should have come in here last night when i came back from Gstaad but i was exhausted and went to bed early and slept for 10 hours! i'll be playing some tennis myself in two hours with hubby...
left Bern at 9, remember that friend who gave me her Davis Cup tickets cuz she went on her honeymoon? Well, i was with her and she picked me up and we drove in her car. Daniela (that's her name) is a former Interclub player and played in the higher category and even used to work in Gstaad years back as a lineswoman and also as an usherette. Her parents own a 'Ferienwohnung' next door in Saanen with the most gorgeous view of the valley where Gstaad is. ('ll send the pics later) They spend their winters there and it must be lovely with all that snow. Anyway, Dana, as we call her, is an expert on these long, winding roads as she literally grew up there spending her weekends in these areas. I offered her my second ticket for free to thank her for the DC tickets. Hubby played golf.
We also got to park this time in Saanen, by the airport, as the former grounds for parking closer to the tennis courts were closed due to mud and rain. And it was raining when we waited for the service bus, and as we arrived the street in front of the courts was getting crowded. We stopped by a restaurant at the corner and had coffee and hot chocolates. They offered Chinese lunch which i wanted to have but it was too early. Dana was also in the same group that came on Monday and we were dreaming about going back into the sponsors' tent where we had our gratis buffet then! ;D
Anyway, the queue outside was unbelievable. They only opened one entrance at the start so we were like a herd of sheep being shoved slowly inside!
But in no time we were inside the premises and it was still drizzling as we found our seats. We were at the left corner of the baseline, right next to the sponsors and players stand, so it was a good view to see the court, the local celebrities, and the passage on the side. (saw Rainer walking by). Well, we positioned ourselves but it was COLD!!! I wore jeans, tennis shoes, had a long sleeved cotton shirt, a cotton pullover, a sports jacket, a cap---it was not ample enough to protect me from the winter temperatures that day. Brrrr! So different from last year when you could just wear a sleeveless shirt and shorts. Anyway, Roger & Starace were on and it was a great match. (later on the radio someone said it was Roger's best match so far) Starace is good, and moves quickly on the court. This guy will be a threat to anyone on any given day. He also made some great shots yesterday and once there was a rally with some scramblings and he made the point on the net with a lovely drop shot and people applauded wildly, and he smiled at Roger. (these two have hit together at least 3x already)
At one set apiece, and into the 3rd, the rains came, and i was glad for the interruption as it was really cold and me and Dana rushed to the loo and when we got out there was long queue, so we were lucky. Then we hit the food stands and ordered Bratwurst with fries, cola, and sat in one of the table with a big white umbrella. A guy working for the sponsors Allianz gave us some papers to fill up. It was a survey thing and if you won then you'd get tickets for next year. We'll see if luck is still on our side.
People were coming out from the courts and flocking around and buying food and drinks. I saw mostly raincoats and umbrellas. Then we went out and on the opposite side of the street just a few meters from the courts (note: Gstaad IS very very small, with one main street and you walk up and down and everything is there. That's it. But the hills & mountains sorrounding the town is what makes it special.) we stopped by a supermarket and Dana bought sweets and i bought nylon stockings which i put on. God were they helpful!
btw. before i forget, during Roger's match there was Mirka seated right next to Roger's dad, a woman whom i didn't recognize, Yves Allegro, then Mirka's parents. Mirka looks exactly like her mom. Amazing. Even the hair color is the same.
Her dad had a videocam with him and started shooting on Roger.
Anyway, we went back to the courts and saw that Roger was 5-3 on the 3rd set, so we watched the rest on the big scrren and walked back to our seats but the passage was blocked as it was the entrance/exit of the players. Well, i got a good place just on the corner of that metal fence and saw Roger coming out of the courts after the interview and i handed out my envelope and i said, "another red envelope", and he took it and he goes, "again?" i told him, "well i'm late, but i gave you one here last year, so...", but he smiled and said "thank you", (sooo politely) and as it was just that cold metal separating us and he was still standing there, i slapped him on his upper left arm, like a well done kiddo slap, you know?
Dana was watching from my back fascinated and i explained to her the red envelope tradition. She goes, how come you didn't take a picture? I said, i had no time to do everything! I was just happy to watch him sign some kids' autographs quietly. God, he must be tired, the poor thing, but the show must go on...love his new Wilson bag in white.
Anyway, that was a nice part and it lightened me up. Legs warmer from my newly bought stockings, we sat on the bleachers again and watched Rainer & Andreev. The sun came out a few times and then it got warmer, but not for long. Igor rolled on Rainer in the first, but became inconsistent in the second, (he had match point) the 3rd could have been anybody's match. But the young fearless Russian finally prevailed in that tb and you could tell he was so pleased. That kid hits the crap out of a ball, lots of topspins, but with an unorthodox grip. If he spent time honing his skills in Spain, he must have hung out with Berasetigui.
Well obviously Rainer was disappointed, he just walked out of the court while Gunthard interviewed Andreev. On our way down, they blocked the passage again, but i could see Andreev signing autographs. Then when he got to the corner, i told him, "hey, Igor congratulations, you played very well." And he let out this schoolboy grin, said thanks and i said good luck for tomorrow and he thanked me again and posed happily for my camera! His pleasure was so pure.
When he walked out i shouted, "Spasiba!" and he looked back and smiled. lol Dana jokingly told me i have a Swiss passport but i'm a traitor for wishing him good luck for the finals!
We watched the first set of Rosset & Wawrinka's match, it was ok but a bit boring and we were tired at this point so we finally decided to leave after the first set which they won. So they're in the finals! Good for Wawrinka to play doubles, he's more confident in his game, in fact, Marc made more ue's altho he served well, and if the ball is hit in the middle, their rackets clash and they lose the point! I'm sure they'll sort that out in the future.
Well, we had cappucinos at the stand, ate some sweets, then went inside to a few boutiques but didn't buy anything, then went back to the car and drove to Dana's parents' place to get a few things, and drove back to Bern. The sun came back during the hour long drive home and the mountains and valleys looked so lush from the beautiful early evening light. To those who've never been to the Bernese mountains, Gstaad is worth coming to. Winter or summer. The scenery won't disappoint you.
Rogi! but I'm a little worried that he won't get enough rest before he has to play his SF at 11.30am tomorrow v. Starace -- won't be easy either.
Maybe Federer practices yoga with Max Mirnyi, that would give him excellent breath control 
Yes, stocking is the best thing vs cold. If I know it would be so cold, I would have give you some tips I learned watching football (North America style) at sub-zero temperate. 
Too bad it was so cold. That would be a interesting contrast to my only tournament experience, which was in some steamy hot conditions 