Roger Federer is ready for Showdown of Champions tomorrow night

Yesterday evening, I had an opportunity to attend a press conference call with Roger Federer from Shanghai organised by the guys at LD Sports.

Well, I tried to load my video but it seems that the connection in Bukit Jalil is painstakingly slow.

But thanks to Nazz for giving me a link to a video on TV3's Berita Utama.



In that press conference call, Federer talked about looking forward to play doubles with tennis legend Bjorn Borg, whom he never play together before.

He also assured fans that he's recovering fast from his back injury.

Federer, James Blake, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will be touching down Malaysia today. They'll be staying at the official hotel, Mandarin Oriental, next to KLCC.

So are you ready for Showdown of Champions? This is the second year Federer is here in Malaysia and I don't think you'll have a chance to see him here for the third time. Grab this opportunity to watch the players play.

If you are really a hardcore Roger Federer's fan, don't miss the opportunity to see him at the autograph-signing session at KLCC foyer at 11.45 a.m. on Tuesday, November 18, 2008.

The foyer is actually in between the two towers, near Dewan Filharmonik Petronas. Ask the information counter if you are not able to find the place. They should be able to help to direct you.

(Via tv3.com.my)

Showdown of Champions Tennis: 10 x 1 pair of tickets to give away to bloggers

It's simple.

You just have to blog about Showdown of Champions, the players (Roger Federer, James Blake, Bjorn Borg or John McEnroe), your experience from Clash of Titans, last year's tennis exhibition match, or anything regarding about tennis.

Just make sure your post link back to this post. Then inform me by posting in the comment box.

The first 10 bloggers who submit their posts will walk away with 2 tickets to the Showdown of Champions on November 18, 2008. The venue is Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil and the event will start at 7.30 p.m.

Winners will be announced tomorrow (Sunday Nov 16, 2008) at 8.00 p.m. I will also personally contact you via email on prize collection.

Happy Blogging!

Kings of Tennis is cancelled; Showdown of Champions draw near

Unfortunately, the first ever team event featuring former world no. 1 players, Kings of Tennis, will not be realized in Penang.

The event dubbed as Big Bang Penang is confirmed canceled today.

In their e-mail, the press officer at Kings of Tennis explained that the event has to be canceled due to the current financial crisis and the uncertainty of the world economics which resulted in the pulling out of some of their key sponsors.

As what SK Boey has predicted, Big Bang Penang has blown up.

P/S Anyone who wants to comment about this part of the post can try answer my doubts in this post too: What is going on with Kings of Tennis / Big Bang Penang? Arianna Teoh, Penang Government, please answer.



However the good news is, Showdown of Champions which is going to be held on the 18th in Stadium Putra KL is going strong!

In the past few days, there are quite a lot of visitors dropping by this blog searching for news regarding this exho.

I was informed that James Blake will be conducting a tennis clinic for LTAM junior players on Nov 18.

There will also be an autograph-signing session at KLCC, which I'll let you know the time, date and place in the next few days.

Drop me an email if you are interested to meet Roger Federer, James Blake, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.

If you still haven't get your tickets to the showdown, which is priced between RM108 and RM498, go to Ticket Axcess outlets or call +603 7711 5000 for enquiries. The official Showdown of Champions website is at www.showdownkl2008.com.

Updates:
Click here to read about the event which is now officially cancelled.

Showdown of Champions KL: Have you bought your tickets?

You are definitely not going to get any seats at the Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown by now.

The showdown in November will features Roger Federer, James Blake, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe going head-to-head in a one-night exhibition match in Macao and also another in Kuala Lumpur.

You might want to drop by in Kuala Lumpur instead as tickets are still available here but I doubt you'll get any good front seats either.

My tickets are on the L6 section (silver category) and 6th row from the front. To get your tickets, you can purchase online from the Axcess website.


For local fans, if possible, buy your tickets from the Axcess outlet instead (offline purchasing) so that you don't have to waste time queuing up for ticket collection on event day (Ticket collection for online purchase is at venue only on the event day, 2 hours before the show time).

Here's a bit of the itinerary on that day:

• Live musical entertainment (I hope not some stupid boy band performance like last year! We need some class in a tennis event)
  
• Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe - 1 Set
• Roger Federer vs James Blake - Best-of-3 Sets (Yahooooo!)
• Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe and James Blake. - A Ten Point Doubles Tie Breaker

For a diehard fan like me, this event is way beyond my dream. Honestly, this is better than meeting Rafael Nadal in person! How often can you get to meet tennis legends like Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe?

Recently I have been reading Blake's autobigraphy, Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life. Blake who overcame a broken neck and shingles, which paralysed half his face, is one of the greatest comeback stories ever. If you are an Oprah fan, you'll probably catch the episode where Oprah interviewed Blake about what he had gone through. So for me, the urge to meet James Blake is huge!

I'll come up with more post on this event in the next few days providing info like places to stay and go in KL, how you can get there at the Putra Stadium, etc.

In the meanwhile, you might want to drop by Showdown KL official site and participate in the auction and do a bit of charity.

Have a good weekend!

Former tennis world no. 1s pay tribute to Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal has a new title to add to his King of Clay title. He should be called the King of ATP now.

