Five Days with Federer

I was lucky to be able to go to London at the O2 Arena this year to attend the ATP World Tour Finals and I wrote about my experiences in my previous post. That post had bits of everything; my thoughts on the fans, the Arena and the other players. I kept Roger away from it because Roger was an experience in and of itself and I couldn’t have done justice to it crammed into that post. He demanded a post of his own and so here it is – My Five Days with Roger Federer.

Now I know the tournament was 8 days but I saw Roger for 5 of them. He did not even come to the O2 during his off days. What’s interesting about the 5 days is they each showed me a different avatar of Roger. No days were alike and thus my experience as a Roger fan changed each day. By the end of the tournament I had seen a whole range of Rogers and what this comprehensive view did was make me realize in a whole new way how I really couldn’t have picked any other player to idealize and idolize, not only as an athlete but also as a person.

Day 1: Federer the Exemplar

It was the first day of the tournament and I practically ran into the O2 Arena because I was so excited. It was good that Roger was the 2^nd session because I had plenty of time to get my bearings and ease into the tournament with the Kei-Andy match. After Kei’s surprisingly quick win I went back into the Arena to catch Roger’s 1st practice. We waited for a bit and then suddenly saw Stefan and Seve coming out. Then, right behind them, THERE HE WAS, walking his leisurely walk onto the courts, being greeted by applause from the lucky fans that had come in early to catch a glimpse of the Maestro.

All four practice sessions I saw that week followed the same pattern. Initially, Seve was always on Roger’s side of the court, softly talking to him as he warmed up with Edberg. When the warm-up was done, Roger and Stefan would sit on the bench and they would only talk to each other without Seve for a few minutes. It was their tiny bit of Fedberg only time and Roger was very reverent during these conversations. When they were done, Seve would rejoin them and Dorkerer would come back. Seeing him like that, with his arm affectionately around Stefan as they shared the bench and joked with Seve was amazing for me. It was a scene I had envisioned when we first heard about Stefan becoming his coach. So when they both came out on court together for the 1st practice I suddenly realized that my dream had come true. And I teared up a bit I must say, especially since 5 days before that moment I didn’t know if I would even be able to come to London.

1st practice session before the Raonic match

The doubles match started first but honestly I was still so giddy from having seen him up close I just kept grinning like an idiot and going ‘eeeeeeeeeeee!’ every few minutes inside my head. Then somehow it was time for the singles and I thought frantically ‘I’m not ready!’ Imagine when you get all dressed up to go to a formal event and then spill orange juice right before the doorbell rings? That’s how I felt. Except I had spilled no juice and no one was going to look at me so basically this can only mean I’m not quite right in the head.

The blue heartbeat rang out. I got chills as the Arena clapped with the beat. Milos came out first to a decent amount of cheers. Then HE came out. You know the feeling when your ears pop hours after you got water inside them? Suddenly the volume goes from 3 to 11. That’s what happened when HE came out. Neither Milos nor I could get settled in quickly enough to process the first set. Milos and I were both totally overwhelmed by the occasion and by Roger Federer. I was Milos, he was me, and we totally understood each other for that set.

I was content to remain in this bliss of doing nothing except admiring Roger but for some reason Milos had other ideas in the second set; he decided to make a go of it. Why Milos? We were so in sync till now! That set brought back familiar feelings of digging my nails into the palm of my hands and fistpumping at my laptop screen – except I was fistpumping in front of him! Yes, I know he didn’t see me, but I saw him and that was enough. After scrambling to reach the tie-break, Roger thankfully finished it off quickly.

But wait, the night wasn’t over yet! Roger had won two ATP awards, his 12th consecutive Fan Favorite Award and his 10th Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award! And then my ultimate Fedberg dream unfolded before my eyes. Stefan Edberg, the Maestro’s coach, came out onto the court looking mighty spiffy in his suit and awarded Roger the award named after him. Cue teary eyes again 🙂 Edberg can take pride in knowing he set an example for future generations on sportsmanship and fair play and here was proof that at least one little boy in Basel had paid attention. Edberg won the award 5 times and inspired Roger along the way. Roger has now won it 10 times and I’m sure he has carried the torch from his idol and set an example to the next generation of how to be great player on and off the court simultaneously.

Day 2: Federer the Teacher

Day 2 started with me rushing to get there in time for Roger’s practice once more. By then the first shock of seeing Fedberg had worn off and this time I watched without any scary palpitations and thoroughly enjoyed the whole session. Then it was time for the doubles which I enjoyed but as the match started to end I got pre-match nerves. I knew Kei was going to be tougher than Milos. Kei always gives him trouble. They came into the match at an even H2H of 2 all. Kei started the match strong, buoyed by his win over Andy and even had break point chances early on. But then Roger starting to turn the screws and began to take control of the match. One break was all Roger needed to take the first set.

