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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 4:52:35 GMT -5
OK, here we go again. ;D Like I said, I had a fantastic time, I just love the atmosphere at this tournament. But there are some mixed feelings this year and a few disappointments. I’ll deal with the negatives first, because I don’t want to dwell on them and they’re mostly concentrated in the first few days. First of all, while I love my mom dearly and we get along brilliantly, I began to regret taking her with me the moment we arrived. ;P This should have been a solo adventure. It was my favorite week of the year and I needed to be in total control. She was driving me up the wall in the beginning, because nothing was to her liking, she was constantly complaining and was ruining the spirit of adventure for me. I called her a mimosa.  Instead of concentrating on tennis, I worried about her happiness and well-being. That is also part of the reason why my notes are so awful. The free time that I had last year was spent with her. She gradually settled in, so it got much better as the tournament progressed. She began to enjoy herself more. But next year, I simply have to go with someone who is interested in tennis, but unfortunately I don’t know anybody like that. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all meet in Umag and have some fun?  We arrived quite late in the day because we were in no hurry in the morning and decided to take it easy. Most of the day was spent unpacking, since we had to move the tent three times  (yep, that’s how it was at first). With the exception of a few Croats, I didn’t see any players that day. Correction, I did see someone practicing but I’ll get back to that later. The first major disappointment hit me when I scanned the main draw excitedly. I immediately noticed there was no Nadal.  This came as a shock because I just saw him play in Stuttgard on TV a few days before. I was really looking forward to seeing how much he’s progressed in a year. The second thing I noticed was that Jarkko wasn’t there either. But I was more prepared for that because I gathered from TH’s words that his appearance was a bit doubtful. Still, I was really sorry. I wanted to see him play in person and I wanted to take some pics for TH. I went to the head office (information center) and asked what had happened and to my astonishment, the women there had no idea about why Nadal wasn’t there and they didn’t even know who Jarkko was. I know they are beautiful and Umag prides itself on beautiful hostesses, but come on, shouldn’t they know a little something about tennis as well, if they work at the information center? It’s things like that that make me really furious. I guess the main disappointment was the quality of tennis compared to last year, or rather the quality of matches. I gave this a lot of thought to make sure it wasn’t just the novelty of being at a tournament of this level that fueled this comparison, but I don’t think that was the case. Last year there was a lot of tight, nerve-wracking fights, whereas this year most of the matches (if not all) were decidedly one-sided affairs with only a few moments of nervous tension. Even when the quality of tennis was great, the outcome was all too predictable. I enjoyed the display of beautiful tennis, but missed the nail-biting, adrenaline-pumping drama of last year. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat. Instead, I experienced the most nervous moments when there was lightning near the court during the first semi-final match, since that is my biggest fear after spiders.  I was wondering what would happen if the approaching storm descended on the stadium. Ok, that’s enough about disappointments, now on to the good stuff |
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 4:54:07 GMT -5
Like last year, I added a new player to the list of favorites. Only, you’re not gonna believe who. I’m not even sure I should tell you because it’s embarrassing. Those of you who’ve known me for a long time will no doubt die laughing, because it’s none other than one of my oldest arch-enemies, good old Willy Canas.  I honestly can’t remember why I disliked him so much, because really, he’s exactly my type. He even looks very much like my first love. Yes, he has a nasty scowl, but I can definitely scowl like that too. In person, he’s not quite as evil-looking as I thought, quite the opposite. He also looks more his age, on TV he always looked older to me. I decided he was one of the good guys, not to mention incredibly hot. No, no, not to worry, I’m not gonna drool. But I will say this - while I prefer Arnaud’s physique, Canas has the best-sculpted and toned body that I’ve seen so far, extremely athletic, not an ounce of fat anywhere, a lean mean fighting machine. I was particularly impressed with his shoulder/upper back muscles. The only thing that bothers me