brisbane tennis 2009, part I

i'm back from this brand new tournament and tennis centre in australia... with blisters on my feet. i'm not a public transport type, and it's altogether too much walking for me (especially with the shoes that i'd got :()

but as you can see, there's plenty of shade around the grounds. the centre court and courts 1 and 2 have roofs on them, although they don't give shade to the seats on 1 and 2.

or should i say, seats on 3 and 4? somehow the architects had forgotten to design spaces in between courts so that seats could be placed... so the spectator stands on courts 1 and 2 are actually standing on courts 3 and 4. the other outside courts are all fenced in, and spectators (including the players' coaches and cheer squads) had to watch outside the door/fence, using whatever seating they could find. (or simply, stand)

it's now time i should give you some photos of players, or you'll be all gone in a sec...

who is this cool lady player? here at the tennis centre, there's a handy shaded area where you can watch players come and go (to courts).

the guy in sunnies is juan carlos ferrero, ready for a picnic in the sun... not. he appeared pleased with a gift from a devoted fan :)

officials pinning the new atp logo onto the net - another new invention this year

richard gasquet spotted at a balcony overlooking court 1, where benneteau and ginepri were battling it out. richard was busy with a few things...

... like hand-signalling to someone at a distance (while eating his lunch, and using his phone).

this is marcos baghdatis. appearing courtesy of a tournament wild card, marcos was given the superstar treatment by his many fans. lucky they caught him early, as marcos didn't get to stay on for long...

this is one of the official paper cut-out... djokovic in the 'atp logo' pose.

another people-watching interlude and i caught camille pin, one of VTP's favs... why are all frenchies always on the phone?

camille pin in practice. is this the first time i show you a practice court? see the shadow of the fence in the foreground, and you understand why.

more later...