I though Kei would make a big push in the second set but Roger would have none of that. He smothered any idea Kei might have had with even more aggression showing that when it comes to the big occasions Roger can still take it a notch above 5^th gear. He never let Kei get back into the match. This wasn’t just any indoors tournament; it was the ATP World Tour Finals where Roger is the King. No way was Roger going to let some kid brush him aside. Sure he’s 33 but that also means he’s been qualifying at this event ever since Kei was 12 years old. That immense experience combined with clean shot-making gave Roger his easiest match against Kei since their first one 3 years ago. Kei left the court a little wiser with his awe of Federer still intact.

“Every time we play, I feel really tough to play because he takes the ball very early, come to the net a lot, very aggressive. Sometimes, you know, you don’t ready for it. You don’t expect he comes to the net. Today I think he served really well, first and second.  Especially, yeah, tough points, he hits a lot of aces. You know, just tough to return his serve. Yeah, I think he’s, you know, getting better every time. Yeah, actually I never feel that he’s 33 right now. He looks still young and playing amazing tennis. I think the age doesn’t matter right now.” I imagine in an alternate universe after hearing Kei’s presser, Roger said to Kei ‘Much to learn you still have…my old padawan.’ – ok no more Star Wars references I promise 😀

Roger smiling at his 2nd practice / Roger giving interviews on-court / The mad rush to get an autograph 🙂

Day 3: Federer the Transcendent

I don’t know where to even begin with this match. It was probably the worst match Andy has played in a while and then there was Roger. Roger the Sublime, Roger the Magnificent, Roger the Exalted, I had difficulties picking the right one because they all fit. Back in his prime of 2004-2007 such matches were more frequent. Matches where Roger is untouchable, where he is unplayable and he constantly flirts with the line between genius and insanity. The strange thing is Roger didn’t serve well at all. But that was his only flaw that night and in a way it magnified the rest of his game because he was able to play like a tennis god despite not having one of his most formidable weapons.

This match was for the purists, and for those who got hooked by the Maestro for his tennis skills first. I love Roger Federer’s warmth and personality and how he carries himself but I first noticed him for his extraordinary playing style and sheer variety of shots. A dropshot here, a half volley there, a searing inside-out forehand or a down-the-line backhand, he could put all those shots into a single rally. And so he did that night, against Andy. He toyed with the Scott as he threw his whole arsenal at him.

Roger’s practice before the 3rd match / Roger on the centre screen! / Roger’s smoky entrance

Andy summed it up well himself in his presser “…But if I played well, he probably still would have won anyway…. everything he tried tonight came off. He has the ability to do that.” We hear you Andy, it must have been brutal to face that. To be honest, by the end, all of us including Roger were urging you to win a game and we all cheered when you did. I left that match feeling dizzy and overwhelmed from that display of brazen, unmasked brilliance. Roger Federer in full flow is breathtaking to watch.

Day 4: Federer the Warrior

Interestingly, Roger looked the most relaxed at this practice before the SF match than he had in his previous practice sessions for his Round Robin matches. He was extra smiley and dorky and gave a ton more time to the fans than he had on other days. As such, it was on this 4^th day that I was finally able to get my RF hat autographed by Roger, though Efie had to help me get it within his reach at the last minute! Because of that autograph and his cheerful demeanor, the day already become the best of the week for me. Of course all this happiness gave no inkling of the drama that was about to ensue less than 3 hours later.

4th practice before the SFs – Roger’s bodyguard for the week, so serious! / Roger & Seve ❤ / Fedberg moments ❤ / Roger, Stefan and Seve! ❤ ❤ ❤

Roger had played his best match against Andy so it was strange how listless he seemed at the beginning of this match. He wasn’t going for his shots as much, there was something off. Stan started in the best possible way but Roger couldn’t get going and for a while it seemed he didn’t even want to. I don’t like his matches with Stan; that personal connection he has with him is always an unknown variable. Sometimes he seems a bit too happy to lose to him, other times he somehow doesn’t bring that competitive fire he brings against others. Both players seem tortured in varying degrees with their own demons.

Stan took the first set to thunderous applause. That finally awakened something in Roger. He didn’t necessarily play much better, but at least he was finally fired up which was good to see. He started set 2 a bit shaky but then kept improving while Stan got a bit inconsistent. Finally, serving to get to a tie-break, Stan got broken and Roger took the second set. We were at 1 all and I allowed to get my hopes up a bit. Then at the beginning of the third set that bizarre umpire incident happened and Roger got broken. Angry Roger had definitely arrived but thankfully he channeled that properly to hold from then on despite immense pressure from Stan. Roger had a breakpoint to level to 4 all but missed. He had breakpoints again to level to 5 all but then Stan also had match points too. In fact he had 3. But Roger saved them all and broke Stan to level. He saved another match point in the tie-break before finally winning the match.