is his unhealthy hump when he’s waiting to receive the serve, that can’t be good for his back. So how did I change my mind about Willy? It happened at Tuesday’s players’ party. Before that I watched his play for the first time and was duly impressed (but then I expected to be impressed by his play). So much so, that I predicted then and there that he was going to win the tournament. I don’t mean to brag but it’s true. After the first round matches I picked him as the winner of the tournament. Not many people believed me, most were convinced that Moya was going remain the king of Umag, but I just had a feeling this wasn’t Moya’s year. I hoped Volandri would succeed him, but my money was on Canas. Afterwards I went to the player’s party, picked my spot for dancing and he walked straight passed me several times. But no, that wasn’t why I changed my mind. The first time he passed me he was really in a good mood, getting into the dancing spirit and he did the funniest thing - he shook his boobs (you know the way women do with arms outstretched) and I was sold. Yes, I’m that cheap. ;D Seriously, it was hilarious and made me laugh. I remember our aerobics instructor tried to get us to do it for fun at one of her classes, but he was so much better at it then any of us. I should ask him for some tips, because I can’t do it to save my life. He’s also a great dancer (aaaah, those Latinos) and he certainly knows how to shake his booty. LOL, he was singing along to all these dance songs, it was cute. Mainly I liked this mixture of hard-working ethics and playfulness. It’s a good thing I changed my mind about him, otherwise I would have been miserable come finals day. Significantly, he was the first player I saw this year. Yes, he’s the one I saw on Sunday as I was on my way to the beach to take a swim. He was practicing on some side court that was fenced in. I didn’t stay and watch but I was immensely concerned that the players would only practice at those fenced in courts, because I didn’t fancy taking pictures through the wire.  But fortunately, that turned out not to be the case. They practiced on the same courts as last year, which are accessible to anyone. Speaking of pictures, they definitely could have been better. I just discovered that I was doing something wrong. It’s a new camera and I’m not used to all the features yet, so quite a few of them are not as sharp as I would have hoped, but hey, I’ll do better next time. The main thing is that I have some pics as opposed to last year. I’ve scanned some of Di Pasquale’s pics. Go to this link: www.pbase.com/layla101/umag If they appear too large when you click on the pics, you can choose the size at the bottom of each pic (original is too large and is only worthwhile if you want to copy the pic on your computer in its original size). |
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jul 28, 2004 5:05:52 GMT -5
Thank you very much for the entertaining reports, and yes we need the negatives as well. I learnt a lot today as well, for one you didn't like Canas  Is it because he owns Henman that you disliked him? It's good that you came around, it must be that season, Chloe likes Chela now, and you like Canas, sometimes it takes people longer to come around. ;D Of course the Latinos know how to shake that ass, and the wiggle is typical of Canas and I have a lot to live up to with my next reports. More about the player party please? |
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 5:21:33 GMT -5
No, no, no, it had nothing to do with Henman. I just thought he looked mean. No, what's the word I used to describe him? Ferocious, vicious, something like that. He's not really, it's just when he puts those eyebrows together, he looks scary. You wouldn't want to mess with him. In person, he doesn't give off that vibe, even on court. I love the way he says sorry, sorry, sorry (always three times) in a sheepish, hurried way when he doesn't like his ball toss.  There's not much more to say about the player's party. It wasn't particularly wild, just a bunch of players dancing and chatting in different corners of the dancefloor. But I'll write more about it in Tuesday's report (coming soon). |
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Post by fatboy aphex on Jul 28, 2004 5:25:49 GMT -5
Yes, how come you didn't like Canas?
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 5:28:30 GMT -5
Yes, how come you didn't like Canas? I don't know. I should have known he was a good guy because he's Dissident's favorite Argentine. |
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jul 28, 2004 5:29:18 GMT -5
Layla, fair enough description. You never know when I see Sammy the mad Croatian my friend from the Australian Open, with the encylopedia like knowledge I will ask him about Umag. He loves Canas the warrior as he calls him and suits him.
I am eagerly awaiting the next reports. How was DiP this year?
