mauiguy90

Americans to take to clay against Austria in Davis Cup

The Austrians are hoping the slow play will neutralize American stars Andy Roddick and James Blake. "That will be a big advantage to us," Jurgen Melzer said Tuesday. "We also picked slow balls so we will see many rallies. Andy Roddick and James Blake don't like that, they want to put balls away as soon as possible."

The best-of-five series starts with singles matches Friday at Ferry-Dusika Stadium. A loud crowd of about 6,500 fans await the Americans this weekend.

"The atmosphere is going to be absolutely thrilling," said Stefan Koubek, Austria's top player at No. 55. "The Americans will really feel they are playing an away match."

The top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan also will return for the U.S. team. The quartet helped the U.S. win its record 32nd Davis Cup title last month against Russia.

Koubek and Melzer, ranked 57th, are expected to play singles against No. 6 Roddick and No. 12 Blake.

Melzer will likely team with U.S. Open doubles champion Julian Knowle against the Bryan brothers. Knowle said he has recovered from recent dizzy spells and an elbow injury.

Austria captain Gilbert Schaller knows a raucous crowd can only help their cause.

"It is important that we get a huge tennis party here," Schaller said. "And maybe we can get a happy end for us."

The match between the United States and Austria will be the third in Davis Cup history. The Americans won the previous two, first on clay in Vienna in 1990 and hardcourts in Connecticut in 2004.

So I am sitting at this German Eatery/Bierhouse bar on Soi 11 Sukumvit, sort of on the street, just off, talking with this Thai lady when this SUPER drunk guy pulls up and asks the lady I was talking to for a cigarette.

Up steps this guy in a suit jacket, and pulls out his fancy cigarette case and gives the drunk guy a cigarette while asking me where I am from. He seems fairly sober so I tell him.

The drunk guy then starts berating me, saying I'm slime, I'm a coward, I'm the worst on the earth, where I come from is sh*** (folks, where I come from is known as a relatively cool place) just overboard with insults, yelling....... I tell the barman that if he doesn't do something I am going to. They kick the both of them out onto the street.

I felt like something was up. Like the drunk guy was baiting me and the guy in the suit jacket had something up his sleeve. This is Thailand so I do not care to be stabbed or injured over some BS like this guys words,so I didn't react but has anyone else experienced any type of situation like this and ended up with bigger problems? Any scams going on in Sukumvit that anyone has experienced that starts like this?

Hey Huggy Bear,

Howzit! You are the best judge of this since you have your own establishment in Phuket. Sounds like you took the best route although others may have chosen otherwise... thanks for the heads up!

On the other hand, maybe he was a perturbed Pats fan that somehow found out you were a Chargers supporter! What a game! That was some catch by Tyree at the end of the game!

Upcoming Events

Feb 11 - Feb 17 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships Delray Beach, Florida, USA Hard

Feb 11 - Feb 17 Brasil Open Costa do Sauipe, Bahia, Brazil Clay

Guillermo Canas

Feb 11 - Feb 17 Open 13 Marseille, France Hard

Gilles Simon

Feb 18 - Feb 24 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament Rotterdam, the Netherlands Hard

Mikhail Youzhny

Feb 18 - Feb 24 SAP Open San Jose, California, USA Hard Andrew Murray

Feb 25 - Mar 2 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships Memphis, Tennessee, USA Hard Tommy Haas

Feb 25 - Mar 2 PBZ Zagreb Indoors Zagreb, Croatia Carpet Marcos Baghdatis

Feb 25 - Mar 2 Abierto Mexicano Telcel Acapulco, Mexico Clay Juan Chela

Mar 3 - Mar 9 The Tennis Channel Open Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Hard Lleyton Hewitt

Mar 3 - Mar 9 The Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hard Roger Federer

Mar 10 - Mar 23 Sony Ericsson Open Miami, Florida, USA Hard Novak Djokovic

Mar 10 - Mar 23 Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, California, USA Hard Rafael Nadal

Apr 14 - Apr 20 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana Valencia, Spain Clay Nicolas Almagro