How did he win, you ask? Well it wasn’t the Maestro’s tennis skills in my opinion but rather his sheer will power that got the job done that night. In his match with Andy he reminded us of the beauty of his tennis and his immense talent. But talent alone won’t get you 17 Grand Slams. A players needs to have a champion’s winning mentality, tremendous fighting spirit, unwavering focus, steely nerves and the confidence to back oneself despite facing a 70 ft wall. That night there was no magical tennis; it was war. And our hero fought for every inch, for every second, for every bead of sweat.

My autographed RF hat!!!

From the time he was down 4-5* I had watched the match clutching my few-hours-old autographed RF hat and didn’t let go till he won. When that triumphant moment finally came, I stood up and cheered. Then I burst out in tears, from pride, relief, happiness and exhaustion and I lightly kissed my RF hat; not only had it brought me immense joy, it had also helped me get through this match.

As I sat quietly in the tube ride home that night, still in a daze, a young man said ‘Excuse me, is that Roger Federer’s autograph? Did he really sign it?’ pointing to my hat. ‘Yes he did!’ I said happily. His mother said, ‘He was playing tonight right? Did he win?’ ‘Yes he did!’ I exclaimed again, barely able to contain myself at that point. The young man then said ‘Wow, you had a good day then!’ and I remember that warm, golden feeling I got with that comment. And then I remember replying back with a content smile and nodding ‘I had a VERY good day!’ 😀

Day 5: Federer the Gracious

For some reason, from the time I woke up on Finals day, I had a bad feeling. It was a gloomy day in London but that’s normal I told myself. I still couldn’t shake the feeling though and it surprised me considering the previous night. Maybe it was beginning to sink in that my week in heaven was coming to a close? Who knows. We heard that for the first time in the tournament Roger was going to practice at Practice Court 1 at 3pm instead of Centre Court. There was a crowd 8 rows deep and 1.5 tennis court lengths long as we all patiently waited for him to come, missing the beginning of the doubles match in the process, but in vain. The clock ticked by and soon it was clear he wasn’t going to come to practice so I went off to get a bite to eat and then catch the second half of the doubles match.

It was all going well and I enjoyed the doubles match till suddenly the announcement came that Roger would come out for a special message after the doubles awards ceremony. That basically did two things. One, it killed any interest I had in the doubles ceremony (can they leave the court already?!) and two, I became petrified. Soon Roger came out in his track-suit to break the bad news himself. I went through so many emotions right then: I wanted to give him a hug; I was also deathly scared of how bad the injury was; I felt really, really alone somehow; I felt tremendously sad; I also felt numb and empty; and lastly I felt a strange combination of warmth and awe at him and the crowd. He was so genuine in his words and not only did no one in the audience boo, they all clapped for him and showed him respect. Bboth Roger AND the crowd had handled the situation with great class. As I walked away from the O2 one last time I thought, maybe I wasn’t meant to see him lose that week. I had seen 4 matches and he won all of them with aplomb and that is the memory I will carry with me.

The crowd waits in vain for Roger’s practice session / Roger announcing his withdrawal 😦

In Conclusion…

Throughout the week I had been able to see Dorky Roger, Smiley Roger, Sexy Roger, Role-Model Roger, Reverent Roger, Fan Favorite Roger, Superstar Roger, Tennis God Roger and Roger Fighterer. So in a way, it was perfect that I got to see Roger the Gracious too, it was the one avatar left. I know that week of tennis was disappointing for many due to the lopsided matches but for me it was so much more. Most of all it confirmed for me once and for all that I could never even hope to be a fan of another player, not in the same manner at least. For me, no one comes close to being such a complete player and person on and off the court. He will always have my belief, loyalty, love and dedication as a fan for as long as we are both alive. And really that’s all there is to say. ❤

 

***All photos were taken by me. Click on the photo collections for larger views***

My London Trip – Everything But Roger

As some of you might know, I was lucky enough to be able to go to London to attend the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena and see the one and only Roger Federer. I was there for the entire tournament. It was an otherworldly and surreal experience and I have been struggling to find the words to adequately describe it. I’ve had quite a few false starts with this post but each time I think about that week, a thousand different memories rush into my mind and swirl around in a chaotic frenzy, leaving me at a loss for any coherent thought let alone a full sentence. Thus I decided to do 2 posts; one dedicated to Roger and only Roger and the other one to everything else. I’m going to do the easier one first – Everything But Roger.

When my friends, family and co-workers heard I was planning to take a week off to go to London they all had a quizzical look on their face, “You saved up to go to an expensive city like London, that too in winter?” But that’s just it though. While I would love a beach holiday, to me, a week of only tennis with nothing else to worry about is the best holiday ever! All I did for 8 days was WATCH LIVE TENNIS and it was heaven! Because you see, not only was I there just for tennis but everyone in the Arena was also there for the same reason. It’s a great feeling when you realize you are not alone in your obsession; there are over 17,000 people who came to the O2 each day who shared my insanity.

