My experiences at Indian Wells 2018

I just spent 17 days in Palm Springs volunteering at the amazing Indian Wells tennis tournament for the fourth year.  As always it was an incredible experience filled with great tennis, sunshine, palm trees, and fun times as a volunteer.

Let's get the frustrating part out of the way first.  Probably 98% of the people who read this blog are Federer fans.  That means that the way the final ended between Federer and Del Potro was painful.  Sure, we can be happy for Delpo winning his first Masters 1000 after all his wrist surgeries, and we can say Roger never truly found his best game at IW.  However, after fighting back in the second set (which involved anger on both sides and intense conversations with the chair umpire) in an extremely tight tiebreak to stay in the match, it seemed like maybe he had the momentum to be able to get it done.  When he finally went up a break in the third and attempted to serve it out he ended up at 40-15.  How often have we seen him serve an ace to take the match?  In this case, though, that was only a dream as we saw eventually three championship points go by the wayside.  When he got broken I had the terrible feeling that was it.  And, in fact, my premonition was true as he managed to get it to another tiebreak, but played one of the worst possible, to finally see Juan Martin Del Potro raising his arms in victory.  As one who watched the match live, all prepared to jump to my feet as he won the tournament, it was extremely deflating to see it slip away.  Ok, phew, that's over.  It will always be painful, but there are more tournaments to play and win to add to his incredible achievements.

Now on to my experiences.  For those who aren't aware, I have been volunteering in transportation for four years, meaning I work eight 6 hour shifts over the course of the tournament driving anyone from players to coaches to ATP/WTF officials to commentators to line judges to special guests.  It's the luck of the draw as to who I drive, and some are boring and others are very fun/special.  This year some of my notable ones were Borna Coric, Monica Puig, Cameron Norrie, Sam Gore (ESPN commentator who was working the world feed) along with Nick Lester, Felix AA's coach, a high up ATP rep, one of the well known female line judges, members of Gladys Knight's team (she rode in my friends car, but she smiled at me 😊) plus many others.  I had some great conversations with many of them.  It's always special to get to talk to people who work in the tennis world, which to me seems like a dream job.

A special part of the tournament this year was that, as defending champion, a portrait of Roger was unveiled with him being part of the ceremony.  Being the Fed fan that I am, I knew to get there early, meaning I had a front row view (albeit, still blocked by the media people inside the fence).  Here are a few pictures from that event.   

As a volunteer I am able to go into the lower bowl of the stadium for free until the final weekend in a particular section.  If the actual ticket holder of that seat comes, we move to another free seat.  For a time during one match I had a seat in the very front, diagonal from the back of the court.  It was awesome because when Roger was on that side I could actually lean over and yell encouragement, knowing he could actually hear me!  

 I went to several practices.  Unfortunately I was always in the wrong place for getting an autograph or selfie, which I would have loved, but we can't have everything I suppose! 😄 One hilarious thing that happened during one of the practices was when Roger walked over toward the fence to get a ball while he was still practicing and everyone in the crowd stood up and moved towards the fence thinking he was coming over to sign autographs.  He got a look on his face like "What's wrong with you guys?"  Then he was smiling for a while after that.

My most special experience of the tournament was the interaction I got to have with Roger's dad, Robbie Federer.  He already knows me from having driven him and Lynette from the airport last year, talking to him in London in November during Roger's practice, and emailing him several times with some information he asked me for.  I saw him on the grounds early in the tournament and went over to talk to him and we ended up chatting for about 20 minutes while watching some matches on the big screens.  He gave me a kiss on the cheek at the end, which was so sweet.  I talked to him several times and also got this special picture with him and Lynette.

 I got to meet up with several twitter friends, which is always really fun to have personal experiences to go along with the online interaction, so thanks for that you all!

So another wonderful 2 1/2 weeks has come to a close once again and the tour moves on, but I have some incredible memories to add to my existing ones.  We'll see where the tennis world brings me next!

Why is Roger Federer so loved?

In the last weeks Roger Federer has not only defended his Australian Open title, getting to 20 majors, but has also returned to #1 in the world.  There surely must have been a million articles already written on these amazing feats so why should I bother to write another one?  That's why I thought I would come from another angle - reiterating some of the qualities that make this man so very special.  So here are some in no special order.  We already know them, but sometimes it's fun to be reminded.