Apr 14 - Apr 20 Estoril Open Estoril, Portugal Clay Novak Djokovic

Apr 14 - Apr 20 US Men's Clay Court Championship Houston, Texas, USA Clay Ivo Karlovic

Apr 21 - Apr 27 Masters Series Monte-Carlo Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Rafael Nadal

Apr 28 - May 4 Open SEAT 2008 Barcelona, Spain Clay n/a

Apr 28 - May 4 BMW Open Munich, Germany Clay Philipp Kohlschreiber

Ferrer Felled From Davis Cup By Achilles Injury

By Francisco Miyagi Sunday, February 03, 2008

Spain will be without its top two-ranked players when it plays Peru in next weekend's first-round Davis Cup tie on the red clay of Lima's Jockey Club. World No. 5 David Ferrer has withdrawn due to a severe strain in the area above his left Achilles.

"He's got a severe strain in the area between the calf and the Achilles' tendon in his left leg," Spanish federation doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro told the RFET Web site (www.rfet.es) in comments published by Reuters. "He needs to rest for five or six days and take anti-inflammatories before a new evaluation so he has been ruled out of the trip to Peru."

Left-hander Feliciano Lopez, ranked No. 37, replaces Ferrer and joins 17th-ranked Tommy Robredo, 29th-ranked Fernando Verdasco and 31st-ranked Nicolás Almagro on the Spanish squad. Three-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of the tie last month.

"I'm feeling a big disappointment because I was working so hard this week, trying to best adapt myself to the clay," Ferrer told the Spanish newspaper Marca. "And this situation is very hard to assume because playing for Spain is always an honor."

Despite the departure of Spain's top-two players, anticipation in Lima for the first-round clash is mounting. Reaching the World Group at Davis Cup for the first time, makes this tie "the most important moment in Peruvian tennis history," Peru's captain Jaime Yzaga said.

Luis Horna (No. 76), Iván Miranda (No. 277), Matías Silva (No. 652) and Mauricio Echazú (No 1,237) will represent Peru in the best-of-five match tie. The winner will play either Korea or Germany in the April 11-13 quarterfinals.

Tennis Week.com contributing writer Francisco Miyagi is in Lima for the upcoming Peru-Spain Davis Cup tie. He is the Director of www.usuariodigital.com.pe.

The Federal is OK, but a bit old and graying around the edges....

There are other, better choices on the same soi, and elsewhere nearby.... unless you just like OLD places!

Wait a minute! A lot of us are old and graying around the edges and we're still good to go! (Mind willing, body not...)

I may just bring my Thai wife into those Japanese establishments and see what happens.

P.S. Many farangs have money pockets that are deeper than any of those folks up there, so we will see who can outbid each other for the local Thai owner's attention. (Actually, if I was a business owner, that is exactly what I would want to see, money flowing in, not OUT). I guess I will keep my money out of that place and just visit it sometimes to haunt the locals. (Maybe they think farangs are like ghosts with the white skin)?

Not to mention, BEHAVIOR is the key when considering a patron, not the color of their skin or their culture.

So how many of these establishments actually have Japanese owners? How many of these Japanese owners of Japanese clubs and apartments have made racist statements and have signs/advertisements excluding whites?

If you can't name any Japanese owners of these establishments, perhaps you have the issues confused! The owners are non-Japanese and mostly thai people. If there is discrimination, these owners are the ones discriminating against you and not the Japanese customers. You should take the issue up with them and if it bothers you, then find out if it is against thai law to discriminate. IF it is, then prosecute the owners, and stop persecuting the Japanese because they like hanging out with people of the same color.

Isn't that why so many of us hang out in Sukhumvit? If that's what you call discrimination, then farangs are just as guilty of it, since they like hanging out with other farangs, as well as koreans, middle easterner's, indians, etc. Hey, isn't there a place called Chinatown? Maybe we should try to outlaw that too!

Or maybe its time to bringing bussing back into vogue!!!

