The Opening Ceremony of Beijing Olympics 2008 is just 18 hours away.
Coincidentally, today is also Roger Federer's birthday. He received an early present, a tough draw in the first round against Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov.
It's slightly better for soon-to-be world no. 1, Rafael Nadal could face a tough second round match meeting either Lleyton Hewitt of Australia or veteran Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden.
No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic faces American Robby Ginepri, and No. 8 James Blake will start against Chris Guccione of Australia on the path to a possible quarterfinal meeting with Federer. Chile’s Nicolas Massu, the gold medalist in Athens, faces Belgium’s Steve Darcis.
Both of host China’s representatives drew daunting first-round matchups. No. 7 David Nalbandian of Argentina will take on Zeng Shaoxuan, while Sun Peng will face 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, a bronze medalist in Athens.
The top seeds in the women side are luckier. Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia drew Ukraine’s Mariya Koryttseva, while second-seeded Jelena Jankovic also of Serbia will face Zimbabwe’s Cara Black, who drew an Olympic wild card to make the tournament after another competitor withdrew.
Fourth-seeded Serena opening against Belarus’ Olga Govortsova and No. 7 Venus facing Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky. Lindsay Davenport, the Olympic champion in Atlanta 12 years ago, drew Australia’s Alicia Molik, who won a bronze medal in Athens.
Three of China’s four women’s representatives also drew ranked opponents. Li Na must face No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova, while Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie will meet 11th-seeded Agnes Szavay of Hungary, and Yan Zi takes on ninth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia.
Well, I say it's tough for the Chinese men and women in tennis.
In less than 24 hours, we'll be witnessing the Opening Ceremony of Beijing Olympics 2008. Many top players are already here in Beijing.
We'll have a quick look at who has arrived yesterday. So far I've not seen Cincinnati Masters champion, Andy Murray yet. And too bad, many high profile players such as Marcos Baghdatis, Andy Roddick, Richard Gasquet, Nikolay Davydenko as well as Mario Sharapova are not here to add glitter to this event. Shame on them.
Elena Dementieva (Russia)
Venus Williams (USA)
Lindsay Davenport (USA)
Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
And hey, the French tennis Olympic's team players (from left) Paul-Henry Mathieu, Youlia Fedossova, Alize Cornet, Gael Monfils, coach George Goven and former player Cedric Pioline pose at the "Club France".
And here's the bonus; as soon as Djokovic arrived he was seen shirtless and signing autograph after a training session at the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Centre.
(Images via Great Tennis Photos, GABRIEL BOUYS/CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Michael Steele/Getty Images)
This is not the first time we see Miroslava "Mirka" Vavrinec looking bored, especially on court. Check out this post.
Mirka is a former women tennis player for Switzerland (she was born in Slovakia but later emigrated to Switzerland). Mirka and Roger Federer has been inseparable ever since they laid eyes on each other at the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000.
You can see her in almost every single tournament, including during this training session at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre in Beijing.
But seriously, I'm not sure if Mirka presence these days are going to help Federer in his upcoming games.
By the way, Mirka, have you plan a birthday party for Federer?
Honestly, you don't want to miss this publication by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
In this 140-page publication called 'Journey to Beijing – Tennis celebrates the Olympics' that is intended to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympic tennis event, over 40 of the world’s leading tennis players were photographed dressed as athletes from other Olympic sports.
These black and white photos are accompanied by exclusive interviews on the topic regarding the Olympics.
According to the ITF website, the photographs were taken over a six-month period by some of the world’s leading tennis photographers, with photo shoots held in venues as varied as Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Indian Wells, Los Angeles, Miami, Melbourne, Moscow, Netherlands, Palm Beach, Santiago, Shanghai and Tel Aviv.
Among the 44 players represented in the book are the two current world number ones, Roger Federer, who poses as a fencer, and Ana Ivanovic, who is shown playing beach volleyball, both in Miami. Rafael Nadal appears as a footballer on location in Shanghai, while Novak Djokovic takes advantage of Dubai’s indoor ski slope.
Maria Sharapova takes time out from a photo shoot to try rhythmic gymnastics in Los Angeles, while Serena Williams demonstrates her ice skating abilities at home in Palm Beach. Olympic champions Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez become marathon runners on the streets of Santiago, while wheelchair world No. 1 Esther Vergeer shows her versatility as a basketball player in the Netherlands.
ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I believe the book shows how proud current tennis players are to represent their countries in the Olympic Games as well as the importance the Olympics has played in their lives. In turn, we have witnessed the continued growth, not only of the Olympic Tennis Event, but also of the international reach of our sport since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988.”
David Nalbandian has arrived in Beijing together with other Argentine Olympic tennis players including Augustin Calleri and Juan Monaco.