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 5:48:18 GMT -5
I'll get to DiP next, in my Monday and Tuesday reports which should be up today. He epitomizes the mixed feelings. It was great to see him play again, but he seemed so frustrated with his game.  I can't even imagine how hard it is to attempt a return after so many problems and starting at the bottom, but at least he's slowly climbing the rankings and is bound to get better and better. I wish I could have seen his RG first round match against Hewitt. |
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jul 28, 2004 5:58:38 GMT -5
I wish I could have seen his RG first round match against Hewitt. That match was absolutely frustrating, he had so many chances to win the 2nd set as well as the 3rd. I wrote a report somewhere about it, and I understand what you mean, he just needs an injury free run and he has the ethic to get back, so that's a good thing. Most of the Argentines apart from little cheating ones are alright actually. |
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 6:13:08 GMT -5
That match was absolutely frustrating, he had so many chances to win the 2nd set as well as the 3rd. I wrote a report somewhere about it, and I understand what you mean, he just needs an injury free run and he has the ethic to get back, so that's a good thing. Most of the Argentines apart from little cheating ones are alright actually. You did? I'll have to dig it up then.  Yes, he does. He's working hard, you can see how much he wants it. He just needs his confidence back. I'm praying that we've seen the last of his injury problems, because he must be one of the most unfortunate players in recent history, along with Magnus. Canas had his share of bad luck as well. It breaks my heart to see all these talented players sidelined for so long. Well, I seem to prefer lower ranked Argies, like Calleri. I picked two that probably noone's ever heard of, because they played in Ljubljana - Ignacio Hirigoyen and Ignacio Gonzalez-King. I'm glad Nalbandian stopped whining so incessantly, it makes me like him a whole lot more now that he's maturing. |
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jul 28, 2004 6:20:12 GMT -5
You did? I'll have to dig it up then. Yes, he does. He's working hard, you can see how much he wants it. He just needs his confidence back. I'm praying that we've seen the last of his injury problems, because he must be one of the most unfortunate players in recent history, along with Magnus. Canas had his share of bad luck as well. It breaks my heart to see all these talented players sidelined for so long. It's on the French Open thread somewhere, I have to dig that up soon. Actually I do know someone who has had more injuries, and he was one of my former faves and it's the guy on my MTF avatar, aphex knows him. Nevertheless it happens unfortunately but Norman does have another career already and that is a bonus. I have seen Hirigoyen play actually, but not Gonzalez-King. Moyano isn't too bad, he definitely works very hard on court. Calleri is a good guy and as I said there is only one Argentine that I have a problem with. I am wondering if RogiFan will go up to Nalbandian, and actually at least David is genuine which is unlike some of them. |
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 28, 2004 12:47:28 GMT -5
But next year, I simply have to go with someone who is interested in tennis, but unfortunately I don’t know anybody like that. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all meet in Umag and have some fun? I am so there, LOL I haven't forgotten our plans to meet up at RG someday, you, me, and Diss I'm not sure if I could get used to only seeing tennis in the evening, though. One of the things I liked about Cincy was that the tennis lasted all day. But I guess beggars can't be choosers, LOL. Aww, thank you  I was disappointed for you as well, because Jarkko is great fun to see in person. Very intense and concentrated on the court. Maybe next year... Rafa played in Kitz, so it will be interesting to see which one he chooses if the two are played in the same week in the future. Typical, unfortunately. The folks in Cincy, while not beautiful, weren't much better. I'm starting to think it's easier to get info like that online than on the grounds, it seems like nobody on the grounds is in the loop. Oh, well. Honestly, I don't remember why you didn't like Canas. Looks like it's time to go digging in the MTF archives again He does look mean on the court, and I remember in 2002 he was a threat to Juan Carlos on the clay, but since he's been out with injury for so long I forgot myself :red: That's not drooling? Seriously, though, I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures, starting with the infamous DiP  I was actually thinking a bit yesterday about the musical and how to revive it. Hmm... |
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Post by Partridge In A Pear Tree on Jul 28, 2004 13:23:38 GMT -5
 great writing, Layla. as usual. looking forward to reading the rest of your Umag adventures. Willy Cañas, eh? funny about having new favorites, cuz even if i'll always be Roger's diehard admirer, i like Nalby a lot--- gamewise and that hunky look. ;D Bring in Basel already! lol yes, when are you and Hackie reviving your musical?
