Who else are here for Beijing Olympics 2008?

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)

Mirka looking bored again

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?

(Images via Reuters)

E-book: Journey to Beijing - Tennis Celebrates the Olympics

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.”

Click on this link to view ‘Journey to Beijing – Tennis celebrates the Olympics'.

(Via ITF)

David Nalbandian is in Beijing but could miss the Olympics

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)