A: I am a huge fan of Hong Kong because I am a night person, and it is a night city. I love to walk around at 11 or 12 in the evening because there are restaurants and other spots still open, and the streets are full of people. Also, although it is a big city with tall buildings, there’s a nature feel because you’re surrounded by mountains, water and greenery. Another top spot is Rome. I love the energy of the city and have a lot of good friends there, which makes going that much more amazing. And earlier this year, I went to St. Petersburg. It was my first trip to Russia, and I was really taken by Russian history, culture and art.

When you are traveling to compete in tournaments, how much free time do you typically have in a destination, and what do you enjoy doing with that time?

Seeing small museums always interests me whenever I have downtime because they feel manageable. In Paris, I enjoyed the Musée de Cluny. It takes an hour to get through the whole museum, and it has cool Roman baths and medieval art. In London, I like the Museum of London, where you can learn about the city’s history, but as a tennis player, I never want to be seeing too much of any place where I am for a tournament, because that means I’ve lost. If you leave the city at the end of a tournament, you may not have seen much, but at least you won or came close to winning. It’s nice to like a city and be able to go back and see it properly. I haven’t had the chance to do that with any place yet because my work schedule is still intense, but I will down the line.

You’ve spoken previously about your love of good food, and you are also in New York to participate in a culinary event. What kind of food do you seek out when you’re traveling?

I do enjoy good meals and like to call myself a cheating vegan, which means that I’ll normally try to seek out something vegan, but may cheat depending on what I’m craving. In trips to Paris and Las Vegas, I really wanted a chili dog and found great vegan chili dogs in both cities. One of my favorite restaurants, Christopher’s Kitchen, happens to be near where I live. I love the raw vegetable lasagna and the smoothies. On this trip to New York, I hope to discover some of the city’s vegan restaurants.