Enjoy your Earl Grey Cheryl, and please don't skip any juicy details.

Cheryl!!! :faints: :jealous:

Have fun!

And it's usual Ged's hair AND outfit, sadly better not comment on Rafa's :tape:

ow exciting for you and us

Will give you a wave cheryl!

Thanks for the well-wishes. :) acionescu, I'm sure Rafa will look delightful. :D

oooh. Deuce, are you going too?

Yes, Rafa will look delightful DESPITE his hair and clothes lol

And I wanted to say Fed's of course :o but the site has some problems :=(

don't drink earl grey. it tastes like soap

have fun though cheryl :). it'll be cold though. bloody freezing in uk at the moment :(

WOWeee! Congratulations Cheryl! That is one heck of an opportunity! Not only do you get to witness LIVE tennis from the top eight men and see their awesomeness close-up! But you also get to travel to London (Harry Potter, yay!) Have wonderful experiences and adventures while you're there. See English teeth and experience "Tea Time" and biscuits and crumpets, ride a double decker bus. Not understand a word anybody is saying. But, above all, you also get to participate in a round table conference! Now, do you realize the POSSIBILITIES of that?!

Think about it people. It is NOT a square table, a star shaped table, or a triangular table...it's a ROUND table! 'Know what that means? It means that you can sit RIGHT NEXT TO RAFA! And smell his hair! Now, I don't want to pressure you into anything, but I'm sure you can find a way of subtlety...grabbing him and throwing him to the ground and confessing your undying love for him and what beautiful dimples and eyes he has! And so that we don't come off as "shallow" tell him all about the awesomeness of his character, mind and personality. You can make references to his tennis and amazing achievements when appropriate....*drifts off*

....Waita minute! W-What am I doing?! Look at what I've become! The very thought of you being within inches of Rafa has made me loose all sanity and decency!

Aaah Cheryl, I mustn't project my insanity on you. It isn't fair.
*sigh* I'm sure you will find a way of getting great insight and interesting tidbits and details WITHOUT having a lawsuit brought against you. That, in a nutshell, is why I can't think of a more deserving individual to take on this task (and why I should never be hired.)

I cannot wait to read what you have to write. As a 15 year-old girl at a slumber party would say: "Tell us EVERYTHING!"

Heheh, I'd love to know if Rafa and Roger know about some of the craziness they cause online. Then again, I suppose it's our job as fans to protect them from us, no?

Have a safe, fun and oh-so-FREAKING AWESOME! trip Cheryl! You rock! I cannot wait!

mini, calm the heck down or you'll give yourself a heart attack! you can't have the spaniard all to yourself. selfishness will get you nowhere my dear!

Mini, you're killing me. LOL! Yes. I'm sure it would only take the ATP guard dogs about...10 seconds to throw me out of there if I tried to sniff Rafa in any way..........
........he smells nice, by the way. :D

aaaawww cheryl...is that your way of torturing us??

thanks A LOT mini!!!

"........he smells nice, by the way. :D "
Cheryl are you trying to unhinge mini ...

Well, she seemed so interested. If I recall, he has his own line of cologne, but I've never smelled it. He only smells....clean to me. Like soap. Which, of course, probably has to do with the 5 or so showers he takes every day....

Cheryl, these are the things of which we must be kept informed.

I shall do my best, smr. ;)

Woo hoo, Cheryl, way to go on such an amazing assignment (if that's what you would call it)! Do find out some juicy tidbits for us, i.e. what shampoo does Roger use? What underwear does Rafa wear? Which hairdresser cut Andy Murray's hair?

Silly things are the most entertaining things. :P

Enjoy yourself and keep us posted :)

cherylmurray: yes, yes, I'm going, whoopee! So little tennis in UK all fans must be going to this. Except for weekend, tickets were much easier to get than Wimbledon and Queens too. Guess the stadium must be vast! Can't wait!