For instance, while waiting for an autograph from Roger I spoke with a young man from France who was in RF gear from head to toe, literally – an RF hat, RF shirt and RF sneakers 🙂 He not only goes to Roland Garros and Bercy each year but has also gone to Basel, Halle and even across the Atlantic to Indian Wells. Then there were the two men in their late 50s I started chatting with while waiting to get on the tube one night. They live in Los Angeles in the US and have been going to the Australian Open for the past 16 years and they have attended the World Tour Finals each year since the time it shifted to Shanghai. They excitedly told me they got Roger’s autograph at Indian Wells this year.

Then there was a woman who sat in the empty seat next to me before Roger’s match, to take some photos of the doubles players close-up. We realized we were each wearing an RF hat and of course started to chat. She said she flew in with her friend from Brazil just for this tournament and for Roger. I also remember the British woman who sat on the steps outside the O2 where I was sitting and having my sandwich before the night session. She was trying to sell her ticket to the Andy-Milos match 😉 For the next 20 minutes we had a lovely chat about our champ (yes, also a Roger fan) and tennis and when my sandwich was done, we bid farewell.

All these encounters were fleeting and at the end of the day none of us knew each other’s names. We will probably never see one another again but in that moment we shared a common story and I cannot explain to you how life-affirming that is. Not only do you realize you aren’t the only one who is a Crazy Fed Fan 😉 but also that there are people from all walks of life, from all corners of the world who understand your passion and that all of us together are part of a community that transcends borders, religions, cultures and languages. It’s a powerful emotion to feel that connection and I hope everyone gets to experience those moments like I did with the wonderful myriad of fans at the O2. Below are some shots of the amazing O2 Arena with the blue court, blue hued crowds and that blue heartbeat ❤Of course, for every awesome fan I met there were a few annoying ones; yes I am thinking of you, short, bald guy who pushed me and then also pushed Efie off the stairs as you elbowed everyone else just so you could be the first to reach the bottom of the stairs and wait for Roger to come to his practice session. I am glad you didn’t get his autograph that day! But for the most part, the fan experience was just lovely and they added to my week of tennis heaven. Plus, during Roger’s matches my fellow Federer fans were amazing! The O2 showed him so much love each and every night and that includes his match with Andy as well. It was amazing to see the Arena change from a non-Roger session to a Roger one because the crowd transformed into a sea of red and white with RF banners, RF posters, RF gear and Swiss flags of all sizes waving proudly for our hero 😀

As for the O2 Arena itself, I have nothing but praise for it. It will be hard to match the show this tournament puts on in London if it moves to a new location from 2016. The Arena is easily accessible with the tube stop only 30 seconds away, the practice sessions are close-up and free and the organizers give the event a concert-like feel with the spotlight solely on the court in the center of the crowd sitting in near-darkness. I really like the idea of getting to see a doubles match in each session because we rarely get to see doubles matches on TV, and even then, they hardly get the same importance as singles. In this tournament, with every session you are guaranteed two totally different styles of tennis matches. You can see a tiny snapshot of the doubles matches in the collage below.A quick word about the tickets. All of my tickets were on Level 1 so I won’t be able to comment on the experience of watching the event from higher up in Level 4. What I can tell you is that even if you are in the last row, Row Z of Level 1, you will still get a very good view of the court. I have sat on both sides of the court as well as at the opposite end from the TV view. I never sat in the corner sections so those are the only ones I can’t tell you much about. My mixed bag of seats were as close as Row C to as far back as Row X and while obviously Row C is better than Row X, if only Row X tickets are available, don’t think they are too far away regardless of what section you are in.

As for what section of Level 1 to buy tickets for, I would say the sides of the court are the most fun. You don’t get that view of the court on TV so it’s a different vantage point. It also gives you a much better idea of how long the court is and how much the players actually run. Plus, if you choose the side the players sit on, you will see them up-close when they come out to the court and also when they come back to the bench during changeovers but then their backs will be towards you. If you are on the other side, they won’t be as close but when they sit across from you during changeovers, they will be facing you so you can happily click away a zillion photos.

There are also very practical reasons why I chose to attend this tournament rather than any other. First and foremost, my goal was to see Roger and unlike other tournaments, even if Roger loses his first match at the World Tour Finals, I still get to see him 3 times due to the Round Robin format. After spending all that money to get to a tournament, it is good to know that I will see him at least 3 times no matter the results. Obviously I get to see the other top 8 players in the world at least 3 times each as well which is awesome. Also, the matches are indoors so no rain delays or suspensions. Lastly, I don’t know any other European languages besides English so getting around in London is super easy for me. You can see the collage below for the outside of the O2 Arena and the inside as well, including the fan zones and practice courts.Lastly, I want to quickly thank the organizers and Andy Murray in particular for trying to save the final day of the tournament. The organizers did the best they could in the short time they had and Andy was pure class for jumping in at the last minute. I felt awful for fans that only had tickets for the final and I knew I was lucky that I had seen 7 days of tennis already, otherwise that day would have sucked.

