Meet Roger Federer's new BFF

Pete Sampras has been seen hanging out with Roger Federer lately, from practice court to basketball match.

Federer recently posted a photo of them together after practice on his Facebook fanpage.

A star like Federer gets starstruck too...

After that, they were seen at the Charlotte Bobcats vs LA Lakers basketball match and managed to say hi to Lakers' big man Pau Gasol.

(Images via Facebook)

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Great entertainment at The Venetian Macao exhibition

I seldom blog about tennis exhibition (unless it's local) but I thought The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown deserved a mention.

Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Harrison were in Macau, the former Portuguese colony for the weekend to provide some good tennis entertainment.

Aaron Kwok was starstrucked! I can't stand his 'thumbs up' gestures LOL!

I didn't watch the entire show on Astro SuperSport CH816, but managed to spot some famous Hong Kong celebrities including Aaron Kwok (the coin tosser :D), Eason Chan and Sam Lee.

Even Coco Lee was there twittering from the front row seat.

In the highlight of the event, Sampras defeated Agassi in three sets as the two retired American tennis greats revisited as one of the sport’s greatest rivalries.

This is the first time the two had played since Sampras won in the 2002 US Open final for his then-record 14th Grand Slam.

There were other entertainment that evening including a drum solo (bucket beats by a street drummer?) and mime show.

Match Results:
Yuki Bhambri (IND) def. Ryan Harrison (USA) 5-5
Pete Sampras (USA) def. Andre Agassi (USA) 3-6 6-3 10-8
P. Sampras (USA) & Y. Bhambri (IND) def. A. Agassi (USA) & R. Harrison (USA) 7-5

(Images via Reuters, sports.sina.com.cn)

ATP pays tribute to Roger Federer, named 'living legend'

ATP saluted Roger Federer's feat of winning a 15th Grand Slam and placed him on top of legends like Pete Sampras, Roy Emerson (why he's not at Wimbledon?), Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.

Check out the tribute web page here.

If you want to join the celebration, why not place these desktop wallpapers on your computer screen or on your iPhone?

It's available for download here (scroll down to the bottom of the page).


(Images by Getty Images, ATP)

Roger Federer downs Andy Roddick for record 15th Grand Slam

Part of me is relieved when Roger Federer won the last point to clinch his record 15th Grand Slam title.

Federer has got everything he and his fans wished for - winning the French Open, breaking Pete Sampras 14-Grand Slam record and reclaiming his no.1 ranking.

From now on, Rafael Nadal is a free man - he'll never will be blamed for stopping Federer from achieving all that.

Coming back to the main topic, Andy Roddick did all he could but he just couldn't break Federer's serve to wrap up the match.

Federer who served a career-high 50 aces, overcame Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 in a nail-biting victory.

The marathon match finally ended after more than four hours.

Federer jumped high in celebration, punched the air and even whacked the net with his racket.

Roddick on the other side of the court tossed his racket.

Later the two men shared a hug at the net.

“It’s not really one of those goals you set as a little boy, but man, it’s been quite a career and quite a month,” Federer said.

“It feels amazing, but this is not why I’m playing tennis to break all sort of different records. But it’s definitely one of the greatest ones to have.”

Turning to Sampras, Federer said: “Thanks very much for coming. I know it’s a long way, but you’re a member, man, we like to see you here. It’s such a pleasure to play in front of such greats legends.”

Roddick said: “Sorry, Pete, I tried to hold him off.”

Federer is now the third player to win six Wimbledon championships - Sampras and William Renshaw each won seven.

This was the longest men’s Grand Slam final in history at 77 games and also the longest fifth set in a men’s Grand Slam final in history, surpassing the 20 games from 1927 in France.

“It was a crazy match with an unbelievable end and my head’s still spinning,” Federer said.

“But it’s an unbelievable moment in my career.”

(Via AP, Images by Getty Images)

Yuki Bhambri & Ryan Harrison to play with tennis legends in Macao

Looks like tennis exhibition match has becoming a tradition and yearly event for IMG in Asia.

For the third consecutive year, the people in Macao get to meet tennis stars of yesteryear as well as the current ones.

This time the Venetian® Macao Tennis Showdown will see the appearance of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras as well as rising stars Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Harrison.

I'm not kidding.

Yuki and Ryan will be making their way to Macao this October.