"But you also get to travel to London (Harry Potter, yay!) Have wonderful experiences and adventures while you're there. See English teeth and experience "Tea Time" and biscuits and crumpets, ride a double decker bus. Not understand a word anybody is saying..."

hahahaha. is that what you think of us english people? what's so weird about our teeth? tea time... that's essentially when we eat dinner. so about 7pm. unless you mean cups of tea. which is anytime during the day. i have one right now. also, i would avoid double decker buses at all costs. they sway about alarmingly and i'm not that sure all bus drivers have lisences. go on the underground instead. but beware of pigeons. when i was in london last, a pigeon flew into the carriage and i had to chase it out. also beware of drunks on the underground. one fell asleep on my mate's shoulder. very funny, but maybe not for her. on second thoughts... the bus may be the way to go. or a taxi! you can't go to london and not go in a black cab

also: tramps and people selling the big issue. run away! well, don't run, as they'll take offence. but don't make eye contact if you can avoid it

p.s. as far as i can tell. harry potter was filmed in scotland. and crumpets are horrible :P

and don't forget the umbrella :)

So...no double decker buses. Check. Thanks for the tip, Sib. :)

homos, my umbrella is already packed.

I am sure it will be a fantastic tournament. I will be there (at least for a couple of days) with my daughter. She is 9 and already a great tennis fan.

That's what I like to hear, Adri. 9 year old tennis fans. Have a great time.

You all are really funny here, all so excited about cherylmurray going to London. She will act as our spy and find out more about Rafa. BTW cheryl, maybe this time you can find out how Rafa's line of cologne smells like. He'll not smell like soap this time around, I'm sure!

cherylmurray: Is it your first visit to London? BTW ignore advice about buses, on the top deck is the best way to see London. Docklands Light Railway is brill too. London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. You are as likely hear Americans/French/Carribbean etc etc as Cockneys!

First of all: Smr, Homos, Sib69, Cheryl and all of you guys made me LOL! with your comments!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH9MAhDvNjo

Cheryl, my reaction to your insight on how Rafa smells... (and I'm sure I speak for everyone else who is just as sane as I am) - when I say that the below video expresses my emotions better than I could ever describe in words:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRwsTyUPIYE&feature=related

Soap? Awww! Can he BE anymore perfect?! *siiigh*
And I find it interesting how you seem to know the exact number of showers he takes everyday. Five or so, eh? You GO girl! ;D

Sib69, "Tea Time" is equivalent to "Dinner Time"? Interesting! I always thought that it was more like a "Snack Time". When I was a little kid I used to read all of these books written by Enid Blyton. In the books the children were always called in for "Tea Time" where they drank tea, lemonade and ate "biscuits", "crumpets" and little sandwiches. After their adventures and mishaps solving mysteries and such, their parents would call them in for "Supper" which I thought was dinner time. So has modern lifestyles forced you guys to just skip-to-the-punch (so to speak) and call it a meal?

It's too bad you don't like the buses! (Though from how JK Rowling depicted them in her novels, I think she agrees with you.) That was one thing I look forward to most when going to London, along with seeing the 'Big Ben Clock Tower' (there was an epic battle there by my favorite mouse detective: 'Basil of Baker Street'.

Ever since I watched his brave exploits atop the tower (and inside the clock among the gears) I've wanted to see it for myself! You are right on when you say that 'Harry Potter' was filmed in Scotland (HUGE parts of the movies were), but parts of the movies were also filmed in England. Plus, if we're going to get all nerdy, some of the locations in the actual book (the movies don't even compare!) are in London (e.g. The Leaky Cauldron which hides the entrance to Diagon Alley which is where you could find Fred and George Weasley's Joke Shop (YAY! :D) and Honeydukes - I've always wanted to taste Butterbeer!)

