Next Event You Care About

What is the next tennis tournament* you actually really care about? Where you'll be actually following the results with more than a passing interest, where you actually care who wins, or where you might actually watch a match? Are you all set for Spain's trip to Canada coming up? Or had you not even heard of that and won't bother to watch until the next slam that comes around?

* professional, 250+, men's singles. Before anyone nominates the mixed doubles at their local club next week.

I voted for Vina del Mar because i'm curious to see how Rafa gets on.

But the next one I may try and watch is probably Rotterdam since Fed I believe is planning to defend his title.

IW for me being the first Masters event (1000 points).

My holiday, in two weeks.

I used to watch every tourny, nowadays though i've gotten deeply into cricket, soo tennis takes a lil backseat in terms of watching till the slams. I keep up with it if course...

falzy21 wrote:I used to watch every tourny, nowadays though i've gotten deeply into cricket, soo tennis takes a lil backseat in terms of watching till the slams. I keep up with it if course...

BOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOOO

Chile.

Indian Wells of course in fact I will be buying my tickets as soon. It is about 90 minute drive from my home here so I am thinking about going with a few friends and getting a hotel out there, a couple of good casinos and a lot great resturants, shopping, and bars in the Palm Springs area out there. To me IW as the first masters event and the biggest tournament in the entrire west coast of states is a big deal, and a lot of fun.

I may have told you in the past but I was coincidentally in San Francisco in 2011 for a business trip and I had to stay in San Francisco anyway over the weekend. I had a rental for business, so I decided to take the 8 hour drive to Indian Wells. I managed to get the tickets for the semi finals and final and women's final, although I bought them a few days before, only the upper tier was left. But the lower tier was pricey anyway, more than a slam.

I enjoyed it though. In some ways it was the start of Djokovic's real tear, although he had of course won the Australian Open and Dubai already that season.

like emancipator, Vina del Mar as I'm curious to see how Rafa gets on.

Other than that, Dubai is where at least two members of the top 4 next cross swords is it not? unless Murray is playing Rotterdam again?

Yes we had a nice conversation about Henman bill, I always bone up for first tier seats because in the early rounds a lot of the fat cat corporate types don't show up. So if you by seats in the first twenty or so rows and get passed the usher you can upgrade for free to like 3 or 4 row seats. I always go for the third round matches as they fall on a weekend. Just up the road in Palm springs there is a lot of good shopping, dining, and if you are into it casinos. San Francisco is a beautiful town isn't HB, too bad it is has such bloody cold weather.

Dubai
http://www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/Players/Player-Landing.aspx
Djokovic, Federer, Berdych, Del Potro.

Rotterdam
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Tournaments/Rotterdam.aspx
Federer, Del Potro, Tsonga, Gasquet

Let me check their own websites as well. Yes, their own websites all agree. Murray's next tournament is Indian Wells.

Does anyone have a link to Rafa's schedule. I guess Rome and Monte Carlo are pretty obvious for Rafa, but would be curious to know if he is playing Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid. Or has he not planned that far ahead. Tried his own website but didn't seem to work so well for me.

San Fran catches clouds and mists doesn't it, it is cooler than Indian Wells, Los Angeles, San Diego etc. Even it is cooler than Santa Clara/ San Jose I think. It's hardly freezing cold though, very fine climate.

I'm not sure beautiful is a word I'd use for San Francisco. Certainly for Golden Gate and maybe a few other areas and the skyline, but much of it is more grungy/indie. Parts of it, at least at night, are much more like Gotham City than Beverly Hills or Wisteria Lane, it is hardly the American dream. There are certainly some funny characters there.

Last time I was there I was chatting to a guy by the train station (after dodging two people about to start to fight in there) and he was drinking from a very large bottle of booze. I looked closely and he had opened the bottle by smashing it in half and half the bottle and random purple liquid was on the floor and he was drinking the other half through jagged glass. In San Francisco, this kind of character does not surprise me at all, they are not hard to find.

Henman Bill wrote:Dubai
http://www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/Players/Player-Landing.aspx
Djokovic, Federer, Berdych, Del Potro.

Rotterdam
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Tournaments/Rotterdam.aspx
Federer, Del Potro, Tsonga, Gasquet

Let me check their own websites as well. Yes, their own websites all agree. Murray's next tournament is Indian Wells.

Does anyone have a link to Rafa's schedule. I guess Rome and Monte Carlo are pretty obvious for Rafa, but would be curious to know if he is playing Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid. Or has he not planned that far ahead. Tried his own website but didn't seem to work so well for me.

even his website has given up

HB, yes SF is the endpoint for alot of people too crazy for the rest of the States. Although one could make an argument for the entire south. And the chinese food in china town frankly is the most overrated and pretty gross. Although fisherman's wharf does have great seafood, next time you are there check out Scoma's.

As for the weather well I am used to southern california weather, it was really funny a couple of weeks ago our weather dipped into the thirties, the lead story on all the local newscasts was about the "arctic" cold spell gripping and terrorizing our fair southland.

