Oh please, tennis gods, can we have this Amelie back full time? Not the other one, this one.

Thanks Syd, I don't really know where that came from.

Eugene, find a proper coach, please.
And you might wanna convert a BP here or there, too.

Amelie's really looking good today, I expected this to be much closer.

Alex...I know..Rafa and Andy look cute all bundled up :) although Andy actually has shorts on-tough guy!

Annie-yah-he looked a tad annoyed with that reporter...I also hated to see him get mobbed at the airport when he arrived home (time to charter a private plane?) I can't imagine how that must be but, he does make a living playing tennis so I guess there are trade offs!

Did you guys saw the vid of Rafa hitting with wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer? for those who hadn't see it here is the link, this woman is amazing.

http://tinyurl.com/bxycaz

Whatever happened Fyrstenberg ?

No excuses for losing this one, Leander.
None.

God, I hate pagination. It just jumps to a new page, pffff.

I saw that Stella...did you see her 360s? Amazing. She would kick my ass, for sure. I like how they ask Rafa if he is going to play in a wheelchair and he says "too deefeecult". :)

What about Frsytenberg GH?

Nancy, I always liked Blake, don't know why, it seems like a guy I would like to have a beer with. And, of course, I like his game.

I also enjoy watching A-Rod play, maybe more for his frequently "chats" with umpires... ;)

Surely even Amelie can't choke away a 6-2, 4-0 lead ...?

any live streams?

He's Matkowski's regular dubs partner, ptenisnet.
But now I see he's playing with Andreev.

the "too deefeecult" that was just too adorable for words.

At Queen's I got to sit next to Rafa's box for one match - the result was that I got a load of shots in which he appeared to be looking straight at me, because he so often directs his fist-pumps and other gestures towards his support team.

http://tinyurl.com/adxa2h

Anyone know what time rafa's on court - I can't open pdfs just now

Thanks GH. I guess I sort of knew that.

May I say, very hardcore of you

rosangel, I envy you. I always wanted to be at a big tournament, but the only one we have is in Rome, and it's quite distant from where I live...

As for me, I miss sleeveless Rafa a lot more than longhaired Rafa. I may never again have the opportunity of taking such unimpeded closeups of his left bicep. Tragic.

Meanwhile, festival of errors continuing in rotterdam...

Great lob.

Bagel! Bagel!

Beat down!!! Croissant serves Bagel.
nice
sorry for our new found Italian friends.

Bagel?

Fabio - wish I could see the stupid thing. None of the streams work for me. No pdfs, no streams ... think I'll give up and go:(

wow wouldn't it be amazing if MoMo finally learned to love playing at home?

naughty, np! When one is so clearly superior...

Thanks, ptenisnet. I wear that badge with pride.

Speaking of odd doubles pairings, I really wanted to ask Bopanna about Nieminen yesterday. I mean, how random is that??

Seriously. That Momo performance was so good, I feel like I just took a whole heap of drugs.

Please don't let this be a one-off, Amelie. Please!

Sorry Errani fans.

Kinda cold handshake from Errani there. Amelie totes killed her spirit.

alex, try this: http://media002.is.nl/ahoy

this guy galung can't be a muppet, really making Tsonga work for it

Fabio

Bagel = 6-0 set.
So you either eat a bagel or feed one.

Tennis in Rome for me last year was a tough one...Rafa goes out tp JCF, and then both semifinals infamously suffered from retirements.

rosangel: woman, i feel your pain on missing those upper arms. *sigh*

rafadoc: are you gonna be around later for rafa's match? i gotta go now but will be back for that later.

ciao folks!
Fabio, that's it for me on the Italian. Welcome to TW!

Bagel = zero Fabio.

Jesse will not go without a fight. Lovely passing shot. He is in the top 200, maybe we will get to see a bit more of him this year.

Seems someone is still angry about Fed Cup. Good for Amelie, I really like her.

Got to go too! I'll surely be back tomorrow! Bye!

thanks fabio but that one doesn't do it for me either - I need to get onto another pc

C u all again

Annie-yes-I will be around for Rafa's match.

Rosangel-I would have fainted dead away before I got that picture-It DOES seem as though he is looking at you. I forgot how long his hair was...he has kept it "short" since Wimbly.

"killed her spirit". Does that expression exist or did I make that up too?

And speaking of looking at you,
Steps was staring at me and my stupid ass camera yesterday, when I was trying to get some half decent photos of him. But with his look, I couldn't tell if he was pleased or pissed.