Last but not least, Deuce, Adri (and her baby girl and future GS champ), Cheryl and anyone else who's going to go to London, have a safe and wonderful trip! Enjoy yourselves to the fullest, then tell us all about it! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6AoldWsT10&feature=related

Mini, that snoopy video is HILARIOUS! hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Thanks for the snoopy laughs mini ... and here's a little snoopy pulling off a Marat Safin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBkmAFE_UUE&NR=1

oh mini...big ben? really? mmmm...not a fan myself. the only thing about london that intrigues me is tower bridge, don't know why but it always does. i mean who builds 2 towers on a bridge?

mini, me thinks you are my long lost sibling. i read lots blyton's books as a kid too.

hey thanks for the links. i also wondered how cheryl knew about the 5 or so showers. i hope it's a wild guess because if it's not, i'll be rather displeased with her for keeping it to herself all this time!!

deuce/sib69, weren't they gonna do away with the red double deckers? be a shame if they do. it's such a london icon, like the red phone booth, letter box...

what about english teeth? they don't have sugar in the umpteen cups of tea they drink so teeth must surely be fine, no? mini, explain yourself!

cheryl, great you got the umbrella but don't forget your snow hat and scarf... bbbrrrrr.... and the banner for rafa. you DID make one in hope!?

bring sun glasses too in case you see snow :) england must be the only place where people wear big coats and sun glasses at the same time, OTHER than siberia!

big ben is awesome. definitely worth a visit. even if you just walk past it. go on the london eye too. very touristy thing to do, but worth it.

i was in london day after michael jackson died, and we went to trafalgar square. all over the side of the national portrait museum (i think it was that anyways) there were drawings of him and messages and stuff, which was pretty cool

harrods as well if you have the time. i spent ages in the tv department watching a roddick match as wimbledon was on. i also got lost there... :P

lucky you cheryl !

you are one of the best tennis blogger I've ever read for
always logic , always funny and interresting :)


enjoy your special conference , don't wear sandals , have fun with high heal shoes hahahaha .


ah yes , convey our greetings for roger and rafa and all of the to 8

noody, thank you for your kind words. :)

No sandals for me this time. I'll see if I can manage to make it through an entire tournament without battling blisters and general foot pain. :D

Sib - is the London Eye really worth it? It DOES look kind of cool, but I don't want to be a big dork. LOL.

London eye wonderful, go at dusk or early morning, light fabulous, city fabulous!!

can't wait to read ur report on english food/restaurants :)

yes. absolutely definitely go on the london eye. i've been on it twice now. it's brilliant

Have a great time, cheryl!!
One thing, please share as much juice as possible about Rafa, of course :D
Details, Details, and Details.

can't wait :)

Cheryl: After London Eye, walk along the South Bank (of the Thames) to London Bridge. Most fabulous walk along the river past National Theatre, Tate Modern, Globe Theatre etc. Finish at Hays Galliteriar, lovely little shops, nice pubs and a view across the river to HMS Belfast!! This is my favourite bit of London.

Great tip, deuce. Thanks.

cheryl can u plz use your twitter account while u r at london. we want REAL TIME updates on rafa!!

Cheryl: Dont know where you will be staying but if you get the chance to use the River Express it is a great way to travel between central London and the O2. See link below.
http://www.thamesclippers.com/going-to-the-o2/going-to-the-o2. html

It is great, Cheryl, you - and your readers ! - are very lucky to get to the World Tour Finals. We have not been invited to Paris-Bercy though Tennis Talk have become in France too a leading site about tennis, and though I have written a book with Eric Winogradsky, JW Tsonga's coach. Good luck !
David Brunat, Tennis Talk Paris

It is great, Cheryl, you - and your readers ! - are very lucky to get to the World Tour Finals. We have not been invited to Paris-Bercy though Tennis Talk have become in France too a leading site about tennis, and though I have written a book with Eric Winogradsky, JW Tsonga's coach. Good luck !
David Brunat, Tennis Talk Paris

Very lucky, Cheryl, to be the London eye !
David Brunat, Tennis Talk Paris

wow, David! I didn't know you were connected to JWT's coach. That's outstanding.