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 28, 2004 13:35:46 GMT -5
funny about having new favorites, cuz even if i'll always be Roger's diehard admirer, i like Nalby a lot--- gamewise and that hunky look. ;D Bring in Basel already! lol LOL, they interview Fed after his match on ESPN and when he mentioned the major tournaments during the rest of the year, he said the USO, the Masters Cup, and Basel, of course It was cute. Then PMac had to go and ruin it by bragging about how he played the final of Basel against Ferreira one year and Fed was his ballboy Then he asked him why he rooted for Ferreira instead! Guess it just goes to show that even as a kid he had good taste ;D People still care about it other than me? |
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Post by Partridge In A Pear Tree on Jul 28, 2004 13:45:38 GMT -5
LOL, they interview Fed after his match on ESPN and when he mentioned the major tournaments during the rest of the year, he said the USO, the Masters Cup, and Basel, of course It was cute. Then PMac had to go and ruin it by bragging about how he played the final of Basel against Ferreira one year and Fed was his ballboy Then he asked him why he rooted for Ferreira instead! Guess it just goes to show that even as a kid he had good taste ;D People still care about it other than me? your musical's gotta be one of the best threads ever at MTF. you and Layla fighting over Juanqui back in those days. lol ;D just wondering how the story ends... |
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 15:24:51 GMT -5
It's on the French Open thread somewhere, I have to dig that up soon. Actually I do know someone who has had more injuries, and he was one of my former faves and it's the guy on my MTF avatar, aphex knows him. Nevertheless it happens unfortunately but Norman does have another career already and that is a bonus. I'm sure that's not the one he wants though. I heard that he was still trying to practice, hoping the pain will lessen. Ouch, if your report is in the French Open thread, it will be very hard to find. You have? What did you think of him. Actually, I think Gonzalez-King is better. He's had some results in the challengers. They were both qualifiers at the Ljubljana challenger though. King's rankings improved in the meantime, so he could enter the main draw directly this year and promptly lost in the first round. |
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 15:34:07 GMT -5
I am so there, LOL I haven't forgotten our plans to meet up at RG someday, you, me, and Diss I'm not sure if I could get used to only seeing tennis in the evening, though. One of the things I liked about Cincy was that the tennis lasted all day. But I guess beggars can't be choosers, LOL. I haven't forgotten about that plan either, only I'm not quite rich yet. If you watch all the practices, tennis lasts all day here as well. You can probably start early in the morning. The atmosphere at the center court in the evening is magical though, very special. Yeah, maybe next year. Or earlier, if I decide to go to more tournaments this year. Doesn't sound very likely but I definitely want to. No, that's not drooling. :angel: Err, I've already posted DiP's pics, didn't you see the link in the first post?  You know, I've been thinking about the musical too these days. Oh, how I miss those days. It would be fun to revive it, wouldn't it? |
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 15:37:21 GMT -5
 great writing, Layla. as usual. looking forward to reading the rest of your Umag adventures. Willy Cañas, eh? funny about having new favorites, cuz even if i'll always be Roger's diehard admirer, i like Nalby a lot--- gamewise and that hunky look. ;D Bring in Basel already! lol yes, when are you and Hackie reviving your musical? Aww, thanks Mrs. B!  Yeah, bring on the next tournament please! I wonder which one I should try now that I can drive a car. Vienna is pretty close, but the tickets are awfully expensive. |
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 28, 2004 15:42:22 GMT -5
I haven't forgotten about that plan either, only I'm not quite rich yet. If you watch all the practices, tennis lasts all day here as well. You can probably start early in the morning. The atmosphere at the center court in the evening is magical though, very special. I'm not rich either, and Diss isn't even around much anymore We'll do it, though, even if it's after our current faves are long gone. We're all still young ;D Hehe Jarkko definitely is an early-morning guy, so it was fun to see him almost first thing. Yes, I did see the DiP pictures, they were quite lovely LOL, we already have one fan clamouring for us to revive it I'd like to, sure. It wasn't as much fun writing it by myself. |
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 28, 2004 15:44:05 GMT -5
Aww, thanks Mrs. B! Yeah, bring on the next tournament please! I wonder which one I should try now that I can drive a car. Vienna is pretty close, but the tickets are awfully expensive. *sigh* I feel spoiled, so many different posters who can go to so many different tournaments It makes me wish I was closer to different events. It would be quite a change to go from coastal Croatian clay to indoors in Austria. |
