I’m sitting on my balcony, just outside Kitzbühel, looking out at the Alps, trying to figure out how to put this experience into words.
Two months ago, I was wondering how I’d survive so long without live tennis. Once you’ve experienced tennis in person, it’s hard to go back to a 144p livestream or to not being able to watch doubles at all.
So I did what I usually do: I booked the cheapest flight I could find, found a hotel just outside Kitzbühel, and hoped for the best.
One flight, one bus, and two trains later, here I am in Kitzbühel, Austria’s best ski resort for the past 13 years, right in the middle of summer. And somehow, it feels like exactly where I’m meant to be.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a mountain person. I’d choose this over a beach every single time.
I guess I got that from my family. My dad spent his youth hiking countless mountains, and my grandpa did too. It’s also the answer to one of the questions I get the most: what does my tattoo mean? It’s the coordinates of the place where my grandpa used to hike every summer.
That’s why this trip means so much more than tennis or a vacation.
In a way, it reconnects me with a part of myself I haven’t been able to reach in a long time. Standing here isn’t just about looking at the Alps, it’s about feeling close to something I’ve missed. It’s bittersweet, because I can’t share this place with my grandpa anymore.
But I know one thing for sure: he would have absolutely loved it here.
And if there’s anything I inherited from him, it’s his adventurous spirit. The ability to figure things out wherever I go, to never be afraid of getting lost because I somehow always find my way again, and the confidence to travel on my own.
I also inherited his love for sport, any sport. You could talk to him for hours about football, tennis, handball, volleyball… you name it. If it involved sport, he was interested.
So now everytime i travel i gte to take a little piece of him with me.
And if you combine my mum’s nickname for me when I was a baby, my dad’s love for travel, my grandpa’s passion for sport, and my unwavering belief that I could do anything I set my mind to, you get something that’s been growing in my heart for a long time.
Tonia — Your Passport to Sport.
More on that soon.