Tennis laughs

Fun!!! :o)

I hope he can make it through the US Open to the final... and WIN!!! (but Djokovic won't make it easy...)

The King of Clay...

... is BACK!!! :o)

Celebrating Victory (photo by AP, at NPR website)

keep reading!

La Armada Espa�ola en Roma!

Oh my! I didn't know Spain was playing the Davis Cup this Friday! In Rome?! And not content to play against a single country in the course of a weekend, the "Armada Espa�ola" is taking on 5 different countries in one day! ;o)

Davis Cup Champions 2009  (http://www.elespectador.com/imagen-armada-espanola)

Anyone reading this a tennis fan? If you're following the Rome Master's Tournament then look at this Friday's programme (the quarter-finals) and you'll see what I mean... Roma. Centre Court. 5 matches... ALL of them involve a Spaniard (or two since there's a doubles match). I just got the biggest smile on my face when I read this:

Verdasco vs Djokovic (Serbia)

Ferrer vs Tsonga (France)

Nadal vs Wawrinka (Switzerland)

Feliciano Lopez vs Gulbis (Latvia)

Almagro/Granollers vs the Bryan brothers (USA)

And now I feel like singing "qu� viva Espa�aaaaaaaaaa!!!" :p 

Just missing Ferrero (who was in the crowd watching Nadal's match today) and my current Spanish favourites are all there! :o)

Who was it that said that Spain had enough good tennis players to field TWO Davis Cup teams? You betcha!!! :D

I figure Lopez and Verdasco will have the toughest time, but I really hope Verdasco beats Djokovic: 1. because I like Verdasco, and 2. because it will decrease the points difference between Nadal and Djokovic and bring Nadal that much closer (if he wins the title) to 2nd place in the ITF rankings! :o)

So fingers crossed for Spanish face-offs in the semi-finals and then the Final! With Nadal winning of course! ;o)

PS: if you're not a tennis fan then the Davis Cup is an international tennis tournament by national teams, Spain will next play France in the 1/4F first weekend of July.

What's on Belgium's mind tonight?

Juju (a.k.a. Justine Henin) is baaaaaack!!!

Fans of women's tennis REJOICE!

The rumours have been all over the place since Clijster's return to the circuit this summer, reaching a peak of intensity with her victory at the US Open (bravo!)... but still they were constantly answered by "No, no more tennis". Tonight she officially announced she'd start playing professional tennis again in January, with her old coach.



Perhaps she'll be able to complete her career Grand Slam by winning the one title that has continuously eluded her? As her coach said on the news "Je vais tout faire pour l'essayer d'y arriver" (I'll do everything to help her make it i.e. win the missing title). Look out Wimbledon, her she comes!

Click here for the NYTimes report on the big return.

Hmm... methinks having lived 8 years in Belgium has made me slightly biased in favour of their the country's two star players... But they do play some beautiful tennis! ;o)

If you understand French, here's the story in her own words:



And since I can't resist the chance to put up some of my own pics... here are some images from Justine's final Roland Garros in 2007 (which she won, again. She surprisingly retired while still number 1 in 2008 just a few weeks before RG). Unfortunately they're all of the big screens... I got tickets to the men's 1/4f matches but couldn't get seats for the women's. That day we had general admissions tickets so saw matches on the smaller courts (for example the Brian Brothers up real close!) and saw bits of big matches like this 1/4f vs Serena Williams on the big screens:

Writing another page in the (tennis) history books!

HE DID IT!!!

(from ATP website)

After finally completing the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros last month, Federer now stands alone in number of singles Grand Slam titles... after a grueling 5-set match against Andy Roddick, Roger Federer won his 6th Wimbledon title to total 15 Grand Slam wins (and he did it in 6 years, beating Pete Sampras' record of 14 over 13 years, with the man himself in the public watching his record go bye-bye! lol!). (photo from NYTimes website by Suki / European Press Agency)

(from ATP website)

Boy I wish I could have seen it! :o(

Damn Canal + for not showing it "en abierto" on their Canal 4! But thanks Wimbledon Radio, even though it's a lot harder to follow a match with your ears instead of your eyes, still they made it a very fun experience (I heard the last two sets) with a high degree of excitement. I thought that last set would never end (I was impatient to head down to the pool before the sun set, lol!)! 16-14?! wow! And all those aces?! Yikes! Wouldn't have wanted to be on the receiving end of those!

