04-10-2006, 03:51 PM
Konnichiwa
Last night we had the sponsor reception and welcome party at the official hotel here in Tokyo. Together with other players I went on stage to break a barrel of sake, which is supposed to bring good luck. I thought of giving it such a hard wack that I would destroy the barrel but at the very last moment I thought to myself ââ¬ËRoger maybe you shouldnââ¬â¢t be doing thisââ¬â¢ and I behaved appropriately by giving it the right force.
After the party I went for dinner with Tim Henman and Stefan Koubek who are two of my friends on the tour. We went to a teppanyaki restaurant where they cook in front of you. Tim had a funny idea and decided to exchange his chopsticks with the chefââ¬â¢s utensils and took over from him. Actually he was pretty good, I mean heââ¬â¢s a father after all, but I got too worried about my beef and I requested a change of chef. The dinner was delicious.
I got back to the room, went to sleep and already got into match rhythm. I woke up, went for breakfast with Mirka and Tony, got my stuff ready, just making sure that I have enough shirts, shoes, etc. This time I actually had a problem with my rackets. Last night I was rushing so bad to get to the player welcome party after my practice that I forgot to get my rackets strung for todayââ¬â¢s match. But the tournament helped out to get the rackets from the hotel to the tennis courts before me so they could be ready. I was glad that everything worked out in the end.
I got the stadium and when I walked out on Centre Court for my first match I felt the place buzzing. There were a lot of fans out there today and that made me feel really happy and excited to play. It went very well for a first match as I didnââ¬â¢t know my opponent at all before going on court and that always makes it pretty difficult. As you know I won in two tough tiebreak sets. After the match I had to do press, doping test, stretch and massage, the usual looooong routine.
After the match I always like to get in touch with friends and family but here in Japan my ââ¬Ëstone ageââ¬â¢ mobile phone doesnââ¬â¢t work. They are so advanced here with the modern technologies that I really need to try and get the latest stuff from here before I go back.
I will be funnier again tomorrow as I am quite tired from the match and Dmitry is looking over my shoulder and making me very nervousââ¬Â¦
Sayonara
Rog
Last night we had the sponsor reception and welcome party at the official hotel here in Tokyo. Together with other players I went on stage to break a barrel of sake, which is supposed to bring good luck. I thought of giving it such a hard wack that I would destroy the barrel but at the very last moment I thought to myself ââ¬ËRoger maybe you shouldnââ¬â¢t be doing thisââ¬â¢ and I behaved appropriately by giving it the right force.
After the party I went for dinner with Tim Henman and Stefan Koubek who are two of my friends on the tour. We went to a teppanyaki restaurant where they cook in front of you. Tim had a funny idea and decided to exchange his chopsticks with the chefââ¬â¢s utensils and took over from him. Actually he was pretty good, I mean heââ¬â¢s a father after all, but I got too worried about my beef and I requested a change of chef. The dinner was delicious.
I got back to the room, went to sleep and already got into match rhythm. I woke up, went for breakfast with Mirka and Tony, got my stuff ready, just making sure that I have enough shirts, shoes, etc. This time I actually had a problem with my rackets. Last night I was rushing so bad to get to the player welcome party after my practice that I forgot to get my rackets strung for todayââ¬â¢s match. But the tournament helped out to get the rackets from the hotel to the tennis courts before me so they could be ready. I was glad that everything worked out in the end.
I got the stadium and when I walked out on Centre Court for my first match I felt the place buzzing. There were a lot of fans out there today and that made me feel really happy and excited to play. It went very well for a first match as I didnââ¬â¢t know my opponent at all before going on court and that always makes it pretty difficult. As you know I won in two tough tiebreak sets. After the match I had to do press, doping test, stretch and massage, the usual looooong routine.
After the match I always like to get in touch with friends and family but here in Japan my ââ¬Ëstone ageââ¬â¢ mobile phone doesnââ¬â¢t work. They are so advanced here with the modern technologies that I really need to try and get the latest stuff from here before I go back.
I will be funnier again tomorrow as I am quite tired from the match and Dmitry is looking over my shoulder and making me very nervousââ¬Â¦
Sayonara
Rog
"Hij heeft misschien nog weinig tegenstand, maar dat is wat anders. En ook niet waar trouwens".
Mooi van Isner, maar nu wel erg jammer dat Russell niet mee doet. Maar wel gunstig voor Querrey. Jammer dat Anderson niet doordrukte, maar dat kan Zeballos mooi doen.
Stunt Wawrinka zou leuk zijn, maar niet als ie vervolgens verliest van Djokovic. Maar als die dan weer verliest van Berdych, maakt het niet uit. Dus vannacht is inderdaad cruciaal.
Mooi van Isner, maar nu wel erg jammer dat Russell niet mee doet. Maar wel gunstig voor Querrey. Jammer dat Anderson niet doordrukte, maar dat kan Zeballos mooi doen.
Stunt Wawrinka zou leuk zijn, maar niet als ie vervolgens verliest van Djokovic. Maar als die dan weer verliest van Berdych, maakt het niet uit. Dus vannacht is inderdaad cruciaal.