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| 04 Mar 2010 | |
| BLOG: Novak's kind of town |
 By Craig Gabriel in Belgrade
After hanging around Belgrade for the last couple of days, I’m starting to wonder if the capital city is likely to be renamed, not to mention the country.
I’m feeling Belgrade might become “Novak” and the country, well that’s easy, it will be called “Djokovic.”
I tell you, the guy is everywhere!
It was quite an entertaining evening at the official dinner for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie between host nation Serbia and USA. Where was the entertaining dinner held? No surprise here – one of the two restaurants that Novak Djokovic owns, 'Novak Café-Restaurant'.
The restaurant was built at the venue that hosts the Serbian Open, an ATP Tour clay court tournament held just before the French Open in May. You guessed it... the tournament, which debuted last year, is owned by the Djokovic family and his uncle, Goran, is the tournament director.
The evening started with drinks in the “Business Club Room” that was reminiscent of a gentlemen’s club, complete with dark wood cabinets and chocolate brown leather settees. But far more striking in the room were the many trophies and awards that belong to Novak.
It was absolutely fascinating looking at them all... the Australian Open, the 2008 Olympic bronze medal from Beijing, the year-end Tennis Masters Cup hardware, and so many more.
In fact, I happened to notice a cabinet that would be the perfect size for a replica of the Davis Cup that the Serbs are desperate to win – a little advanced thinking?
The crowd went upstairs for a fabulous four-course dinner. The glassware - from water tumbler to wine goblets – was etched with Novak. As was the silverware. Even the bottled waters were signature drinks. Yup, you guessed it, “Aqua Novak!”
At one point, maybe I became a bit disoriented by all the “Novak” I was surrounded by: I called to a waiter for some water and when the guy turned around it was Novak. Oops!
All the “Novak” references were not lost on US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe, who had a bit of fun with it all in his captain’s speech. But he made sure to congratulate Djokovic on his achievements as it’s hard to ignore his stature in Serbia.
Entertainment was a live band that included Serbian dance routines. A great evening! The American’s are responding with an official function at the home of the Ambassador. Should be cool. Maybe the towels in the washroom will have “The Bryans” emblazoned on them – NOT!
Just getting back to the renaming of the city and country, okay maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. How about the “Novak Djokovic International Airport” as an option! And that is not a stretch at all, Novak Djokovic is idolised here, and he is their biggest export.
Footy for luck
By Richard van Poortvliet in Moscow
Professional sporting teams have different ways of preparing for upcoming big events and the Russian Davis Cup team is no different.
It’s true that many teams might most commonly spend hours watching videos of their opponents or discussing tactics, but Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev’s long standing tradition is to have the team relax by playing football before an important tie.
The weather in Moscow, the Russian capital, is not really conducive to footy, or soccer if you’re so inclined. It’s just a few degrees above freezing and good luck to anyone in finding a single blade of grass.
This city is completely covered in a white blanket of snow, but this hasn’t stopped Mikhail Youzhny and the rest of the team to taking to an outdoor pitch, of which there are over a dozen at the sprawling Luzhniki complex where the Davis Cup tie is taking place. Igor Andreev for one is a fan of the football unwinding ritual, saying it helps him to relax.
The football outings do come with a caution flag: Bone crunching tackles aren’t the order of the day. However, Shamil and pretty much anyone they can find are quite prepared to have a friendly kick around. They’d likely even welcome their opponents to join in if they wanted to contest on more than a tennis court.
Someone who certainly won’t be joining the football fun is Leander Paes, who was more fearful than most of arriving in Moscow in the depths of winter. He’s taken extra precautions, travelling with a wardrobe fit for an Antarctic expedition.
And it’s going to get worse for the Indian doubles legend – Spring might be right around the corner, but Sunday’s forecast is for temperatures as low as minus ten!
Copy cat
By Clive White in Logrono
It has long been Stanislas Wawrinka’s dream to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious fellow Swiss, Roger Federer.
While it’s no secret Wawrinka, who is leading Switzerland’s Davis Cup efforts against Spain this weekend, still has a way to go before replicating the latter’s achievements on the tennis court, he, too, has now fathered a baby girl.
Of course, Federer the Great never does things by halves, so he still has the upperhand on Wawrinka after having twin baby girls – Charlene and Myla, who were born last July.
