The ATP players blogs

[Mrs. Fabregas]

Player Name: Feliciano Lopez
Blogging From: New Haven



Wedneday, August 23, 2006

Well, it was a full bus this morning with about 50 players and coaches traveling from New Haven to New York City. I saw a lot of French guys on the bus - Clement, Mahut, Benneteau. It wasn't a noisy ride. Most people were like me - trying to get some sleep and listening to their iPods. The trip took about two hours and the bus stopped near the Intercontinental in midtown. At that point I jumped in a cab with my coach and trainer - and also Nicolas Almagro, who we dropped off on the way - to go to our hotel near Central Park.

We checked in between 12.30 and 1 and then the first thing I did was go to the Nike store to pick up some shoes so I could practice. I couldn't wait till our big distribution day tomorrow. The US hard courts really kill the shoes and the pair I wore in New Haven were dead.

Tomorrow will be the big day. They give us so much stuff, but we have to be careful not to go silly because we have to take it all back to Spain after the Open. Because this is the last distribution of the year I'll probably get something like this: Five or six pairs of match shoes, one pair of running shoes, some different pairs of casual shoes, match clothes, practice stuff, bandanas.. everything!

We had lunch at the hotel and then left at 2.45 for Flushing Meadows. The draw was made around 11 in the morning but my first chance to see the draw came when I checked in at player registration on site. I quickly scanned the draw and found that I play the third seed Ljubicic. After that I looked to see who Rafa was playing and then I looked for the other Spanish guys.

I practiced from 4-6 with Santoro. Although he doesn't play like anyone else you're likely to play in the draw I enjoy practicing with him. He's fun to play with and very smart. After practice I ran for about 30 minutes and then took transportation back to the hotel.

Tonight I'll be going to dinner with my brother, a friend of mine from Madrid, my coach, trainer and Rafa. We're going to a Japanese restaurant.

Thanks for checking out the blog this week. I've had a lot of people tell me they read it.

Feliciano





Tuesday, August 22, 2006



I was just finishing practice around 11.20 when the coach of Olivier Rochus came to the practice courts. "Did you know you're playing Melzer?" he said.
"No."
"Bjorkman has pulled out."

And that's how you know you're playing a lucky loser. Normally the ATP Supervisor would tell you as soon as he knows but in this case it must have just happened and I was out on court. I'm guessing Rochus' coach was in the player lounge and heard about it just before he came out to practice.

Even though I now had to prepare to play a left-hander I didn't rush around trying to find a lefty to practice against. I was just finishing up my practice. Even though I knew Jonas had pulled out of the Cincinnati singles last week I expected him to play here. Because in Cincinnati, even after pulling out of the singles, he played doubles, beat Rafa and me and then won the title.

Unfortunately I lost today and tomorrow I'll be on the tournament-provided bus at 10 am going into New York City. There will be about 50 guys and girls on the bus, which leaves from the tournament hotel. After the match I just came back to the hotel room and watched some TV and spoke to my family and girlfriend on the phone. She knows that after a loss I don't like to talk much about the match so we spoke mostly about her flight details. She's flying into New York on Thursday.



Last night I went to a very nice Spanish restaurant in the city out here. It was Nicolas Almagro's birthday so a lot of the Spanish guys were there celebrating. There seems to be a competition among the restaurants to see who can get the most players - we have been given coupons for free dinners and last night I shared a few starters with my coach and trainer and then I had a steak.

My brother came out to watch me today on the train but headed back after the match. I will make one more post tomorrow to tell you how the bus trip went and about my first day in the big city.

Feliciano







Monday, August 21, 2006



Hello again,

It was great to win my first round match against Volandri today but unfortunately my form didn't carry over to the golf course. In fact, if I played tennis the way I played golf, the result would have been like a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Roger Federer. I must have finished 15 or 16 over par for nine holes, so tell Tiger that he has nothing to worry about. More of the golfing disaster in a minute...

After my match I got something to eat in the players' restaurant and while waiting in line for some pasta I talked with Svetlana Kuznetsova. Earlier in her career she trained at the Sánchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona and she now lives in Barcelona, so she speaks very good Spanish. It had been a long time since I had seen her so we basically just asked her what she had been up to. She said that she lost to Hingis last week in her first tournament back since Wimbledon.

Then it was off to the golf course, which was just about 10 minutes away. That's the great thing about the States - you never have to go far to play golf. I really enjoy playing golf and play quite a bit during the year. But today was a very bad performance. The low light came on one of the par fours which had water in front of the tee and also water that came into play if you hit a long slice. So it was kind of a tough shot. (For those of you wondering, although I play tennis left-handed I play golf right-handed.)

I decided to go for safety to begin with and took out the four iron. But you really needed to hit quite a long shot to clear the water, which I didn't. Then I said 'Okay, it's time for the driver.' That was a mistake. It's a tough hole for the driver. Still, that didn't stop me using the driver again to put a third ball in the water. I just picked up my ball and gave up on the hole. Fortunately my playing partners - Luis Horna, my friend David and my coach, Galo Blanco - didn't give me too much of a hard time.

After Wimbledon I started working with both Galo and Albert Costa. As many of you know Albert is the father of twin girls, so he doesn't want to do too much traveling. But hopefully after the US Open you'll see him on the road with me a bit.

Last night I went to the players' party with David Ferrer and his coach but we arrived late - around 8.45 - and didn't stay too long. Although there was some light food we wanted to go to a restaurant and get a big serve of pasta to prepare for today's match. Rafa didn't come to the party. He practiced late so I think he just had room service at the hotel.

Tomorrow I play my second-round match against Jonas Bjorkman. With a Saturday final you have to play every day if you keep winning. Of course I would love to reach the final here like I did last year.

More tomorrow.





Sunday, August 20, 2006



Hello everyone from New Haven.

I arrived here yesterday from Cincinnati, catching a 7am flight, which was sort of tough. Tonight is the players party from 6 to 9 in a bar close to the hotel. I will go to that but won't be too late as I play my first match tomorrow. I also went to the party last year and just about all of the players were there. I remember having some pizza.

I had a nice surprise for the tournament director Anne Worcester. I spoke to her on the courts today and told her that Rafa was coming to get in some practice. It's too early for him to go to New York to practice as none of the players are there. You can imagine that Ann was very surprised, but because the draw had already been made she knew there was no point asking if Rafa wanted to play the event.

Rafa wants to practice here today and tomorrow. Today he couldn't find anyone to hit with so he hit with my coach. The fans were very surprised to see him here and when word started to get around it became packed around his practice court. Tomorrow I think he's going to practice with Blake.

Rafa and I are doubles partners and very good friends. We share almost everything and practice a lot together. It's good to be around a guy with so much energy! We became friends during a year when we shared a coach, Francisco Roig. He still sometimes helps Rafa when Uncle Toni is not with him.

I practiced twice today - first with David Ferrer and then with Boris Pashanski - and also did some fitness work.

I didn't check email today but I did get a text message from my brother. He's just flown into New York from Madrid and he's brought some friends with him. His message was just a basic one: "I had a safe flight. We've just arrived - We're getting a taxi and going to the hotel.

Thanks for reading my first post. Check back for another one after my match against Volandri tomorrow.

[Mrs. Fabregas]

Player Name: Nikolay Davydenko
Blogging From: China Open, Beijing



Saturday, September 16, 2006



Greetings from Beijing, with my final post. After a good night’s rest, Irina and I started at 10am with transportation taking us to pick up tickets for a flight to Moscow tomorrow.

Then, we got to visit the Great Wall. Not the Simatai section, like Ivan [Ljubicic] on Wednesday, but the Badaling section. There was a lot of traffic on our two-hour journey. When we arrived we couldn’t believe how big and long it was.

We started to go up steps, not knowing how far we could walk. The beginning was steep; every 40 meters we would take a break. Irina said she was dying and couldn’t get to the finish, or at least as far as the eye could see.

The first 400-500 meters were just steps. We spent one and a half hours going up – around 1,000 steps. We recovered and took some photos. In the first 100 meters there were hundreds of tourists. The second and third hundred meters there was nobody. Come the finish... well, no one else could reach it!

It was hot on the ascent, but our Russian mentality told us to finish. Our legs were heavy. Then we thought how are we going to get down? We were exhausted. But we surprised ourselves by getting down in half an hour.

When we finished we thought no more steps. We never want to see steps again.



Exhausted, we bought some presents for friends at a souvenir shop. A group of other Russians spotted me and asked if I was still playing in the tournament.

Having spent two hours there we needed food, so went to a restaurant that combined as a porcelain factory for lunch. We bought some more presents there and then headed back to the hotel.

Irina wanted to do some shopping, so I dropped her off and gave her my credit card! I went on to the tournament site to thanks everyone.

I still haven’t heard from Irina. I guess I won’t see her until our flight tomorrow?

Tonight, I will rest and prepare for the Davis Cup. After that I will need two weeks to recover.

I really enjoyed doing the blog this week. I remember reading Dmitry’s [Tursunov] earlier this season. I wanted to add plenty of fun photos, not of me on the court. I wanted people to smile and have heard positive things from friends and fans. Thank you to everyone for reading throughout the week.

Nikolay






Friday, September 15, 2006



Update: I am sorry that I had to retire tonight but my body did not have any energy. I do not have any injury, but at night because of the 12-hour difference with America, I feel completely dead.

Tomorrow I will stay in Beijing, and with Irina we will go to the Great Wall but not in the morning because I will sleep. I have enjoyed my stay in Beijing and I hope to be back in China for the [Tennis] Masters Cup. This is an interesting place.

Speak to you tomorrow night after the Great Wall trip and you'll see some great pictures.

Nikolay






Friday, September 15, 2006



I got through my second match yesterday against Luka Gregorc but the conditions surprised me. The wind was strong right from the first game. I lost my serve easily. But I said ‘okay, no problem, I will come back’. He [Gregorc] was excellent on serve and I had only one chance to reach the tie-break. It was easy in the tie-break and after he lost his service game at the start of the second set, I found it easier.

After the press conference, we returned to the hotel and had room service. Because of playing at night we had no other choice. Go somewhere in Beijing? No, I needn’t to recover, room service was the best we could do.

This morning the ATP explained that Irina and myself would be going to the Summer Palace in Beijing by boat. But in the end the trip turned out quite different.

Due to problems with the boat, we took a bus and arrived at 11:30am. However, on the way back we got a boat. At the beginning it seemed we weren’t allowed to record videos or take photos because I guess it is tough to do so in China. But then they allowed the photographer and camera crew in. We spent a few hours there looking around. It was very interesting and the outside was beautiful. Certainly, it was great to explore something in China outside of tennis courts.

I was very surprised to see a palace like this in Beijing. Every country is different of course. In Europe, you can see special things. Europe is city, city, and city. In Beijing, it is a historical city. I think China is unlike any other country. Beijing is an old city and what you can see in the Summer Palace is four-five hundred years worth of tradition. You cannot read about this sort of thing, you really have to visit in person.



