When the Stars Go Practicing
When Rafael Nadal is practicing in Madrid, approaching the practice court is only an adventure for the most fearless of fans, to say the least. On Saturday he could be seen training with Andy Murray and Carlos Moyá. Not only was their practice court absolutely packed but every place in the premise from where one could spot that court was taken. The same happened when Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka appeared to hit a few shots. But nothing occurred on Saturday that compared to what happened on Sunday, the day main draw play began on the men's side. First, Federer jumped on court to hit with Xavier Malisse. Both that court and the one in front of his became packed within minutes. An hour or so later, Nadal and Moyá appeared on the adjacent court and the crowd went wild. No matter your condition, a fan is a fan. One "very" pregnant woman was shouting, "be careful, I'm pregnant," as she was trying to approach the front row to have a chance to get Nadal's autograph.
Other odd couples seen practicing together during the weekend were: Richard Gasquet and Potito Starace, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Santiago Giraldo (maybe that was the key, later in the day, to Tsonga's success against clay court specialist Nicolás Almagro), Gael Monfils and Albert Montañés, Ivan Ljubicic and Marcos Baghdatis, and Ivo Karlovic and Yen-Hsun Lu. And Jurgen Melzer risked his life when he received a smash to his head from his practice partner, Andy Roddick.
Draw Ceremony
Three generations of Spanish tennis players presented the ATP draw: Tournament Director, Manolo Santana, player liaison Carlos Moyá, and Nicolás Almagro, who just entered the Top 10 for the first time.
As the names were being automatically drawn on the giant screen, a few questions popped up in my mind: Will Almagro, who was the only player to take a set off Nadal in 2010's tournament, be able to reproduce last year's success? Will King of Clay Nadal finally receive a successful challenge, perhaps from Novak Djokovic, still unbeaten in 2011? Two of the three active players that have beaten Nadal on clay, Roger Federer and Robin Soderling, are on his side of the draw, while the second most in-form player so far in the clay season, David Ferrer, was drawn in Djokovic's quarter.
Unexpected Exits
We've already witnessed a few upsets. Nicolás Almagro was thoroughly beaten by Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Other players who are also preparing their luggage are: Ana Ivanovic, Stanislas Wawrinka, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Flavia Pennetta.
After a cold and rainy Saturday, Sunday ended up being sunny and bright. Let's hope it'll stay like that for the whole week.