MauiGuy90 wins this year's Super Bowl prognosticator award. He is the only one who picked the Giants to win...28-27 over the Patriots. You have a round of drinks coming on me MauiGuy when we are both in LOS at the same time. Congratulations.

I thought it was a great defensive game. Bellichick almost made the call of the game when he challenged the Giants having 12 men on the field and got the Pats the ball back. Of course the play of the game was during the final drive when Eli Manning escaped being sacked and the receiver made a one handed helmet catch, then held on to the ball while falling to the ground. That play will make highlight reels around the world for a long time! The only thing that could have made the game even more dramatic would have been if the Pats managed to tie the game and go into overtime. Tremendous game!

I notice on the internet there are "exclusively Japanese" apartments advertised in Sri Racha. Nice to see our Japanese brothers being as welcoming to us as we are to them. How come a Japan Town has sprung up in this area?

Wouldn't "exclusively Japanese" apartments advertisements be specifically attributable to the preferences of the owner, and not necessarilly the renter? Let's not attribute racism to the wrong party. Put another way, if a landlord puts up a sign advertising "Whites only", who is guilty of the offense, the landlord or the renter?

Apparently, the owners of these apartments and/or bars prefer Japanese customers. Maybe we should consider why that would be the case... (perhaps they have more money or more likely, more willing to part with it).

Check craigslist at:

http://bangkok.craigslist.co.th/

Serbia comes to a standstill during Djokovic's final win.

Posted by tennisplanet on February 2, 2008

Apparently restaurants and bars across the country were packed to capacity. And when he landed at Belgrade with the trophy, about 15,000 fans gathered to welcome Djokovic while he stood at the city hall balcony.

This has to be a very special moment for people of Serbia. Djokovic is the first Serbian EVER to win a Grand Slam. At barely twenty and given the circumstances, you have to take your hat off for him. And to beat Federer in straight sets en route is just out of this world.

One sign in the crowd said 'See you here after Roland Garros'.

"I am at a loss for words to describe how I feel and I am so grateful you all came to celebrate my victory with me," he said.

"As a child, I stood where you are standing now to admire our great athletes who had won silverware for our country in the past and now here I am. It's a very special feeling."

"I have had a good break and I am now looking forward to the rest of the season in which I hope to move up the rankings if possible."

This victory is going to test his maturity immensely. He will now have access to many places and items, he may not have even imagined himself. He has broken through that ceiling like Safin did. Now he has to prove he has grown enough to handle all the perks that will inevitably flow from this, and not end up as another Safin or Baghdatis.

So far, he has shown admirable restraint, but then he had never won a Grand Slam before. Next few months will severely test his will and hunger to be the best in the world.

Fed was simply due for a loss, but his reign will continue

By Bonnie D. Ford

ESPN.com

AP Photo/Rick Stevens

It's not often Roger Federer bids farewell to the crowd after suffering a loss. The last time he exited a Grand Slam prior to the final was three years ago at the French Open.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Most people would say that what tennis wizard Roger Federer has built, brick by brick and backhand by backhand, is a wondrous thing. It's also a weighty thing, and Friday night, it squatted on his shoulders like King Kong on the Empire State Building."I've created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament," Federer said after his streak of 10 straight Grand Slam finals appearances was ended by 20-year-old Serbian Novak Djokovic on Friday in the Australian Open semifinals.

The third-seeded Djokovic recorded a straight-sets upset, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

The world No. 1 was feeling a little dark, and no wonder. Federer doesn't have a lot of recent experience in dealing with losses of this magnitude anywhere but on one particular patch of red earth in Paris. Still, it seemed like an awfully pessimistic view for a player who began this season at age 26 with a dozen Slams and counting, so we pressed him.

The slightest rueful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Well, winning every other week, you know, lose a set and people say I'm playing bad," Federer said. "So it's my own mistake, I guess."

Of course, Federer's monster is one most athletes would love to have living in a crate in the corner, and his dominance over the past three seasons is a mistake they'd be happy to repeat.