- He doesn't think of himself as anything too special - he's just a normal guy growing up in a normal family, normal town, normal country.

- Even though he doesn't think of himself as too special, he treats everyone else as if they are, whether an average fan (like when I got my picture taken with him in an area where I wasn't even supposed to ask him, yet he still wanted to check to make sure the pictures had turned out), someone in the media, or other players, whatever their rank.

- He is loved by other players so much that he continues to win the Sportsmanship award year after year after year, both by the way he acts on court and also off court, with great respect towards everyone.  I have heard multiple stories of him reaching out to players who are injured, encouraging someone after a bad loss, or just remembering details about their lives.

- He not only gives press conferences in multiple languages in spite of how busy he is, but he takes time to give thoughtful responses and explanations, in spite of being asked the same questions over and over again.

- He obviously loves his wife and children so much and puts them first.  He has said multiple times that if Mirka didn't want him to keep playing he would stop right away (thankfully for us she loves it as much as we do, always cheering for him and taking picture after picture).  And his kids are the pride of his life.  I remember him saying when his boys were quite young that he couldn't stop kissing them. So sweet!

- He gives much credit to his parents for who he is and for all that he has been able to accomplish.  They often travel with him and have much to do with running the Roger Federer Foundation.  Having spent some time with them myself, they are wonderful people, very down to earth.

- He is concerned for those living in poverty, giving his own funds plus time out of his schedule for charity matches to raise money for his foundation, which provides education for impoverished children in Africa and Switzerland.  He has also taken several trips to Africa himself to see how the funds are being used.

- He's not afraid to let the world see his emotions.  While some might look at this as a weakness, to me this shows how much it all means to him, in spite of all that he has accomplished.  I find it beautiful.

- The reason he keeps playing, in spite of all the records he holds, money he's made, etc., is his genuine love of the game, which shows in everything he does.  Being a lover of tennis myself, it makes me happy to see how much he loves it.

- He has a great sense of humor and isn't afraid to be silly.  From bongo drums to dancing with Mickey to making jokes with Jim Courier, his joy for life just comes through.  Many of the players comment on what a funny guy he is.

- All of this and we haven't even talked about his beautiful tennis, gliding around the court like a ballet dancer, coming up with shots still after all these years that no one has ever seen before, that makes those who have seen it all still gasp in appreciation.

I'm sure there is much more I could have written - this is basically just off the top of my head.  He is so loved around the world for so many reasons and I wanted to give appreciation in writing while we wait for his next appearances.
 

Thoughts before the final, plus some London memories

As we prepare for another grand slam final for the amazing Roger Federer, I thought I would take a few minutes to write down some thoughts, since it's been a while.

Though I was eager for 2018 to start, I must admit to being a little nervous.  I mean, after some years of struggle with no major wins, injuries and the 6 month break, the dream year of 2017 happened to the great delight and surprise of many, with two majors and three masters wins, along with some incredible emotions to go along with joyful moments.  It's hard not to have the expectations high again, which leaves room for bitter disappointment.  So far, though, there has been no disillusionment whatsoever, as we've seen Roger march to the final yet again, but this time with no sets lost.  What's not to love?


I've thought several times over the past year what it would have been like had Roger not won in the final last year.  Seriously, he was down a break in the 5th; it looked inevitable.  What would have been different?  Well, Nadal would have come much closer to his major record, creating more stress to at least get one more.  Also, what would it have done to his confidence?  Going into the quarter of death in the Indian Wells tournament it's hard to think he would have had what it took to get through that, especially having to beat Rafa again.  But look what happened instead?  What a blessed year it was!!

So when I think about this upcoming match I can do it with much less stress.  Will I still be extremely nervous, talking to my TV in the middle of the night, and feeling incredibly disappointed if Cilic ends up on fire?  Of course - that's just part of being a Federer fan.  I would absolutely love to see him hold up that trophy again and get to 20 (TWENTY!!!) major titles (good grief, that's ridiculous).  But if it ended up happening that he doesn't win it, to me it holds much less importance.  I don't think it would affect his confidence level to not have this trophy or affect the rest of his year in any way, which I do think would have happened somewhat last year.  He proved that he can still come in fresh after his successful year last year, not even dropping a set.  So I'm hoping I can enjoy the final more this year without the intense stress and feelings of almost despair if he were to lose.  All that said, though, I have high hopes for the outcome of this match.