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 15:45:02 GMT -5
MONDAY, 19.7.2004I quickly settled into a routine of early morning swimming, followed by breakfast, coffee and onwards to practice courts where I usually stayed until (late) lunch before getting ready for matches, which this year began at 16:30 instead of at 17:00. That half an hour caused me some problems getting to matches on time. I set off for the practice courts on Monday and just scanned the place, noticed a bunch of players, some I knew some I didn’t, but I honestly don’t remember who was there. No one particularly important, except perhaps Andreev. I think most of the players haven’t arrived yet or weren’t practicing yet. After a quick tour of all the courts I arrived at the grandstand court and who should I see there but... Arnaud Di Pasquale! He was practicing with Olivier Patience, so that’s where I set up my camp. It’s the best court for watching practicing because it’s the only one that offers some shade on the stands, created by the center court right behind it. It’s the most pleasant spot in the whole of Umag in the middle of a hot day. For a while I just stood there in amazement, happy that I was finally watching DiP play again. Then I whipped out my camera and started snapping away. It was quite a good practice. Judging from his figure, he’s very fit and in great shape, maybe even better than when I saw him in Ljubljana but I noticed later and in the match that he needs to improve his stamina, his conditioning, because he was getting tired too early. Or maybe it’s the heat that got to him, like it got to quite a few players over the weak, even Canas seemed to have trouble catching his breath. Although DiP is so tanned he seems like he’s been practicing in the scorching sun all year. I noticed that Rémi, his coach, only watches him in silence and rarely says anything, whereas Olivier Rochus’ coach for instance kept up a running commentary, always discussing the shots and how to improve them, rating his serve, etc. In the middle of the practice I started chatting with a Croatian whose son is playing tennis and who was interested in coaching techniques. We had quite a few discussions over the week at various practices and matches but no, not a romantic interest. I told him all about DiP, because he didn’t know who he was, and he was somewhat impressed by him. ;D I felt my job was done, but there was more to come in the evening. After that practice I walked around for a bit, didn’t see anything particularly interesting (it was hot and most of the courts were empty) so I opted to go for a swim before lunch. Then I got ready for the first matches and was very excited. The first matches were Ulihrach vs. Serra on center and Mutis vs. Vliegen on GS (grandstand). That was a no-brainer. I picked the second one, because I was interested in Vliegen, but perhaps that was a mistake. Kristof VLIEGEN vs. Olivier MUTIS 6-0 6-2 What an awful, awful match! Kristof was quite good, but he didn’t really have to be, because Mutis was abominable. I was thoroughly disappointed in him, that was quite possibly the worst performance I’ve ever seen by anyone. Perhaps I’m exaggerating, but his misses were a work of art. I felt that if Kristof had just stood in the middle of the court, he would have still won the match. Very embarrassing. I’ve never heard the Umag audience boo anyone, but they were definitely beginning to boo this sorry display and had to be reprimanded by the umpire to show more sportsmanship. : Completely forgettable and over in a flash. Before going into the center court for the first time to see Krajan vs. Vanek, I made a tour of the courts and noticed that quite a few of them were used for practices. I saw Canas again and even spotted Volandri, when I noticed a crowd of people hovering around the court right behind GS. I went to check it out and there was DiP again practicing with Moya. So I did the unthinkable. I skipped a match to watch practice. This time it was Moya who was the more frustrated at some of his misses and DiP entertained the audience with some exciting shots on occasion. I thought this was excellent exposure for him, as I had to answer quite a few people asking who he was. I was very pleased with my services in promoting Di Pasquale. I snapped some more pics and even caught the only laugh/smile I’ve seen from him in those two days (excluding the players’ party). He was always so serious. I pointed the camera at him when they were sitting in their chairs relaxing and talking to each other and at the exact moment I decided to snap, he laughed at something Moya said, and there it was, a smile. What an amazing instance of synchronicity. I was pleased as punch with that scoop. I noticed that the discussion with the coach usually occurred after the match. They stayed around for quite a while, talking, when everyone else was gone. I decided to finally visit the beautiful central stadium.