It was very special. A Russian may come here and say: ‘I like it I want to spend the rest of my life here’. Someone like [Roman] Abramovich could buy everything. I think it is only in China you have this history. You have it in Russia, but it is very different.

Once again, I play a night match tonight so I don’t know what I am going to do until 9pm. I will practice a little, take lunch and rest. Preparation. Concentration.

After the Davis Cup in Moscow, next week, I will take two week’s rest and return home back to Germany. When I say home, I consider Germany to be home. I will spend time there practicing and buy a house in Germany near the Belgian border.






Thursday, September 14, 2006



Hello. After my first match and press, we came back to the hotel to rest. I asked Irina what we would do and she said: “nothing”. No shopping. No trip around Beijing.

We decided to spend time at the gym. Irina ran and I used the sauna and swimming pool for a few hours. By the time we got back to our room, we didn’t want to go anywhere and got room service before bed.

Today, I woke up at the same time, 7am. Like normal people, not like tennis players! We had breakfast, but were then unsure of what we were going to do all day. So I went to the gym again and ran for 20 minutes, used the bicycles just to get in shape for tonight’s match. After all, my match is at 7pm.

I prefer playing during the day, because sometimes you don’t feel great in the dark with your serve. I think it is tough to play under lights, you can’t see the balls clearly. If I play a lot of night sessions, like in New Haven, every day, then it is okay.

With not a lot to do, we had our first lunch at the hotel and it was surprisingly good. A buffet, like I have never seen before. There was every kind of food from different countries. The calamaris were great and the seafood unbelievable. It was amazing. There was everything there that you could wish to eat. With a full stomach, after lunch I tried to sleep. But couldn’t.

I forgot to tell you. I got a special gift from the tournament on my arrival at the China Open. It’s difficult to explain, but I’ll do my best. It’s my name in Chinese on special paper, calligraphy paper that I can put on the wall. Someone said the guy who did it was the best. The other thing isn’t a gift or a present, but my treatment here at the hotel and club has been great. If I stay longer maybe I’ll have another present?



You might be thinking with a big Davis Cup semifinal tie against the United States coming up, next week, is my focus on that? The answer is no. My mind is only on this tournament in China. I am only interested in what I do now. The tie is in Moscow, only a four-hour time difference. The only problem I foresee should be changing to a clay court surface. But I don’t need to concentrate on that now. I will just relax and take it easy. I have got match wins under my belt and my confidence is good.

If I lose tonight, I have all day tomorrow to see everything in Beijing! The Chinese Wall and everything that I want to see. We will see what happens today. Wish me luck!








Wednesday, September 13, 2006



Hello again. After my first post yesterday, I went to practice and then did a photo session with Rolex. By the time I got back to the hotel I was very tired!

My girlfriend, Irina, then gave me two choices: we either go somewhere or go to sleep. To stay in her good books, I chose the first option.

We asked directions to a shopping mall and, not realising it was a 30-minute journey, headed off in hope of finding some good bargains. By the time we got there we didn’t feel like buying anything. Having walked around for 90 minutes looking in shop windows we decided there was nothing.

Irina stopped to buy some sunglasses and tried on plenty. A further thirty minutes later, I was almost asleep! At this point some Chinese girls, who were trying to sell some products, asked if I was a tennis player. I signed some autographs and posed with them for photos.

By the time we got back to the hotel I had 15 minutes to change my clothes and head down to a cocktail party in the hotel, which was a presentation with the tournament director and sponsors. Irina didn’t go she went asleep straight away.

I spent an hour down at the party and tried to eat some food, but was distracted from my meal by autograph hunters. It is safe to say that I went to bed with very little in my stomach. By 9:30pm I was fast asleep.

Irina and I have been together for three-and-a-half hours… oops! That’s not long! We’ve been together three-and-a-half years. We first got together when I won in Estoril [in 2003]. It was the first time she had come to a tournament, and I won! That was surprising. Irina comes from Chelyabinsk, to the east of the Ural Mountains, and works in Moscow having finished her psychology studies last year.

Now Irina travels with me every week. She didn’t travel in Australia back in January, but now she’s full-time. Irina provides me massages. If she isn’t here I get a Russian physio. But I don’t like that too much.



Irina helps me from going crazy at tournaments. If something is bad at a tournament, we spend more time together and don’t think about wanting to go home and rest. It’s one of the reasons why I play so many tournaments. If my family and girlfriend are here then I’m fine.

The people in Beijing have been very hospitable. It’s my first time here and I don’t think I have ever got such VIP treatment. In the United States and Europe the organization is different. Everyone comes to me here like I am so famous and organize the best things for me.

I played my first match early this morning and it went okay. Prior to the match I went to the tournament doctor because I was experiencing breathing difficulties, like asthma. I have found it tough to breath here. I tried to get the job done quickly, so a two sets win was good.

Tonight, my girlfriend is in charge of arrangements. I don’t know. I think we will just rest on our second full day in Beijing. Perhaps we will use the hotel swimming pool, the sauna and have a massage. While we like Chinese food, I don’t think it won’t be a good idea after a swim. So maybe room service.

Nikolay






Tuesday, September 12, 2006



Phew, I made it to Beijing!

After my semifinal loss to Roger Federer at the US Open on Saturday, I immediately made my flight and hotel reservations. I had planned to fly from New York to San Francisco with American Airlines, then onto Beijing.

When the car took my girlfriend and I to the airport at 5:30am things were going well. Arriving early, with only a reservation form and no tickets I went straight to the check-in desk.

Then things started to get difficult. At the desk the girl told me, "You lost your reservation yesterday. You do not have a flight." Undeterred, I responded, "No problem, give me something different." She said: "Okay, we have something for 11:30am."

Having arrived at 7am I needed to wait four hours and finally got on a 16-hour flight to Tokyo. Unable to sleep, my eyes were red as I watched six different movies. Switching planes to Japan Airways, I slept throughout the four-hour journey.

We finally arrived in Beijing at around 9pm last night and were surprised to see that my two bags of clothes had arrived safely. The organization was great as a car was waiting to pick us up and when we got to the hotel, we didn’t need to check-in – just like at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai last year.

I slept well in a perfect suite and woke at 6am. We ate a great breakfast at 8am and then ventured out to a supermarket just 50 meters from the hotel where we bought some chocolate and water. Although there are plenty of Europeans at the hotel, none of them seem to venture outside. Perhaps they are scared?

The flights and the time differences do take it out of you, but if I have proper rest and prepare for each match then I can play a lot of tournaments and feel okay. The time difference between here and New York is 12 hours so today it is tough for me, but I will try to sleep better tonight and then maybe tomorrow I will be okay.

While I may not make it downstairs to the hotel dinner and reception at 8pm, I am looking forward to exploring Beijing. We’d like to see the Great Wall of China and my girlfriend is particularly keen to do some shopping.

I’ll write more after my first match tomorrow.

Nikolay

[Mrs. Fabregas]

Player Name: Feder-bear
Profile: Feder-bear Beanie Baby®
Appearing: Feder-bear Waiting List
Blogging From: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.



Saturday, October 14, 2006



Hello from the Windy City, where it’s—whoa, just lost my headband! I’ll be right back.

There, firmly tied back in place. Sorry about that!

Yes, I’m in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., where I was born and raised – and clearly on High Alert for storm gusts!! After my adventure in New York City and then down to Florida, I needed to meet with the wonderful folks at Ty (makers of Beanie Babies) to discuss a little business. While Roger was hanging with Vogue editor Anna Wintour at the Oscar de la Renta show talking fashion, I met with my friends at Ty to discuss my attire. Here’s a picture of me taking a break from one of our meetings on the balcony of Ty. See the great view of downtown Chicago in the distance? It’s quite beautiful.



I decided to stick with the cyan T-shirt even though Roger is going back to a collared shirt for a while. I like the cyan, since it’s the color of UNICEF. Reminds me of why I’m around, and that with your support, we can make a difference for some needy children.

While in Chicago, we got some great news! Our friends at Ty agreed that for every bear sold on the internet $5 would be given to UNICEF! And with a cost of around $8, you can’t beat it. What can you get for $8 nowadays? A hamburger at a Chicago Bears game? (By the way, how ‘bout da Bears? 5-0. Wow! Pretty good… but Roger goes 5-0 most weeks he’s playing on the ATP circuit!!) So keep your eyes open this December to purchase me and help UNICEF!



Fortunately, I didn’t spend my entire time only talking shop with Ty folks; nothing against my friends at Ty, but Chicago is such a great city and I’m on the “Feder-bear Everywhere Tour”! I visited some of my favorite places here, including the Buckingham Fountain – no relation to Buckingham Palace and the royal family, but more often associated with the ‘80s show “Married…with Children” and the silly Bundy family! There’s this fantastic 20-minute water show every hour that features a 150-foot high water spout, and it just so happens that with the help of the wind, a lot of that water ended up not back in the fountain, but on me!! Luckily I managed to get a photo before my unexpected shower.



After I toweled off, I headed over to the Sears Tower, which is one of the tallest buildings in the world. Now, for a little guy like me, it takes a lot of courage to look down from the 108th story! I have to admit that my legs were wobbling a bit as I took in the bird’s eye view, but it was well worth it. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to join Roger when he plays in Dubai – they’re building a skyscraper there that’s supposed to be around 200 stories high when it’s completed. Based on the amazing pictures I’ve seen of Roger and Andre playing tennis on the helipad in Dubai, I’m sure the view will be spectacular from the top… Hopefully, I’ll be brave enough to look down!

Next stop on my tour was the Picasso statue at Daley Plaza. Isn’t the statue cute? I’ve always tried to figure out what exactly it’s supposed to be… There are lots of opinions out there, but I personally think it looks a bit like the funny baboon, Rafiki, from the Lion King. Maybe after seeing the two of us together in this photo, you’ll think it looks like my long-lost twin….

Okay, gotta run. I won’t tell you where I’ll be next but it’s a pretty good guess it will be either Madrid, Basel, Paris or Shanghai (Roger’s next four stops). Tough life being a tennis player, huh?

Until then…

Peace out!!
f-b b b ®





Tuesday, September 19, 2006



Hello everybody! After my official “unveiling” at the US Open, the “Feder-bear Everywhere Tour” took me to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where the ATP has its Americas offices. It’s right around the corner from the PGA Tour, where that Tiger fella who I met at the US Open apparently plays golf. All Roger now needs is to add a Lion to his entourage and we’re good to go to Oz! Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh my! Roger beat Marcos Baghdatis there this year in the final of the Australian Open. I’ve seen a picture of Marcos and he kinda looks like a lion when he doesn’t shave, don’t you think? I love those cherub cheeks!!!!!!!! (Dmitry told me to use lots of exclamation points in my blog because readers love them even if the ATP editors hate them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

In Florida, I wrote my blog and also served as Honorary Tournament Chairman for an ATP staff tennis tournament. Two nice people named Jorge and Davina beat Murray and Bram in the final, though it wasn’t exactly the Bryans vs. Bjorkman-Mirnyi out there. I like that Mirnyi guy, who I met in New York. I mean, he’s HUGE! Plus, everyone calls him The Beast, so he can join our animal posse…

Okay, enough with the animal references: This is about KIDS! After all, if you agree to purchase a Beanie Baby ® clone of me (I currently am the sole Feder-bear Beanie Baby ® until December, at which point I get mass produced and I no longer can call myself the sole No. 1 like Roger), proceeds will go toward the ATP’s ACE program. (By the way, why does tennis have so many acronyms? ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA, FFT, ITWA? Everything’s short for something, except Rafa’s pants, which are definitely not shorts in my book.) It’s important you know that ACE isn’t just something that Andy Roddick hits a lot but also Assisting Children Everywhere, a global partnership between ATP and UNICEF to help ensure the health, education and protection of children around the world. Good cause, right?