The pie graph of his success would show an enormous chunk of work, a slice of aura and a sprinkling of luck. He has been remarkably free from injury or illness, so even something non-catastrophic -- like the bout of food poisoning that sent him to the hospital the week before the Aussie Open, interrupting his usual preparation -- seemed like a small harbinger of doom.

Federer wasn't willing to use that as an explanation for his occasionally listless, uncharacteristically error-strewn performace against Djokovic, although he conceded it is the first time he's been sick leading up to a Slam. "I would still rather have it before than during, that's for sure," he said.

<h4 class="io-title">OTL: Federer loses</h4> "Outside the Lines," (ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET) looks at Roger Federer's shocking loss at the Australian Open and discusses if this loss is good or bad for tennis. OTL

"It might have had an effect on my movement, I don't know. But I definitely didn't feel as quick, you know, as some other times. I practiced really hard. I can't practice much harder in the offseason, so I did everything the right way. And maybe I did pay the price for being a little bit ill. "You know, I like to give credit to my opponent, as well. I don't want to blame it too much on my own play. He came up with the shots at the right time, and that's all I can say, really."

James Knowler/Getty Images

Novak Djokovic, in his second Grand Slam final, will take on unheralded and unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The best explanation is that Federer was simply due. There was going to be an evening when his forehands fell short and he couldn't hold serve, although it was shocking to see him do it four out of five games in one stretch, costing him the first set and any forward momentum in the match. There was going to be a moment when an opponent would lunge across the sideline to fetch a backhand volley he had no business reaching and bend it like Beckham around the net post on break point, as Djokovic did to go up 3-1 in the second set.

There was going to be a big match when one of the talented, hungry players in the pack of bounty hunters after his scalp would cash in on lessons learned in previous losses. Djokovic burned through seven set points when he fell to Federer in the 2007 U.S. Open final. He's clearly a quick study and it wasn't a massive stretch to predict he'd eventually figure out how to lift his game in response.

"The second set, he started just unloading," Federer said. "You know, that's not usually what he does. He can, obviously, and play aggressive. But, not on every shot. The way he played, he picked up every serve. It was fantastic. He did play great.

"Like I said, it cost me the match, maybe not serving it out the first set. That's what happens sometimes when you don't take your chances early on: you'll pay the price later on. That's what happened for me against [Janko] Tipsarevic almost. I just got out of that one."

The monster reared its head during the marathon against the 49th-ranked Tipsarevic, another fearless Serbian who forced Federer into the longest fifth set of his career in the third round. Federer wasn't able to put a stake through his until he came back from 40-0 on Tipsarevic's serve to break him in the 17th game of the set, then served it out. For Federer, who freely admits he'd rather win easily than have his mythology tested, it was another warning bell that he was not at his best.

"But semis is still, you know, pretty good," he pointed out. "But, yeah, I'll analyze and see if I have to make changes for next year. But, honestly, I think I did play pretty good. I didn't play my best throughout the championships, but it was pretty solid, so it was OK."

Hang on -- did he say next year? That's probably no slip of the tongue. Federer was a three-time defending champion here, but the surface changed slightly this year, and he is capable of adjusting his calibrations like no other player. He is planning for the long term.

Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal have been one-two in the rankings since the middle of the 2005 season, an unprecedented period of lockstep. With Nadal ousted by fiery Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the other semifinal, much will be written and said in the next few days about new blood and a changing of the guard. Djokovic even playfully alluded to the battle for sponsor supremacy, pointing out that the final will be an all-adidas affair, no Nikes allowed.

But beware of declaring this the end of an era. Federer may be contending with a mighty beast as he pursues Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams, but he's got a lot of beautiful tennis left in him. If he has to contend with more than one significant rival to make history, that would only make the accomplishment more meaningful.

Bonnie D. Ford covers tennis and Olympic sports for ESPN.com. E-mail her at [email protected].

Hi, first posting, can somebody tell me the best way to get from Bangkok airport to Victory Monument so that I can catch the bus to Hua Hin.