If I could change one thing about the World Tour Finals, it would be how slow the surface is, especially how it was this year. It was a dream for Novak to play on but Milos and Marin suffered badly since it gave absolutely nothing to the big servers. Even veterans like Roger and Tomáš had the same problem. But unlike Milos, Marin and even Tomáš to a certain extent, Roger has 3 additional trunks of tools and weapons so he wasn’t as hampered by his lack of aces and first serves as the other 3 were.

Before ending the post, I want to talk a bit about the other 7 players who qualified this year. The 3 youngsters Kei, Milos and Marin performed pretty much how I expected them to. I had a feeling Marin wouldn’t do well at all. I also had a feeling Roger would be too much for Milos as his first match in London. I knew Kei would perform the best of the three but I have to say I was surprised by him nonetheless. I don’t think I realized exactly how good a player Kei is till I saw him live. He is SUPER fast. He may have been the shortest of the 8 players but he can cover the court like nobody’s business. He has a mean, lethal backhand too and he hits the ball very cleanly. His personality is understated but I think that’s what makes him dangerous; people tend to underestimate him. His game doesn’t have a lot of flair but it’s effective and gets the job done.

To be honest, Kei reminded me a bit of Novak’s style. Like Novak, his court coverage is amazing, his backhand is scary and he keeps coming back, getting his racquet on every damn ball. Of course unlike Novak, he isn’t super fit and his serve has a lot of room for improvement. His mental prowess is not even close to the Big 3 or the other veterans on tour. But he can work on all those departments in the years to come. Meanwhile, I can safely say that it’s not a fluke he’s ranked 5 in the world. He doesn’t have the serve of Milos and Marin or the fancy shots of Grigor but his game is solid, fast and relentless. I can foresee the next generation being exasperated at trying to knock him out in vain. As for this generation, for now I hope Roger never has to face him again *sigh*

However, while I expected the newbies to falter, I was surprised by how bad the losses of Tomáš to Stan, Stan to Novak and Andy to Roger were. I expected all three losses but the margins threw me for a loop. I can understand the Andy-Roger match a little bit. Andy had been playing nonstop for weeks and even his backup reserves were probably empty by then. On the other hand, I cannot even begin to describe what a perfect match Roger played that night but that’s for another post. The other two matches, I’m not entirely sure why they were this lopsided and I can imagine how disappointed their fans must have been. You can see a sample of some of the photos I took of the singles players.  Row 1: Feliciano and Stan at practice, Andy signing autographs, David playing as an alternate. Row 2: Andy, Kei, Tomáš and Novak.A separate comment on Novak. Believe it or not he played better in the 2013 and 2012 editions than this year. The results won’t say that because he won his group by a landslide but in 2012 he had in-form Andy and Jo in his group and in 2013 he had Roger and Del Potro. If his 2014 group had Roger and Kei, he would have had much bigger problems. His group this year didn’t push him to dig deep. I knew Marin and Tomáš wouldn’t but I had hoped Stan would give him a fight at least but that didn’t happen. He finally faced a test with Kei who did push him as we saw. Of course he came up with the win when he needed to but in terms of strictly his level of play, he didn’t have a very good World Tour Finals this year compared to 2012 and 2013. Had Roger been able to play the final I honestly don’t know who would have won. Roger didn’t play very well himself in the SFs and was of course exhausted after that battle. Plus Novak already had hours more rest time than Roger so maybe in the end that would have decided the outcome. All I know is Novak looked more vulnerable this year than the previous two years which makes it even sadder for me as Federer fan that Roger didn’t get a shot at that match.

My last thought is about the new generation. Clearly, this was the year they made significant strides and 3 of them made it to London. The London 8 had 4 of the usual suspects of Roger, Novak, Andy and Tomas. Also let’s not forget that Rafa withdrew. Had Rafa been there, Milos would have missed out. But the way it worked out, it was 4 experienced players, 1 second timer and 3 making their debuts. So the rocky results didn’t surprise me as much because unlike other tournaments, in the ATP World Tour Finals players face off against the best from match 1 which has to be tough both physically and mentally especially for the new players. Thus we had yet another year where #1 and #2 reached the final and we also ended the 6^th year (2007-2011 and 2014) with Roger, Rafa and Novak occupying the top 3 spots. Even in 2012 and 2013, 2 of the Big 3 were in the top 3. To me this suggests two conclusions. One, the new generation still has a way to go. Two, we should give credit and be amazed at Roger, Rafa and Novak for their unwavering hold on the top 3 no matter who knocks on their door. Beyond the titles, consistency is a big reason why this group is termed the golden generation.