Stan’s wife, television presenter Ilham Vuilloud, gave birth to Alexia on 12 February, and both mother and daughter are doing well. How well his tennis is doing we are about to find out because due to the birth he’s not played a competitive match since losing to Marin Cilic in the third round of the Australian Open six weeks ago.
Whatever the outcome it will have been worth it, though. So, can we take it for granted that about 20 years from now Switzerland will have one heck of a Fed Cup team?
Well, apparently, not necessarily: “I’m not sure my daughter will play tennis – we’ll see,” said Wawrinka, suggesting a tennis path might not always be ideal. But surely if she showed an inclination to play the game, he would encourage it. “I don’t think so, but I have time to think about it.”
Perhaps if Roger’s twins show some promise in that direction, Stanislas will relent. Let’s hope so, if only for Switzerland’s sake.
Notes from a weekend in France
By Chris Bowers in Toulon
An ill wind…
The weather on the fabled ‘Cote d’Azur’ stretch of the south coast of France can be beautiful, even in the first week of March, but the French Tennis Federation (FFT) was thanking its lucky stars it opted to play its Davis Cup tie against Germany indoors in Toulon.
Storm-force winds buffeted the coast on Wednesday night, causing bumpy landings at Marseille airport and vicious waves at sea. One cruise liner sailing from Barcelona to Greece was hit by waves that broke windows and had to put in an emergency stop in the port of Marseille.
Striking the right note...
The draw for the France v Germany tie took place in the Toulon opera house, a classic building with red velvet seats, painted cherubs, and four tiers in the best operatic tradition. It was, therefore, appropriate that Wagner was in the house. Not the great German composer Richard Wagner, but Heinz Wagner, the vice-president of the German Tennis Federation.
Normally the visitors’ speech would be made by Georg von Waldenfels, the association’s president, but his arrival was conveniently delayed, allowing Wagner to offer his recitative.
Swiss missed...
A French satirical television programme decided to have some fun at the draw after observing that all four players of the French team are domiciled just across the border in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
The crew from the 'Action Discrète' programme dressed up in Swiss flags and asked the French team whether, in the absence of Roger Federer, they could be adopted as the new Swiss team. One member of the crew took the stunt a little too far and was evicted for being too rowdy, but the French players took the joke in good spirit.
Croatia’s baroque capital braces for Davis Cup thrills
By Zoran Milosavljevic in Varazdin
Varazdin is often referred to as Croatia’s baroque capital for its stunningly beautiful buildings in the city centre, but its tourist attractions will take a back seat this weekend as local fans prepare to flock to a newly-built sports arena for the home team’s tie with Ecuador.
This will be even more so as pouring rain and sleet are likely to drive tourists and local dwellers indoors, meaning that Croatia can bank on a capacity 5,000 home crowd for their first ever Davis Cup meeting with the Ecuadoreans.
It is also a rare opportunity for tennis fans in Varazdin to see the country’s top player Marin Cilic in action, as the world No. 9 hopes to lead Croatia to Davis Cup glory again – they won the coveted Cup in 2005.
Once the weather gets better, visitors should take every opportunity to enjoy Varazdin’s rich cultural heritage. The Town Museum, located in the old part of the city, which lies 60 miles of north of Croatia’s capital Zagreb, offers a selection of lively local and foreign-made paintings.
The museum is surrounded by an old fort which fended off an Ottoman invasion in the 16th century, while the city centre is known for its 18th century palace and the impressive Town Hall, a towering baroque building epitomising the city’s sightseeing attractions.
Trunk down, Down Under
By Sandra Harwitt
Everyone knows that an elephant pictured with a trunk up is considered a sign of good luck. But what to make of a live elephant, trunk down, that picks up a tennis ball with your name on a piece of paper inside it?
Bernard Tomic, making his Davis Cup debut against Chinese Taipei in the 2010 Asia/Oceania Zone Group I this weekend, will soon find out if that delivers good fortune.
Tennis Australia picked the Melbourne Zoo as the unique scene of the draw for their Davis Cup tie this weekend. The best prop was an elephant who selected a ball with his trunk to determine which match will go off first, which certainly provided a cheery atmosphere.
Tomic turned out to be the elephant’s random choice, giving him the honor of playing the first rubber in the series. Time will tell for Tomic whether being plucked by an elephant is a sign of luck or just puts you in the muck.
Watch the elephant in action…
BLOG EDITOR...
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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