On another note, I never ended up writing a post about my amazing trip to London for the ATP finals.  It was a sensational time all the way around.  Being in Europe my first time, seeing some of the sites of London, taking a tour of Wimbledon (highly recommended), feeling like a pro using the public transportation around London, and of course a lot of great tennis matches at the O2 arena, including watching Roger live.  A huge highlight was getting to meet quite a few of my twitter friends, which was an absolute pleasure!!  And, one of my favorites memories, after going to say hi to Lynette, Robbie and Mirka Federer and talking briefly to Tony, two days later I got to visit with Robbie Federer during the whole of Roger's practice.  What a very special experience!  Then followed a few emails back and forth when I got home after he asked me for some advice on something related to travel in the U.S.  It was a wonderful time in every way and I'm so glad I took the opportunity to experience something so special.

Looking forward to hopefully writing a very happy post after another AO win!

Random thoughts before Roger's season ends

Do you guys mind if I just ramble a bit?  I meant to write a blog post after Roger's win in Basel, saying something along the lines of......
As every Federer fan is more than aware, Roger won his hometown Basel tournament for the 8th time, claiming his 7th title of the season and his 95th career title.  When I was thinking about writing a blog post I thought, what more can I possibly write that hasn't already been said about this incredible man, his career, and his supremely amazing 2017 season?  It's been an absolutely wild ride that I never would have dared to imagine.

I never ended up getting it written, though, and life is moving on. For example, we had the joyous and hilarious experience of seeing Roger play an exhibition match in Glasgow Scotland to help Andy Murray raise money for Unicef in which he ended up wearing a kilt provided from a woman in the crowd.  He has a way of just making things so much fun!  After much laughter, I still kept randomly smiling all day long just thinking about it.

The biggest focus in my mind right now, however, is that (wait for it).... I'M GOING TO LONDON!!!  I have never been anywhere in Europe, so this is exciting in itself, but the big reason I'm going right now is because I want to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can to watch Roger play live.  These are the kinds of moments that make special memories that last a lifetime and I don't want to someday regret that I missed out.  So my tennis friend and I are taking a big trip for the sheer pleasure of watching some amazing tennis, while taking what time we can to explore London a bit (for example, we plan on taking a tour of Wimbledon, which I'm excited about - Roger, do you want to come show us around?).  We have tickets to each round robin session and then head home on the day of the semis (in which I will be dying to know what's going on!).  It would be so special if Roger could finish off this incredible year with another win at the ATP finals, but regardless, seeing him play at such an amazing tournament that he's had great success at will be so worth it.  No one knows how much longer he will play, not even Roger himself, but let's enjoy each and every moment we have to experience this extremely talented and supremely special person.

Roger caps off superb week in Shanghai with 94th title

Remember the days when the head-to-head between Federer and Nadal was 23-10 in favor of the Spaniard?  When it seemed that he was in Roger's head so much that it didn't appear there was any way to right the ship?  I admit that Fedal match still strike some fear in my heart, but who would have ever believed that victories would be 4-0 Federer for 2017, and five in a row all together?  That he would beat him in a major final and two Masters 1000s, in a year that has been equally impressive for both as to the titles they have won?  And that by October their H2H would be 23-15?  I still have to pinch myself sometimes to believe the happenings of this glorious year for Roger aren't really just a dream.

Nadal has been on a roll this fall, winning the US Open and Beijing and looking quite fierce as he moved into the final in Shanghai.  In comparison, Federer sustained a back injury in the final of Montreal and then struggled in the US Open before his loss in the quarters.  I must say I wondered if his amazing results from the first half of the year were over.  However, Roger being Roger, he knew what he needed - time to let his body recover and then proper preparation to get himself into good form.  Arriving early in Shanghai he got himself into the tennis form he was hoping for, which improved more and more as the matches went on.