Thankyou in advance.

russell1

Which Airport? Don Muang or Suwarnabhum?

Taxi is the best option in any case. However, you can also take public bus. I think 551 from Airport to Victory Monument.

Here's the link to more information about the public bus from the airport to Victory Monument. Go to the 4th floor, where you catch a free shuttle to the transport terminal, then get on bus 551 to Victory Monument. It costs 35 baht and is a pretty quick ride to town. Its a great deal although its best if you are traveling light.

http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/56

The Super Bowl will be played Sunday (Monday morning beginning at 6:30 a.m. for everyone in Thailand). Let's see who knows their American football. The winner gets their choice of drinks when I get back to LOS later this year.

My pick:

New England 38 New York Giants 17

NY Giants 28 New England 27

Let's see. You are a Steeler's fan and your team was beaten by the Pats so you can't bring yourself to picking the Pats or rooting for them. I am a Cowboys fan and my team was beaten by the Giants (I am finally out of denial) and I can't bring myself to picking the Giants or rooting for them. This all makes sense, but realistically, the Giants don't stand a chance.

Actually I'm an Indy fan, and my team didn't even get to play the Pats(auuuuugh!) Yep, the Giants probably will lose but they do have a chance to beat the Pats, as they demonstrated in the last game of the season. Anyhow, it makes the Superbowl that much more interesting. Really all most of us really want is a good competitive game that is not over at half time. It makes the popcorn and beer (at 6 am, probably coffee and pastries) taste better!

A Three-Way Race for World No. 1 © Getty Images

After unrivaled possession of the World No. 1 ranking for more than three years, Roger Federer now faces the challenge of protecting his position atop the South African Airways ATP Rankings from the double threat of youngsters Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal had gone to Melbourne with the opportunity to overtake the Swiss at the top spot - making it the first Grand Slam tournament since 2004 Wimbledon that Federer's ranking had come under threat - and Djokovic turned it into a three-way race for World No. 1 by finishing the fortnight with his first Grand Slam title.

Following the Australian Open, Nadal and Djokovic respectively stand 650 and 1,465 points behind the once untouchable Swiss with the 21-year-old Spaniard and 20-year-old Serb each boasting more than 5,000 Rankings points. The biggest lead Federer has held was a 3,900-point advantage on Nov. 20, 2006 (for six weeks) and the smallest lead was 350 points on May 10, 2004.

South African Airways ATP Rankings (as of 1/28/08) 1 Roger Federer 6630 2 Rafael Nadal 5980 3 Novak Djokovic 5165 Nadal has now ranked World No. 2 for 132 consecutive weeks since assuming the position on July 25, 2005 and, with the exception of one week, Djokovic has been ranked at No. 3 since July 9, 2007.

At other times during this past decade, their current point totals would have been enough to have secured them the top spot. Of the last five players who attained the No. 1 ranking prior to Federer, only one - Australian Lleyton Hewitt - managed to eclipse 5,000 points at his highest point total.

Highest Points Totals of Former No. 1s Player

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

Gustavo Kuerten (BRA)

Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)

Andy Roddick (USA)

Marat Safin (RUS)

But Nadal and Djokovic will have their work cut out for them early in the 2008 season with Rankings points to defend at the year's first two ATP Masters Series events, whereas Federer can widen his lead at No. 1 after early exits last year.

Djokovic has the most at stake, having amassed 1,035 points in four event appearances following last year's Australian Open. He earned 850 of a maximum 1,000 points at the ATP Masters Series tournaments last March, reaching the Indian Wells final to crack the Top 10 for the first time and solidifying his place in tennis' elite by clinching the Miami title.

Nadal has 700 points to defend, including the 500 received by winning the Indian Wells title, but could further increase his point total by reaching the semifinals or better in Dubai and Miami.

Meanwhile, Federer stands to collect an additional 920 points should he successfully defend his Dubai title and reclaim the Indian Wells and Miami shields. The Swiss won all three tournaments consecutively in 2005 and again reached the final at all three events the next year, finishing as runner-up to Nadal in Dubai before going on to defend his two ATP Masters Series titles.