So Click here to get on the Mailing List and when Feder-bears are ready for pre-orders and delivery for the December holidays, you’ll be the first to know about it. I don’t know yet where I’ll blog from next, as the ATP’s travel agent is on vacation this week because the guys are playing Davis Cup. However, I hope to go to Tokyo with Roger and definitely end the year with the “Best of the Best” at the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai. Until then… follow me on this Feder-bear Everywhere Tour. Peace out!!!!!!


f-b b b ®

[Mrs. Fabregas]

PART 1


Player Name: Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram
Blogging From: Thailand Open, Bangkok



Sunday, October 1, 2006



Jonathan : Greetings everyone on the final day of our blog. It couldn’t end better than it did, with a title, especially given that starting at sundown, it’s Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Forgiveness. That’s the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. So it’s a really special day. I’m glad we started if off on the right foot.


Yesterday we had issues with the final, because originally the tournament wanted to have the doubles played after the singles, and we knew the singles started at 2:30. So there was a chance our match would conflict with the start of Yom Kippur.

We had big discussions with the tournament staff until late in the night to convince them to play the doubles first. We weren’t sure until the end what time and on which court we would be playing.

It was a great effort by everyone on the tournament staff to accommodate us. We’re really glad with what they did. From their point of view, maybe they lost a little bit business-wise, but they won our happiness and appreciation. I think sometimes an issue like this is a little bit more important than business. Still, we want to thank the tournament staff again for their understanding.

It was a little messy coming into the final under these circumstances, but we came out really strong mentally. It’s tough when you’re the favorite – the pressure’s on you. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. But a final is a final. We started out playing pretty well, lost our rhythm a little, but came back strong in the Match Tie-break.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the rituals of Yom Kippur, it involves a fast – no food or drink – for 24 hours starting at sundown today. You also don’t drive during that period.

It’s going to be quite a whirlwind now, with the fast and then going to synagogue tomorrow morning. We’re even changing our hotel to be nearer to the synagogue, so that we don’t have to drive there tomorrow morning.

Then we’re looking forward to flying back home tomorrow night and spending a few days in Israel before the indoor season in Europe.



As for the Stanford ATP Doubles Race, we knew that every win here was another step for Shanghai, solidifying our No. 7 position. Remember that the top eight teams will compete in the Tennis Masters Cup there.

Andy : I’m speaking w/sadness today, and that’s not just because of Yom Kippur. Today is the last day of the blog. We got so much positive feedback. Roger Federer does it next week, and now he’s got quite a standard to match. We’ll see if he can cut it. Good luck to you Roger!

The blog obviously brought good luck to our results at the tournament. Now we’re thinking that we’ll have to write our own private blog to ourselves every day, just to keep up the good karma.

In addition to the blog, it was a week full of great massages. There is no part of my body that is tight right now. It helped to make us play relaxed. We came on the court having so much fun, and it was like a home crowd for us. They’re great spectators.

Let me just add a little to what Jonathan said about Yom Kippur. It’s such a special day for us that we don’t do anything. We just sit in a room and read and maybe go to synagogue at the end of the day. It’s the most special day for 6 million people in Israel. No one goes out, except for trips to the synagogue, and there’s no driving. So there are no cars in the street.

Winning our fourth title of the year and playing great coming into Shanghai is a big deal. I have more than 50 messages on my phone, and two more have even come in while we’re doing the blog. People are expecting us to be the first Israelis to play in the year-ending championships. That makes it very special here.

Hopefully the fans can follow us more after this blog. The ATP doubles revolution is exciting. It was a great match today, and the crowd was really into it. Hopefully it will continue like this.

The best feeling will be going back to Israel with the title. The press will probably be waiting for us at the airport, like they always do when we win. Israel is a small country, so they make a big deal out of our doubles titles. It’s nice when you become popular in your home country.

One last thing: we have to thank our dear friend in Thailand Ori Dolev, who suggested we wear yellow shirts to the awards ceremony in honor of the Thai king. He came up with the idea two minutes before the ceremony, so we had to scramble to get the shirts.

But we got so much good reaction. People knew we were showing respect for the king. They themselves were wearing yellow. It was nice for the game. Maybe now, we’ll be adored here as much as Paradorn

Thanks again for supporting our blog!

Jonathan and Andy

www.andyyoni.com








Saturday, September 30, 2006



Andy : First we have to apologize. No new pictures today, so here's one from earlier in the week... Right now it's 10.30 pm here in Bangkok. It's been a very long day for us but we're in the final for the third time in four years and it helps our chances of making it to Tennis Masters Cup, so we're very happy. We didn't expect to finish so late; we had some Yom Kippur issues to discuss. We'll write plenty about Yom Kippur in our final post tomorrow.

We went for a famous massage last night to relax and we had a very nice dinner with friends - it's a great atmosphere in Bangkok. Today we got to meet the Argentine ambassador (Jonathan will tell you more about that in a minute). I felt a little left out of the conversation, so after about five minutes I jumped in and said to the ambassador, "Hi, I'm your neighbor from Uruguay."

Today we did something rare... we sat in the stands and watched a whole match: Safin and Blake. It was one of the most exciting matches I've seen. And then the atmosphere got even better when Paradorn took the court to play Ljubicic. Paradorn is like the second king here. People go crazy!

I think it's great that Paradorn is wearing 'LOVE KING' on the back of his shirt this week. I think tomorrow in the final I'll wear 'LOVE JONATHAN.' There's just two problems: 1) I'm not sure if those two words will fit across my shoulders and 2) I'm not sure where I'll find someone to put the letters onto my shirt between now and the final.

Jonathan : Yeah, the fans do go crazy for Paradorn over here. Paradorn drives this yellow Ferrari and parks it right where the transportation is for the players. So all the fans know he's in the building when the Ferrari is there. There is a security guard for the parking lot and he also guards Paradorn's car.

It was really exciting to watch the Blake-Safin match today. And it was a bonus to meet the ambassador from Argentina. The Israeli ambassador is a great tennis fan and she's been to the tournament almost every day. She is also a friend of the ambassador or Argentina, and she knew that both Andy and I were born in South America, so she invited us to meet the ambassador. I was born in Argentina and Andy was born in Uruguay.

Fans were making so much noise inside the stadium that we had to step outside to talk. We spoke to the ambassador for about 10-15 minutes but it was pretty hot outside and we started sweating, so we had to head back into the air conditioning and that was the end of the conversation! During our talk we spoke about when my parents moved to Israel, do I still have family in Argentina, when am I going back to Argentina, that sort of thing.

So we're going to have a quick shower and then get something to eat quickly before the restaurants close. Wish us luck for the final and we look forward to making our final post tomorrow.

Jonathan and Andy

www.andyyoni.com






Friday, September 29, 2006



Andy : Hello. Last night we went for an Italian again, and once again I had a pizza. For the first time in four years, we did not have a massage in Bangkok. Our bodies are loose enough already. I chatted to my wife Shiri, my mother and sister and discussed the situation in Israel, as I have not followed it recently.

Jonathan: Today was the first time we played early, around 12 noon. It wasn’t easy waking up at around 8am, and we started to warm up at 10am preparing mentally and physically, as we knew it was not going to be an easy match against Jiri Novak and Petr Pala.

Andy: We really like playing here, the atmosphere, massage, food and shopping are excellent so it is no surprise we play well here. There are around 20 backpackers who have come to support us here and a further 30 who have come from Israel to Thailand to cheer for us.

Allon Khakshouri, the tournament director here, is a friend of ours from Israel. All the people who work from him provide excellent organization and that means when we come here we really feel at home.

Jonathan: Yona Yair, I am sure she wants to get a mention in the blog, so let me write, as she is very special! I have known her since the age of six. She runs the show. Every professional player knows about her.

Andy: Yes, anything you need, you go to Yoni.

Incidentally I just got a telephone call from the head of the Israel Tennis Federation, who informed me that we were playing Luxembourg at home in the Davis Cup in February. I think Davis Cup is, after competing in a Grand Slam, the most special week and the chance to represent your country is great.

Our last tie for Israel was against Great Britain on the Eastbourne grass courts in July, against Andy Murray, Alex Bogdanovic and Jamie Delgado, which we won in the end 3-2. It was an unbelievable tie. The first time, I think, Israel has beaten Great Britain in Davis Cup.



Jonathan: Coming into the tie as underdogs, the coach said he would shave his head should we win the tie. He almost had an Afro haircut. So it was a big effort to win and to see him bald. Every rubber was tough; we were sweating right from the start.

Andy: Our doubles rubber was tough too, of course.

Jonathan: Yes, we were 4-1 and a break point down in the fifth set. We came out to win 6-4 – a great effort. Noam Okun also fought hard against Delgado for a fifth set win, so that we stayed in the [Euro-African zone] group one.

Andy: To make this story shorter, when we got back to the hotel, Jonathan took her shaving machine from his bag and shaved five players, the captain, coach, doctor and the physio.

Jonathan: EVERYONE ended up bald on the team. We didn’t miss one. We started with our coach, as the rest of us are almost bald.

Andy: When we came back to Israel, everyone looked at us on the streets.

Jonathan: Nine prisoners that have broken free from jail. But we are a close team, and it was done in the right spirit with plenty of fun. Right now, we need to raise the bar and see what we do next for Luxembourg. I’m thinking of something nasty.

Andy: Now we have played and won our match we will go back to the hotel and starting shopping and haggling for clothes. Not DVDs like the other day. We’ll have a massage, for me another head massage again – that was great. Have a good dinner with friends later.

Jonathan: Yes, I think I’ll have a small nap right now to be ready for this evening and then for another tricky match tomorrow.

Andy: Semifinals and finals are always exciting and tricky. It’s show time! These are the most exciting days. Read our blog again tomorrow and we’ll tell you about our holiday plans.

Jonathan and Andy

www.andyyoni.com





Thursday, September 28, 2006



Greeting on day four of our blog! When we first saw the schedule today, we thought “oh, no!” We were ready to play but found we didn’t have a match, so are a little disappointed. Practice never comes close to a match.

We can only have so many massages each day, but we also know that from tomorrow onwards matches could come thick and fast if we win.

What makes up for it though is the pleasant tournament staff; the organization and the facilities here are superb. With the temperature outside being very hot we wear flip-flops, but in the players lounge jackets are required.