By the time he got to the final, in spite of a late match the night before, he knew what he needed to do in order to beat his biggest rival; the same thing he has been doing all year, playing aggressive, hitting glorious FH and BH winners, and serving out of this world.

Roger is now tied for second place for number of titles won with Ivan Lendl at 94.  Though 109 (Jimmy Connors) still seems a long way off, 100 is certainly getting closer.  There are a potential three more tournaments he could play this year.  I would think he would play in his home tournament in Basel, but I'm rather hoping he chooses to not play in Paris, though it would get him closer to catching Nadal at #1.  However, he has already stated that the ATP finals in London are his priority and for him to be at his best his body needs to be 100%.  Can you imagine him capping off this unbelievable year with a win there?  2017 has already been a miracle year for him - that seems an appropriate way to finish it!  And I have tickets for all the round robin sessions with my first trip to Europe.  London calling!

Federer back to himself in 3rd round win

Lately I haven't been writing many blog posts in the middle of tournaments, but I'm feeling so many emotions after Federer's third round win that I just have to get them out.

Roger's US Open started rather unexpectedly.  After a back injury in the final in Montreal and then pulling out of one of his most successful tournaments in Cincinnati, his first couple rounds in New York were less than stellar, both going to a very surprising five sets. It was easy to be concerned about the back, which he said he was nervous about in his first round. After his very up and down second round, though, even though it went five sets, I was relieved to hear him say afterwards that he never thought about his back.  His explanation was that since he had been rehabbing his back right up to the start of the tournament, he didn't have time to do the intense preparation he would have normally done before a major and that he would play better after playing 10 sets to start.

I chose to believe him, though I know some were still doubting, but the big test would be his third round match against veteran Feliciano Lopez. 12-0 head to head record or not, nothing could be taken for granted. However, Roger came out very focused, looking very intent on making this an easy win. Sure, it would have been better if he hadn't been broken back in the third set, but overall he proved once again that he indeed knows what he's talking about! He looked much more free in his service games, fluid overall and like he had found his rhythm. In his first two matches he made so many uncharacteristic errors, but he seems to have righted himself and to be back to the real Roger once again.

All that I've written may seem very obvious, and if so I'm sorry but I simply had to share it.  Not sure what the rest of this crazy tournament will hold, but Roger is once again in the second week of a major, and who knows what can happen from here?  Fingers crossed for a great final week.  Still believing for #20.

Are we dreaming? Federer continues to amaze

As the dust settles on another Wimbledon fortnight and the hype and excitement of Roger Federer's 8th title there begin to fade just a little bit, it's time to share some of my own thoughts on these incredible happenings.

A year ago we were mourning his announcement that he would not only miss the Olympics but all the rest of 2016.  What did it all mean?  Would he every regain his form to challenge the top guys again, let alone win not just titles, but grand slams?  No one knew, not even Roger.  He didn't win a title all of 2016.  I guess if he had to be stuck at a title number, 88 was a good one, but I was starting to question how many more he could even win.

Have you ever had a dream that, while a bit strange, also seemed so real that the next day you ask yourself "Did some of that really happen, or was it all just a dream?"  In a way that's what the past six months of Roger's career feels like.  Did he really win the Australian Open, beating Nadal after being down a break in the 5th set?  Well, I've watched it a million times on my DVR so I know it must be real.  How about winning Indian Wells a little over a month later, beating Rafa quite handily on the way to the title, and overcoming the "quarter of death?"  I watched that one in person from the second row so I know it's true, experiencing some heaven-on-earth moments over the couple weeks I was there.  But Miami - really??  Maybe that one is a dream.  I mean, come on, the guy is 35 years old, came back from a six month break, gets to another Masters 1000 final and beats Nadal FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR to win his third big title in a row. Crazy!

Disbelief in Miami

As always, Roger is so wise in his scheduling.  Though we missed him during clay, which I always grit my teeth and just through anyway, he knew how much he can handle at this stage of his life, and he knew what his real goal was - his beloved grass (plus, by missing the clay season it meant he could come to Seattle for another dream experience for me).  Sure, there were some questions when he lost in his first match in Stuttgart.  But even dreams aren't perfect.  I think it was a good wake-up call, however, because he then went on to cloud 9 in Halle and, of course a perfect Wimbledon, not losing a set in either tournament.