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 15:47:59 GMT -5
Zeljko KRAJAN vs. Jiri VANEK 6-0 3-6 6-3 When I got there the match was well into the second set. I was amazed to see that Zeljko managed to bagel Vanek, but then I remembered that Jiri had a bad start to some of his matches in Ljubljana as well. His wife was there, didn’t see the kid though. I didn’t even know who to cheer for. I liked Vanek, but on the other hand, I had sympathies for the local boy as well. Zeljko seemed down and out in the third set but then he surprised me (the Croatians have a reputation for giving up too easily when they are down) and fought back to take the victory. He is quite an exciting player when he is on form, his groundstrokes are excellent. Jiri began to make more and more mistakes as the Croat put the pressure on. But I wasn’t completely concentrating on the match, because I saw a lovely Scottish lady that I met last year and spent quite some time talking to. We were very happy to see each other again. In the meantime, she’s been to Casablanca and Rome. Needless to say, I was envious. She is the other reason (the third being laziness ) for my lack of notes. We usually watched the matches together and talked between the games, so I had no time to write anything. I know, I know, I’m awful. Oh, the reason why I missed most of this match was because the first match on center court was finished in a flash as well, 6-3 6-1. So the first two matches in Umag were over in less than an hour. I didn’t know it at the time, but that set up the tone for what was to come. After the match on CC, I rushed out to see my darling Olivier Rochus take on Karol Kucera. Why does he always draw the tallest guys on the tour? Every single time. I even dragged my mom to the match, because GS matches were free, but she was more than a little bored. Olivier ROCHUS vs. Karol KUCERA 6:2 6:2 It was a good match. I’ve never seen Olivier in better form, he was terrific. Last year he was pretty awful, so this was an improvement. His serve is still his weakness, but the rest of the game was spotless. Karol seemed past his prime, at least on this occasion. He appeared slow and had too many easy misses, but Olivier’s performance was dazzling, so I was very happy with the first day. I rushed back to the center court to catch some more action. Fernando VICENTE vs. Sasa TUKSAR 6-7(5) 6-4 6-3 This was one of the tighter matches at this year’s tournament. I quite like Tuksar, he seems like a sweet kid. He came to Ljubljana as well. Last year he made it to the second round where he lost against Magnus Norman in two very tight tie-break sets. This year he had the match in the bag, leading by a set and 4-1, but as it goes, it’s not over till it’s over. Vicente began to fight back and Sasa ran out of steam. Or maybe the nerves got to him, I think this was his first time on center court. When he saw his advantage slip by he was so disheartened that he underperformed in the third set. But he’s young and I’m sure this will be a learning experience for him. If nothing else, he must have learned that the Spaniards are tough to beat if you let them back into the match. He should have observed his compatriot Krajan fight back from the brink of defeat and follow his lead, but it didn’t happen. I felt really sorry for him, but also happy for Vicente. During the match, I was introduced to Gerry Armstrong, one of my favorite umpires. He’s such a gentleman. He’s usually here with his whole family, but this year it was only the male part of the family, i.e. his son Matthew who was a ballboy and is quite tall for his age and has a Harry Potter-like shock of dark hair, only curly. He doesn’t look like Gerry at all. I saw them practicing on the courts every day around noon. Not bad. I was introduced to them by my Scottish friend, who knows most of the umpires and who first came to Umag on Gerry’s recommendation. He was charming. Before he arrived, we were discussing his Croatian accent when he was umpiring Rochus’ match, so she told him about it. I complimented him, because I really though it was brilliant and told him as much. He seemed pleased if a little surprised and told me it was his first time. I couldn’t believe it. He was much better at it then some of the other umpires, but we all agreed that it’s important to try and Croatian isn’t the easiest of languages. My friend also told him I liked Tim, so I apologized for it in gest (she made fun of me earlier), but he said he liked him too. So there... Not all Brits hate him. I snapped two lovely pics of Armstrong that I'm quite proud of. Last year, Armstrong was the supervisor but this year he was just umpiring the matches (usually in the worst heat of the early matches, poor fellow). I like the umpires at Umag, they were mostly the same as last year. There have been very few complaints that I’ve seen and some very good overrules. The ones I remember the most were Mohammed Layani and Emmanuel Joseph. That was it for the first day. I went to bed a bit early, because I was quite tired from the journey and the unpacking. No sign of Moya yet, but I heard that Novak was practicing on the center court (which is out of bounds for spectators).
