Dominika Cibulkova arrives early in HCMC

September 17, 2012 | 16:28

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The world number 13 Dominika Cibulkova, one of the four world-class tennis players that will attend the Heineken Stars 2012 international tournament at Ho Chi Minh City’s Lan Anh Club this week, made an unexpected arrival at 1am Sunday.

World number 13 Dominika Cibulkova smiles during her media meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on September

Despite a 28-hour flight from Quebec, Canada to the city, the Slovakian woman still enthusiastically joined in a media meeting on the same day, with a permanent smile on her face.

Cibulkova will be joined by the world’s female number one Victoria Azarenka, and two male players, Gilles Simon and Feciliano Lopez, who are the world number 17 and 31, at the 2012 Heineken Stars kicking off this Thursday, September 20.

“As a professional player, I wanted to arrive in HCMC early to get accustomed to the weather and time,” she told reporters.

“Besides, I want to have better preparation for the 2012 Heineken Stars, and the game against the world number one Azarenka.”

The Slovakian said she has been to many Asian destinations such as Beijing, Tokyo, and Pattaya, but this is her very first trip to Vietnam.

“I’ve been told many stories about your beautiful country and I’m very eager about the trip,” she said.

The meeting became heated as a delicate question was posed: how can Cibulkova achieve so much success with her small frame? (She is 1.6m tall.)

The 23-year-old simply said that training hard is the answer.

“I trained myself to be able to play fast and powerful,” she said.

Cibulkova said she is trying to reach the world’s top ten and grab a Grand Slam before reaching her 30s.