I also going to miss the sleeveless, is the end of an era. But I do like Rafa's new kit, especially those magical shorts.

I'm with Stella on the magical shorts :)

Also Rosangel, now you can get some nice tummy-when-serving shots, not quite the left bicep i know...but still.

The Cling factor of the new kits is also quite lovely!

This guy Juta-Galung doesn't have much lateral movement. I think that's a problem for all the other surfaces.

Thanks for the links to Rotterdam. Welcome Fabio!

right I need to get out of the house. It is finally sunny in Lisbon...so I will go and sit in a darkened room and watch Doubt. LOL
bye y'all

Oooh, you saw Steps, greenhopper? That's awesome.
He was probably pleased that you were taking pics while trying to strike a badass pose. He likes those

weird, so long as i don't try and up the volume on my rotterdam stream, it works fine...is tennis trying to tell me to be quiet??

In this pic, Rafa doc, it was me he was looking at - I'd stood up to take a picture:
http://tinyurl.com/2hmpx7
Yes, he does look pained.

Me and my camera can be seen in the TV coverage of this match, as I was sitting in the front row. This was long before I ever got a media pass to represent TW.

Rosangel, thanks for posting all the shots...Sleeveless Rafa ...

But with his look, I couldn't tell if he was pleased or pissed.

Maybe he was planning his post-vaidisova life.

Nancy - dear god, THIS is what I missed by not getting to Queen's until Wednesday last year:
http://i44.tinypic.com/141jy47.jpg
sooo much more glorious-looking than at Notts. I'll never forgive myself.

Francesca Schiavone/Jelena Jankovic match to start in approx 60-75 minutes from now