Cheryl: following my tip to use the ferry to get to the O2 stadium, have just read the following.

"We've hired a couple of boats for the week, and once the players have done it the first time, they'll realise that it's incredibly smooth on the river. It will be quicker than going by car," Kermode said. "There's no other tournament where the players arrive by boat."

Thanks for sharing that quote Ed251137 ( you must have one amazing memory to have a user name like that! ^_^ )

As soon as I read that the players will be arriving by boat, my first thought was: "Just like first-years at Hogwarts!" I wonder if they'll be "sorted" as well? And forced to enter the court wearing Hogwarts' robes? No doubt Rafa will be in Gryffindor! I think Andy Murray will be in Gryffindor as well. Roger and Davydenko in Ravenclaw, Djokovic and Volde-...eh..Soderling in Slytherin, and Del Potro and Verdasco in Hufflepuff. :D

I can't wait for WTF (I chuckle every time I type that) begins. And I cannot wait for Cheryl's special reports and RickyDimon's consistent coverage and take on the action! The year-end championships is going to be so exciting!

Though Andy Roddick will no doubt be missed :(
(Get well soon A-Rod! <3)

*************

'S been awhile since I've visited the boards so I'm goina catch up on some comments.

Homos, *glares* you just wouldn't let me off the hook, would you? "explain yourself!" you say!

...*turns to class* eh heh *sheepish grin* Hello.

Erm, English teeth are very....interesting. I'm somewhat intrigued by them because the English don't seem to obsess over actually brushing their teeth and keeping them..somewhat clean. Um, but I think this says a lot about the English mindset..Uh, you know, they aren't vain like them Yankees and so dental hygiene isn't top priority and braces aren't used lightly (if at all) unless there is some extremely serious ("serious" is very subjective in this case) and painful distortion. Eh, I am curious by nature and so I thought that "English Teeth" should be on the list of things to..em..look out for as she takes on London. Much like Brits could go on "Belly Watch" when visiting the States after visiting the The Grand Canyon and Niagra Falls.
I love James Bond.

Homos, as your long lost sibling, I hereby exercise my right to kick you under the table. *thump!*

ON ANOTHER NOTE: 'M glad you all enjoyed the Snoopy clips. How can you NOT love that beagle? Snoopy goes down as one of the best inventions along with Rafa Tennis, Legos, Skittles, Lemon/Rasberry Gelatos, Steelers football, hoodies and.... floss and fluoride toothpaste. *snickers* I keed! I keed! *ducks and runs out of room*

BTW, thanks Smr for your Snoopy contribution.
Roll on WTF!

OUCH!!!!!!! *turns around and decides never to question mini again*

MiniArbre: gr8 to see you again, love your posts, as you know. Also love your idea of Andy in Gryffendor - YES way to go! Hopefully all matches will be as exciting as Quiddich
However, you are a bit cheeky about British teeth, some of us do know about dental floss ... and use it...promise...

MiniArbre, 11/18/09 12:57 AM Oh dear you've outed me. But you're right. I first started following tennis as a teenie-bopper in love with Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad. In those days TV was in b/w (and only a few homes even had TV) but I was taken to Wimbledon most years and there are not many of the 'greats' I have not seen playing there.

Talking of how Rafa smells, has anyone tried his Lanvin L'homme Sport cologne? I've been trying to track it down without success. It has not yet reached the rural part of France where I am now living.

Cheryl: how about running a competition with bottles of L'homme Sport as prizes?

Mini the Hogwart references are delicious (poor Söderling ... I think he will always have a little of 'he who must not be named' hanging over him since FO).
Cheryl are you in London now?

Delpot is more like Volde ..sshhh, tall, dark, menacing etc. I see Soderling as more like Peter what's his name? These Hogwart references offer endless delight and light relief.

Yes ed251137, a contest is always a good idea!!

pick every match at the WTF. Thats a good one.

hee hee hee Deuce, and Andy is, of course in Gryffindor (home of the brave hearts.)

smr: that's lovely.......and Gryffindor mighty fine in Quiddich/tennis championships too!

