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| 07 Mar 2010 | |
| BLOG: Filip flipped from player to writer |
 By Eli Weinstein in Bree
I was sitting at Olivier Rochus’ press conference, listening to the usual post match discussion. He was talking about past Davis Cup ties for Belgium, and then he says: “and at that one Fil was playing,“ as he looked at the guy sitting next to me.
So I say to myself: “Wow, a journalist who used to be a pro tennis player.“ And then it hit me. This guy was not just some former pro, it was Filip De Wulf, sitting in on the press conference, taking notes.
Some of you may ask: Who is Filip De Wulf? Very simple, he is one of the very few Belgian players to have gone deep in a Grand Slam, at least on the men’s side of the game.
In 1997, he reached the semifinals of the French Open as a qualifier and, in 1998, made it to the quarters. His best world ranking was No. 39 after his Roland-Garros semifinal run.
So, never at a loss for words, I had a chat with the guy, because it’s always surprising to see a former champion, working for TV, who actually bothers coming to a press conference and who even take notes. I mean imagine Johnny Mac taking notes at a John Isner presser. Gimme a break!
As it turns out, I made the wrong assumption. De Wulf isn’t a TV face at all, he’s in written press and has been for eight years now. He writes for the biggest Belgian daily “Het Laaste Neuws”. He started writing columns when he was injured and enjoyed it and now he does it for a living. He’s a freelancer and also writes for their website.
Obviously, he’s strictly tennis, and happy the Belgian girls are back, it gives him some work. We won’t tell the guys he said that.
Sweden’s tennis palace
By Lee Goodall in Stockholm
From the moment you walk into Stockholm’s charming Kungliga Tennishallen – the tennis club hosting this weekend’s Sweden-Argentina tie – it’s obvious it has played an important role in producing some of the country’s greats.
Founded in 1896 by King Gustaf V (it’s also known as the Royal Tennis Hall), the club he created now boasts an impressive membership that includes Robin Soderling, Thomas Enqvist, Thomas Johansson, Magnus Norman and the great Bjorn Borg, who grew up just a few miles from Stockholm in the small town of Sodertalje.
Another of Sweden’s greats, Lennart Bergelin, also developed his game as a junior at the club. He went on to win 62 Davis Cup rubbers and coached Borg to 11 Grand Slam titles between 1974 and 1981.
Borg forged a strong bond with the club in 1975 when, as a 19-year-old, he almost single-handedly delivered Sweden the first of its seven Davis Cup titles. The final was played inside the club’s purpose-built tennis hall and Borg won all three of his rubbers in straight sets as the hosts beat the visiting Czechs 3-2. Appropriately, Bergelin was team captain that day.
The events of 1975 are part of a very special relationship between Borg and the competition. The popular Swede still holds the record for the longest ever winning streak with 33 consecutive singles victories. Borg lost to Spaniard Manuel Orantes in 1973 and never lost another singles match in the competition until he played his last rubber in 1980. An incredible statistic!
As if to remind the visiting Argentine journalists of Sweden’s legacy in the sport, one of Borg’s old wooden Donnay rackets is displayed on the wall above their desks in the media room.
The Swedes were hoping this historic venue brings them a slice of luck on Sunday as they attempted to recover from a 2-1 deficit against Argentina this afternoon. But, alas, their Argentine visitors ruled with a 3-2 decision to move onto the quarterfinals.
Czech “Boules”
By Eli Weinstein in Bree
At the end of every practice session, the Czech team plays a little game on which they always have a wager - small, of course - going on. They all stand at the net and at turn roll their tennis ball towards the baseline. The closest ball to the baseline, without crossing over, wins.
The three that stand out amongst the entire squad are Radek Stepanek, Lukas Dlouhy and captain Jaroslav Navratil. And it should be said that Dlouhy is the grand champion of the week although he didn’t disclose his total earnings!
Is there no Champagne in France?
By Chris Bowers in Toulon
An Early Bath…
It would be an exaggeration to say the champagne was flowing in Toulon after France sealed its win over Germany on Saturday, but the players were spraying mineral water all around the place. They were also making celebratory use of the water out of the tap, too.
The French Tennis Association's president Jean Gachassin was thrown into the showers when he came into the locker room to congratulate the French team. As a former French Rugby International, he's no stranger to locker room baths and showers, but this time he was wearing a jacket-and-tie. All good business for the laundry service, no doubt.
But it does beg the question… Isn’t France the land of champagne? It can’t be possible that they’ve run out of the bubbly !
Thank God for the steak
By Eli Weinstein in Bree
On Friday evening, I enjoyed a very nice dinner with ITF staff, the referee and umpires of the tie. I ordered a steak that was cooked to perfection and hit the spot like a piece of meat should – I’m not sure vegetarians can understand this notion!
At the end of the meal everyone was thrilled and we even reserved for the following evening before having paid the bill. Fast forward to breakfast. I joined Jane Harvey, the tie referee, and I went through the usual protocol. “How did you sleep?”
“Fine, but Manu (Emmanuel Joseph, chair umpire) was sick all night, and Vicki (Vicki Fecci, ITF rep) also had a rough night and they both ate the same thing.” Jane responded. In fact, Manu did not even make it to the stadium on Saturday!
I sure am happy that I went with the steak and not the cooked carpaccio. But the crazy thing is that half of that group returned to the crime scene the following evening. I didn’t. Thank God all stories have a happy ending… Manu was back in the chair today for the match between Steve Darcis and Jan Hajek.
Musical jamming
By Sandra Harwitt
When the Bryan Brothers put down their tennis rackets there day of work is not usually over. That’s when they switch over to music. The self-taught musicians – Bob plays keyboards, Mike plays bass and drums – are serious about their musical career.
The twins have teamed up with singer David Baron – his father is Delray Beach International Championships Tournament Director Mark Baron – and recently released a CD ’Let It Rip.’ Lately, practically at every tour stop, the Bryans are rocking at a nearby club, doing covers of the Black Eyed Peas and Tom Petty.
Recently, however, the Bryans and Baron received the thumbs up from Andre Agassi to market a song they co-wrote, ‘Open My Heart’, which was inspired by some of the stick Agassi’s received for info revealed in his autobiography, 'Open'.
"The Agassi song, we sent it to him, and he liked it and said, ‘Go ahead and promote it as an Agassi tribute'," Mike said. "We put some stuff in there that we thought, maybe, he wouldn’t be okay with, but he was okay with it." The song will likely be released at a party during the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
The Bryans, however, have not lost sight of the fact that, at least for right now, tennis is their bread-and-butter. And they understand why other teams tend to break up, "It’s never your fault," said Bob, in way of explanation. "That’s human nature. You won’t ever see us doing that."
Not surprising… It’s not easy to doubles divorce your brother !
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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