The fearsome and intense rivalry between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras will be renewed at the 15,000 seat CotaiArena in their first clash in seven years.

Returning to Macao for the second time, Pete commented, “I enjoyed my visit to The Venetian® Macao tremendously in 2007 so it was an easy decision to accept the invitation to return to The Venetian Macao and to renew the great rivalry with Andre.”

The popular Agassi said, “I have followed The Venetian® Macao events featuring Roger, Pete, John, and Bjorn so when the opportunity arose to be part of The Venetian® Macao Tennis Showdown 2009 that would include Pete as well as two of the top juniors in the world, I was excited to join such an illustrious roster of top tennis names.”

The highly anticipated match-up between Sampras and Agassi will be preceded by a 45-minute timed singles match between two of the finest juniors in world tennis.

Indian rising star and ITF Junior World no.1 Yuki Bhambri will face Ryan Harrison, an American prodigy and one of two brothers scaling the junior heights.

Both train at the famous IMG Bolletieri Sports Academy in Florida where Agassi trained as a junior.

The third match of The Venetian® Macao Tennis Showdown will feature Pete and either Bhambri or Harrison against Andre and Harrison or Bhambri, with the pairings decided by draw at the Meet-the-Players Press Conference on October 24th.

The one-day extravaganza will kick off at 2:00 p.m. on the long weekend of Sunday, October 25th.

Yuki commented, “To play with Andre Agassi or Pete Sampras is of course a dream for any aspiring tennis player. To play with both is simply amazing. To do it in front of 15,000 people is beyond description. To say I am excited, is an understatement.”

His opponent Ryan said, “To travel to Macao to participate in an event featuring two of the greatest American players of all time is a huge privilege and an honour, and extremely motivating to me to train and improve, in the hope that I may one day achieve a few of the things that they have achieved.”

Executive Match Director, Nick Freyer, Senior Vice President, IMG, Head of Tennis, Asia, concluded, “Continuing the fine tradition of world class tennis, with the confirmation that Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras will be coming to Macao in October is an enormous pleasure, and I would like to thank The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel for their continued support in allowing history to be made.”

“History, I hope, that will bring joy and smiles to the 15,000 people we think will attend, but also to the millions who will be able to watch on television.”

The Showdown will once again feature an online charity auction, which will offer prized personal items from both players and experiences such as the on-court coin toss, with proceeds being divided between the Andre Agassi Foundation, Sampras’ Aces for Charity Program and Make-A-Wish HK/Macau.

Tickets is available for sale today (Friday, May 22nd at 10 a.m) and can either be reserved online at www.cotaiticketing.com or by phone at +853 2882 8818 (Macao) and +852 6333 6660 (Hong Kong), or in person at Sands Macao Lobby and CotaiArena™ Box Office.

Ticket prices have been set at MOP/HKD $980, $780, $480 and $280. Corporate Boxes are also available.

Fans can visit the event’s website at www.venetiantennisshowdown.com for further details of the event.

George 'Samurai' Bastl has fallen

Usually I don't blog about fashion or hairstyle but I don't want to miss talking about George Bastl's samurai hairstyle.

The lucky loser and fallen samurai was defeated by Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 in round 2 at the Open 13, in Marseille yesterday.

If do remember, Bastl is the guy who famously known for upsetting Pete Sampras in a five-set thriller at Wimbledon in 2002.

(Images via Open 13 official website)

Who will fill Pistol Pete's tennis shoes?

I never believe Pete Sampras is actually a funny guy.

I grew up watching him play on TV. To me he was a boring and serious (but a great) tennis player.

He played against Tommy Haas in an exhibition match on Monday. And I'm sure you already know who was the winner.

Updated: Tommy's pictures specially for Mila :D


(Images via SAP Open website)

My money's heading for a big mattress, jokes Federer

Roger Federer, the richest tennis player of all time, joked on yesterday that a "big mattress" could be his salvation from the current world financial meltdown.

The Swiss player revealed at the Madrid Masters that he keeps a close eye on the turbulence in the world money markets.

"I've followed closely to know what's going on. It seems like the markets may come back a bit now, but I think it will take a while for things to calm down."

"I'm not a big risk-taker off the court, I work so hard and travel so much that I don't want to lose money over problems that I cannot control."

Federer called the current upheaval a challenging time for everyone.

"Anyway, I have a big mattress," he joked.