I will arrive in london on friday morning.

I don't know about that contest idea - what if the fragrance stinks or something? It wouldn't be a very good prize then....

Cheryl: you mean to say you havent tried it yet? I'm amazed the Lanvin people didn't send freebie samples to every journalist in the tennis world. Dont you just love the shots of Rafa they used for the packaging?

Deuce and Smr, thanks a lot for your comments. Of course Andy Murray would be in Gryffindor! But no more cracks on British teeth from me, graham cracker promise.

As for the Hogwarts references, it's interesting that you'd pick Del Potro to be You-Know-Who. I always thought that he was more like a Dementor. You know those cloaked creatures that suck the happiness out of you? I remember when I was watching him play Rafa in Indian Wells this year I made a comment to my mother about how Del Potro t just sulks and lopes around the court...he appeared to be sapping Rafa of all his positive and energetic energies (of course Rafa could've just been tired after that epic vs. Nalbandian the night before..)

Anyway, according to the Harry Potter books, the best way to fight off a Dementor is to think a happy thought then conjure up a guard (known as a 'Patronus') to scare them away. Plus, since you're usually weakened after encountering a Dementor, it helps to eat chocolate. This is the funny part, after the match I later went online to watch Rafa's presser, guess what he was eating? Chocolate chip cookies! It was great! I laughed so hard. Marvellous coinkidink, don't you think? :D

Oh, Sodemort could definitely be a Peter Pettigrew.
**********

Ed251137, that is absolutely remarkable! I mean, you are like an awesome tennis encyclopedia! The very thought of all the great tennis battles you must have watched. Witnessing the evolution of the sport, in itself, must be a wonderful bliss! Yes, sure, anyone can just Google and look back, but you've seen it physically unfold before your very eyes! You have firsthand experience! I am so overwhelmed right now! You should totally write a book telling all about what you've seen and experienced! Aside from Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall, who else stands out in your mind even today? What match touched you the most? What's your favorite rally or point? What tennis moment(s) almost put you in a coma? Did any loss/victory ever make you cry? What's the most scandalous thing that's ever happened on court? I mean, you've been there from the very beginning before tennis ever became professional and the players wore shorts. Simply amazing. <3

************
Alright Cheryl, your comment about the fragrance stinking, and Ed251137's question about the cologne, got me thinking. So I did a little research and found out a little bit about it. It NEVER crossed my mind to actually want to know how it smells...weird, huh? I was convinced after simply seeing the ad. 'Wonder why that is? :)

Anywho, according to what I've read, the L'Homme Sport Lanvin Cologne (very HiFi, classic and expensive french brand, like you didn't know) :

1- It's supposed to reflect Rafa's youth, energy and vitality.
2- It is strong and opulent.
3- Top notes will refresh you with aromas of bergamot and lemon, adding aromatic notes of sage and lavender in a heart. A base comprises musk and musk. (a buyer said the lemon made the cologne light and fresh like "a breeze")
4- This fragrance is characterized as elegant, masculine and modern.
5- The "style mark" is split 50-50 between "classic" and "modern."
6- The "occasion mark" is for "everyday."
7- The "season mark" is for the "fall."

Hmm, since the lemon makes it "light" and "fresh" it seems that both men and women are buying it (with women either spraying their man with it or just opting to actually wear it themselves.) It's a french fragrance (one of MANY) and so I'm not sure the mixture is exactly original, but everything I own doesn't smell anything like what's described. People seem to be very happy with it saying that it smells great, lasts long and feels fresh and lively. It was released this year in April but there is no way I'd spend that much money on a bottle of cologne! (which, of course, is why it'd make an ideal prize *snickers*)

But personally, I've always been a fan of t-shirts/hoodies/caps as prizes for contests. Who could have too many of those?