So the dream continues.  Seeing his joy holding the trophy, seeing the tears come when he saw his kids in the audience, watching all the hugs from family, royalty (tennis & otherwise) and friends was so endearing, I just couldn't stop smiling.  So Roger is now the holder of 19 (did you get that - NINETEEN!!) majors, after being stuck at 17 for almost five years.  No, it's not just a dream - we really got to experience this absolutely joyful six months.  Is it too much to dream of another US Open title, another World Tour finals title, getting back to #1?  Maybe, but I've seen dreams come true and it would be hard to be surprised by anything at this point.  

Roger Federer wins again in Halle, giving high expectations for Wimbledon

 Once again on Sunday Federer fans were treated to a masterclass display by our Maestro as he won a record 9th Halle title and his 92nd overall.  You'd think that after so many that it would start to get boring or routine after a while, but that is so far from the truth.  And looking at his happy face with his trophy, you would think it was one of his first.

It was one of those matches where he was simply in his groove.  Sure, Zverev didn't play his best, but much of that was due to the fact that Roger didn't allow him to.  Watching him play when he's in this mode is without a doubt one of the most beautiful in sport.  The variety of shots he comes up with, his incredibly graceful movement on court, and the ease with which he does it never gets old.  But of course, anyone reading this blog is intensely aware of all of that, so I don't need to go on, though we do need to be extremely appreciative to still be able to watch this level of play at 35 years old.

After Roger's surprise loss in the first round of Stuttgart I wasn't necessarily nervous, but I couldn't help but wonder what our expectations should be after the 10 week break.  Just because he had an absolutely incredible dream comeback after his 6 months off, that doesn't mean it will happen again.  As one of my twitter friends reminded me, he could very easily have been ranked around 30 after Australia if he had lost early, which wouldn't have been surprising after such a long break.  Instead he completely spoiled us by winning three prestigious tournaments, putting the locker room on notice that he's still a force to be reckoned with.

Still, though, what should our expectations really be?  All of a sudden he is considered by many to be the favorite to win Wimbledon again.  Whether that helps or hurts him, I don't know, or if it makes any difference at all.  Of course a good draw would help, but look at the "quarter of death" draw he had in Indian Wells and what he did with that!  I think it really depends mostly on himself.  When he's playing the way we know he can, when he's confident, aggressive, and serving well, he almost certainly will win any match he plays, especially on his special grass surface.  The question is, of course, will he?  

I'm trying not to "expect" him to win, or to feel like it's not successful unless he does.  But though my mind tells me those things, and that he has already given us so much by winning in Australia, my heart knows how disappointed I will be if he doesn't win.  However, I'm going to try to enjoy every single moment of watching him the next couple weeks on the hallowed tennis grounds of Wimbledon, and I know he will be loving every moment.

My thoughts on Roger Federer's French Open decision

One of the big stories so far going into this year's French Open is Roger Federer's announcement that he will not, after all, play the second major of 2017.  On the one hand this was a surprise, as he had been planning to play, and per twitter sources had gone to Zurich to begin his clay warmup.  After a couple days of practice, however, he and his team made the difficult decision to skip the event and focus on grass and hard courts.

I saw a lot of very sad and upset reactions on twitter after the news broke.  In my mind, however, the fact that he went to Switzerland, practiced on clay, obviously with the intention to play, and then made that choice means that he didn't feel like it was a wise decision for his body to take the risk of playing.  I said much of this on twitter already, but for me I would much rather be missing him for a couple more weeks rather than have him play if he doesn't feel that's best for him and then have him end up getting injured.  He has proven over and over that he knows what he's doing and that we can completely trust him to make wise decisions.  The ultimate reason he's doing it is to prolong his career hopefully for "many years to come."  I think all Federer fans will agree that this is what we really want to see.  Roger is always looking ahead at the longterm and this is what we need to do also.