He becomes the 24th player in the history of the South African Airways ATP Rankings (since 1973) to hold the No. 1 position. The 22-year-old replaced his great rival Roger Federer of Switzerland, who had held the top spot for a record 237 consecutive weeks (since February 2, 2004).

Below, seven former World No. 1s pay tribute to the Mallorcan 'Matador'.

ROGER FEDERER: "Rafa played great to get it. That's what I expected and hoped for, many years ago when I got to No. 1, that if ever somebody were to take it away for me, he would have to play an incredible tennis schedule, win the biggest tournaments, dominate the game basically, and then like this he can take No. 1. So I think Rafa totally deserves it."
There's certainly no other player at this moment who is more suitable to succeed Federer than Nadal.

STEFAN EDBERG: "Nadal is a great player with incredible charisma and fighting spirit, who deserves the No. 1 ranking. Especially after winning one of the greatest Wimbledon final ever following the French Open win. Federer is one of the best players ever to play the game and his record of 237 weeks at No. 1 is incredible. A tribute to his sportsmanship as well!"

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: "I believe becoming No. 1 in the world is the biggest glory of an athlete. Nadal deserved to be in the No. 1 position since a few years. Federer definitely helped him to become a better player. Nadal's achievement is well deserved and I believe he has the capability to hold the No. 1 position for a long period, a feat that I'm sure he is very determined to accomplish."
It was the matches with Federer that Nadal learn to become a better player. Federer is Nadal's Guru!

ROD LAVER: "Nadal's had a terrific Wimbledon, winning a tough five setter against Roger. He is a worthy new No. 1. Federer’s consistency for three years dominating all opponents is one of the great efforts in open tennis. Hopefully Nadal can continue his winning ways through 2008. The US Open will be a huge test for both of them."

JOHN McENROE: "It makes you realize that Federer is a human being, after compiling four of the greatest years in the history of Open tennis. Nadal’s made some great improvement in the last year or so and he’s followed it up with some wins at other events [beyond clay]. He deserves it."
Are you nuts? Federer is a human being. So does Nadal. By the way Nadal has been improving every year, not just last year 'or so'.

CARLOS MOYA: "When Rafa becomes No. 1 he will totally deserve it. He's been close for three years. But until now, Federer has been playing out of this world. He's more human now, and Rafa has improved a lot. I can't say that I really helped Rafa so much - maybe a bit when I was 24 and practising with him. That motivated me; you don't want to lose to a kid. He's helped me to be a better player by his intensity in training and his desire. He knew he could ask me questions and I could answer him. I don't know what it means, but of the three guys who have been No. 1 from Spain, two are from Mallorca."

PETE SAMPRAS: "He's a great fighter and I'm impressed with him. He's had the best year and he's clearly number one. He's 22 and think about that. It's incredible what Nadal's been able to do and I think he's going to get better and better if he can."

(Via ATP.com)

Showdown of Champions in KL: Federer, Borg and McEnroe LIVE in Malaysia

World no. 1 Roger Federer and two tennis legends, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe has confirmed their participation for the Showdown of Champions 2008, to be be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur on Nov 18.

However the fourth player will either be the newly crowned Wimbledon champion and world no. 2, Rafael Nadal, or American hottie James Blake to complete the cast of this 'chance of a lifetime' star-studded show.

The reason why Nadal might not be able to make it is due to the clash with the Davis Cup final.

“The decision as to who will play in Malaysia will hinge on the outcome of the Davis Cup semi-final clash between Spain and the United States (US) in Madrid on Sept 21,” said Nick Freyer, senior vice-president and head of tennis of IMG Asia, the event organisers, at a news conference, here today.

Freyer said if Spain were to lose, Nadal will travel to Kuala Lumpur but if the US were to lose the clash, Blake, who is currently world no. 8, will make his way here. Personally I don't mind because Nadal will have a chance to grab the Davis Cup for his country and I'll get to see Blake, who is also one of my favourite player.

“We will watch the lively battles between the 80’s stars, Borg and McEnroe followed by Federer and the fourth player. Then the final set will be Federer and Borg against McEnroe and the other star,” Freyer said.

Three matches with one ticket, wow, that's worth enough to pay for the best seat.

Tickets for the showdown, priced between RM108 and RM498, are on sale at all Ticket Axcess outlets from yesterday or call +603 7711 5000 for enquiries. The official Showdown of Champions website is www.showdownkl2008.com.

Nadal vs Federer and McEnroe vs Borg LIVE in Malaysia?

Thanks to Nazz for this tips from The Star:

Fans in for a double treat in November

KUALA LUMPUR: Tennis fans are in for treat in November with exhibition matches featuring Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg against John McEnroe.

Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) executive secretary Jaafar Abu said yesterday that the four had confirmed participation in the “Countdown of Champions”, set for Nov 18 at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

“Last year, we had Pete Sampras and Richard Gasquet along with Nadal and Federer,” he said.

World No. 1 Federer will get another chance to avenge his defeats by world No. 2 Nadal in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon this year.

Borg, 52, and McEnroe, 49, will take the fans a chance to walk down memory lane, remembering the highs and lows of their bitter rivalry, typified by the 1980 Wimbledon final won by Borg in five gruelling sets. – AFP

OMIGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could this be real? Let's wait for more updates.

Updates: This exhibition match was mentioned in Tennis Week. Just got to know that this exho is known as "Showdown of Champions".