Well that concludes my looooong Everything-But-Roger London post. It was an amazing trip and I am truly blessed to have been able to go, especially because of how close I was to not going at all. I know many fans thought this was the worst tournament of the year due to the one-sided matches but to me, being able to live, breathe, eat, sleep, talk, think, and dream only tennis was an indescribably wonderful and intoxicating experience. I will never, ever forget it and I am eternally grateful for those 8 magical days. Thanks for reading and wish me luck in trying to write my Only-Roger post; I’m getting emotional even thinking about it!

I leave you with a collection of photos of various ATP tournaments in 2014 that was on one the walls of the Fan Zone area. I liked the idea so I took photos of the wall and put them in one place so I could share them here 🙂 Please click all the collages for a closer look!

My London Trip – Nike, Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour Finals!

It’s been a while since my last post and understandably so. It’s the off-season and no tennis tends to mean no posts. But I was going through my London pictures and realized there are a lot of tennis-y things I did beyond seeing the Maestro live. So I thought I’d write a post on the rest of my trip. Apologies in advance for the formatting of some of the photos within the post; sometimes they don’t load properly. Please click on them for larger versions.

First, I went to the Nike store and almost squealed out loud. We don’t even have a Nike store in my country so I was pleased just to be able to shop for some RF gear finally. What I didn’t expect was to see the massive statue of Roger as soon as I came up the stairs! 😀 I finally bought my first RF hat and shirts and for that half an hour I felt I was in tennis heaven surrounded by all things RF!

FedHeaven!

Next, I did the Wimbledon Tour. I know I’ll never be able to get tickets partly due to their archaic, cumbersome ticketing process so I thought this was my one chance to visit the most hallowed grounds in the history of the sport. If you are a die-hard tennis fan I would definitely recommend it.

Before the Tour started I saw the list of the Boys’ Singles Championship Roll and let out my first of many squeals of the day. The Tour starts with Court 1 where you get to sit in the seats as the tour guide gives you a rundown of the history of the tournament and the court itself. I got goosebumps sitting there looking out onto the green grass. The court isn’t laid out however so it looks like a beautifully manicured lawn. For some reason it seemed cozier than how I had imagined it after seeing it on TV. Next we came out to an open area directly in front of the famous Henman Hill. I will always call it Henman Hill, Murray got the trophy, the least Tim should get is the hill so Henman Hill it is as far as I’m concerned. We walked up and around Henman Hill and the view from the top was spectacular. It was a beautiful clear (though crazy chilly!) day so we could see the London skyline in the distance.

Row 1: The Wimbledon Entrance; The Junior Championships Roll;
Row 2: Court 1; Henman Hill

Then we walked past Court 18, the court that is entwined in Wimbledon lore forever. This was where Isner and Mahut played their marathon 3 day match. Apparently there are no reserved seats on this court; first come first serve. So some people stayed in their seats without going out for food or bathroom breaks till each day ended! Next we were led back indoors where we passed the different media rooms till we came upon quite unexpectedly into the main press room. We were allowed to take turns sitting in the hot-seat for photos. It felt surreal, sitting at the desk, knowing that’s where Roger sat too.

Court 18; The area outside the players cafeteria; The main press room

I should mention here that Roger’s presence was all over the grounds. Every few seconds there was a poster or photograph of him much to my glee!

Roger everywhere!

Then we came to the final stop of the Tour, Centre Court. I immediately did a sharp intake as some of my best tennis memories came flooding back. When I became a tennis fan, it was by watching Wimbledon matches on TV as a child. It was hard to focus on the present with all that nostalgia but I made myself look around nonetheless. The fabulous roof was open of course. We could see the Royal Box at the other end and the final score of the last match still displayed. It will remain there till the following year. I felt a surge of jealously for all the people who had gotten a chance to see Roger play in the court he values above all others. But then I realized, I never would have imagined being able to stand in front of the AELTC gates so while I’m not as lucky as those people, I’m still luckier than many others and immediately felt grateful and blessed instead.

Centre Court!!!

As the Tour came to an end we were led out through a corridor which was lined with a list of past champions. I snapped photos as quickly as I could for the Maestro’s wins.

Roger’s Wimbledon Moments!

And then the Tour was done. After that we went down to the underground Wimbledon museum which I really liked because I am a geek at heart and love all museums so for me it was the best of both worlds, museum + tennis! It starts with the history of the sport over a hundred years ago and then moves chronologically forward. My favorite parts of the museum included the 10 minute short 3D film they had of the 2012 final. I had no idea what to expect when I went in and then suddenly there was Roger in 3D! I am convinced this film will not be there for long since it will surely be replaced by the 2013 final so if you want to see a 3D version of Roger’s 7^th Wimbledon win, go immediately before it’s too late! There is a section where a McEnroe hologram talks about the opponents he faced which was pretty cool. There were clips of championship points you could watch over and over; a little boy who was clearly a Federer fan kept watching only Roger’s 7 wins on repeat 🙂 There is a display case for the kits of the most recent champions and obviously I got all excited with Roger’s 2012 outfit, it really is my most favorite Wimbledon outfit ever.

