About Me and the Blog
About me
My friends call me Steini. In fact, everyone calls me Steini. Let me tell you a bit about myself so that you get an idea of who is writing this blog - or should I say, “between these lines”.
Born in the year 2000, I grew up on the countryside of Basel, with an older brother, Fabian. I spent my childhood doing all sorts of activities, preferably the same as him. Though, at the age of 7, tennis was introduced into my life by my mother. Ever since, I’ve loved chasing a fuzzy yellow ball, pretending to be Roger Federer (which I still do). Little did I know back then that tennis would become such a big part in my life.
I left my home as a 12-year-old kid to pursue my dream of becoming a professional tennis player. Times were hard, but during those years I developed many fundamental values such as being responsible, respectful, thankful and hardworking. These are values I still live by each day.
This sport has definitely marked my personality. However, I believe that there are more important things in life than tennis (or sports in general). Pressure in sports is inevitable, but after all, it’s a privileged pressure to have.
Traveling from tournament to tournament while living out of the a suitcase is what I’ve ever known. Only after the unfortunate events of Covid 19 did I really start to appreciate the freedom of traveling and the luck of being able to do what I love most - playing tennis all around the globe.
Fast-forwarding to the present, my role in this sport has undergone a change in 2024. Having been a full-time professional tennis player, I will now be focusing more on one-to-one coaching. As luck would have it, and maybe thanks to my attention to detail, I got the opportunity to work with an outstanding athlete and an even better friend, Leandro Riedi.
Although I will certainly miss the thrill of competition, embracing my new role in a fantastic team while seeing the most beautiful tennis venues around the globe wipes away any tear from my face. I’m looking forward to further evolving and growing through this sport. I’m excited about finding out what is lying ahead.
About the blog
The idea of starting a blog first occurred to me in early 2024, aboard an airplane as I flew back home from the third consecutive tournament week of an unforgettable series of competitions. My goal was to create something new, something fresh: Diving deeper into the day-to-day life of the tennis circuit that takes me around the world. Because what people see on the tennis court is just a small fraction of something so vast.
The blog will hopefully also shed light on the fact that, despite of the fast-paced “tennis lifestyle”, my everyday life also has its challenges and obstacles. Which means that, essentially, I will be writing about the normality of a rather abnormal lifestyle.
I will talk about places I visit, challenges I face, people I encounter, tennis stories and much more. This blog is certainly not intended to be a “Sports Flashscore” application. However, readers will inevitably come across some tennis results. Either way, I leave room for the blog to evolve and develop.
That brings me to those reading this - you. “Tennis between lines” is for readers who are interested in what happens behind scenes, off the court - between lines. It’s for anyone curious about a life of constant change and adaptations. Whether you are a tennis fan or not, this blog will offer something for you, something that goes beyond tennis.
Tennis and traveling have always been significant aspects of my life. Now I’m sharing their insights for the purpose of entertainment and to provide food for thought.