Jonathan: I was very disappointed not to play today, but we found out early on. Last night we had a great Italian meal with friends and then I chatted with my fiancée, Mor.

Andy: Unlike the Japanese restaurant there was no chance we would go in the kitchen again. The pizza we had was very nice.



Jonathan: Talking to Mor always helps me a lot. She allows me to travel and play tennis so that makes me happy. Being away around 30 weeks of the year on the ATP circuit isn’t easy.

Unfortunately she can’t travel with me full-time as she works as a fashion designer for a company, but she does travel four-five weeks of the year. She loves shopping too, so perhaps it is best she stays at home. Otherwise I would be broke by the time we get married.

I love having her with me, it is relaxing. It isn’t possible right now for her to be with me full-time, but hopefully in future years she will travel more with me.

Andy : Why don’t you buy her company and make her your manager and then you can travel as much as you want?

Jonathan: Firstly, I think I would have to make another $2-3 million in prize money. Perhaps the readers could sponsor me… yes, that’s it! Come on guys, I need to buy the company, I want my fiancée to travel with me… help me?

While my fiancée didn’t know a lot about tennis when I first met her, now she is getting to know the sport a little bit. She used to live in New York, so knew about the US Open, but not a lot more.

She has also nagged me to teach her, but there is no way I would do that. I’d be happy to pay for her lessons though. Andy’s wife used to coach a bit. Perhaps I will get a discount? Right now, she is a rip off.

Andy: Yes, my wife used to charge dentists or doctors fees! Shiri is my best friend; she knows me the best and is great fun. Right now she is finishing her psychology and management studies, so maybe in the future she can manage me better and travel more?



Jonathan: But she will be having babies; so will have to stay at home.

Andy: Oh my, babies! Maybe if we do the blog next year I will show some baby photos.

Jonathan: Yes, we could raise another doubles pair… Bryan brothers beware!

Andy: But perhaps they may decide to play soccer? I really enjoy soccer and can practice for five hours plus with friends. I support Betar Jerusalem, who has a millionaire investor and is bringing in players.

Jonathan: Yeah and they still can’t win a game.

Andy: We are first in the Israeli league and are going for European competition next season! Of course, I also like going to the beach and hang out with friends where we play a form of volley tennis. We also play backgammon, but I never take much money off Jonathan.

Jonathan: I used to play soccer and basketball, but now like to watch Ronaldinho and UEFA Champions League soccer plus listen to music and read books now. I also enjoy going to the beach and watch the sunset.

Andy: Right, we must stay clear of talking about massages. Everyone we know is reading the blog. Players and the public are stopping us in the street to discuss it.

Jonathan: I wonder if we might get a free massage with our newfound fame? No such luck. Perhaps a free DVD? Hint, hint!


Andy : Stop it! Lets write about what we always take with us on the ATP circuit. For me, all I need is a racket and passport. I don’t really need a credit card as you mostly pay.

Jonathan: I always take a shaver with me. I’ve started shaving my legs in the last few years.



Andy: We have to take a picture of this… any other parts?

Jonathan: Shut up! I also have an instruction book of how to react in various situations with you every day… ‘How to Deal with Andy’!

When you won the Wimbledon mixed doubles with Vera Zvonareva in July, I looked at my instruction book for what to do. Of course, I didn’t really need it. I called to congratulate you!

You were very surprised to hear from me.

Andy: I expected a phone call from the President for sure, but you? Martina Navratilova once told me that it doesn’t matter if you win a singles or doubles grand slam championship; it is still special to win a title.

Jonathan: Martina would know. She has won a few titles in her career.

Andy: Of course, we have talked about winning a Grand Slam in the future.

Jonathan: Yes, once or twice!



Andy: Yes, that was a very special moment. Wimbledon is Wimbledon, so lifting the trophy and the aftermath with all the telephone calls and emails was exhausting. The prime minister called me the day before the war started in Israel.

If we were to do it, we would be the first Israeli champions of a Grand Slam. We are getting there, so fingers crossed.

Jonathan: Personally, for me, I’d say our best match was the quarterfinals in Rome [an ATP Masters Series event] when we played against Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett. We won 6-1, 6-4 and played so well. Normally when we play them it is so tough as they are a great team.

Andy: Yes, definitely our best win against a top four team. We’ll write more again tomorrow.

Jonathan and Andy

www.andyyoni.com

[Dina]

oohh guys you're priceless!

[Mrs. Fabregas]

PART 2


Wednesday, September 27, 2006



We’ve been pretty busy since our last post. We have been caught in a monsoon, eaten some excellent Japanese food, visited a new massage parlor for the first time in four years, purchased some DVDs, helped out with a pro-am and practiced for our next match.

Andy: Last night I asked Jonathan to cook for me but he didn’t succeed.

Jonathan: Yes, it wasn’t my best effort. I burned the food!

Andy: So we went out to a Japanese restaurant. The chefs cooked in front of us and it was unbelievable.

Jonathan: We had a great time and had around ten waitresses came up to take our photos. They drove us crazy. We posed for more snaps than we ate, I think.

Andy: This is really the only week when we feel like Roger Federer. Everyone treats us so well.

Jonathan: I really enjoy all kinds of food. Italian, Mediterranean dishes, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, etc.

Andy: My mum…

Jonathan: Yes, your mum is a very good cook too.

Of course another monsoon came again. Apparently people do not leave their homes and go outside between 4 and 7pm. We really are astounded how such heavy rain can come at exactly the same time every day.

It was hot like hell for three hours… Andy didn’t learn how to swim until the age of 24, when he moved to Tel Aviv.

Andy: There’s no sea in Jerusalem, where I lived before moving to Tel Aviv.

Jonathan: Thank goodness there aren’t any sharks in the Mediterranean, otherwise someone would eat you.



We then went for a DVD shop after dinner and found the second series of Lost and plenty of other great deals.

Andy: Yeah, Jonathan was a freak… he bought loads.

Jonathan: Well, why not? We had a lot of time and with the European indoor season coming up I need to find some entertainment for the next few months.

Andy: I helped with the bartering.

Jonathan: You liar, you didn’t say a thing, you kept quiet! All you said was to me, “no, no don’t pay this – we leave.” I paid and got six DVDs for $10. Not too bad, hey?

Andy: They asked for $10.50!

Jonathan: When we were in the US, I couldn’t find Lost. So I really could not wait to come to Bangkok. We went to a street market near the hotel, where there was plenty of clothes and DVDs. They know us already as we have been before.

Afterwards we had a massage. We’ve been coming here for four years, and we have started to realize we have gone to the same place each time.

Andy: Yes, YESTERDAY we changed. A day cannot go by without a massage. We took some photos too.

Jonathan: Yes… just for you the reader. A new place and a new atmosphere. We found a place called ‘Paradise’… and guys… it was paradise. It was clean, on three floors. Great people. We had to wait for 45 minutes for our massage.



Andy: I think the Thai people are so nice and polite. As you know we have gone every night. We have foot, back, and oil massage, Thai massages – really just to work out which is the best.

Jonathan: I came to Thailand for the first time ten years ago and the price hasn’t changed. Everything else has changed, but not the massage price. I will come in 20 years and I bet the price hasn’t changed. A little bit more than $10. I love it.

Andy: Finally, I don’t have jet lag. I feel great with lots of energy. We went to breakfast and then headed off at 11:30am to the club.

Jonathan : Andy informed me were we going at 11:21am.

Andy: We helped out at a pro-am. I think we are the pro-am specialists, when someone is needed we do it! We are the number one pro-am players on the ATP circuit.

Jonathan: Yes, we couldn’t wait…

Andy: We were happy to do it and it promotes the ATP Doubles Revolution. Only one girl came… maybe they have read the blog, or next time we’ll ask the readers if they want to turn up and play a pro-am with us?

Perhaps at the end of the week, I’ll post a photo of my wedding. Yes, perhaps one of Jonathan drunk and kissing me.

Jonathan: I don’t remember that one! I’ve erased that from my mind.

On that note, goodbye!

Jonathan and Andy

www.andyyoni.com








Tuesday, September 26, 2006



First things first… last night’s massage! That’s what Tim Henman obviously wants to read about… :-)

Andy: A good place to start... we had a GREAT massage. We didn’t get any photos, but don’t worry if YOU read the blog again we will get some hot pictures!

Jonathan: Yeah, only if we hear we have got more hits than Nadal’s blog will we publish the massage photos! You guys need to work for the photos.

Andy: Obviously, every day is a massage. We really cannot play without one. The massage helped us with a tough first match against Julien Benneteau and Jeff Coetzee for sure today.

The ATP Doubles Revolution new rules make the matches much shorter and the level is tighter and even. There really are no easy matches. The first of the tournament is always tough to play, but we competed at a high level, a good performance, and enjoyed the large number of spectators who watched us win.

Jonathan: Of course, before our massage last night there was a monsoon so we did not want to get wet and wander outside too long in search of a restaurant and dinner. It poured for 50 minutes; it rained so hard you could have drowned standing. After dinner we went for a relaxing walk and were generally looking forward to playing today following our break of three weeks. You never know how you will perform after such a break but we were happy to start the tournament.

Andy: You might think we thoroughly prepared for today’s first match, but I really couldn’t wake myself up this morning as the jet lag had kicked in. I had breakfast and as we were second match on, we started to focus.

We came to the club and I checked my emails on the computer. I had plenty from people I hadn’t talked to for a while – every one discussing the blog. I was surprised to see how popular it is. I was really happy and excited to see that.



Jonathan: We have been surprised about the reaction, so maybe after one week’s break if readers like it a lot we will return and start charging a fee.

Andy: Jonathan then got me away from the computer, which made me a little sad, and said: ‘lets warm up’. We did so for 45 minutes and got pumped up after a three-week break.

Jonathan: Firstly, you are excited upon returning to the court. For sure you miss the adrenaline of competing. Every athlete, every tennis player lives for the adrenaline. You can’t stay at home for two or three months and practice, after two weeks I get crazy. I can’t stay at home. I’m pretty crazy anyway, but I need the adrenaline. I need to play. We got ourselves pumped up for our return and I surprised myself at how well I played, as I had been sick for a few days.

For sure, I struggled - like Andy - with jet lag this morning, people need to understand this. I woke up at 8am, which for me is like four o’clock in the morning. I felt like a hammer had hit my head.

Tomorrow we have a day off, so I’m going to buy some DVDs in the morning. I’m really excited to find the lowest price I can get in the market. As I couldn’t find any in the US, I’m really excited for tomorrow morning.

Andy: I won’t buy anything. I’ll just be backing Jonathan up with the haggling.

Jonathan: This is our main goal for tomorrow, we maybe have up to two days to rest and prepare for our next match.

Andy: Yes, wake up, argue with the Thai locals and then come to practice a little bit as we are in the tournament. Hopefully we will win a few more matches and go on to win the title. But really all I can think about right now is the massage and then you can see the photos.