However, the current world no. 7 player could miss the big event as he is still affected by muscular injuries and remains a doubt for both Beijing and the Davis Cup semi-final against Russia in September.
Nalbandian's physio Diego Rodriguez told Ole newspaper "David is going through a recovery program. He hasn't played tennis for two weeks and has done some work in the swimming pool and on the bicycle."
He added: "He will compete again when he is in good shape."
However, Rodriguez did not rule out the option of surgery if the recovery programme does not prove successful.
(Via The Press Association; Image via REUTERS/Tim Wimborne)
Many tennis players are already in Beijing practising at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre.
Samantha Stosur (Australia), Roger Federer (Switzerland), Ana Ivanovic (Serbia), Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden), Rafael Nadal (Spain), Fernando Gonzalez (Chile), Zheng Jie (China) and Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) are among the players spotted here. All pictures are in sequence. Latest updates: Andy Murray.
The media and fans are going frenzy in Beijing with so many Olympic starlets arriving at the airport and the Olympic Village.
And one of the biggest star that we don't want to miss is Roger Federer.Federer's performance might be going downhill lately, but I still believe he has a great chance to clinch a gold medal here. It's definitely not retirement yet for this talented player. Here are some pictures of Federer arriving at his hotel (he's not staying at the Olympic Village), going around the village along with girlfriend Mirka and at training session. For more photos, click here.
Instead of staying at the Olympic Village, Federer prefers to make his own arrangements and his decision has been backed by the Swiss delegation.
"It was quite difficult in Athens," said Federer of his experience of the 2004 Games.
"Taking the bus and not being in control of my own schedule, and many people recognising me in the village. It was not as enjoyable as Sydney, which I loved."
Ironically, at the Swiss apartments here, the only poster displayed of a squad member is one of Federer.
"He is sure to draw a lot of attention," said Swiss delegation chief Werner Augsburger.
"It's not because Federer doesn't like living in the Olympic village. It's because he has his own habits and prefers to live by himself."
On the other hand, Federer's great rival Rafael Nadal has no such fears about his privacy and is happy to stay with the rest of the Spanish team.
"It's very different from the regular tournaments on the tour. You are in the Olympic Village, so it's always very nice to be with the rest of the sportsmen of the world," said Nadal who is making his Olympics debut.
Britain's Andy Murray, who won a maiden tennis Masters title in Cincinatti last weekend, admitted he can't understand Federer's decision.
"Quite a few of the tennis players are staying in hotels, but I don't understand why they're doing that," said the Scot."Having made the decision to play in the Olympics, I wouldn't want to be staying anywhere other than in the athletes' village. It will be a great experience to be around the best athletes in the world and to speak to some of them."
Federer's reluctance to commit to the village is shared by the big names of the NBA.
(Part of the text via Yahoo Tennis News; Images via Zimbio Pilot and BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)
Here are some pictures of Rafael Nadal, the unofficial world no.1 player in the world for you. As you know, Nadal has already arrived in Beijing, chasing his first Olympic gold medal.
Rafael Nadal was spotted in Beijing Olympic village talking to other Spanish sportsmen. Here he posed with Spain's female hockey players. He is obviously in a good vibe with smile and confidence on his face. Also with him is fellow Spaniard tennis player, Tommy Robredo.
He was also seen practicing on the court, and showing off some ball balancing skill.
(Images via Great Tennis Photos and BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)
I've been pretty busy with shifting house for the past weekend and do not have time to really sit down and write something. But nevertheless, here's my updates in one post.
Boost for Murray's Olympic campaign
Novak Djokovic might have beaten soon-to-be world no. 1 Rafael Nadal in the semifinal at Cincinnati, but I'm not devastated watching the match on Sunday morning. After all, Nadal has achieved his ultimate goal, dethroning King Roger from the peak of the ATP rankings. It's best to remain at his top form and focus on Beijing Olympics instead. As you can see in this video, Nadal has arrived in Beijing International Airport to begin his quest for a gold medal.
I didn't think Nole played his best tennis at Cincy Masters. Not even during the semifinal against Nadal. Hence I'm not surprised that Andy Murray won his first Masters Series here by knocking off Nole 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5). If he maintains his consistency on hardcourts, perhaps he Murray might have a huge chance to clinch his first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open right after the Olympics. Jankovic to become new no. 1 but Safina wins the Rogers Cup
Jelena Jankovic is going to become the new world No. 1 in women’s tennis by the narrowest of margins. The WTA determined that as of the August 11 rankings, Jankovic will have 3,620 points - eight more than Ivanovic, who took the top spot on June 9.
