 Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 06 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 06 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 06 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 06 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 06 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |
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| 06 Dec 2009 - Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona - Sandra Harwitt | |
| BLOG: Groovin' to the beat |
One way to find out what kind of guy your favorite player is to take a glimpse at their musical taste.
During the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Hinal here in Barcelona the players walk on to the court to music of their own choosing. Curious as to what each player wanted for their introduction song. Wonder no more – here’s the list.
The Spanish team:
Rafael Nadal asked for “Live is Life,” the biggest hit from the Austrian band Opus
David Ferrer rocked out to “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC
Fernando Verdasco selected Dixie Rock in “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon
Feliciano Lopez went for “Peter Pan” by El Canto Loco
And captain Albert Costa was apparently expecting to feel lightheaded from a victorious weekend, so he picked “Vertigo” by U2.
The Czech team:
Radek Stepanek walked on court to “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor
Tomas Berdych has edgier taste with “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns & Roses
Jan Hajek went to the court to face Nadal to “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay
Lukas Dlouhy was all about “Numb” by Linkin Park featuring Jay Z
And captain Jaroslav Navratil chose the darker “Streets of Philadelpia” by Bruce Springsteen.
Woody Allen, Davis Cup style
All week long those of us in the Media Room have been laughing about the perfect, purely-by-accident names of the two Spanish public relations staff personnel. Vicky, Christina, and they’re in Barcelona!
Yes, what marvelous symmetry that Woody Allen’s sensational 2008 movie -- “Vicky, Christina, Barcelona” – starring Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem would translate so well to this Davis Cup press room.
Of course, there was no re-enactment of two 20-something friends summering in Barcelona and having love affairs happening in the press room, not only because it’s winter! But Vicky, Christina, and their co-worker Marc, deserve a shout out for a job well-done in running a smooth media operation all weekend long.
Classy dudes
Hats off to Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer for living up to their responsibilities!
I’ve been privileged to attend many Davis Cup ties throughout my career and very often the key players will take the option of not playing meaningless dead rubbers.
And to be honest, even if Nadal and Ferrer benched themselves the fans would unlikely have been unhappy with the substitution of Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez. The great advantage of Spain: all of their players are stars!
But the classy Nadal certainly had to know that the 16,000 fans bought tickets to see Nadal, so he happily went out and played for the crowd. Let’s hope more players take note of the sporting gesture of Nadal and Ferrer and follow suit in the future.
The Czech’s did swap out there line-up, which made for a good experience for Jan Hajek and Lukas Dlouhy.
Nadal captured a 64 63 win over Hajek, who was playing only his second Davis Cup singles match. Ferrer closed out the 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final with a 5-0 shut-out after beating Dlouhy 6-4, 6-2.
Final Czech check-in
Although he didn’t play on Sunday, Radek Stepanek took time to stop into the media room for a few final thoughts on the weekend. He amiably chatted with the Czech media and then offered a few words to www.daviscup.com.
“For us, it was a disappointing weekend,” Stepanek said. “We came here to fight for our chance to win the Davis Cup. But we have to say the Spanish team was very strong for us in front of a home crowd and on clay.
“They had everything on their side, and we did fight with everything we had, for our pride, and we can keep our head up. We all enjoyed playing this final in front of such a crowd and the atmosphere was just amazing.”
Stepanek said he had no vacation plans for the off-season as it’s too short to take time to relax and be ready for next year. He is going to head back to his home in the Tampa area of Florida to train.
A little shopping
No vacation is a real vacation without a little time to shop for a few souvenirs to take back home.
Barcelona is certainly no different in that respect and there’s no lack of offerings – leather in the form of purses and shoes is very much Spain in case you’re looking for a hint.
Along the commercial Avenida Diagonal, there are quite a few shops including the flagship department store of Barcelona – El Corte Ingles.
If you’re looking for high-end designers with a walk reminiscent of Les Champs Elysee head for the Passeig de Gracia - be sure to take note of the two Gaudi apartment houses located on the street - the Casa Batilo and the Casa Mila “La Pedrera.”
Another cool place to wander through shops is the old Gothic quarter off Las Ramblas. Facing the port, when you reach the Casa Bruno Quaadros on your left - it’s easy to recognize from the dragon and umbrellas that adorn the building - turn left and wander through interesting shops and can make your way to The Cathedral. Pay the minimum fee inside for an elevator trip to the roof of the cathedral – the view of Barcelona is worth the ride!
There’s so much more to do in Barcelona that it’s a guarantee you won’t get bored if you put this grand European city on your must-see list of places.
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER...
 Sandra Harwitt
Sandra, an American sportswriter for longer than she's willing to admit, has travelled the world to cover tennis for major publications, such as ESPN.com, The Miami Herald, and Associated Press. Her biggest problem of late is managing to pack worldwide purchases into suitcases and still meet the airline weight restrictions.
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