Federer was chasing his fourth straight title at Indian Wells and his third straight in Miami last season when he was stunned by Argentine Guillermo Canas in his second-round opener and fourth round, respectively.

"He's gonna come back in a big style, of course," said Djokovic after the Australian Open. "He's still planning to be the best player in the world, so we all know how good is he. We're going to see a lot of him, of course, this year."

Federer has ranked No. 1 for 209 consecutive weeks since ascending to the top spot following his 2004 Australian Open triumph.

He became the new record holder for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings last year in Dubai when he eclipsed Jimmy Connors' 160 straight weeks at the top position, set back in the '70s. Federer also joined Connors as the only players to rank No. 1 every week during the calendar year in three different years.

The 26-year-old Swiss, who last season became the fourth player to finish No. 1 four (or more) consecutive years, is two year-end No. 1 finishes away from tying Pete Sampras's record.

Generaly I think Europeans / Americans tend to age better than Thais , who although very beautiful when young , seem to go down hill after 40/50 ? Any reasons ? better diet , or something else .

Great question...Personally, I don't think that thai or farang people age that well. I've often wondered what happened to the older thai people in Bangkok. I've heard that most just move back home to the country. Perhaps those who remain in the city are the working class, who are outdoors all the time, or the hi-so who have a good cushy life and tend to get pudgy. As my thai language manual says, "When in doubt, ask a thai person."

Glad I never got outa bed till 1pm, seems like a beautiful day.

Lucky for you! I tried to get out about 9 am, got soaked, went back home to the safety of my bed.

The Super Bowl will be played Sunday (Monday morning beginning at 6:30 a.m. for everyone in Thailand). Let's see who knows their American football. The winner gets their choice of drinks when I get back to LOS later this year.

My pick:

New England 38 New York Giants 17

NY Giants 28 New England 27

I booked a room for a friend at the Le Fenix Hotel on Sukhumvit 11. He was quite satisfied with it. Its a bit deep in the soi but next door to several clubs including the Q Club and the Bed and Supper Club. The hotel is new/newly renovated and although a bit small, has nice furnishings including a large LCD tv. There is construction across the street so if you sleep in, make sure you get a room that doesn't face the site. Presently the hotel internet price is about 1530 baht, which is a very good price (no breakfast). Its great for the price (and doesn't charge for overnight guests).

Here's the tripadvisor link:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g2...it-Bangkok.html

And here is the hotel website, where you can find the 1530 baht rate:

http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fic...che_hotel.shtml

He also checked out the Federal Hotel, where they quoted him a price of 1000 baht a night. It is an older hotel yet comfortable from what I have heard.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-341986-p...B.VEjVFamniphQB

Djokovic Closes in on Nadal

PARIS (AFP) - Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic has closed the gaps on long-time ATP World Rankings leaders Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The 20-year-old Serb's Melbourne triumph, his first in a Grand Slam tournament, sees him move to just 815 points behind the Spaniard, who will be looking forward to the claycourt season in the spring.

Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals, retains the rankings leadership 650 points clear of Nadal who could have deposed him had he won in Melbourne.

The biggest mover among the top players was made by losing finalist in Melbourne Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France who climbs 20 places to 18th while the man he beat in the fourth round, Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, is up six to a career-best eighth.

ATP rankings top 20

1. Roger Federer (SUI) 6630 pts 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 5980 3. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 5165 4. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 2725 5. David Ferrer (ESP) 2715 6. Andy Roddick (USA) 2155 7. Richard Gasquet (FRA) 1895 (+1) 8. Mikhaïl Youzhny (RUS) 1845 (+6) 9. James Blake (USA) 1710 (+6) 10. David Nalbandian (ARG) 1700 11. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 1685 (+2) 12. Andy Murray (GBR) 1685 (-3) 13. Marcos Baghdatis (CHY) 1640 (+3) 14. Guillermo Canas (ARG) 1573 (+3) 15. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 1515 (+6) 16. Carlos Moya (ESP) 1505 (+2) 17. Tommy Robredo (ESP) 1490 (-5) 18. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 1489 (+20) 19. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 1465 (+6) 20. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 1460 (+2)

Relieved Novak Living the Dream

Men's Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has spoken of his relief at breaking through for his maiden Grand Slam title after his four-set win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Rod Laver Arena.

