In the last week, I have been in 5 different cities – and I’m not even counting the short stop at the pub in Delft.
Birmingham. s’Hertogenbosch. Nootdorp. Hurghada. Cairo.
The positives: I spent a lot of time on the grass courts in the last two weeks.
The negatives: I want to go back to see more Dutch canals, spend more time at Egypt’s National Museum, eat koshary in Cairo, and go golfing again in Somabay.
The why: I tried to get accepted into a very strong WTA 250—it’s an opportunity for higher prize money and more points. When I didn’t get in, I needed to find cheaper accommodation. And finally, in a last ditch effort of getting a grass court tournament in before Wimbledon, flew very last minute to Hurghada, Egypt.
The life of a professional tennis player is truly one-of-a-kind.
Where even was I
Have you ever heard of Birmingham? Most likely you know it as a mediocre city in the middle of England. I played 4 matches there at the grass court WTA 125. (First time getting in as a lucky loser too! That was exciting.)
Have you ever heard of Nootdorp? Me neither. Until my brother’s Dutch teammate from college invited us to stay at his house. Yes, that is how random it really is. It’s an adorable little town in the outskirts of the The Hague. (We also went to check out an Irish pub in Delft. Shoutout to that place, it’s a very cute, wholesome Amsterdam.)
Have you ever heard of s’Hertogenbosch? Maybe, if you play tennis or are a fan of tennis. You’ll know it’s home to the grass WTA 250 and ATP Challenger every year before Wimbledon. I didn’t see much of the city because I didn’t get in to the tournament. Tennis venue was great though.
Have you ever heard of Hurghada? Only if you’re a Red Sea lover, avid golfer or resort-frequenter in Egypt. I spent a few days in the Somabay resort playing a W50 ITF in the blasting heat, hard wind, and on surprisingly great grass courts.
Have you ever heard of Cairo? Yes you have. I saw the pyramids!!!! And a mummy.
Note: I’m experiencing all of this alongside my brother Dominik, who has arrived back from his junior year at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota to yet again be my travel coach for the summer. 4th time’s the charm. This truly makes my travels all the more meaningful and he is a huge support for me on court as well.
Let’s start at the beginning of the week
Last Friday I flew out of Birmingham, England to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Nothing too crazy – a simple enough start. I had lost in the 2nd round the Birmingham tournament and knew I had to get to s’Hertogenbosch by the sign-in deadline on Friday evening. S’Hertogenbosch is home to a WTA 250 on grass. It is one of the June lead-ups to Wimbledon. (I finished my matches in England on Thursday evening. Quick turnaround I know.)
Anyways, I was 6th alternate at the time. I was still holding out hope that the tournament will have some last-minute withdraws like the WTAs tend to do. But these girls just weren’t going anywhere. The list stopped moving.
I ended up being the 2nd alternate. Darn.
Luckily I had a plan B up my sleeve. An ITF W50 tournament in Egypt. A lower-level tournament in comparison to the WTA 250 I should have been playing, but still a good place to get points and matches under my belt. And I made history as playing in Africa’s first ever grass court tournament. So we packed our bags and planned to fly to Hurghada. The problem was–and is and always tends to be when you book literal day of or next day flights–they were all incredibly expensive.
So we do the only logical thing a stranded tennis player and her travel coach/brother do and call his college teammate to pick us up and lend us their spare bedrooms for the following evening. Nootdorp was just cutest little Dutch town and its neighboring bigger city. Delft was even nicer.
On to the next…
Long story short, we flew to Hurghada Egypt on Sunday and began the tournament on Tuesday. This was our first real time visiting Egypt and it did not disappoint. The tournament was incredibly welcoming, the sea as blue as can be, and the golf courses right by the tennis courts. My off-court recovery work consisted of gym, snorkeling, physio, and golf. I pulled an Alcaraz and made semi-finals so I’m counting this week as a success.
However, since I made semi-finals I missed my next tournament in Portugal by a day. I was still playing in Egypt on Saturday and physically could not have made it to Portugal by Sunday. So my brother look at each other and say, “Let’s go see the pyramids.”
That’s how I am writing this blog from a hotel in Cairo, Egypt after a long day of sightseeing. Cairo is truly unique. It’s been an enthralling week, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m flying home soon and getting back to work immediately to prepare for Wimbledon. My 2026 grass court season is not over yet.