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Post by Layla on Jul 28, 2004 15:58:10 GMT -5
I'm not rich either, and Diss isn't even around much anymore We'll do it, though, even if it's after our current faves are long gone. We're all still young ;D Oh, but there will always be new ones. I hope we don't have to wait that long though. One of those pics is now my new avatar on MTF. You were right, it's more fun to have a cute guy for an avatar. I'm sure it wasn't. I'm sorry life got in the way. Grrrr, why do we have to have a job. I'd much rather work on the musical. I hope I can find some free time this time around, but it's not looking very promising in August. My vacation is effectively ove. I wish I was beautiful so I could be a hostess at the tournaments. They have the best job in the world. |
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 28, 2004 16:01:51 GMT -5
Hehe, I'm all too familiar with your reaction to DiP. It's so great to hear he's finally back in shape. He needs to step up the aerobics to get his conditioning back, but at least he's in a position to try LOL @ doing PR work for him. I did the same thing for my faves in Cincy, though generally people were satisfied with knowing names and countries of origin. Gerry Armstrong, that name sounds familiar. He's mentioned in at least one of the books I excerpted in the General forum. He was described as a great guy and sounds like the description holds true today. That's cool that you were able to speak to him! Looks like you have an 'in' now, too, through your Scottish friend. |
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 28, 2004 16:07:29 GMT -5
Oh, but there will always be new ones. I hope we don't have to wait that long though. I hope not, either. Who knows what could happen in the next few years. Goodness knows my horizons are expanding Hehe, you have to have someone beautiful to stare at on the boards No, the best job in the world is the security people at the players' entrance -- wouldn't you like to know what they pack in their bags? Well, we can write an installment now and then. I don't think we'll ever get back up to the speed with which we started, a couple every day or so One or two a month would be a good pace, I think. It's been dead since February, so anything new would be an improvement |
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Post by The Chloe on Jul 28, 2004 23:31:23 GMT -5
Thanks for posting this thread. I'm going ot read them tomorrow when I'm more awake ;D
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jul 29, 2004 0:33:20 GMT -5
I'm sure that's not the one he wants though. I heard that he was still trying to practice, hoping the pain will lessen. Ouch, if your report is in the French Open thread, it will be very hard to find. Cause the love I feel for nearly everyone on this board and I found this for you Layla. I was impressed with DiP, he just run out of conditioning after being out for so long and cramped up badly, but he had a good go and if I was Hewitt I wouldn't be too thrilled with that performance. The 1st set DiP had 7 breakpoints and made errors on all of them, while Hewitt had 4 and made 3, that was the reason he was 6-0. DiP was moving the ball around well, but he was just making too many mistakes. DiP had chances in the 2nd set as well, he was leading 2-0 in the breaker and was up 5-2 and managed just to make too many errors, the third set was a breakathon, but DiP won and deserved it as well. In the 4th he was spent, and Hewitt was able to play on that, Hewitt was a bit gnarly with the umpire, but that's not unusual. |
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Post by Layla on Jul 29, 2004 4:03:26 GMT -5
Awww, thanks GWH! Sound very similar to what I saw. Lack of conditioning and confidence betrays him. That's why I feel certain that he will get better and better the longer he is in regular competition. |
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Post by Lee on Jul 29, 2004 4:28:41 GMT -5
Thanks for the report Layla |
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jul 29, 2004 6:49:03 GMT -5
Awww, thanks GWH! Sound very similar to what I saw. Lack of conditioning and confidence betrays him. That's why I feel certain that he will get better and better the longer he is in regular competition. Conditioning can be fixed up, lucky he is not training with some people I know. I don't look favourably on crampers, and that can be fixed a fitness issue, the confidence well he has made steps this year and doesn't need more injuries, and I just want him to be able to put in his best efforts. |
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(yep, that’s how it was at first). With the exception of a few Croats, I didn’t see any players that day. Correction, I did see someone practicing but I’ll get back to that later.
This came as a shock because I just saw him play in Stuttgard on TV a few days before. I was really looking forward to seeing how much he’s progressed in a year. The second thing I noticed was that Jarkko wasn’t there either. 
I was wondering what would happen if the approaching storm descended on the stadium.
But fortunately, that turned out not to be the case. They practiced on the same courts as last year, which are accessible to anyone.
Is it because he owns Henman that you disliked him?
I can't even imagine how hard it is to attempt a return after so many problems and starting at the bottom, but at least he's slowly climbing the rankings and is bound to get better and better. I wish I could have seen his RG first round match against Hewitt.
Yes, he does. He's working hard, you can see how much he wants it. He just needs his confidence back. I'm praying that we've seen the last of his injury problems, because he must be one of the most unfortunate players in recent history, along with Magnus. Canas had his share of bad luck as well. It breaks my heart to see all these talented players sidelined for so long.
I was disappointed for you as well, because Jarkko is great fun to see in person. Very intense and concentrated on the court. Maybe next year...
I was actually thinking a bit yesterday about the musical and how to revive it. Hmm...
You know, I've been thinking about the musical too these days. Oh, how I miss those days. It would be fun to revive it, wouldn't it?
Yeah, bring on the next tournament please! I wonder which one I should try now that I can drive a car. Vienna is pretty close, but the tickets are awfully expensive.