Patty's husband/coach looks so disreputable.
~~~~~
WORD, gauloises.

Awww, Ferru. :( You go and lose to a man recovering from head trauma? Way to mess up my morning.

*consoles self by looking at Rosangel's Rafa pics*

mariej: Great post @ 8:02.

"Cask of Amontillado"
G: Good one. Glad that Amelie won.

GH: P/L baking some eatables. ;-)

Overall, favorable results @ Rotterdam so far, except maybe PEHK's loss. And I hope Youzhny builds on this success.

Wow Rosangel-great picture-what an expression! Are you planning to see any Rafa matches this year or are you still recovering from last year's "slam"?

good bye Huta Galung. You fought well.

Jo wins 7-6 7-6 , both sets in TBs.

loving the photos this morning , Rosangel
and Rachael , too

hmmmph - luck of the draw
I want to curse the draw gods - why couldn't Richard have drawn Huta Gabunk or whatever the Dutch W/C was named instead of a pissed off PHM wanting payback for the Davis cup mess from last April

and Ferru ??!!! Youzhny wakes up from his coma to beat Ferru -I am sad

nice match for Jesse and Joe, i guess Joe's not so tired from winning in S.A. on the weekend :)

Wait - did Nikki V and Steps break up?

Not as such, gauloises.

I d forgotten how hot sleeveless Rafa is
Thanks Rosangel for those pics

That Jesse is a cutie pie.

Hi Beth! I know...wtf Ferru?

so - is Nicki V in San Jose with the worm ?
or is he on a guy weekend trip to NorCal

OK, pt. I thought I'd missed something for a minute there.

How come Jesse got the on court interview and the hitting-the-ball-into-the-stands thing?

rafadoc - I am totally dismayed to wake up and find Ferru gone from the draw
this Rotterdam tournament is quickly losing all my favorites
hope this is not a continuing trend , Rafa

When is Rafa scheduled to play?

7:30 pm rotterdam time.
Which is like 1:30 EST.

California tournaments are totally into the hitting the ball to the crowd thing
last summer in LA all the winners did that
I caught a ball from Sparkles Spadea
I was overwhelmed with joy

nope , Safin - Moya - Hott Sauce and F Lo were all there
and I catch the ball from Sparkles

cursed I tell you - cursed

lol Beth...oh well, at least you got one! I once caught (okay, chased after it, after it dropped) a Sammy Sosa foul ball.

Beth,
No Nicole with Radek. Nicole lost her match in Paris yesterday and is scheduled to play in Dubai next week.

No Nicki V was in Paris and surprise she lost again in the first round.

very funny, pt.

lira vega, yup, I saw him play doubles in San Jose.

I was yelled at by a chair umpire during a masters match feat Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe when i was i high school. We weren't even talking THAT loudly and we were in the nosebleed seats, still, they heard.....they heard.... :(

Arun, yeah, they're on song.
And Mario and Jo won too. This isn't a terrible day for me.

I forgot Mario was even playing. I'm a bad fan.

Merci beaucoup, Jo.

Oh my Rachael! this is the best looking dubs team ever. And their results haven't been completely crap either.
well, make sure you don't miss any bit of them this year (they're playing again at Queen's right?)

on another note, I Flove PenBol.
http://tinyurl.com/atwoab
http://tinyurl.com/d2pl3k

He should do mixed dubs more often.

thanks, MA and Stella - yep no surprise she lost
she is in a downward spiral in her career

just saw the photo of Jesse Huta Garung - what a cutie
he does have a Marat look - sort of - and a Gasquet crooked smile
of course, like someone said - he will never be heard of until next year when he gets another wild card in Rotterdam

rafadoc - trust me - there were few people at the match- so as I was sitting in the stands ( and from a distance - Vince mistook me for a hot blond chick - not someone who could be his much older sister :) - he just threw me the ball . Catching a foul ball is much more challenging and dangerous
We have come pretty close to catching a few balls in Dodger stadium when the kids were little - in fact - one time the outfielder saved Jake's teeth by taking the ball on a spectacular leap right out of his face . Jake thought he was going to get the ball - but , it would have smashed him right in the teeth and crushed all his facial bones - try telling that to a six year old who thinks he is a baseball all star - That ball was coming well over 100 mph - right at his face - I thank god for Raul Mondesi every time Jake smiles
The nice thing was next inning - Raul came out and tossed him a ball - apologizing for taking his souvenir

Yep. I loved the team of Bol/Flav too. They both played together fantastic in all the Fed Cup matches.

Or BolPen! Like, bullpen? Yeah? Get it?

Sorry. Not feeling well. And herro, good TWibers. :)

(GAHHHHHH, does anyone else feel like the stars aren't aligned? Something's not right in the universe right now ... )

Dlouhy/Paes beat Igor"I don't do first rounds"Andreev/whoever 2 and 1.
Igor sucks in doubles. Lately singles too.

Ah Igor, I'm in awe of your results. Seriously, easy on me with your winning ways.

Jackie - we get it - we have been discussing foul balls
baseball is getting close
:)

Jackie, yes. The stars are completely out of whack. Nothing's working one minute my boss is at my feet, the next minute he's whacking at my head. grrrrr.

Plus Jo's match looks as if it's being played inside of a bubble.

beth, thanks for humoring me. :)

RIGHT, Syd?! What's going on? I feel it in my bones. It's the moon or the stars or SOMETHING. Can't wait 'til it passes.

Jackie, I know. Everything's wrong. What's up with that?

gauloises, you too???

And just today, some thief stole a bunch of laptops from our office! What's going on?!

Rosangel, thanks for the Rafa pics from Queen's. You didn't happen to get a shot of that moment when he broke into a complete genuine gorgeous smile in the middle of the Karlovic match, did you. Remember that? Sorry for all the slobber.

Jackie, it's likely an employee. that happened to us in nyc and they pretty much thought they knew who it was but did not even fire the guy for fear of causing, la scandal. wimps.

Seriously. Even my bones don't fit together right at the moment.

The January blues certainly are lingering this year.

Nancy - haven't seen any thing post-clay confirmed for Bolelli.
he didn't do great at Queen's last year, so I'm worried he'll opt for a change of scenery and go to Halle.
VERYWORRIED. I may have to go to Halle.

I'm sure wherever Bol goes Sep is sure to follow.
although I do like the odd bit of Tito & Bol. they always looks completely in love with each other too..
http://i41.tinypic.com/wio8k1.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/r8gefk.jpg

*Hugs* Jax.
Oh wait - did I read that my man DIED in your dream?
I'm not content with your subconscious, girl.

Eliot got it wrong, February is "is the cruellest month"

Syd, one of our people saw the guy walking out with a suitcase (it happened this morning - odd) and didn't recognize him. I don't doubt that he works in the building, though. Crap!

Nancy!!! I KNOW. Not sure if this helps, but I felt HORRID when I woke up.

Everybody not feeling up to snuff should check out failblog on youtube, some hysterical moments, guaranteed to make you laugh!!!

Rachael...who is Tito?? he has eyelashes for days!!!!

neil - Tito is shifty ol' Potito Starace
http://i42.tinypic.com/jja24g.jpg

christy I still remember doing that. sad times.

Beloved Potito Head.

Worry not, Rachael, I remember it, too. :) And your Rock/Bol comparisons. Love.

thanks Rachael :)