I've seen some who are concerned that he's setting himself up for disappointment in the grass season by putting so much focus on it.  Well, that could happen, and of course that would be sad, but do you know what?  We got #18 when we totally didn't expect it, plus the Sunshine Double!  So much joy in those three months.  We need to revel in the highs, when lows come accept it, and wait for the moments of joy again.  He can't do everything anymore!



One thought that came to my mind as I processed all of this was what happened in Dubai this year.  That was a surprise loss to a low ranked player that no one was expecting after his success in Australia.  But I had a feeling after that loss that it was going to pay off for him, and look what ended up happening in Indian Wells and Miami.  I can't imagine he would have had those results if he had ended up playing all week in Dubai.

So to sum it up, look at the longterm, realize he can no longer do everything, look forward to what will hopefully be a great summer and fall for him, but without expectations of what he "has to" achieve.  Let's enjoy what he is still able to give us at this point in his amazing career, hopefully for several years to come.

My experience at Match for Africa 4 - Seattle

One of the  things Seattle is known for, along with its natural beauty, lots of rain (which helps make it the Emerald City), Microsoft, Starbucks, the Space Needle, among many others, is it's amazing sports fans.  Fans at Century Link field have actually produced seismic activity during Seahawks games and is known to be the loudest stadium in the National Football League.  It, however, is not known to be a tennis town generally, so when I heard (much to my shock and joy) that Roger Federer was coming to Seattle (90 miles south of my home town) I was hoping Seattle fans wouldn't disappoint.  And they most certainly did not!

The atmosphere was absolutely electric in Key Arena, which seats 17,000, first for the incredibly fun doubles match featuring Roger Federer and Seattle's own Bill Gates against John Isner and guitarist from Seattle based band Pearl Jam Mike McCready, and then for the singles match between Roger and John.  There were some exciting points played in the doubles match, with Roger and John obviously toning their games way down for the amateurs.  Here's an example of one that was taken by my husband:

I felt so blessed to be able to take part in such a special event and from the close-up range of the 2nd row.  I have been to many live pro matches, quite a few from very close up, but this was a completely different experience from any match that I have been to.  In a competitive match on tour the players tend to be quite serious, trying to stay focused and in the zone, just wanting to get the win.  For an exhibition match, however, they are quite relaxed, enjoying themselves and wanting the crowd to have a fun experience.  Getting to see Roger smiling and happy on court, goofing around with the crowd and just having a great time was a wonderful experience.  The atmosphere felt joyful!

John Isner also did a great job of making the matches fun.  He used his sense of humor often in a teasing way toward Roger and the others.  I really enjoyed seeing this side of him.

Of course, the purpose of the evening was raising money for the Roger Federer Foundation, helping young children in Africa, and that was certainly accomplished, raising over $2 million.  It felt good spending the money for the close-up seats knowing it was going for such a worthwhile cause.  And Roger said Seattle reminds him of home in Switzerland with the lakes and mountains and that he would definitely be back, so that was happy news to this major Fed fan's ears! 

Me watching Roger sitting right beneath the G in the GOAT shirts (thanks @Maria_youRFan)

The dream ain't over (for Roger or for me)

If anyone would have said four months ago that Roger would come back on tour and win the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami, would anyone in their right mind have believed it?  I know I certainly wouldn't.  I would have said yeah, wishful thinking.  And yet here we are, with the three biggest tournaments of the year completed so far, and Roger has won every single one of them!  I know the last half of last year was difficult, for him and for his fans.  I have to admit that while part of me was thinking it would be good for him to take the time off, the other part was thinking that it would also be good for me to get used to being without him.  And both of those things are true.  But at the same time he has emphatically showed us that he ain't done yet!

What the rest of the year will hold for his tennis, who can tell.  We've always known Roger is very wise with his scheduling, and he is continuing to do so in the next couple months, not planning to play on clay until at least the French Open, if that.  Of course grass is a huge priority for him, as well as the hard court season after that.  Will he be able to produce the type of tennis that has thrilled us for the first three months of the year?  That is yet to be determined.  But regardless, he has put himself in a great position and has brought his fans and himself great happiness.

In the time off he's taking during the clay season he's not just going on vacation, however.  On April 10th he will be playing a match against Andy Murray in Zurich to raise money for his foundation, which has been planned for quite a while.  To be honest I had momentarily forgotten about that match during the Miami matches, thinking we probably wouldn't be seeing him for a while, so I was very pleased to see Tennis Channel would be showing this match live.  