While he is only 20, Djokovic had desperately wanted to take his chance to open his Grand Slam account having made the semi-finals or better at the past three tournaments. Having realised one of the best moments of his career, Djokovic said he felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"It's an indescribable feeling, something that I always dreamed of, of course. I think every player dreams about winning a Grand Slam. It's something special. It's a special event. It's two weeks long, all the best players in the world playing. Then you come up in the end as a champion, you know, only one guy to win the tournament. I mean, I'm still not aware of the big achievement I have had in these two weeks," he said.

Djokovic revealed that he felt under enormous pressure coming into the final as favourite, having defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals.

"It was kind of strange feeling to get into the match as the favourite. As I was saying in the pre-conference, it's always dangerous to play against the underdog, the player who doesn't have really anything to lose," he said.

"You get to the final, you know, final match, you just want to make another step and win it. I was nervous and there was pressure, and I think it's understandable. But I'm very happy the way I deal with that pressure," he said.

Djokovic hasn't had time to consider whether his success ushers in a new era in men's tennis after breaking the duopoly of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"I mean, it's not possible that only one tournament is changing the history. Of course, I mean, I played amazing tennis here, so I think I absolutely deserved to win, even against him (Federer) in the semifinals," he said.

"I'm gonna take it easy, you know. I'm not gonna try to think about reaching even higher goals right away. I'm not in a rush. I want to enjoy in my success and just celebrate with the people I care about. From then, I'll see what it goes."

The past three years have been dominated by the Swiss and the Spaniard, with no other player able to claim a Grand Slam title since Marat Safin at Australian Open 2005. Djokovic, the poster child of the new generation, believes the Swiss master and the determined Spaniard will fight as hard as ever.

"Everybody who wins a Grand Slam, you have to give them a lot of appreciation and respect. I just felt it now, what it feels like. Hopefully, you know, in the future I'm gonna feel it more," he said.

"He's (Federer) gonna come back in a big style, of course. He's still planning to be the best player in the world, so we all know how good he is. We're gonna see a lot of him this year."

Djokovic becomes the first player from his proud sporting nation to claim a Grand Slam title, inspiring the local Serbian community into fanatical support for the 20-year-old from Belgrade. There are 30,000 people of Serbian origin in Melbourne, and each and every one of them was behind their man as he overcame injury and a first set slip-up to secure victory. The thought of those fans, plus all the people back in Serbia, puts a smile on the proud young man's face.

"I think everybody was really surprised with the amount of the players we produced from such a small country with no tennis tradition. So I think it's still unexplainable, because there was no system whatsoever in our country for tennis and we didn't get so much support needed in that stage, mostly needed," he said.

"We've always had I can say strong support from our closest family, from our parents. And I think this hunger for success and the times and things we went through made us stronger."

With plenty of strength both in the women's and men's game at the moment, Djokovic believes that Serbian tennis could well be set for a golden era.

"Until now, we still didn't have a Grand Slam champion. Now I don't even realise how big deal this is. I really am overjoyed with the victory and very happy that the people in Serbia appreciate what we have done. Not just myself, but everybody," he said.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 27.01.08Sunday, 27 January, 2008 <h3 class="access"> </h3>

Q. What are your thoughts after the match? What are you thinking?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Lot of things. I'm very proud of myself. I'm happy for Novak, because he played unbelievable today. I don't know if I have to be sad or happy of this final, but I feel great.

Q. What was your feeling coming in? Were you nervous at the start of today's match?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, no. I was okay. Like every day. Very relaxed. I don't know what say. I think Novak played very good today, and it was tough.

When you have a match, you have one player and one opponent, and you don't know who's gonna win. At the end, all the time you have a winner. So today was Novak.

