Fernando Gonzalez took time out to play a didgeridoo by the banks of the Yarra River during day one of the 2009 Australian Open.
Gonzo is scheduled to take on homeboy Lleyton Hewitt tomorrow.
Whether Hewitt will make it to the next round or not, I don't think it's a big deal for Australia anymore because the Aussies have found Hewitt's successor in atomic boy, Bernard Tomic.
Quoting from Forty Deuce, this 16 year-old boy wonder's future is so bright that he has to wear shades.
Tomic defeated Starace Potito 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6 and will be facing an exhausted Gilles Muller in the second round.
Poor Muller had to overcome Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 4-6, 16-14 in a 4-hour, 23-minute match.
Some of the tennis stars were at Breezes in Crown Entertainment Complex for the annual Crown IMG Baller Party celebrating the start of this year's Aussie Open.
Check out these photos.
Rafael Nadal who is not feeling the pressure to win the AO, posing with sisters Melinda and Victoria Petrolo.
Jelena Jankovic is wearing a Wayne Cooper dress and Louis Vuitton bag and shoes.
Roger Federer is Mr Suave no. 1.
James Blake is Mr Suave no. 2.
Carlos Moya is Mr Suave no. 3.
Feliciano Lopez spoilt the party with a cheap homemade t-shirt.
David Nalbandian shares a laugh with Channel Seven's Mia Grieves.
Radek Stepanek looks as if he owns Nicole Vaidisova. Well, literally he is. And his girl looks kinda intimidated.
According to ATP Mens Tennis, Rafael Nadal received the International Sport of the Community of Madrid Award (International Sport of the Community of Madrid Award) from the hand of Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Community of Madrid.
Nadal received this award because of his relevance in the field of sports, his sporting merit and human values.
"For me to receive this award in its first edition is very important in a community such as Madrid, which I feel very similar and where I have achieved victories in the Masters series and in the Davis Cup," said Rafael Nadal in his award acceptance speech. "This tribute fills me with pride, I hope this is the beginning of many years to come for this Award."
Feliciano Lopez also attended the award presentation.
Spain’s winning Davis Cup team returned home on Tuesday looking worn out from a night of celebrations followed by a long flight from Argentina.
Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez, David Ferrer, Marcel Granollers and captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario (photos in sequence) arrived at Madrid’s international airport at 5 a.m. local time.
Due to the early hour, there was little fanfare to greet them.
The Davis Cup trophy wasn’t on the flight but will arrive at the Spanish tennis federation’s headquarters in Barcelona next week.
The trophy’s nationwide tour begins next year at tournaments in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia.
Since I have nothing much to blog about (while waiting for the results at Doha), I'll just put up some fascinating photos here.
Don't you think Svetlana Kuznetsova looks like Feliciano Lopez here? :D Sorry Kuzy, thumbs down for you for the bad make-up (again!). And as for Feli, of course it's thumbs up for him as he's officially single again!
You know I'm a Rafatard, but it doesn't mean that I can't criticize Rafael Nadal.
Rafa is not drunk in the picture but annoyed by the paparazzi in Paris. Well, bad week and a bad picture, that already make Rafa deserves a thumbs down.
Roger Federer is already in Shanghai now. Unlike previous years, he's no longer invincible anymore. But one thing never change, fans still think he is a major dork and this picture proves it :D
Don't you just love Ana Ivanovic? I'm sure you wouldn't mind end up stranded on a desert island with Ana, am I right? She looks stunning here, so thumbs up for her.
Jelena Jankovic deserves a thumbs down simply because she looks as if she's in a bathrobe. Period.
Feliciano Lopez and Maria Jose Suarez decided to call it quit.
The beautiful couple broke off a year ago but patched back very quickly again.
However this time, according to Maria Jose in an exclusive magazine Hello!, it's going to be permanent.
There are too many differences between them: Feliciano likes to party while Maria Jose prefers to be at home; she wants a stable relationship with commitment i.e. marriage while Feliciano is just not ready for it.
Perhaps their biggest difference is their age, Feliciano is 26 while Maria Jose is 32.
Feli and Maria Jose in happier times.
With a new life without each other, Maria Jose will be concentrating on her new shoe store while Feliciano will be preparing for the Davis Cup final with his Spanish team mates.
James Blake becomes the first seed to lost in Madrid after lost to Gilles Simon 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the $3 million Mutua Madrilena Masters (Madrid Masters).
Simon will face either 5th-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko or American qualifier Robby Ginepri in the third round.
Headlining today's five 2nd-round matches is top-seeded Rafael Nadal, who will clash with unseeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis.
This is the first single match for Nadal since claiming a pair of singles victories in Spain’s Davis Cup win over the U.S..
The world no.1 is now leading the ATP with eight titles and a 77-9 record this season.
The world No. 1 and 2005 champion of this hardcourt event, Nadal faced Gulbis for the first time at Wimbledon earlier this year, dropping the first set before taking the second-round encounter, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, en route to the championship.
Also slated for second-round play is U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray, the 4th seed, and world no. 15 Richard Gasquet.
That pair will try to avoid the same fate as no. 13 Fernando Verdasco, who suffered a 6-2, 6-3 second-round loss to Marin Cilic of Croatia.
Phillip Kohlschreiber, Gael Monfils, Jarkko Nieminen and Marcel Granollers-Pujol claimed first-round victories Tuesday.
Photos:
Madrid Masters is probably famous for its hot Hugo Boss ball girls. These are the ball girl on the Andy Murray vs Simone Bolelli match. Murray was leading the match with 6-0, 2-1 when Bolelli retired due to an injury.
While Gael Monfils took a trip to the zoo, Fernando Gonzalez took time out from the Bank Austria-Tennis Trophy in Vienna yesterday to visit the Spanish Riding School, which is home to 73 Lipizzan stallions.
