My 2012 Hopman Cup Experience

Yeah, I haven't written for a long time. And so...this is my first blog post in 2012.

Oh, it's 2012 already? Happy (amazingly) belated New Year, Guys! *kicked*

I assume, if you're a tennis fan, you're now watching the Australian Open, right? Yes, today is the sixth day of the tournament. The best thing about the tournament is that I don't have to go to bed really late and wake up too early to watch the tennis (I always do that during American tourneys), and also that the tournament seems to be really fan-friendly. I hope to go there someday and join the fun with other spectators around the ground :)

I spent my holiday in Perth, again. Yeah, I think it's no secret that Perth is my favourite city in the world. My uncle lives there so it's very easy for me to find a place to stay. And I traveled there alone, again. Only this time I was not as worried as I was during my previous trip (I kept telling myself, "You're gonna meet Justine Henin. You're gonna meet Justine Henin. You're gonna meet Justine Henin," to calm myself--and I did meet her in fact :D). It's fun, Guys, to travel alone sometimes. You don't know what you're going to encounter on the way. In the plane from Bali to Perth, I met with this lady whose children are studying in Australia--one in Melbourne, another one in Perth (Curtin University--I want to study there too :D). We talked a lot and she was really friendly. I remember one thing she told me, "It is our destiny to meet in this plane; you happen to want to go to Curtin University and one of my children happens to be a Curtin student. There's no coincidence, don't you think?" Too bad I can't remember her name, but I do remember she was wearing a lavender-coloured dress though.

And yeah, I was in Perth to watch the Hopman Cup again! Last year I was so excited to meet Justine, my favourite player of all-time, and this year I was excited to meet Petra Kvitova, one of my current favourite players (the others being Maria Sharapova, Sabine Lisicki, Victoria Azarenka, Andrea Petkovic, Jelena Dokic, Sam Stosur, Laura Robson, etc.). There were also Marion Bartoli; Anabel Medina Garrigues, a very fine doubles player; Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the Lady Gaga of Tennis; Jarmila Gajdosova, one of Twitter's sweethearts; Li Na, one of the biggest headlines of 2011; the World No 1, who is the current World No. 1 (yeah, yeah); and Tsvetana Pironkova, 2010 Wimbledon Semifinalist. On the men's side there were Tomas Berdych, one of the cutest men on the ATP World Tour; Lleyton Hewitt, Aussie's always-favourite; Grigor Dimitrov, a very talented youngster; Richard Gasquet, whose backhand is one of the best shots ever; Fernando Verdasco, officially the hottest Spaniard on the Tour; Mardy Fish, USA's No. 1 player; Wu Di, China's best male tennis player; and Frederik Nielsen, grandson of 1953Wimbledon Runner-Up Kurt Nielsen. The lineup wasn't as glamourous as last year's (featuring Novak Djokovic, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, Francesca Schiavone), but still it was amazing.

The first session occurred on January 31, 2011. It was between China and France. I got a very good seat, I could see the players pretty clearly and also I could take a peek of the practice court. After each match ended, I waited under an interview box where winners of the matches got interviewed by Pat Cash, 1987 Wimbledon Champion who now is a television personality in Australia. After they finished the interview session, they would walk down the stairs to the locker room, and along the way they would sign autographs for so many fans gathering. I was among the lucky ones to get Li's autograph (days later, I watched the tennis on TV and spotted a girl with a grey RF cap and navy blue t-shirt grinning when Li signed her blue book--yeah, that was me).

After the match, I was picked up by my Aussie friend--I chat with her on Facebook almost everyday, and she is a die-hard Justine fan like me. She recognized me easily, and so did I--much to my surprise. I am lucky to have a friend like her--she's amazingly nice, friendly, protective, caring, and generous. I got to meet her mother and her sister--they asked me, "What time do you start school in the morning?"

"Seven," I said casually.

They were like, "SEVEN!?" I do think it was pretty funny. Yeah, it's very early, but...well, what can I do :p? They are all friendly and fun people. My friend then took me on a New Year's Eve cruise in Mandurah along with some of her friends. The cruise itself was amazing. Along the way I saw many beautiful lights and some fireworks, too. I reckon I almost cried at the time at disbelief and amazement that I finally got to catch up with one of my very good friends. Thank God, thank God, thank God...

One of the photos of the lights.

"'Cause Baby, you're a firework..."

I am still delighted every time I remember how I spent the last day of 2011 with my good friend. Looking forward to catching up with her again soon :D

Also, during the Hopman Cup, I finally found some courage to ask for a picture with a tennis player. Here are some:

Anabel, who sadly had to retire from her match yesterday against Li . 