According to one post on one other forum, Murray was considering playing Delray Beach in February. I am not sure if it is true.

Swansea v The Mighty Bantams, Wembley 24th February

Will be keeping an eye on the scores of all tournaments, but would like to catch pieces of Rotterdam and IW if possible.

Silver I shall be at IW this year and sitting pretty close by so I can't wait for that one. I haven't been to too many tournaments but I always enjoy my experience there.

Colour me jealous, socal! I'd love to go to a Masters event some day. What is it about the event that you enjoy the most (versus others)? Make sure you wave if you spot a camera I guess all the big guns will be entering IW this year?

Well really it is the geographically closest masters event and I go most every year because it is about 90 miles away. But the desert has wonderful yet windy whether in the summer and the people who attend the events in tennis are not your typical sports fans. They are shall we be polite and say of a different class than football, basketball, or other types of crowds. I lost my wallet in one of the outside courts when changed seats and it was turned in with my cash credit cards and ID right away, nothing missing not one dollar. Plus I always get first tier seats in the early rounds and when the corporate types don't show up I freely upgrade myself from the 15 row or so up to the 2 or 3rd row. Watching these guys that close is really wonderful. I have only been to one other tournament in LA the 250 in the US open series so IW is my slam so to speak. I can't be bothered with NY as summer is a busy time of year for me.

Nadal out of Chile due to recurrent knee problems, my sources confirm.

My condolences IMBL very sad for the sport, he is a credit to the game it is a shame he has been so terribly hampered by injury.

Sad news if confirmed IMBL.

Really? He posted an hour ago on facebook that it was a great day to be training. Odd.

It Must Be Love wrote:Nadal out of Chile due to recurrent knee problems, my sources confirm.

Where did you hear that? Not on media anywhere I can see.

My sources tend to be ahead of the media.

Let's see if they are correct. Hopefully not.

The tour needs Rafa back ASAP, so let's hope your source is the not-wholly-reliable Uncle Toni

Really hope this isn't true, it would be a terrible shame and very worrying in the long-term.

socal, I have to say that sounds quite excellent. Have you seen any great matches there over the years that stand out? One thing that beggars belief is the corporate guys not taking their fill, but it seems to be the same case in all sports. Even the Olympics had a fair bit of it, as I recall it was big news over here. Still, can you imagine not being at Nole-Isner or Fed-Nadal last year if you had seats to see them?!

Mind you, I guess that it's the true fans that benefit from the inevitable upgrade, so long may it continue

Yes I haven't gone for a couple of years because I have been out of the country and since I go to third round and sit in center court I usually watch federer, Nadal, and Djokovic dismantle the other guy. This year I am going for two days and plan on just by the grounds pass to watch the outside courts for one of those days.

lags72 wrote:The tour needs Rafa back ASAP, so let's hope your source is the not-wholly-reliable Uncle Toni

No lol, my contacts aren't that high up the Nadal camp.

Surely a wind-up?

Hope it is not true about Nadal. Really looking forward to having him back.

BTW I am very jealous Socal!

bogbrush wrote:Surely a wind-up?

No, this is what I'm hearing.

Yeah Carrie, spring is the best time to be in Palm springs area it is going to be fun. I am more jealous of you guys you get queens, wimby, and the O2. We just have a crappy 250 in LA and the IW masters.

You get Newport 250 as well.

Newport 250? Newport is in Rhode Island IMBL, that is the like the distance of St. Petersburg Russia from London. I think you got the coasts mixed up. You guys in Europe definetly have a leg up for live tennis viewing. All your quaint little countries so snuggled up next to each other.

Yes it but's in the USA still lol.

‏@TheSliceTweets

Rafa has signed on for doubles with Juan Monaco in Chile and now with David Nalbandian in São Paulo! #doubletheRafa

I knew he was playing doubles with Monaco last week.
Didn't know he was planning with Nalbandian too, that would be good!

But let's see if he plays at all, today in training he was feeling discomfort in his knee while practising so his participation in Chile has been put into doubt.

Yes IMBL that is what Im hearing too. He still has pain in his knee.
Whether he plays or not it isn´t the start to the Clay season he was hoping for and certainly worrying for him and disappointing for his fans.

Where do you guys hear all this? Is it wooffie or her gang?

BB

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2013-01-29/11471.php

I am looking forward to a beer bash come this friday

Hmm. Thx for the link.

I suspect he'll be ok. It doesn't make sense to miss AO for a stomach thing then this. Time will tell.

According to the ATP site he wasn't down to be in the singles in Chile anyway.

CaledonianCraig wrote:According to the ATP site he wasn't down to be in the singles in Chile anyway.

Well, it looks like they may be wrong lol

Nadal is scheduled to play Chile, he is planning to fly out on the first of February.
However it's still in doubt as he is getting pain in his knee.
Let's see.

Pain in the knee at this stage in the game is really not a good sign at all if that is the case and we can verify that. I mean he had surgery a long time ago.

No he never had surgery.