor), my twitter meet-ups have made my time on the road a lot more fun. Here are some of the folks who made 2014 tennis travel a bit more special:

 

Though we had crossed paths at the US Open a few years earlier, we never had a chance to sit down and chat about our mutual obsession for all things tennis. It was like meeting an old friend! We enjoyed it so much that we met again post US Open.

Indian Wells was a last minute add-on to my schedule, but I was determined to show that it could be done for a few days without blowing my budget. With a bit of help from Airbnb, @katvalentin and I managed to make a two-day escape to see great tennis at Indian Wells. We also met @majorfedfan.

We didn’t fare too badly in our watching as we got to check out some Swiss guys vs ATP heartthrobs in doubles.

The spring brought another opportunity for a meet-up that wasn’t even associated with a tournament. @thesportbird and I decided to take an awesome road trip to the Northwest. While in Portland, we tweeted about our visit and @ServeAndFolly said she’d love to meet. What followed was a nice tour of Adidas and a good bit of shopping.

In the vein of ‘hey we are in your city, why don’t we meet,” my sister and I got a chance to experience our fantasy of driving a convertible in California when we explored the Venice canals and Marina del Rey with @svenja_mastro.

The US Open was about wilting in the heat for the top guys and a few ladies but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a good time. Some of the meet-ups were with camera shy folks but these two ladies made for some fun chatter amidst the tennis.

My trip to London was mostly about family time but I did manage to get to the World Tour Finals (WTF) for a few days. These two ladies and I met over burgers during the pause between the day and night session of WTF in 2010 and have made it a point to see each other every year. It’s one of the selfish reasons why I hope WTF stays in London.

Thanks to Ahmed, I didn’t miss out on this gorgeous view in London.

Finally, the meet-up of all meet-ups was definitely Swiss-based. I got a chance to explore Zurich and see the Swiss end the tennis year by winning Davis Cup.

 

(Special shout out to: @rfsatar for popping into Starbucks for a quick drink in London; @realztenisfanz for watching a few matches with me at the US Open; @StephintheUS for her hospitality that last night in Miami and @swisskale for the chat at our lovely B&B in Basel)