What I didn't anticipate, however, was that Roger would be coming to Seattle, 90 miles south of where I live, to play another match for Africa, this time with Bill Gates as a contributor both financially and also on court in doubles with Roger!  I could hardly contain my excitement when I heard about it, and how much more so when I bought tickets for the 2nd row!  And I thought I wouldn't get to see him live again until at least next year at Indian Wells.  How lucky am I?

The fact that Roger gives not just his money but also his time for one of his big passions, helping less fortunate children in Africa and other areas, is another part of what makes him so loved by so many.  Flying back over to the U.S. when he was just here for a month is no small thing, and it says so much about who he is as a generous, giving person.

So even though I usually don't look forward to the clay season, and all the more with Roger not playing, there is still much to look forward to in the next few weeks before we are graced with his presence again on the tour.  

 

My incredible experiences volunteering at Indian Wells

I just returned from volunteering for the third year at the Indian Wells tennis tournament in VIP transportation.  Each year has been different and each one has had some great experiences, but this year some incredible dreams came true that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

I told the person in charge of our department even before I got there that I would love to be one of the group to go pick up the Federer clan at the private airport, but didn't know if it would actually happen.  It turned out I was working a shift at the time they came in and I nervously awaited the decision of whether I would be one of the chosen ones.  Thankfully my desire was honored and I got to go!  When we (four suburbans and drivers) got to the airport it was extremely windy and we were slightly concerned.  Eventually they landed, however, and we drove our vehicles over by the plane as Roger was walking down the steps.  I quickly got out and went over to him and he thanked us all for coming and shook our hands.  I then had a moment with him by myself as he waited for his family to come out.  I told him congratulations on Australia and that I was still so excited and he said thanks, he was too.  The rest of the family emerged then and it was fun to see the kids in person.  As all the luggage was being loaded in the vehicles and car seats strapped in, I eventually ended up standing by his mom, Lynnette.  At that point Roger came up to Lynnette and me and said he felt like he was going to throw up on the plane (I only share that because he also told it to journalists).  The ride was so bumpy and it had only been a quick 30 minute flight from LA, which made it all the worse.  I mean, how many people can say that Roger Federer told them he thought he was going to throw up? 😁

Mirka also thanked me for coming and shook hands with me.  I told her it was so great to see her and she thanked me and smiled.  I would have loved to talk with her more but she ended up riding in another vehicle with three of the kids.

Eventually everything was loaded, the kids were settled in, and Roger got into a vehicle with one of his girls.  I told Lynnette they could ride with me, so she got in the back and Robert (or Robbie, as she calls him) in the front.  She looked over at the vehicle Roger was in and said that he didn't look very good, looked very white.  Poor guy!  We then had a half an hour drive to the house they were staying at near the site.  It was lovely to have the opportunity to just chat with his parents!  We talked about me having twins, where I'm from, weather there and where they live, a bit about Australia, how they wanted to play golf while they were in CA (Robert jokingly said they were there for the golf, not the tennis 😀).  I also took the opportunity to tell them what a great job they had done raising their son.  They kind of brushed it off, saying you never knew how kids would turn out, but I said I didn't agree and that a lot of it came from the influence of the parents.  It was so great to get to spend that time with them; I felt like friends by the time it was done.

When we got to the house, in a gated community neighborhood, I asked Roger how he was feeling and he said much better.  I said good, I was hoping he wasn't getting sick and he said no, no.  After everything was unloaded Roger thanked us once again and I told him I had enjoyed talking with his parent, and he said good.  It was a wonderful experience all around and I felt incredibly blessed to have that time to talk personally with Roger, even though just in little bits and pieces, to see his family close up, and to spend that time with his parents.  I was glowing for a long time after!