The ATP official website has got a Roger tribute up and running, lots of interesting articles such as "Federer's Road to Grand Slam Greatness" and "Sampras' Tribute to Federer". Plus those really cool photo montajes above and here below! ;o)


I'm so happy for Roger, but of course Rafa fans will be a bit sad today because with this win Federer regains his number 1 rank. So the rivalry for the top spot is still alive, I hope Rafa's knee is better and he gives us an exciting hard-court season! Rafa vs Roger at the US Open final anyone? ;o)

GRAND SLAM!

As I write this first part (the rest will be when I get back home after a tea outing), I'm watching Federer smash Robin Soderling of Sweden and write his name in tennis history books as only the 6th man to achieve a career Grand Slam (which means he's won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the US Open and now -finally- Roland Garros)! Finally equalling Pete Sampras in Grand Slam titles (14, highest number for men, amongst the women the amazing Steffi Graff has over 20 I believe!).

I am so enjoying every minute of it too! The crazy dude who jumped the fence to give Federer a hat (read about it here). The thrills on the rare break point Soderling has had, Federer's powerful and precise aces, the lovely drop shots... Go Roger!!! And how about the stress in the final game? Serving for the Championship and giving Soderling an opportunity for a break?! be still my beating heart!!! Quickly corrected thank heavens! ;o)

And to receive the trophy from the hands of Andre Agassi? The last man to complete the Grand Slam... how wonderfully symbolic!

Beautiful speeches... I've got tears in my eyes! I'm such a sentimental goofball sometimes! :p





(photo from Getty Images on eurosport.yahoo.com)

INCONCEIVABLE!

(publicity in the Paris metro in June 2007)

Rafa Nadal knocked out of Roland Garros in the 4th Round?!

(photo by AFP, on NYTimes website)

Not even by Djokovic, Murray or Federer, but by a 22-seeded Swede?!

(photo by AFP, on NYTimes website)

INCONCEIVABLE!!!

I'm in official tennis mourning... :o(

I knew this day would come... our unvanquished champion would fall... but NOT THIS YEAR!!! After a couple of years chasing after and matching Bjorn B�rg's records (4 consecutive Roland Garros titles, winning RG and Wimbledon the same year, etc.), THIS was the year in which he was going to create his own record for others to beat: 5 successive RG titles!

*sigh*

He played well, and yet not well enough. He wasn't 100% the Rafa we've admired so often on court -clay or otherwise-. I noticed something seemed off 2 weeks ago in the Madrid Master's and hoped he'd shake whatever it was off in time for Paris. But I guess not.

A -not so subtle- reminder that our champions are only human after all. As he himself admits, recognising his faults, in an interview he states that at during the whole the match he "didn't play with calm" (only found a Spanish transcript of bits of the interview on RTVE). He is his usual humble self, admitting his errors, and hoping Federer wins the tournament.

Ah! I've found two videos on YouTube (boy does he look miserable). The second seems to be the continuation of the first (different source). I love his answer in the first when asked how he's planning to prepare for Wimbledon! ;o)






And after all, full credit to Robin Soderling who's got to be in 7th heaven right now, and has earned -thanks to some amazing tennis, good lord what a serve and drive!- his place in the books as the guy who stopped Rafa's winning streak in Roland Garros.

I was soooo looking forward to watching a 100% Spanish, Nadal vs Verdasco 1/4 final match on Tuesday... but Verdasco couldn't make it either, never managing to threaten Davydenko who beat him quite easily in 3 sets...

So, what's left for Roland Garros this week? After the intial shock of Djokovic getting knocked out yesterday, and the MAJOR shock of losing Nadal today... all I can say is that Federer had better take FULL advantage of his opportunity to complete his career Grand Slam and equal Sampras' record of Grand Slam titles (14 I believe). His two most dangerous rivals out of the way, if he plays the way he did in the Madrid Masters two weeks ago... he shouldn't have too much trouble. But better lock it in now 'cause next year Rafa will be back to continue chasing another of Bj�rg's records: the most Roland Garros titles (6). :o) VAMOS RAFA!!!

Hmmm... can you tell I'm a big tennis fan? This is nothing... you should check out my attempt at live-blogging this year's Australian Open final between Nadal and Federer here. ;o) And to think once upon a time I really disliked the sport... all that changed when I learnt to play properly. And learnt to appreciate watching good matches on TV with my dad. And then living in Belgium for 8 years where it's a big deal helped. Not to mention the awesome opportunity to watch a couple of men's 1/4f matches two years ago (one with Djokovic, the other Nadal vs Moya, such fun!) live in Paris. The energy in the Philippe Chatrier stadium is just... amazing!



Oh well, I now really hope Federer gets his name etched into the Coupe des Mousqutaires this year! But it will be a strange final... no Federer vs Nadal. But I'll be watching it whoever he's playing against!