Jonathan: Jeez, people who read this will think you are stupid writing about massages every day. But I suppose, people who have travelled to Thailand before will understand and know what we are talking about. We DON’T get a happy ending.

Andy: Hopefully tonight we will go to an Italian restaurant, recommended by a friend. A couple of days ago we went to a seafood market, where we met the Israeli Ambassador.

Of course, Jonathan and I are great friends off the court as we’ve known each other for around 15 years. We have good communication and that transmits to the court and makes us a good team.



Jonathan: How about you write something bad about me?

Andy: No, I’m not going to write about that. Like a politician I will work around the issue.

Jonathan: Ha! I’m not going to be so kind. There are so MANY bad points! No, Andy’s great, has a great personality and is excellent to be around. He likes being spoiled, but I’m not the guy to do that. He’s also lazy, but I’ll keep a few more for later in the week!

Andy: And here was I, going to write about your great heart. You can’t harm a fly, etc... BUT he’s serious and that’s what I don’t like!

Jonathan: Right, that’s enough! We’ll have more to tell tomorrow.

Bye!
Jonathan and Andy

P.S. Check out our web site: www.andyyoni.com








Monday, September 25, 2006



Hello from the Thailand Open in Bangkok. This week we’ll be double-teaming with the blog from one of our favorite stops on the ATP circuit. We haven’t missed a year… four years running. Let us first begin writing about when we were asked to write the blog.

Andy: I have no idea what the word ‘blog’ means in English. I know many famous singles players have done one this year, so am very pleased to be one of only a few doubles teams to have been asked to write one.

Jonathan: When I first heard we were going to do the blog this week, I started to shake and have been trying to figure out what to say every since. Andy and I have been discussing what we should talk about for the last few hours. I’m not a big talker, Andy likes to talk more! I’ve read other guys blogs, and am really looking forward to it this week. Hopefully we’ll make it fun and readers will enjoy it.

Of course over the last few weeks, since the US Open, the focus has been about a certain wedding on Tuesday, 12 September.

Andy: The WHOLE year has been in preparation for my wedding. I have had the same girlfriend for the last ten years her name is Shiri (I won’t write her maiden name as the space needed will extend this blog too far). Many people in the Israeli tennis community have been waiting for this wedding. Including Jonathan! He’s been talking about it 24 hours a day.

Jonathan: Yeah, 24/7!

Andy: It was an event I won’t forget, a day to remember. People wanted a great wedding and it was! Many people told me about it.

Jonathan: Hang on... I have never heard anyone say their own wedding was ‘a great wedding’. I think other people should be left to say that. No?

Andy: All my friends were there. From the tennis world my best friend Jonathan, Noam Okun, Harel Levy, some of the Israeli girls, the Davis Cup squad, all the Olympic Committee, everyone who has supported me. Six hundred people! Basically anyone who I knew in the street I invited. I’ve got 2,500 photos from the wedding. It was unreal, really impossible to describe. It was a GREAT party!

It was expensive. I have spent money like I’m a singles player! Obviously I have had to keep playing tennis. We are No. 7 in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race now, but hopefully we will finish the year higher. But that depends on how Jonathan plays!



Jonathan: I was on the same schedule, same pace, as Andy. It seemed hectic, and it was! Who was going to be the singer? Who was going to be the rabbi? With six hundred people coming it was not easy. Everything I did was to help Andy out. Andy’s wedding really was one of the most important events of the year. As one of his best friends we all wanted to celebrate with him. I had a great time and around this time too, I got engaged. Perhaps it was the spirit of the wedding. I proposed to my girlfriend the week after the US Open.

I had three weeks at home and one of the best parties was Andy’s bachelor party, which he failed to mention earlier. That was really something with plenty of dancing and alcohol.

Andy: Oh yeah! But I can’t mention the details of the bachelor party, as I’ll get in trouble with Shiri.

Jonathan: Yeah. It’ll be the fastest divorce ever!

After three weeks break and the wedding we really had massive hangovers and had to start thinking about tennis. Here we are in Bangkok right now. We haven’t missed a single tournament here. It really is one of our favorite tournaments of the year. We are looking forward to getting back on court, after what has been a long break for professional tennis players.

Jonathan: For me it was a long flight over to Bangkok. In Israel, the weekend was a holiday. So I wanted to spend time with my family. Andy came for the qualifying tournament, so was here early. On Friday night I had a 5pm flight to Zurich then on to Bangkok. I arrived 6am Sunday morning. Right now, I’m a zombie! But I would do anything to come to this tournament. They treat you great. I feel at home here.

Andy: My flight was great. I got upgraded to business, which doesn’t happen too often.

Jonathan: Lucky b******!

Andy: On the flight I dreamt for 11 hours from Tel Aviv to Bangkok about the massage I was going to get in Bangkok. That’s really one of the reasons why we have come back four years in a row. It’s unbelievable. One of the best in the world, cheap and the Thai women give great massages.

The hotel is five-star deluxe and the people here are mostly Israeli. The tournament director is as well so everyone takes good care of us.

Jonathan: We won here in 2003 and were finalists last year. But really it is about MASSAGE, MASSAGE, MASSAGE. We have them every day. We really have fun. The people are great. This is a relaxed week. We go shopping and argue over $1. Haggling over 50 cents when we buy shirts, etc. It was great. I HATE people cheating me!

We play well here, we like the surface. We have our friends here and one night I had to sleep on the sofa because they took my room. That year we won. So maybe I should do it this time around?



Andy: But really the main goal this year is to get to the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Last year we got to go as spectators: cheerleaders with pom-poms, as the wild card reserve team. This time around we are in a good position to qualify with five tournaments to go. Obviously, we believe in ourselves making it this year and since 2003 we have been finishing higher and higher, keep improving and enjoy this great sport as everyone knows.

Jonathan: This really is where the big guns start fighting for places. Spots for Shanghai are up for grabs. Should we blink we will miss out on a place for sure. We will play against all the world’s top teams in the coming weeks. We need to qualify! Beside, I must be there… this is my shopping year! I need to buy CDs and my fiancée has given me a shopping list for Shanghai. In her eyes, if we don’t get to Shanghai she says I shouldn’t come home!

Andy: Today the jet lag has kicked in. I went to bed at midnight after a massage, but woke up at 8am and was clock-watching from 8:30am, 9am, 10am and rose at 10:30. I then went to breakfast and returned to sleep for an hour. After that I practiced with Jonathan for an hour. Good hit. Then onto a buffet lunch and onto thinking about the evening massage… mmm... yes.

Jonathan: I don’t really remember my day. I collapsed after a shower and then woke up at 10am. I could not believe it. My sleep went so fast. I went to breakfast and then practice. Right now, like Andy, I’m thinking about a massage tonight.

We’ll write more tomorrow. Check out our web site: www.andyyoni.com

Jonathan and Andy

[Mrs. Fabregas]

PART 1



Player Name: Roger Federer
Blogging From: Japan Open, Tokyo



Sunday, October 8, 2006



After my semifinal match last night, Mirka and I went to Ginza to walk around and do some shopping (window shopping of course!). Ginza is a lot like Kings Road in London or Fifth Avenue in New York with lots of expensive shops and restaurants. We had our photo taken in front of the Wako shopping centre and clock tower, which is the best known landmark for the area.

Mirka and I were looking at tea sets and plates to buy as souvenirs and also to use for our place. Tea ceremonies, called Sado, are a very important part of Japanese culture, particularly for women. Apparently when being offered tea at a ceremony it is said to be offered with a respectful heart and received with gratitude. I have been very impressed with the Japanese history and culture, and I am really happy that I have had the chance to learn about it while I have been here.

After another excellent Teppanyaki dinner last night, I went to bed early, so that I could get enough rest for the final.

Today the weather was beautiful again, so I prepared for my match by warming up on centre court at around 10.30AM, before coming back to the locker room and getting my feet taped. Ever since I hurt my ankle last fall, I have been taping both my ankles in order to give me some extra stability.



Tim and I then warmed up and chatted together in the locker room while we were waiting for the women's final to finish. We were playing with a rugby ball and he was throwing the ball so well. Like me, he played so many sports growing up and you can tell he was good at rugby as he throws a perfect ball.

I played a really solid match, a kind of performance that I was really hoping for. Tim played one bad game, and I took advantage of that in the first set. But then I played really well in the second set and hit some incredible passing shots, which I was really happy about. I sometimes enjoy playing opponents who come to the net quite often as it is a style that is not played as much anymore and I like having a target. This tournament has been fantastic, I had a tough match against Suzuki in the quarterfinals but the rest of the tournament I did not drop a set so I am sure Mr. Roche will be happy.



It has really been a great trip, and winning a tournament in my first visit to Japan is as good as it gets. Besides what Mirka had told me, I really did not know what to expect from my first trip to Japan. I wish I had some time to stay in Japan and travel a bit to see some other cities like Kyoto, but I need to go back to Switzerland tomorrow and prepare for the indoor season which will finish with the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.


The tournament this week has been asking players to donate clothing and sign things to auction off and raise money for UNICEF. As you all know I am a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador which I am really proud of, so I was more than happy to provide a signed shirt, some signed tennis balls and a program. After the match the tournament told me that the shirt sold for 700,000 Yen (US$6,000)! Being a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is a good fit for me as their mission is very similar to the mission of the Roger Federer Foundation as we both try and focus all our energies and resources on helping those children who are disadvantaged or don't have a chance.


I am not sure of my plans yet for tonight, but we will go out for dinner in a bigger group because I have a few friends here, so we will probably have a celebration dinner which will be a lot of fun. We will definitely go out for Japanese. I know that we will have a nice time...with Mirka probably getting her revenge at some stage! Captain Wasabi is a little drained from the match today, but as you can imagine, he is ready for anything. His entire security team has been put on full alert and will be patrolling tonight so let's hope they can thwart any attack.



Finally I want to talk about the fans here in Tokyo. They are absolutely unreal!!! Not only did they support me greatly when I played, but they were also so happy to see me and they love taking pictures, not only when I practice, but even when I walk in and out of press. Many people know that I try to sign as many autographs as I can. This week was no different and I tried to sign for everyone. For those fans that I might have missed, I am sorry and I hope to see next year.


Thank you for reading my blog this week, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it! What I tried to do is to make it fun and let you know what is happening behind the scenes. As you can see, there sometimes is a routine that happens during a tournament week. I must admit, that this blog has been great for me to write as it allowed me to take a step back and think about how fortunate I am to play a sport (yes, a game!) that I love so much and earn a great living doing it. Just to think that I was always just hoping to be good at tennis so I could play with my friends at home in Basel and now here I am. I am very lucky and I certainly don't take this for granted...and I never will!

As I sign off for the last time with a glass of Champagne in my hand, I say to all of you..."Best wishes and Sayonara."

Rog

Please check out my web site: rogerfederer.com






Saturday, October 7, 2006



Konnichiwa,

Earlier on this week, I told you guys how beautiful the trees were around the lake in the Imperial Palace where I played tennis with the Crown Prince of Japan. Yesterday evening after my match, I went and had a quick look around the shops and came across a nice bonsai tree. The bonsai has always been one of my favourites, so I thought I would take picture for you guys to see. It is just amazing how meticulous and harmonious the Japanese are in everything they do.