Earlier this week, ATP announced that Federer has surpassed Pete Sampras to become the all-time leader in career prize money earnings in men’s tennis.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion took his career earnings to over $43.3 million at the Madrid Masters this week.

American Sampras earned $43,280,489 in a glittering career that included 14 grand slam titles.

“Obviously it’s nice to have records. I didn’t play tennis because of money, that was never my drive but I have been very successful,” said Federer.

“I’ve had an incredible run in slams lately that racks up the money and also the Masters Cup, there is a lot of money involved there."

“I guess this is also the moment when you can thank the all-time greats from back in the day when it was still amateur to have brought the game to where it is today. They have created the platform for us players today.”

Current world no. 1 Rafael Nadal is the only other active player on the top-10 career earnings list, but he has won less than half of Federer’s total.

Federer has been the season’s leading money winner for five straight seasons but could be displaced by Nadal.

Sampras and Ivan Lendl topped the list six times, but never five straight.

(Via AP and AFP, Image by Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images)

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)

10 reasons why you must watch Nadal instead of Federer

Okay, I've just checked out Ticketpro.com.my about the exhibition match for Malaysia Independence Tennis Festival and tickets are selling fast for the Clash of the Times match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. Many of the expensive seats were sold out!

Now, the same thing is not happening to the 'special match' (as mentioned in the Ticketpro website) between Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet. As Nadal's huge fan, I'm going to list my 10 reasons why you should watch Nadal vs Gasquet match instead of Federer vs Sampras.

Nadal vs Gasquet	Federer vs Sampras
1. For the energetic and young crowd.	For the boring and conservative crowd.
2. A lot of muscles and good looks.	Only hairy chests.
3. Better hairstyle.	Boring hairstyle and losing hair.
4. A lot of rally and running around. Expect a longer match that makes your money worth.	Big serve and a lot of aces. Expect a shorter match.
5. They are the new generation of tennis players that rule the tennis court.	Federer still rules the tennis court but Sampras has retired since 2002.
6. They are rivals in today’s tennis sport. Expect a ‘real match’.	Merely play for exhibition purpose. Not a ‘real match’.
7. Intense celebration whenever Nadal wins a point or a match.	Selamba or rarely showing any emotion when winning points or match.
8. Watch Nadal’s obsessive compulsive bum groping	Nothing unique
9. Left-handed player vs right-handed player is always more interesting to watch.	Right-handed vs right-handed.
10. Better choice of seats.	Limited choice of seats as many tickets has been sold out.

Live in Malaysia: Fedex vs Pistol Pete and Nadal vs Gasquet

Thanks to an anonymous reader, he/she informed me about the availability of the tickets for exhibition match Malaysia Independence Tennis Festival this coming November.

The first exhibition match is going to be between Rafael Nadal (yes!) and Richard Gasquet on November 20th at Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam. Price tickets range from RM83 to RM403. Kinda pricey but I think I'll just settle for RM83 seat if I don't get any free tickets from my Sis's friend. And probably I should invest on a good binocular.

Then there's this Clash of the Times between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras on November 22nd and tickets range from RM83 to RM443. I'm not sure if I wanna watch this match but catching a glimpse of Fedex and my former tennis idol, Pistol Pete, is going to be great.

For more information go to Ticketpro or call them at +603 7880 7999.

omigod! Fedex and Nadal to play in Shah Alam?!

Am I dreaming or what? Slap me. Pinch me. Omigod! Can you believe it? Can you actually believe that Federer and Nadal are going to play in Malaysia? And my tennis hero of all time, Pete Sampras whom I watched playing on television since I was a kid is going to join those top players as well in Shah Alam.

I googled for Nadal's latest updates at Hamburg Open and to my surprise, I came across this news from The News Straits Times online.

I'm already planning a trip to Bangkok Open this September when I know that Nadal is going to be there. But having my favourite clay court specialist in my homeland is something I can't imagine of! Oh my, am I still dreaming?

Despite all the things our Tourism Minister said about bloggers, I'm going to love him for one second because he's going to officially announce the exhibition match this Wednesday. I just hope the tickets are not going to cost a fortune or I'll just go to Bangkok instead. And I'm not sure if it's going to be easy to get a ticket. Anyone running the event, please contact me about the details on ticketing (if you are interested to find volunteers, you can drop me a line too).

It's Visit Malaysia Year and there's no better way to promote our country than to have these top players playing in our country.