Now, after discussing lavender and musk with Rafa in mind, allow me a moment to just - *THUD*

Btw, Ed251137, you rock. And Cheryl, happy landing! *THUD*

P.S. Before I even bother to hit the 'send' button, I already know that this is going to be a LONG comment. So my apologies in advance. *grins sheepishly* I know, I know, I'm working on it.

MiniArbre: Men have been wearing tennis shorts since 1932!!! Bunny Austen if you really want to know - I looked it up!

Hard to choose from so many memories but off the top of my head, some answers to your questions:

who else stands out in your mind even today?
Nastase, Mc.Enroe, Agassi. Before that, John Newcombe (he was soooo good looking)

What match touched you the most?
Goran Ivanisevic when he won Wimbledon. He was a wildcard entry and it meant so much to him. I know they all say that but this was different.

What's your favorite rally or point?
Way too many to pick one without jogging my memory by trawling YouTube but it will probably feature Agassi or Rafa.

What tennis moment(s) almost put you in a coma?
Any match featuring Sampras. You could lose the will to live just watching him most of the time.

Did any loss/victory ever make you cry?
Both Rafa moments and both RG. The first we wont even mention, the other was when he beat RF in the '05 SF on his 19th birthday. And I often wanted to cry when Agassi or McEnroe lost - they both always looked so woebegone.

What's the most scandalous thing that's ever happened on court?
Boris Becker at Wimbledon getting away with toilet breaks (when he had physio treatment) and extended MTOs (10 minutes on one occasion) without being penalised. The other scandal (not on court) was when 18 players boycotted Wimbledon '71 in support of the suspension of Pilic. It should never have been allowed to happen.

Apologies all, I am off topic, but MiniA asked the questions!!!

On 2nd thoughts the above was not so way off topic. The blog is 'TT goes to London' and inevitably, as an ex-Londoner, many of the most memorable memories revolve around Wimbledon.

MiniA: Just remembered another coma inducing moment: watching dear Tim NOT reaching a Wimbledon final.

MiniArbre: your long posts are wonderful! Just keep them coming. I now see Delpotro as a Dementior alright, so please, please think happy thoughts on Sunday afternoon when the young warrior from Gryffendor takes him on.
ed25117: likewise your posts. Agree re Ivanisovic, what a win that was! Also Ashe's Wimbledon title mighty fine. Also agree re Tim, that awful fist pump! Never liked him though he was a fine volleyer. He was too middle England. That's why I love Andy, he is SO not!

Mini. My memory let me down. The boycott was '73 and 81 players withdrew, including 13 seeds.

poor tiny tim (go dickens!), he really did cop it. he got chastised so much for being too un-emotional on court that he subsequently 'manufactured' the fist pump (it looked so fake, didn't it deuce?) but...too little too late. he got hammered by hewitt a lot too at queens and wimbly too. agree with deuce tho, he was a pretty slick volleyer.

mini: love your chocolate chip cookie story! you are a hoot!

Cheryl, the fragrance would be a fitting prize ... you might even get it for free after this bit of webvertising. For some reason I think it would be really funny (and somewhat astonishing), if Ricky won it by picking all the winners at the WTF ...
Mini all your posts are so funny and positive ( I esp. like the Sexy vs FeLo episode),
please don't stop.
ed251137 that Wimbledon with Ivanisevic winning was so awesome, watching him keep winning as a wild card and reaching the final and then becoming the champion
... it was quite moving.

this is the first time i've read c's blog about going to london. i'm glad tennistk is progressing their developments further and providing more interesting measures to see the gifted opportunities in oblique clearer light: so the past and whatever mistakes might have been callously made from lack of insight shall be but oblirated.
i await the new year as of tomorrow day, and thought i would see how the gang went in london. i knew this as friends on facebook.
the year went nice though, and recalling devouring glasses of red-wine as a teenager, i would have also adored the chance to take some whilst chatting to the famous athletes! he he.... tah again guys, happy 2010 tomorrow..