Zoom Q&A: CiCi Bellis shares why her tennis is similar to "CiCi Cooks"

In January, CiCi Bellis had a small taste of returning to the top level of tennis when she advanced to the third round of the Australian Open. The American's journey was well-documented, one that saw the former junior No. 1 out of action from March 2018 to November 2019 after she underwent four operations to reconstruct her right arm.

Soon, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped Bellis and the rest of the tennis world from seeing just how far the Orlando, Fla. resident was capable of climbing back up. During the WTA shutdown, Bellis kept herself occupied by supplementing her training with another passion often shifted to the backburner: cooking.

Now 21, Bellis has been one of the standouts of tennis' reopen thus far, winning five of her six tour matches (two in qualifying). On Sunday, the current No. 249 hung on to beat fellow qualifier Oceane Dodin, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (1), in two hours to advance at the Western & Southern Open, the first of two events staged inside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center bubble.

TENNIS.com spoke with Bellis afterwards to hear about being back at a place near to her heart, reconnecting with Marketa Vondrousova and the inspiration behind her culinary website and Instagram account, CiCi Cooks.

Your opponent went on a 12-point run late in that third set and saved a match point. What did you tell yourself in that 11th game—had a big ace for 40-30, held, and ultimately went on to dominate that tiebreaker?

Going into the match, I knew she was a great player, a very streaky player. I just was prepared for games to go super quickly like that. But also, I could be prepared for games to go quickly in my favor as well. I dug in, tried to make as many balls as I could, and I’m really glad I came out with the win.

How surreal is it for you to be back at Flushing Meadows again, playing a tournament and knowing the US Open is just around the corner?

It’s such a special place for me. I love this site so much. Just being here, even without fans, is still so special. I’m really happy to be here.

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Given everything you’ve been through, in what way did your perspective on trusting the process help you navigate the pandemic and wait to get back to the tour when the time was right?

Obviously I had been out with some injuries right before the pandemic happened, so it was a tough time for me. But I was used to it, because I had some time off before that. I just tried to stay as positive as I could and prepare myself as best as I could for when tournaments did come back.

Marketa Vondrousova is also in New York, and went through her own injury struggles after her breakthrough in Paris. You shared with WTA Insider at the end of last year that the two of you chatted multiple times a week during your time away. Have you had the chance to meet up in person yet? And what’s it been like to see so many faces at once again?

It’s so amazing, Especially Marketa, she’s is one of my best friends… We practiced together yesterday, actually. It was so much fun. A lot of the other girls I haven’t seen for a while, so it’s been really great.

I want to transition and get the details on your Instagram account and website, CiCi Cooks. It launched early in the shutdown, but I was wondering, was producing recipes to share with the world a pandemic project, or did you always have this idea in your head?

I always loved to cook, but I never had the amount time that I had during the pandemic to really document it, or do all the things that I was doing for it. I definitely knew I wanted to do something in cooking one day, when tennis was over. I just got a jump start on it.

How much do you enjoy the aspect of trial and error that comes with testing recipes? It feels pretty similar to being a tennis player in that respect, that you’ve got to figure out solutions under varying conditions.

It’s similar in the fact that when you’re cooking, you’re putting so much time and effort into something to see it finally come out of the oven, or hear people’s reviews of it. That’s similar to my tennis. I put so much effort into my practice to see all the things that I’ve worked on come out in matches. I think they’re very similar.

Any thoughts on starting a WTA recipe share group?

Madison Brengle and I have been talking a lot. She’s a very good cook, also. We’ve been joking that we’ll make a cookbook one day.

Given there are food trucks inside the bubble... if you had a mobile version of CiCi Cooks in place, which single item or dish would you serve up to try and win over your peers?

That’s a great one. I think if I had to choose, from reviews of my friends, what I’m known for is my cinnamon rolls. So I think that’s what I would serve everyone.