The 28-year-old visited the stables to meet a 15-year-old Lipizzan stallion called Conversano Tiberia. Afterwards he watched the morning practice show at Vienna's Imperial Hofburg Palace.
Gonzalez said: “It was very nice. The horses are really taken care of perfectly. I’ve never seen this many white horses at once!”
“My sister loves horses and has taught me a lot about them. I’ve been riding a few times and it’s really fun. I have to be careful though because it can be dangerous for my career but in the future I’m going to ride more for sure.”
“The buildings here are unbelievable. There is a lot of tradition here dating back to the 16th century.”
The Spanish Riding School is the only institution in the world that continues to cultivate classical equitation in the Renaissance tradition of the haute école.
The Lipizzans are Europe's oldest breed of horses, with their origins dating back to the 16th century.
Gonzalez is scheduled to meet Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals today.
Updates: While Monfils and Gonzalez were doing something educational, Feliciano Lopez (look at those electrifying eyes!) and Juan Martin del Potro were partying at the players party at Passage that features DJ Manfredo & DJ Mosaken.
(Images via Bank Austria-Tennis Trophy official website)
If you have been following my blog for awhile, you'll know I love Feliciano Lopez for his good looks. But I have to give him the thumbs down here for his, er, retarded look (sorry!).
Not everyone can look good wearing baseball cap backward. But Nicolas Lapentti can make it look so hot!
Fernando Gonzalez has quite a hairy situation here. But Juan Martin del Potro's is pretty decent and good enough.
I don't know why Dinara Safina keeps reminding me of the wicked witch in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Drawfs. If only the aspiring world no. 1 soften her facial expression a bit like Ana Ivanovic.
Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario picked Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez for the best-of-five series against the Americans in the Davis Cup semifinals next week from Sept. 19-21 on clay at Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring.
Hot Spaniard #1 Many fans think Rafael Nadal is the hottest but I only love him as my favourite tennis player.
Hot Spaniard #2 He might look a bit sloppy here (Esther, thanks for Matt's pic) but wait till you click here. Warning: Nudity inside.
Hot Spaniard #3 For me, Feliciano is the no. 1!
In the meanwhile, United States captain Patrick McEnroe had chosen Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey (replacing James Blake) and Mike and Bob Bryan.
“They’re a very compact team,” Sanchez Vicario said.
“All of the matches will be very complicated.”
Nicolas Almagro was listed as a reserve for Spain, while 16th-ranked Tommy Robredo was left off the team.
“Almagro is the player—after Nadal—who had obtained the best (clay) results among our tennis players up to Roland Garros,” Sanchez Vicario said.
“Robredo has also done well, but perhaps should have done something better to be in this group.”
Sanchez Vicario also added that Nadal may not be at the start of training Saturday. However Sanchez Vicario said Nadal is very enthusiastic about this tie.”
(Via Yahoo! Sports; Fernando Verdasco pic byMatt Fitzgerald, Rafael Nadal pic via New York mag)
It's party all night long before the the U.S. Open! Some of the players who attended this event at the Empire Hotel Rooftop New York, are Feliciano Lopez (yummy!), Fernando Verdasco (double yummy!), Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, James Blake (photos in sequence).
Last year, Feli broke up with Maria Jose Suarez and their age difference were said to be the issue.
Gonzo is scheduled to take on homeboy Lleyton Hewitt tomorrow.
Tomic defeated Starace Potito 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6 and will be facing an exhausted Gilles Muller in the second round.
Rafael Nadal who is not feeling the pressure to win the AO, posing
Jelena Jankovic is wearing a Wayne Cooper dress and Louis Vuitton bag and shoes.
Roger Federer is Mr Suave no. 1.
James Blake is Mr Suave no. 2.
Carlos Moya is Mr Suave no. 3.
Feliciano Lopez spoilt the party with a cheap homemade t-shirt.
David Nalbandian shares a laugh with Channel Seven's Mia Grieves.
Radek Stepanek looks as if he owns Nicole Vaidisova. Well, literally he is.
Australian wild card Monika Wegnert, 16.
According to ATP Mens Tennis, Rafael Nadal received the International Sport of the Community of Madrid Award (International Sport of the Community of Madrid Award) from the hand of Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Community of Madrid.
Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez, David Ferrer, Marcel Granollers and captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario (photos in sequence) arrived at Madrid’s international airport at 5 a.m. local time.
Don't you think Svetlana Kuznetsova looks like Feliciano Lopez here? :D Sorry Kuzy, thumbs down for you for the bad make-up (again!). And as for Feli, of course it's thumbs up for him as he's officially single again!
You know I'm a Rafatard, but it doesn't mean that I can't criticize Rafael Nadal.
Don't you just love Ana Ivanovic? I'm sure you wouldn't mind end up stranded on a desert island with Ana, am I right? She looks stunning here, so thumbs up for her.
Feliciano Lopez and Maria Jose Suarez decided to call it quit.
Feli and Maria Jose in happier times.
Feliciano Lopez signing autograph for young fans.
Agustin Calleri signing autograph in Diadora's stand.
Marin Cilic was in Air Europa's stand.
Carlos Moya in front of a Mercedes.
While Gael Monfils took a trip to the zoo, Fernando Gonzalez took time out from the Bank Austria-Tennis Trophy in Vienna yesterday to visit the Spanish Riding School, which is home to 73 Lipizzan stallions.“My sister loves horses and has taught me a lot about them. I’ve been riding a few times and it’s really fun. I have to be careful though because it can be dangerous for my career but in the future I’m going to ride more for sure.”
The Lipizzans are Europe's oldest breed of horses, with their origins dating back to the 16th century.
Hot Spaniard #1
Hot Spaniard #2
Hot Spaniard #3