After yesterday's typhoon, we were greeted with beautiful weather today, so I practiced outside before my match which helped my preparation. We played with an open roof and once again the stadium was packed. The fans have been really great here all week.

I was very happy with the way my semifinal match went and I am really excited to be playing in my first final in Japan tomorrow. I arrived here five days before my first match and was really hoping for a good result, now I am only one win away from claiming my first title in Japan in what I am sure will be a tough match.

I think the trip has been really worthwhile as I am getting to see and know many people and places but before recapping what has been happening here this week, I would like to let you know about my plans for the rest of the season.

I am going to play the ATP Masters Series event in Madrid, then Basel, my hometown event, and then the ATP Masters Series Paris tournament, before going to Shanghai to play in the Tennis Masters Cup. Everything is going according to the schedule and I really hope that the indoor season will bring me as much success as at the beginning of my year. Unfortunately I was injured the last two years and had to miss those events so I am very motivated to play there again.

After the Tennis Masters Cup it is the off season for the players, except for those in the Davis Cup final. While the final is on, I will be off for my annual vacation which I am really looking forward to because the season has been long and tough and I definitely need a break at the end of the year to rest and relax.

Before I left for the match yesterday, I was in the room on the computer and I was surfing the internet for nice vacation spots. I was wondering where to go. As you fans are from a lot of different cities and countries around the world, I am sure you might have a personal experience or some more advice for me as to where I could spend a relaxing time with Mirka. Although this season has been great, I must admit, that come November, I will be in need for a serious break.

After my vacation I will be getting ready for next season by working on my fitness and playing tennis with Tony Roche for about two weeks. Then it is off to defend my Australian Open title.

Sayonara and speak to you after the final tomorrow.

Rog

Please check out my web site, where you can leave me your vacation ideas: rogerfederer.com






Friday, October 6, 2006



Konnichiwa

Last night we went to dinner at a nice French restaurant in the hotel, but I only had a little white wine, no Sake. Mirka and I had the tasting menu which was excellent, it was good to change the food up a little bit, but I am definitely going Japanese again tonight.

As many of you know, in Japan they call their currency YEN. Maybe I was a bit tired last night but when the waiter brought the check after dinner and it said 17,000 I freaked for a second. I thought how was it possible that my dinner cost $17,000....did I order the most expensive glass of wine in the world? Did I eat some rare delicacy in the tasting menu? Then I realized the price was in Yen and I relaxed.

I had to get up early again this morning as I was scheduled third match from 9am. Many of you might know that I am not an early riser. If I had my way, I could definitely sleep all day.

Because of the rain yesterday the tournament had to move some matches to this morning, which meant that play started at 9am. Last night the last match finished at 3.24am, which is an all-time record for lateness for a singles match, and to be honest I was very happy to be into my third hour of sleep at that point.

We left the hotel and drove over to the tennis centre in pouring rain and strong winds because we have this typhoon hanging over Tokyo at the moment. So there was obviously no chance to play outside, which meant that there was no chance to warm up on the outside courts, this makes it a bit tricky to prepare for a match. That's why we had a longer warm up before the game today, normally we get five minutes to warm-up, but today we had 10 minutes which we both agreed on before the match started.

The match itself was played at a very high-standard, the serving from both sides I thought was amazing. I think I got a little bit lucky in the second set to get the break to take it 7-5 and then take it to the third. Having to play a tie-break in the final set was an obvious result because of our great serving [and poor returning ].

Every day it seems to get more special playing inside the Ariake Colosseum. It was more obvious playing today against a Japanese player but the fans remained very fair, which I always think is great and I am looking forward to tomorrow's match after today's hard fought battle.

Thanks to everyone for being worried about my leg. It's still swollen and there is a little cut, but you know tough guys don't cry. Yesterday I told you I thought I had the dream because of the Sake bomber, but I seriously doubt it was the Sake bomber, I am pretty sure now after reconsidering that it was because of Mirka keeping me on my toes trying to seek her revenge on Captain Wasabi. I have heard rumblings of many players (and fans) giving Mirka ideas of how to pay me back. I realize that no matter what happens in the remaining matches, I will be leaving Japan soon, so Captain Wasabi has put his defences on high alert and I will now pay more attention to what I eat. One of the fans tipped me off that perhaps she was going to try and mix a lot of wasabi into a scoop of green tea ice cream...I will now make her taste it first if we order it for dessert.

Apparently there was a famous Japanese samurai called Benke who killed a lot of warriors during his battles. They say that his downfall was a weakness in his shin. Hopefully, my shin will continue to get better and not pose a problem for the remainder of the event. Since I have been in Tokyo, I have been looking to buy a rare Samurai sword to take home with me as I really think they are cool and I have always been intrigued by the Samurais. But I don't think that they will let me carry it on to the plane. Actually I am not even sure they will let me through customs with it so I will probably wait until another trip.



Today I scared Sanji Arisawa, the tournament director, for the second time. Not only did I win 7-6 in the third in almost losing to Suzuki, after my match while I was getting stretched in the training room, Sanji came in and just as he walked in, I yelled out "ouch my back" and he said "good try you cant scare me twice in one day".

As you probably noticed, I am playing again with a collared-shirt, which I am happy about, as it's nice to change it up once in a while. I had been wearing t-shirts for some time but now but both Nike and I thought we should change it up a bit. I have had many fans write me about a t-shirt I wore during practice the other day. It was blue t-shirt Nike made for the US Open and they borrowed the theme of James Bond and instead of the "Man with the Golden Gun", they wrote that "Roger Federer is the Man with the Golden Racquet." You can see my shadow and the text in the shirt. Nike made it in different colours and I think it looks really great. I have always been a James Bond junkie....tell me how cool that guy is?

I am very psyched as next Friday I will be flying to Barcelona before the Madrid tournament to film a Nike commercial. Like a true James Bond mission, I can't tell you the theme of the commercial as it is top secret, but it will feature a few Nike athletes in a campaign that will be exclusive to the Asia-Pacific region, so all my fans in Japan and throughout Asia should get a chance to see it at the beginning of 2007.

Tomorrow I am playing my semi-final and I will write again after my match.

Sayonara

RF

Please check out my web site: rogerfederer.com






Thursday, October 5, 2006



Konnichiwa

I am happy to be back online writing to all of you after a not so funny experience last night...

But let's start with dinner, which was very good as usual. Together with Mirka and two friends we went back to the shabu-shabu restaurant where we had dinner with Mr Morita the other night. Everything went fine we had a very nice and relaxing evening.

The trouble started when I woke up in the middle of the night, I must have had a nightmare. I jumped out of bed and stood up screaming in a state of shock, I did not know where I was and I ran back and hit the corner of the bed which is solid wood and sharp. Luckily Mirka was there, she woke up because of all the noise that I made, turned on the light on, grabbed me and told me to relax. Apparently I screamed out loud the same thing as I said on court against Tursunov in Toronto (a four letter word that someone might associate with doing on a Toto toilet). I have a big bruise on my tibia now. I don't know what would have happened if she hadn't been there. It was pretty scary for a moment, it's never happened to me before and hope it will never happen again. Mirka thinks I have been playing too much tennis this year and that is why it might have happened, but I think it might have been the sake bomber I had during the shabu-shabu dinner.

Once I calmed down and went back to bed I realized I was in pain and that maybe I should ice my leg. But it was 4AM and I was too tired...I went back to sleep then woke up again (no drama this time...) and had my normal game day breakfast: vinegar shot, orange juice, cappuccino, water, waffles with raspberry syrup, passion fruit and corn flakes with milk. I came to the site around 11AM as I was scheduled third match on Centre Court but I had to wait a long time as both women's matches before mine went to the three sets...I was really impatient to go on court. I was actually lucky to be scheduled on Centre Court as they have a roof here. It's been raining since this morning and a lot of other players are hanging around in the locker room waiting for their match. We're having some fun in the locker room listening to music, gossiping and checking out some funny stuff on the internet. By the way, I made an improvement from the other day as this time I did not forget to leave my rackets to get strung.

I have been online the last couple of days checking the fans' reaction to my blog and I'm happy to see that it's been positive. I am doing this for my fans and it's good that they are enjoying it. We have about 85,000 registered users on RogerFederer.com and would like to reach the 100,000 bar before the end of the year. Please sign up! They have also told me that my blog has had 200,000 hits on ATPtennis.com. That's impressive! Keep reading my blog.

I have also been busy this week selecting the photos for my 2007 calendar. It will be ready very soon. No, it is not a swimsuit calendar, but we will have a broad range of both on court and off court photos and I hope it will make a great Christmas gift. More importantly it will be for a good cause as all proceeds from sales will go to my foundation.



The hotel where I stay in Tokyo is excellent. The hotel standards in Japan seem to be very high. They pay a lot of attention to details here and besides the space ship I sit on in the morning, I particularly like the wood (unless you kick the sharp edge with your tibia...) and stone combination, which gives a very warm atmosphere. I am interested in interior designing and have been impressed by what we have seen in Japan. It's given us a lot of ideas for our place.

Today's match against Wesley Moodie went easier than I expected, especially since he won this event last year and also because of the long wait to go on court. However, after his first service game where he hit three bombs (meaning aces) in a row, I got a little worried that it was going to be a long day. However, I played really well, there were even more spectators today, the stadium was packed and it was a fantastic atmosphere with the roof closed. I look forward to maintaining this standard for the rest of the tournament and can't tell you enough how special the reception from the Japanese fans has been....I love playing here.

Off to dinner now where I can guarantee you I will not have another shot of sake!

Talk with you again tomorrow,

Sayonara

Rog

Please check out my web site: rogerfederer.com

[Mrs. Fabregas]

PART 2

Wednesday, October 4, 2006



Konnichiwa

Last night we had the sponsor reception and welcome party at the official hotel here in Tokyo. Together with other players I went on stage to break a barrel of sake, which is supposed to bring good luck. I thought of giving it such a hard wack that I would destroy the barrel but at the very last moment I thought to myself ‘Roger maybe you shouldn’t be doing this’ and I behaved appropriately by giving it the right force.

After the party I went for dinner with Tim Henman and Stefan Koubek who are two of my friends on the tour. We went to a teppanyaki restaurant where they cook in front of you. Tim had a funny idea and decided to exchange his chopsticks with the chef’s utensils and took over from him. Actually he was pretty good, I mean he’s a father after all, but I got too worried about my beef and I requested a change of chef. The dinner was delicious.

I got back to the room, went to sleep and already got into match rhythm. I woke up, went for breakfast with Mirka and Tony, got my stuff ready, just making sure that I have enough shirts, shoes, etc. This time I actually had a problem with my rackets. Last night I was rushing so bad to get to the player welcome party after my practice that I forgot to get my rackets strung for today’s match. But the tournament helped out to get the rackets from the hotel to the tennis courts before me so they could be ready. I was glad that everything worked out in the end.