“Since I was a young girl, it has been my dream to become No. 1 in the world,” Jankovic said. “When you get older, at least one day you can say you were No. 1 and no one can take that away from you. You are in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour history books, and it’s a great achievement.”
However, Jankovic lost in the quarterfinal at the Rogers Cup. I would say that the woman player we should focus on now is Dinara Safina, the no.1 player in the making. Safina has been playing remarkable tennis by reaching the final in five of her last six tournaments.
Dinara easily handled unseeded Dominika Cibulkova in a 6-2, 6-1 victory on Sunday to win the Rogers Cup. This the second win in a row for Safina, who beat Flavia Pannetta in the final in Los Angeles last week. With a win earlier this year in Berlin, it was the 22-year-old’s third victory of the year and the eighth of her career. So, Dinara should be the hot favourite to win a medal in the Beijing Olympics.
Look Who's in Beijing? And who's not?
Ana Ivanovic might be losing her no. 1 spot to Jankovic, but looks like it doesn't really affect her much. Perhaps the two top women players in the world are Serbia's best bet to win a medal or two in the Olympic Games.
Too bad we might not be seeing Sharapova the Fashionista in Beijing as well as the U.S. Open because of a torn rotator cuff tendon in her right shoulder.
Sharapova said in a posting on her official website that she probably won’t need surgery and could be ready to play in two to three months.
(Images by Ronald Martinez/Elsa/OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)
A global campaign for Beijing Olympics is out! The dramatic global TV promotion called "Heroes" features tennis player Roger Federer and runner Haile Gebrselassie as mythic Greek heroes. Also in the TV campaign is basketball legend Yao Ming.
China hopes this campaign that apes the film 300 will heighten interest in the Beijing Olympics.
It was developed by the International Olympic Committee for use internationally by broadcasters who have the TV rights to air the Beijing Olympics.
The BBC, which holds the TV rights in the UK, will not be running the promotional clip.
"We only use our promotional airtime for BBC programmes and BBC content," said a spokesman for BBC Sport. "All of our campaigns are tailored for a particular audience."
Hence, this video could be taken off youtube anytime.
The 60-second clip, by WPP-owned ad agency United, opens with a bearded sage-like character gathering together an array of the world's best athletes in a temple.
"Welcome all, the time has come, all eyes are on you," he booms to the assembled throng. He then highlights each athlete's skills, comparing their abilities to God-like feats.
"You all make us proud to be human beings regardless of race, religion or nationality," the sage says at the end. "Because if you are able to achieve such greatness nothing is unreachable. Go and amaze us."
The overall campaign, called The Best of Us, aims to highlight key tenets of the Olympic games.
The IOC, which makes promotional campaigns for every Olympic games, will be keen to present a good image of the event after negative media coverage around China's treatment of Tibet protestors during the Olympic flame relay.
The latest promotion, which also includes Swedish star Carolina Kluft and Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, follows a previous advertisement, called Teens, that pushed sport as an antidote to youthful insecurity.
The Best of Us campaign also includes press and digital ads and a viral promotion called Puskitas.
Nicolas Mahut and Richard Gasquet (with a cap) during the doubles match at The Queen's Club tennis tournament.
First it was Andy Roddick. And now Richard Gasquet is pulling out from the Beijing Olympic 2008 as well.
Gasquet who is a Frenchman perhaps could be a Pro-Tibet? Or perhaps I should say that the French people are not welcomed in China?
"In agreement with his coach Guillaume Peyre, Richard Gasquet announces that he will not take part in the Olympic Games," Team Lagardere said in a statement."
Roddick on the other hand chose to skip this year's controversial Olympic event by concentrating on preparing for the U.S Open by playing at the hard court Legg Mason Tennis Classic.
Personally, I don't care if Gasquet or Roddick taking part in the Olympics or not. It doesn't make any difference.
Gillian Chung, who was recently involved in the Edison Chen's nude scandal photos, was axed from singing at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.Here is the citation from the Sydney Morning Herald:
A female Hong Kong pop star at the centre of a sex photos scandal has been banned from singing at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, a news report said today. The ceremony’s artistic director Zhang Yimou decided to take Chung off the bill after the scandal broke and had replaced her and another Hong Kong star not involved in the photos incident with Chinese pop act A-One, the newspaper said.
More than 2000 people complained when Chung appeared on a charity TV show at the height of the scandal a fortnight ago and she was forced to scrap a public appearance last Saturday when protesters threatened to disrupt her performance.
The scandal over the pictures has tainted the saccharine-sweet image of Hong Kong’s so-called Canto-pop industry whose cheesy romantic melodies sung in Cantonese sell by their millions in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan.
I wonder if there are any further consequences from this scandal in the near future again.