Over the course of the tournament I drove several people who I enjoyed talking with, such as Kyle Edmund's coach, Shelby Rogers' coach, Taylor Fritz's wife, baby and mother-in-law, which was really fun, Jan Struff, Giles Muller, plus many others.  Some of the other notable experiences unrelated to matches was seeing Tommy Haas at a concession stand where we were both using our credential credits to buy a salad (I was surprised he had to go do that himself as the TD).  While we were standing waiting for them I went over and talked with him and we chatted about several things, including what could be added to make things cooler for the fans and predictions for the Roger/Rafa match (he gave Rafa the slight edge - glad he was wrong!).  It was really fun to get a chance to talk with him!  I also got a quick hug from Robbie Koenig as he was running by, which was special, and he had seen some of my twitter posts.

I didn't watch a lot of Roger's practices this year since the crowds were horrendous, and after I had already had the opportunity to interact with him personally I didn't feel so desperate to have to see him up close.  Often, though, I would try to catch a bit of practice and then go out by the grassy field where the players enter and exit, but in the credential section so I could see him closer up.  One of these times I was actually on shift but had taken a quick break after one of my drives to go get some ice cream.  He was coming out at that time so I stood there for a bit watching.  It just so happened that a video was being filmed at the time, which I didn't realize, and when I watched it later I found that I was in the video (at around 40 seconds in).  

One of my twitter friends kindly took a snapshot of the part I was in, which I absolutely love because it looks like Roger was looking right at me and giving me a thumbs up (even though that wasn't really the case, but I'll pretend he was 😊).

Now onto the tennis matches.  As volunteers we are able to go into the lower bowl in stadium 1 until the final Friday.  This year they limited the areas volunteers were supposed to sit in, but I often went down further anyway since there were always some empty seats close to the bottom (I know, I'm being a rebel, but sometimes you just have to break the rules! 😃).  Most of Roger's matches I was behind the chair umpire on one side or another, except for the Rafa match when I was kitty-corner on one end.  Watching Roger play close up is an incredible experience.  The way he moves on court so quickly yet so gracefully, the way he hits the ball with his whole body, plus just being able to watch him between points and his reactions.  Often I would not really be watching the ball because I just wanted to watch him.

Each match had amazing shots and was a unique experience.  In his match against Steve Johnson I was up a little ways from his box and after the match I went down farther to take some pictures.  His dad was standing there and I reminded him that I had driven him from the airport.  We chatted a bit about him losing his glasses and then I asked him if I could get a picture with him.  It turned out so well and I was really excited to have it.  He was very sweet!

 

 

It was disappointing that Roger didn't end up playing the match against Kyrgois, with Nick being sick, because it surely would have been a great match and I feel Roger would have won, with the way he was playing.  However, he wanted to come out and speak to the crowd and the interview he gave was so much fun, including the song by the One Handed Backhand Boys:

As he moved further into the tournament to the point where volunteers had to purchase tickets, I simply couldn't help myself from spending much more money than I had planned on.  Once you have experienced the close-up matches it's very difficult to go back to the nosebleed seats.  So when he won the semifinal I once again rushed to the ticket booth and bought a ticket in the lower bowl for the final, though close up to the top.  However, when I went in for the women's final I went ahead and went far down and sat in the 3rd row the whole match.  The match was a really good one and I was very happy for Elena Vesnina.  

I was hoping I would be able to stay down low for the men's final.  Eventually someone came who had the ticket for the seat I had been in, but there were several seats in row 2 that hadn't been occupied the whole time, so I took a chance and climbed over the seat and ended up getting one of the cushy ones, compared to the hard ones I had been sitting in, that had a cooler underneath with several bottles of cold water (much appreciated on such a hot day).  I felt incredibly spoiled!  I was a row behind Stan's team so many of the people around me were cheering for Stan, but I went ahead and yelled for Roger anyway.  

Seeing him play that level of tennis against such a tough opponent from so close was an absolute thrill, and then to have him win was such a joyous experience!  Being there for the trophy ceremony and all the pictures and interviews after, I just couldn't stop grinning.  I would have liked to get an autograph (there were so many people even though I was so close) or another picture with him, since mine is two years old, but I mustn't get greedy and keep wanting more and more.  

Thanks for reading such a long post, but I wanted to share some of these special moments.  The things I got to experience were ones that most Federer fans would give anything to have, and I feel extremely grateful and blessed.  They will be in my heart for the rest of my life.