I got the stadium and when I walked out on Centre Court for my first match I felt the place buzzing. There were a lot of fans out there today and that made me feel really happy and excited to play. It went very well for a first match as I didn’t know my opponent at all before going on court and that always makes it pretty difficult. As you know I won in two tough tiebreak sets. After the match I had to do press, doping test, stretch and massage, the usual looooong routine.

After the match I always like to get in touch with friends and family but here in Japan my ‘stone age’ mobile phone doesn’t work. They are so advanced here with the modern technologies that I really need to try and get the latest stuff from here before I go back.



I will be funnier again tomorrow as I am quite tired from the match and Dmitry is looking over my shoulder and making me very nervous…

Sayonara

Rog

Please check out my web site: rogerfederer.com










Tuesday, October 3, 2006



Konnichiwa,

I am a bit late with my second blog. I still felt a little bit jet-lagged last night and this morning I slept until 11:30…I feel much better now.

Like probably everyone else, the first place where I go after getting up is the bathroom. This is quite an experience here in Japan as they have the best toilets in the world. You could sit on the toilet for hours! The seat is warm, there is a water spray…Toto, the makers of this special toilet seat, are geniuses. The toilet in my bathroom is like a space shuttle, there are so many buttons that I am always afraid to press the wrong one. I definitely want to buy one for my apartment!

Last night for dinner I had sushi in Ginza, one of the nicest neighbourhood in Tokyo. My favourite sushi is tuna but I cannot eat squid. They served me squid last night and that made me feel like wanting to become a vegetarian again! People maybe don’t know but I wasn’t eating either meat or fish until 10 years ago but now I eat everything. Mirka did not come to dinner last night so I brought her back some take away sushi. She was afraid to eat it as she thought ‘Captain Wasabi’ would hit again but I never play the same joke twice. And she hasn’t had her revenge yet, so I need to watch out…

Before dinner I had a reception in town as I was presented with the Baccarat Athlete of the Year award for 2006. The other two winners were Annabelle Bond, mountain climber, and the Japanese sports heroine Shizuka Arakawa who won a gold medal in figure skating at the Turin Winter Olympics this year. Annabelle climbed seven peaks including Mount Everest last year. Shizuka accomplished something that I have not done YET, an Olympic gold medal. That is my goal for Beijing 2008 …or London 2012!



I did quite a few interviews at the Baccarat event. What strikes me here is that the Japanese media are always so well prepared for the interviews. They must have read everything about me and they ask interesting and funny questions. I also did a photo shoot for the cover of the AERA magazine, which is like the Time or Newsweek in Japan. I like doing photo shoots, sometimes they are long, but I love interacting with the photo artists and see their preparation work.

I also went to a mall yesterday and stopped by one of the largest gaming rooms, they have thousands here in Tokyo and it was funny to see my Sega tennis game there. I was thinking of playing against the volley master (a.k.a. Tim Henman) for a second but then I had to go to the hotel for a work out session.

My driver here in Tokyo, Mr Iwaono, always wears a Swiss Tennis pin and I thought he did it for me but he actually was the driver of the Swiss Fed Cup team that played against Japan here at the Ariake Colosseum in April. He’s a very nice man who speaks fluent English. He has been the source of the best information on Tokyo.

Today I practiced from five to six before the Official Welcome Party of the AIG Japan Open. They put me to practice on court five away from the crowd but since there were so many fans there I moved to court seven so that they could be closer to me. At the end of the practice I invited one of the young kids in the crowd to join me on court for a short hit. The kid is only seven and turned out to be very talented. We played a few points from the baseline and then on the last point he hit a winning drop volley! His name is Kaito and maybe my agent Tony already has a contract ready for him to sign. You know what these agents from IMG are like...



I’m off to dinner with Tim Henman and Stefan Koubek at the teppanyaki. Tim is paying tonight so I will make a double order of Kobe beef!!!

It is back to business for me tomorrow. I am playing the fourth match at the Ariake Colosseum. I will blog again after that.

Sayonara

R

Please check out my web site: rogerfederer.com







Monday, October 2, 2006



Konnichiwa,


It's very exciting to be here in Tokyo and I'm also very pleased to be writing the ATPtennis.com blog this week. I've read a few blogs during the year. I really enjoy them as they shed some light on what goes on behind the scenes on the ATP circuit and it’s a great way to communicate with the fans.

I've had an unbelievable time since arriving in Japan on Friday. I had one of my first practices on one of the outside courts of the Ariake Tennis Forest Park and many, many fans watched me. That was very special for me. They all had their cameras and their phones up in the air taking photos. It was like a sight I'd never seen before. People were running behind me on the way to practice, wanting photos, autographs, my rackets and even my clothes. I thought for a second that maybe I should practice naked. It was a great atmosphere and for the first time I felt what it must be like to be a rock star. I practiced with the No. 1 Japanese player Go Soeda, who is very nice and a very talented player.

Two months ago the tournament asked me if I would practice at 10AM on Centre Court on the first day of the tournament and I did not understand why but I decided it would be ok. Now I understand why. The tournament had promoted it as my first official practice in Japan and opened it to the public. It was great to see so many fans out there for an early morning practice.



On Saturday I had an incredible experience meeting with the Crown Prince of Japan, Prince Naruhito at one of the Imperial Palaces. I had been waiting for the moment for a long time and it was something that needed to be planned well in advance because of the protocol. We went to one of his guest palaces. He had two clay courts back there. I warmed up with him and I was surprised how well he played. Then I played with another junior as he took a rest and then I asked the Prince if he'd like to play some doubles. He was excited about that and we played a set together, which was a lot of fun and we won! I must admit that the Prince hit some fantastic winners and was a great partner.

Princess Masako and their beautiful daughter Aiko were also there and spent some time with my girlfriend Mirka and my agent Tony. After tennis we had a wonderful lunch and talked for over an hour at his tennis villa. Then we went for a walk around their picture-perfect gardens - in particular I remember they have a beautiful lake and trees - and had lunch at the court. It is one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen and to think that it is in the centre of Tokyo is quite amazing. It was a very enjoyable moment. You don't get to play tennis with royalty every day and I will never forget this experience.

It's very exciting to be here in Japan. It's been a while since I've been to a city or a country for the first time. I'm still feeling my way around, but the people are so polite and respectful here and I'm really happy I've made the trip. Mirka has played here five or six times so I knew what to expect but it’s been more enjoyable than I thought. I love travelling in Asia. I have been to Bangkok, Shanghai, Dubai, Doha, and I always wanted to come to Japan. It's a very interesting country with fascinating history and culture. It's very different from home and I wanted to see it.



The traffic hasn't been as bad as I had expected and Tokyo is a very clean city where the pace of life is not as hectic as I imagined. I was expecting Tokyo to be like New York or Rome. This is such a big city with 8 1/2 million people in the centre and 12 1/2 million in total that you'd think there would be people everywhere, but it seems very relaxed.

I love Japanese food a lot and I eat it anywhere I go as it seems to be the 'in' food. It's healthy food with a lot of rice and vegetables. Over the last few years I started to eat fish and meat, so I can enjoy sushi and sashimi as well. Saturday night I had dinner with Mr Morita, the chairman of the Japanese Tennis Association. We had shabu-shabu - it's like a broth where you put the meat in and it’s very much like the Swiss dish ‘Fondue Chinoise’.

The other night I played a joke on Mirka and put a lot of wasabi (the very strong green paste) underneath a piece of her sashimi…she still has fire coming out of her nose and has promised to get me back!

For breakfast I was introduced to the Japanese custom of drinking vinegar, which is supposed to clean your system. I quite enjoyed that.

I’m off to do my pre-tournament press conference now.

Sayonara and write to you tomorrow!

Roger

PS - In one of the photos above you will see that Mirka and I meet up with Monica Seles, Japanese tennis legend Kimiko Date and her husband, German racing driver Michael Krumm.

Please check out my web site: rogerfederer.com

[Mrs. Fabregas]

Player Name: Jonas Bjorkman
Blogging From: If Stockholm Open



Friday, October 13, 2006



Hi there!

Tennis sucks. Well, usually not, usually it is quite the opposite, but at times like this... there you go: tennis sucks!

John McEnroe and I lost 7-6, 7-6 against Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry in the Stockholm Open quarter final tonight, and right now I just feel... baffled... it is like you have been invited to this very special new years eve party, and it is just as fun as you had anticipated it to be, but all of a sudden, half an hour before midnight, everything is closed down.

We should have won tonight. Really. We had 3-0 and then four set points in the first set. We had 5-3 in the second set. But this time we differed too much between our highs and lows, and I didn’t find the right timing in my serves. And they were good, played steady at the decisive points and took their chances like we expected from a strong team like them.

It was a quiet day up until the match. It became late before bedtime yesterday. We took it easy the whole day. After lunch I helped a few friends get tickets to the match, and another friend came over to help me install a new computer that I have bought (you guessed it: I am no technical wizard...). After that we went out to the tennis stadium to warm up. And waited. For a looong time. Joachim "Pim-Pim" Johansson was involved in a thriller against Kristof Vliegen, that he won. All in all, it has been a great week for Swedish tennis. Both "Pim-Pim" and Robin Söderling are in the semifinals tomorrow.

Björn Borg and John McEnroe spent some time together today as well. I saw that Björn had set John and his family up with fancy stuff from his collection "Björn Borg Underwear".

All of a sudden it’s over. I don’t like this part of the job that much, when I have to pack and rush off from friends and family in the middle of a disappointment, when you’re not prepared for it, to another place for another tournament in another country. Madrid is next, and then St Petersburg or Basel. I will see my family in two weeks again.

But I have to say, that despite that the people around the tournament - the chauffeurs, the guys at the ticket counter, and everybody else - have worn red trousers this year (a doubtful style statement...!), they have done a fantastic job. So have the crowd. I will be back to feel this unique atmosphere next year, that’s for sure. And who knows if John McEnroe might be back. It has been such a great honour to play with one of greatest. I just wish it would have lasted longer this time.

But as you know, tennis isn’t everything. The most fantastic and greatest thing about today was that my best friend’s little son saw the light for the first time today. Maybe you have already guessed that it was the son of Thomas and Gisella Johansson and that is right! My family and I are looking forward to all the moments that we have in front of us together with the new family. Big congratulations to Thomas and Gisella for their little miracle!

Alright, thanks for today! Have a great weekend!

Time to go. The bags are waiting to be packed. (02:26 am)!

All the best,

Jonas

Remember to check out my web site jonasbjorkman.com






Thursday, October 12, 2006



Hi everyone!

I wish that you all had been in Stockholm tonight. John McEnroe and I beat Andreas Vinciguerra and Johan Landsberg 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the doubles in Stockholm Open.

But it was not the result that was the most important thing this time. It was the atmosphere. Sheer magic. Bjorn Borg and Stefan Edberg were both there.