Row 1: Tennis History, including The President’s Cup 1907; Row 2: Tennis fashion including Roger’s 2012 kit; Row 3: Interactive displays

Lastly, you can see the two trophies of the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Championships in a display case in the museum. I also added the only photo I could take of the list of Gentlemen’s Singles Champions earlier. That building was not a part of the Tour so I took it through a window from the opposite building. Feels good to see all those ‘Federers’ in the winners list right?

The “If” poem and the trophies in the Wimbledon Museum; The Gentlemen’s Singles Champions List

What every Champion needs 😉

Oh before I forget, there is a Wimbledon shop where you can buy souvenirs. I bought a key chain and a fantastic coffee-table book (I’m a nerd remember?). I was sorely tempted to buy the coffee machine because I just couldn’t believe someone had made a Wimbledon coffee machine. But I settled for a photo instead 🙂

Well that’s my Wimbledon Tour report. I’ve outlined the highlights but it was quite a detailed and informative tour which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is well worth it for every tennis fan and also for every Federer fan as well. Though it was the off-season, I immediately felt a sense of history as I stepped onto the grounds and I am really, really, happy I was able to visit this most magnificent place.

Other than the Nike store and Wimbledon, the obvious high-point of my London trip was the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena. I have already written about the Roger match earlier but I still want to mention a few words about this fantastic tournament because to me it was perfect. I had only one major complaint which I will mention below. But other than that, I highly recommend you going if you ever get the chance. Here’s my quick list of reasons why:

• Best 8 singles AND doubles players in the world. Meaning every match is awesome.
• The fans were great. They were from all over the world and quite well-behaved.
• It’s indoors, so you are guaranteed 1 singles and 1 doubles match per session. No rain delay!
• The O2 arena is very easy to get to via tube. The stop is a 20 second walk to the main door of the Arena.
• The O2 has plenty of food options. Overpriced perhaps and not of the highest Michelin Star quality but still a good variety of restaurants and again, all indoors, no need to go out in the rain or cold.
• Even if you have no tickets, you can get a free pass to the event at the door which lets you enter the ‘Fanzone’. This Fanzone is still indoors – inside the building but outside the court arena.
  • You can use that pass to watch the practice sessions in the Fanzone for free! There are 3 practice courts accessible with the Fanzone pass where you can watch the players practice close up. At 2 of these you can actually sit and watch provided you get there early enough to grab seats.
  • You can watch Holding Court Live right in front of you in the middle of the Fanzone area – I believe this was a new addition this year and hopefully they will continue it in the future.
  • You can buy ATP items in the ATP stalls at the Fanzone as well, like the ATP World No. 1 book I bought, plus flags of the players’ nations – I bought a Swiss flag of course. But please note, you cannot buy any player gear like RF hats, etc.
• For someone like me who knows no other European languages except for English, the fact that this tourney is in London made things extra easy.
• The whole tourney has a very rock star feel starting from the lights, the music, the dry ice and the player’s introductions. Actually it’s the opposite of the most traditional tournament of all, Wimbledon. Kudos to London for pulling off both with equal aplomb.

Row 1: The O2 Arena; the media booth next to the sponsor section with the trophy and Novak’s new coach, aka Boris Becker;
Row 2: Fanzone – Practice Courts 1 with Rafa and 2 with Stan, Magnus and Pierre; Holding Court Live with Ross Hutchins

My one major complaint is the ATP Awards presentations. No one knows when they will take place (we asked around and got blank looks) and if they present an award after a match they sometimes don’t announce it immediately after the match is over so half the crowd leaves, not realizing that an award ceremony is about to happen.

I’ll leave you with some tips that might be helpful especially if you have tickets to more than one session.

• Prioritization is key. For instance, you might be watching a match that is going deep into the 3^rd set. But at the same time, Federer is due on a practice court in 5 minutes. Decide in advance what you will do in this situation because once you get out of the arena you can’t get back in. Plus if you want to watch practices, you will need to get there in advance to get seats. At the same time, be prepared to wait. Just because a practice session is supposed to be at 3pm doesn’t mean it’ll happen then. Worse, be prepared for it to get cancelled altogether.
• Make sure you schedule your food intake according to your priorities. If you get out at the end of a match along with everybody else, you’re in for a long wait standing in queues. The end of the day session is particularly crazy because people are starving for lunch.
• The seats are not very spacious so try to travel as light as possible because there isn’t a lot of leg space to keep your things.
• If you watching the night session and are traveling by tube, be aware of the time in case the match runs long. Keep in mind when last Jubilee train leaves the station, but also, if you have connections, know what time you can catch the last connecting train as well.
• The lighting inside, while creating a great atmosphere, is not the easiest for photographers. If you are really keen on taking good photos, suck it up and take your bigger fancier camera rather than relying on your old point-and-shoot or your phone.
• If you are going for multiple days, buy the program the first day and then use the coupons inside to get daily programs for the each subsequent day for free.

