Pictures by Charlie Pages
Category: Tennis
Nadal and Gasquet: A smash in Malaysia!
KUALA LUMPUR—Richard Gasquet, the eighth best tennis player on this planet, could hardly believe his French eyes. He was standing on the baseline, in control of the point, when he lobbed a high ball above Rafael Nadal’s head. Surely, Gasquet thought, even if Nadal stands an imposing 6-foot-1, there was no way the Spaniard would retrieve the ball. But the three-time French Open champion spun a U-turn and sprinted for the baseline. And, just when the ball was a foot high from landing on the ground, he flicked an in-between-the-legs shot which zoomed across the net—for a winner! And that wasn’t on YouTube.
Nadal and Gasquet… LIVE!!!
Gasquet (right most) and Nadal with the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia (beside Nadal) at the Awarding Ceremony
Flying to Malaysia to see Roger and Pete
KUALA LUMPUR—Our Cebu Pacific flight 5J501 left for Manila at 9:10 p.m. last Sunday and landed at the KL Airport at 12:45 a.m. yesterday. The flight was, to borrow Thai Airways’ slogan, as smooth as silk.
From Cebu, on board the plane were myself and my wife Jasmin, top ophthalmologist Dr. Ronnie Medalle and his wife Steph, and Mark Aseniero and his wife Ding. Plus, there was a surprise Cebuano we met at the NAIA departure area: Vince Marc “Mac-Mac” Tabotabo. All of 10 years old, you’ve read the “TABOTABO” name publicized in these sports pages many times. He’s RP’s no.1 tennis player in the 10 and under category. Accompanied by his dad Titus and coach Dodong Ruelan, Mac-Mac (together with Nino and Sally Mae Siso and Jacob Lagman) will join four tennis events here in Malaysia.
In Boston, an avid spectator from Cebu
The Boston Celtics are 8-0. They own the NBA’s best scorecard. Last week, top Cebu rheumatologist Dr. Ronald Eullaran fulfilled his lifelong dream to watch “Larry Bird’s team.” Here’s Dr. Ron Eullaran:
“I was in Boston from Nov. 6 to 11 for our Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology at the new Boston Intl. Convention Center. The topics were great but we were more excited to watch the game between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. I have long been a fan of the Celtics since the era of Larry Bird. Visiting the Boston Garden is one of my dreams. Well, it became true last Wednesday, Nov. 9. Boston Garden, now named Banknorth Garden, is huge but it wasn’t difficult for me to spot the #33 jersey among the retired numbers that hung from the roof.
Shooting with the Stars
That’s Cecil Mamiit (2nd from the left) when we watched him at the Davis Cup event earlier this year at the Manila Polo Club. Mamiit, in case you didn’t know, is the country’s top bet in tennis. Although he grew up and resides in California, he’s come back home to represent his native Philippines.
Dr. Ronald Eullaran stands at the left-most. Dr. Ronnie Medalle is 2nd from the right and I’m the one at the right-most. I’ll be together with Dr. Medalle, one of Cebu’s top ophthalmologists, next week when we watch the Federer/Sampras and Nadal/Gasquet exhibition matches in Kuala Lumpur. Hope we can pose for a similar photo with those tennis greats named Roger and Pete.
Pete Sampras live? Roger on that!
I’m a tennis fanatic. I’ve walloped forehands and smashed volleys for 21 years. Watched Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg “Live at the Araneta Coliseum.” Saw Carlos Moya at the 2003 Thailand Open. I’ve never missed a tennis grand slam watch on Star Sports. Read 112 issues of Tennis magazine and gobbled up autobiographies of John McEnroe and Boris Becker. I am, as I said, a tennis freak.
Martina Hingis: Believe her or not?
She doped. Snorted cocaine. In the middle of Wimbledon last June, the 27-year-old Swiss Miss was routinely tested for drugs—like all athletes are—and, when the Sample “A” result came back, she was told, point-blank: You tested positive.
“Throughout my career, I have always been open and honest with you,” said Martina Hingis in a press conference three days ago. “I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous… My weapon on the tennis court is and always was one single thing: the game, the ingenuity on court. And for this style of tennis, there is only one performance enhancer – the love of the game.”
Federer Express Flies
Roger Federer is the year-end world no.1 for four straight years. With his win at the Swiss Indoors, he joins the rare company of Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl as the only male players to end the year ranked No. 1 four or more times since the ATP rankings started in 1973.
“It’s always emotional at the end,” said Federer. “I remember being here as a ball boy myself. I know 50 percent of the people working at the tournament. It’s nice to win again and go into the next year as No. 1 again.”
Nice Photo
Guess who it is…