Yeah, that photo came out blur. Blame Anabel's coach--or whoever that guy was.

The Great Margaret Court. Controversial yet still a legend.

Can you see my eyes in that picture? Yeah, neither can I.

Mardy. Didn't know that this guy was sooooo friendly!

Tsveti. This photo wasn't planned, but as soon as I spotted her after that day's session, I didn't hesitate. 

I've just realised that I might've interrupted her late-dinner at that time! Sorry, Tsveti :|

Two other players also willingly posed for my camera:

Lovely Jarka :)

Poor girl, she was crushed by Bartoli just a few hours before that photo was taken.

Silly Bethanie :) the friendliest I've met by far.

Here's the thing. One of my goals during the tournament is to take a picture with Petra Kvitova. Or Tomas Berdych. Or both. Because I supported the Czech Republic during the tournament. No, not because they were the No. 1 seed. I just really like both players, you know? Especially Petra, who has taken my heart since her run to Wimbledon Semifinals in 2010 (I still can't forgive myself for reckoning that she wouldn't win a Slam anytime soon at that time).

Boy, was it such a challenge. Every time I wanted to ask one of them for a picture, he or she would just go away for an interview session or something like that. I thought I would get one good picture after the Czech Republic vs Denmark tie, turned out they left the Dome sooner than I thought they would. Darn!

Finally, the day of the Final came. Petra encountered one heck of a challenge against Bartoli, and there I saw that if there's one thing Petra needs to improve, it's her mental strength. Meanwhile, Tomas couldn't convert the first few championship points against Gasquet--who played surprisingly well during the last games, until he finally converted one with an ace in the middle. I stood, watching in amazement as they were handed the trophy and the diamond tennis balls. They also posed with the Queen of the Tournament, Mrs Lucy Hopman. There was a bit of sad feeling when it was mentioned that this year was the last for Burswood Dome to hold the tournament--it will be moved to Perth Arena, a big stadium which is scheduled to be finished in mid-2012. I reckoned so many great moments have happened at the Dome, so many great players have played there. It was where I met my tennis hero for the first time. Also, I thought about the people who have worked so hard for the tournament in Burswood, they have given one heck of a service.

After the ceremony ended, I quickly came out of the Dome. It was one cold night, despite it being summer. I wandered in front of the Dome, seeing people coming out--Bartoli, Gasquet, Cash, umpires (Jake Garner, Emmanuel Joseph, Alison Lang, and one Aussie umpire whose name I don't remember) included. I just wandered there until there were only three people--myself included--in front of the Dome. I asked myself, "Will they ever come out of the Dome? Have they come out from another gate?" I was relieved to remember that there was no other gate.

Almost one hour passed and there was still no sign of the Czech team. I began to wonder if I needed to call my uncle to pick me up right away. I reckoned...well, maybe today wasn't the day for me to meet them. But somehow the voice in my head told me that I would regret if I just left. And also I began to hum one of my favourite songs, The Fray's "How to Save a Life":

Between the lines of fear and blame

You'll begin to wonder why you came

Yeah, I began to wonder why I came at the time.

Wandering, wandering, and wandering...

Until I saw three figures come out of the Dome. It took me a few seconds to finally realise that they were Petra, Tomas, and their coach. My eyes grew widened--like they did when I saw Justine enter the court last year. Two other people who had been there in front of the Dome took pictures with them and got some autographs, too. I used the time to set my camera properly. Then I asked them,

"Can I take a picture with...er, both of you?"

Well, two is better than one after all. They agreed. I gave my camera--that had been set properly--to their coach. He took one heck of a picture. They then left to the hotel where they stayed. As they left, I shouted, "Congratulations, Guys!"

When I saw the result of the picture, I fist-pumped and screamed inside. It is a GOOD picture. Very clear. No blur. I grinned all the way from the Dome to my uncle's apartment that people might think I was insane, but...who cares? I took a picture with the Wimbledon Champion and World No. 7!

I still grin every time I look at that picture. Wow, just wow. Still can't believe it, too. Last year I managed to get two autographs of Justine Henin, this year I got a picture with Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych. Some lucky tennis geek I am.

Oh, before I forget, here's the picture:

I have to admit I was a little bit intimidated. I mean...they're GIANTS!

And...one more thing. This photo made my friend's day, according to her:

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, oi, oi!

Two people told me they saw me on TV with my face like that. Well...that's something.