Q. Now that you've been in the final, how hungry are you to be back in a final again?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: It's just unbelievable because the crowd was unbelievable. A lot of noise and everything. I had frisson (goosebumps). It was crazy (smiling).

Q. You seemed quite happy about the amount of time he was playing between points. You mentioned it to the umpire. Do you think it's fair the gap between points?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, sometimes, you know, when you have to return, you are like this (ready). When your opponent take a lot of time, you go for be ready, and after not, and you are like this (back and forth). When he serves, you are not ready because you are like this (back and forth).

It's very difficult. Between points you have like 25 seconds for play. When it's 40 seconds, the umpire have to say something, you know.

Q. How does it feel to be in the top 20?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Pretty good (smiling).

Q. Does this give you the confidence now to maybe break into the top 10?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course, of course. Not everybody can beat player who I beat. So I know Richard or Youzhny or Rafael, they are very good player. And beat them, it's very difficult, and I did it, so...

Of course, I'm confident now.

Q. How good was it having your mom and dad fly over for the match?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: For me it was very important, because one of the dream of my father, it was to come here, and I did it, so it's good.

Q. It was a dream for him to come here to see you play?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah.

Q. How long has he been speaking about that?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Since a long time. I don't know. I cannot say the time. Maybe since I play tennis.

Fed to Play Sampras at Madison Square Garden

Roger Federer plans to renew his rivalry with Pete Sampras in a match at Madison Sqaure Garden in New York after a successful series of exhibitions with the American legend in Asia.

The world number one said Sunday he had become firm friends with Sampras and wanted to continue their showdowns.

"For me it was a great excitement to spend a week with Pete throughout the Asian swing," Federer said of their three matches in Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Macau last November.

"We went to places that don't see much tennis, and I think that's something always important to me."

Federer said they would continue the exhibitions in New York in March.

"For me it is a dream come true to get a chance to play at the Garden," he said. "It's been a long time since men played there. And Pete really wanted to have an exhibition in the States.

"It's the last exhibition we've got planned and after that we'll see where it takes us."

During the Asian swing, Federer won in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur before Sampras shocked him with victory in Macau.

I am looking to rent a Bkk apartment for just one month from the end of March for two adults and two infants.We would prefer relatively central/close to the sky train and obviously the bigger for the price the better.

Does anyone have any recommendations in the 15-25000 bht pm price range and where to book. Any advice would be very appreciated.

Thank you.

I know of a serviced apartment called Starry Place which is on soi Rangnam, close to Victory Monument. They have one bed room apartments for appx. 17,000 baht per month plus utilities. It has its own restaurant, regular maid service and washing/drying machines down stairs. Here's the website:

http://www.starryplace.com/

I also know of a place in Nana, Sukhumvit 4 but don't think the area is suitable for a family. Also, its just a studio. PM if you want more info.

Hi all, I am a newbie coming to Bangkok for the first time. Can some of you list some of the must do things down? Thanks!

You might also consider the following:

1. Safari World which is an outdoor zoo with lots of entertaining side shows. (Need to take a taxi).

http://www.safariworld.com/

2. Rose Garden-Quite touristy but a great way to get a quick look at a lot of entertainment in one shot including elephant shows/rides, dancing, muay thai and more.

http://www.asia-discovery.com/Thailand/Bangkok/BKK-7.htm

3. Crocodile Farm-If you like this sort of thing it is fun. At times, it can be a bit nerve wracking especially when the handlers stick their heads in the mouths of the crocs but they know what they're doing (I think).

http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/bangkok_ad...odile_farm.html

Hi.

We looking for a program in Bangkok for next friday late afternoon/early evening.Maybe we have to see some traditional dance show..

Thanks for a help

For a reasonably priced dinner show (600 baht), you can go to Silom Village. It is a bit touristy but it is quite fun and entertaining. I've gone a couple times with visitors and have enjoyed it myself. You can call Ruen Thep at 02-233-9447. Call ahead since it is high season.