The ATP Top 8 of 2013: Row 1: Federer; Nadal; Ferrer; Gasquet
Row 2: Del Potro; Wawrinka; Berdych; Djokovic

Well that’s it! My London trip was more amazing that I could’ve possibly dreamed. I got to see Roger up-close, I got to see the top 8 in action, I did the Wimbledon Tour and bought RF gear from the Nike store. The trip not only made 2013 a standout year for me but is also clearly the highlight of my life as a tennis fan. The year hasn’t been great for me many reasons, personal and tennis-wise but London made me feel optimistic about both. Now I can’t wait for 2014 to start so bring it on!

Looks Like We Made It! – Roger and I are both headed to London!!!

Roger Federer has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals! He needed to win just one match at Bercy to do so and he defeated Kevin Anderson in straight sets to secure his place at the prestigious event in London. Roger has now qualified for the 12th consecutive year. He is tied with record holder Ivan Lendl in 12 consecutive appearances at the World Tour Finals. They both trail Andre Agassi in total appearances as Andre participated in the event in 13 non-consecutive years. Here are some of Roger’s other stats and records at the event:-

1.    Federer has won a record six ATP World Tour Finals titles (2003–04, 2006–07, 2010–11)
2.    Federer is the only player to have won the ATP World Tour Finals undefeated more than once, doing so five times (2003–04, 2006, 2010–11).
3.    Federer is the only player to win back to back ATP World Tour Finals titles at least three times in his career (2003–04, 2006–07 and 2010–11).
4.    Federer and Ilie Năstase are the only players to have won four ATP World Tour Finals titles in five years.
5.    Federer (2003–07), Lendl (1980–88), and Năstase (1971–75) are the only players to reach the final round of at least five consecutive ATP World Tour Finals, with Lendl holding the record at nine consecutive.
6.    Federer is the only player to win the ATP World Tour Finals in three different cities (twice in Houston, twice in Shanghai and twice in London).
7.    Federer (2003–07, 2010–12), Becker (1985–86, 1988–89, 1992, 1994–1996) and Lendl (1980–88) are the only players to appear in 8 or more WTF finals.
8.    Federer has the most career match wins at the event with 42, surpassing Lendl’s 39 match wins in 2012.
9.    Federer has played a record 8 different opponents in the 8 finals he has reached (Agassi, Hewitt, Nalbandian, Blake, Ferrer, Nadal, Tsonga, Djokovic).
10.    Federer has had two winning streaks of 12, the record stands at 14 straight wins by Ivan Lendl.

Here are two video links, one where he talks about qualifying just before his match with Anderson and one that the ATP did as a player profile for Roger qualifying this year. He targets this tournament every year and to see him achieve this goal when he couldn’t achieve many of his others this year is heartening to see.

I actually won’t write a long post because I am in a rush today. Because like Roger, I am packing my bags to go to London! If all goes well and I get there in one piece, it will be the first time I will get to watch him play live. Almost no one knew of my London plans because they were long and arduous and full of obstacles, financial constraints, visa issues and so on. I won’t go into the details of my stressful time that started as far back as March this year. Basically it absolutely came down to the wire for me – just like it did for Roger too. I was finally able to confirm my London plans barely 2 weeks before him. I had made peace with the thought that I might not get to see him after all. But then yesterday night happened and I squealed with selfish happiness because I finally get my chance!

I leave for London in less than 24 hours and I have made it a proper holiday trip where I will get to explore the city as well. What this means for tennis however is that I will miss the rest of Bercy and all of the World Tour Final matches except the two days I will be there in attendance. But I can’t go to London after saving up all year just to sit in front of the TV right? By the time I return I might only catch the final on Monday, November 11th, and if I do I will write a post on that. For all other matches in the meantime however, my blog will remain silent. Obviously I will do a separate post on seeing him play for the first time once I am back home 😀

So till then, this is me signing off temporarily! Fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong from now till Roger and I are in the same arena. Wishing the Maestro the best of luck for Bercy and for London! I will (hopefully) see you soon Roger! And to you all, keep cheering for him, he’ll have a great finish to the year, I know it! Remember to click the link and vote for him as the ATP FANS’ FAVORITE 2013! Today is the LAST day so get to it! He’s done his job and reached London, let’s do our job and make sure he can collect that trophy there for the 11th time! Allez!