The lights were turned down, then turned on when each of us walked on the court. The three of us “ordinary” players got great ovations, but when John McEnroe made his entrance, everyone got on their feet and gave him a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes. It seemed that it would never end. John had to thank the audience two, three times before we even started to warm up…

I think that some people might have doubted that McEnroe is still capable of delivering first class competitive tennis, but if so, they were all surprised how very good he was moving, returning, and playing his volleys.

We were supposed to play against Joachim “Pim-Pim” Johansson and Thomas Johansson tonight, but Thomas’ wife Gisella is expecting their first child, so they had to cancel.



Before the match, Bjorn Borg came into our locker room, and it was a thrill just to see them together again, and hear them catch up, talking about old times, their current situation, our upcoming match tonight, and their own form and the match that they are going to play against each other in Dubai in three weeks time.

You know, in this world of tennis, when you are part of happenings like this, it feels like you are part of history…

John and Bjorn had dinner together last night, and they both agreed that they have to spend more time together from now on.

The atmosphere was just incredible tonight, and I am sure that it will be at least as good tomorrow when we face Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry. It will be very tough. They are fighting for a place in the Masters play offs, and they lost in the semifinals in San Jose, so I am sure that they are very keen on beating us this time.

Earlier today, I stopped by the former Swedish international football star Tomas Brolin’s restaurant Undici in the centre of Stockholm to hold a speech together with other Swedish athletes, and that is also the place where we are going to have a late dinner tonight.

My son Max learned how to fold and throw a paper plane from Michael Llodra yesterday, and he wouldn’t stop showing me how to do it today (Max, that is!). We also played hide and seek, and Max hid behind the same curtain every time, totally impossible to find!

This was a mind blowing day, and I can’t wait to find out how everything turns out tomorrow.

Take care, and talk to you soon again!

Jonas


Remember to check out my web site jonasbjorkman.com






Wednesday, October 11, 2006



Hi there!


I lost to Robin Soderling in the second round of Stockholm Open today, 6-0, 6-2. The evil virus-infection that Petra and Max have been carrying for a while now has really jumped on me too. I had no energy at all. But to be honest that probably didn’t have an impact on winning or loosing, but maybe if I had felt better it would have given me a few more games at least.

This evening, two of the Swedish fans that have supported us Swedish players in Melbourne and the Australian Open during the years (they are both loyal and loud!), nicknamed “Candle” and “Pippi”, came to visit at our hotel, and handed over a bottle of champagne and a few Davidoff cigars. The reason was, that we made a bet some time ago, about which of our favourite football teams, their AIK or my Hammarby, both from Stockholm, would win the derbys between them this season. Needless to say, Hammarby won them both… Almost an embarrassingly easy way to earn the glory, and a zip of champagne… They are both great guys, just not so clever when it comes to football…

Speaking of football. I just watched the Swedish national team win their fourth straight victory in the qualification for the European Championships 2008, 2-1 away against Iceland. Despite injuries and internal trouble, they have found the form that has made them so successful since the late 90s - only three losses in the qualifications for the European and World Championships since 1998 for example. Great to see that the team spirit is back.

And speaking of spirit… I think I have to consider employing my son Max as my mentor! After my poor performance today, he told me: “Dad, it’s okay. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. I do that too!”

Max really loves tennis. They have mini tennis courts for the kids at Stockholm Open. Yesterday he played there for almost two hours, the queues were starting to build up behind him, but he just didn’t want to stop… He was still charged up when we came back to the hotel, and it took some time to get him to sleep. With the benefit that we all slept in, until 8.30 this morning…

John McEnroe and I had a seminar with the sponsors and the business elite at lunchtime today. I really like that kind of gathering; they are both interesting and entertaining, and they always broaden your horizons a little bit.

At the seminar, McEnroe said, jokingly, that he is worried that I will be a little bit too kind against my good friends Joachim “Pim-Pim” Johansson and Thomas Johansson in the doubles tomorrow. He is here to win, he wants to show why he is considered to be a legend! The moderator asked him if the mix between a “Mr Nice Guy-on the court” and a “Mr Not So Nice Guy-on the court” makes the perfect balance, and from what I could hear, John agreed.

Our doubles match tomorrow is sold out! It’s even impossible to get tickets on the black market! It would be such a fantastic feeling if we could show our best side and win.

When we came back from the tennis tonight, Max said: “What a nice house we have," about the hotel. What else can you do but agree…

Another late night, another room service dinner.

Alright, nighty-nighty, talk to you tomorrow (and if you can’t sleep, visit my web site jonasbjorkman.com...)


Jonas







Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Hello tennis lovers!

It was a big day for us Swedes in Stockholm Open today. Andreas Vinciguerra beat Nicolas Devilder 6-4, 6-1, and Joachim "Pim-Pim" Johansson beat Davide Sanguinetti 6-4, 6-4. Both Andreas and "Pim-Pim" have been struggling with injuries for a long time, but it is great to see that they finally are on their way back to where they belong.



It was a good day for me too. I had a quiet start, played with my son Max in our hotel room, and then I had lunch with my wife Petra, and on our way to that lunch we ran into John McEnroe when he was cheking in.

He took a late flight from New York to Stockholm, slept all the time, and took a nap later on this afternoon at the hotel, so he is ready to go. We will hopefully find some time to practise together tomorrow. He practised this evening together with the young Swedish player Robert Gustavsson, and needless to say, Robert was all fired up over the possibility to play with a living legend for a whole hour!



After lunch, I went out to prepare for my match against Peter Wessels. I didn´t feel well during the warm up, and I continued to have difficulties during the match. I was sweating a lot and had a high pulse, but I managed to turn the first set around after he had broken my serve twice, and finally I won, 7-5, 6-2. Petra and Max have been sick lately, so maybe I have caught something from them. Let´s hope not.

My son (and sober critic...) Max thought that my performance was okay. Sometimes he thinks that I hit the net unnecessarily often, but today he was pleased and said that it was good that I mostly decided to keep the ball above the net!

Tomorrow I will face Robin Söderling. He is in great form, played very well in the Davis Cup against Brazil, and it will be difficult to beat him on the slow surface we have here. I will do whatever I can, that's for sure!

Talk to you again tomorrow, take care!

Jonas Björkman

PS - Be sure to visit my web site jonasbjorkman.com.








Monday, October 9, 2006



Hello there tennis fans!

And welcome behind the scenes in Stockholm, the capital of my home country Sweden, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, truly extraordinary with all its surrounding water (did you know that Stockholm is built on several islands, and that the surrounding archipelago consists of 24 000 islands!?) and lush greenery that is changing into different shades of red and yellow this time of the year.

It is easy to get soft hearted and romantic here...

Especially if you start your day like I did this morning. I slept until 9.00, a luxury that I can afford myself only if my son Max is not around... (he and my wife Petra have caught a bad cold, so they have stayed at Petra’s parents' house outside Stockholm for a few days). I had breakfast together with my parents who are visiting from the south of Sweden during Stockholm Open. The breakfast at Grand Hotel is the best of them all!


The kitchen has a star in Guide Michelin, and the breakfast buffet never ends! I go straight for the oatmeal. It is to die for here. Then I build a little buffet of my own on my table, and then I get going. This morning I sat down on the veranda, the sun was sparkling, reflecting itself in the seawater mirror just steps from the veranda, the sky was clear blue, the air was high and just a little bit chilly in a refreshing way. The view is beautiful from there, with the water, the castle, the park Kungsträdgården, and the old town.

After breakfast I went for a haircut. Short! And fast! When you get as old as I am, you've got to use every trick in the book to keep the pace up...

Then I went out to the tennis stadium, practised and had lunch together with my friend Thomas Johansson. And, boy, that haircut is fast! So hopefully I am ready to rock. It feels like a good decision to be here for a week before the tournament to practise hard, get fit, and get the timing right.

Neither Thomas Johansson nor me are travelling with a coach anymore. We try to coach each other instead. It works really well. Today we helped each other to fine tune our serves. Maybe a mistake from my side. John McEnroe and I will face Thomas and Joachim "Pim-Pim" Johansson in the first round of the doubles on Thursday. They usually have horsekicks for serves, and now, when I have helped to improve it even further... It will be a very tough task for McEnroe and me, for sure.

Speaking of John McEnroe (and everyone is doing that, pages up and down in the newspapers, rumours among the players)... It will be a fantastic experience for me to come home to Stockholm and team up with a legend like that. It´s an honour, something to remember forever, and a great gift to bring to the enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowds here. Truly fantastic.

In the singles tomorrow I will face Peter Wessels from Holland. He has a really good serve, strikes hard, takes chances, gambles with the margins. On a good day (for him...) you might seldom see the ball, so I am hoping for one of his bad days… It is important for me to be aggressive, take command, and force him to move around.

After lunch I made arrangements for tomorrow, booked time for my warm up and found a practising partner - one of the young Swedish players that Joakim Nyström is coaching.

This evening I have been hanging out with Max and Petra back at the hotel. They are feeling better now, and they will stay with me the rest of the week. There is no better warm up than to be with Max. Because we wrestle a lot... and just because it is great to be around him, to find time to just be together, doing all the stuff he (and I) loves to do: play with his toy cars, his Bob The Builder kit (see photo), read, talk, make fun of each other, wrestle some more... He just had his dinner in front of a Pippi Longstocking DVD. Petra is reading his fairytale tonight.

It is a hysteric atmosphere outside the hotel. Not just because we are here, or the fact that McEnroe is coming to town tomorrow, but primarily because the Brazilian national soccer team is staying here. They will play a friendly against Ecuador tomorrow, and several hundred people outside the entrance are fighting for a spot from where they can see their idols.

It has been a great build-up for a hopefully great week, starting last Saturday when Sweden played like in trance, and beat the star studded team of Spain 2-0 here in Stockholm in the qualifiers for the European Championships in soccer 2008. Now, everything can happen, so watch out Rafael Nadal and everyone else!

It has been a pleasure sharing my day with you, and I will talk to you tomorrow again. In the meantime, why not visit my web site jonasbjorkman.com. Keeps you busy for at least a couple of minutes!

Have a great evening now, and I will talk to you soon!

Jonas Björkman

[Alya10]

Marat's next ;D

Boy, you've been busy girls!!!

[Mrs. Fabregas]

alya10 said:

Marat's next ;D

Boy, you've been busy girls!!!

Nope... Marat was earlier (page 2) .... Annette had to do his, 'cause it was 'her' (and Annie's and Lena's too ofcourse) blog ;D!

So, now all the 2006 bloggers are in here...... Have to see if when I find the time to do the 2007 bloggers......

[Dina]

take your time sweety!!!!!!!!!!! ;D

[Alya10]

frensje said:

alya10 said:

Marat's next ;D

Boy, you've been busy girls!!!

Nope... Marat was earlier (page 2) .... Annette had to do his, 'cause it was 'her' (and Annie's and Lena's too ofcourse) blog ;D!

So that's where you lost me, lol, I was following the dates and skipped a page

[Dina]

so guys who's blogging this week?

[jenhatter06]

dina said:

so guys who's blogging this week?

nobody this week ... but Dima posted a new entry which was posted in his thread.