Aberdeen Cup - The diary of a pseudo Journalist aged 39.5

Drew · Nov 24, 2006

Aberdeen Cup - The diary of a pseudo Journalist aged 39.5

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

This is great Drew, thanks so much for all the coverage you're giving us, I'll bet you're having a great time with it too!

Keep up the good work, it sounds like you're a better journalist than many of the professionals!

steven · Tennis legend

This is great stuff, Drew. You deserve all your luck getting the press pass simply by the amount of interesting stuff you're posting here.

Anyway, it sounds like you're a damn sight more professional than most of the journos there, and no doubt you know more about British tennis than the rest of them put together - I imagine most people who post here would. I can't believe only three of them asked questions!

I assume most of the interesting information in the press reports (e.g. Jamie possibly teaming up with Aucks) wouldn't be there if you hadn't asked the questions we really wanted to know the answers to!

Drew · Nov 26, 2006

Day Two :

Left home 12.45pm and set off for Aberdeen. This time i had to stop at Mcds for lunch !!!

Arrive at Aberdeen at 3.00pm and meet John at the hotel. We set off for the AECC.

Got into the arena at 3.30....30 mins early....John went to the stands to watch players warming up....i went to the media centre.

Scotlands no-smoking law upset John. But this was only the start of the fun for John.

Got the same spot I had yesterday and started to post some pre-event info here.

I managed to get one of the photographers to promise me some photos of Andy etc...to post here.

Not much to do until the matches started.

Auckland beat Jamie in 3...so to the PC after.....enjoyed that asking questions of both players. Got interviews with both of them on my own after...that was brillian. Jamie was really good and confirmed that its doubles for him from now on and that he is looking forward to Doha with Andy and the AO with Aucks...hopefully. James actually came into the media centre with me and looked at our site and was impressed. I told him that Boggo had won today and he was happy to hear that.

The junior matches were good....James McKie looks like a prospect.... for another scottish top 100 player !

Onto the Bally v Katie match....katie started off well and it looked like she had the game in her hand but Bally got her head sorted and blew Obrien away after that....Katie did not come up for the PC...Bally was great talking freely about how good she was feeling. "The Aberdeen Cup has just come at the right time for me"...."Body is fine...just takes time in my mind...no matter how much practice when you have umpires / crowd / ball boys and girls about it comes homw to you that you are in a fight..." Nice lady....great legs LOL

Onto Andy and Greg.....great match...started slowly but really impressed by Greg...served well...did serve too many DF but only allowed Andy 2 BP won out of 16.

Greg was great in the PC and we had a chat during it !!!! He really thinks Andy can be top 10 and then top 5.....get his serve sorted out and reign in his antics....!

Andy was up next and he really was surprised how well he played...and how well Greg responded. I asked him how he thought Greg played and he went on a bit on how Greg was great and that how he looks to Tim abd Greg for help and that was good.

Back in the arena John was attempting to start a revolt for the smoking masses. The AECC have a "not allowed outside for a fag policy" and he was really pissed off....he eventually asked how he could get outside and be allowed back in...."do you have a car" he was asked "yes" he lied...."do you need to get some medicine"....."yes" he lied...."on you go then...but dont smoke"....So he got outside for only his 2nd fag in 7 hours....!

just for the record he faithfully supported Auckland and Greg v the Murrays...a true england supporter.

11.45pm and we leave the AECC only ro find Gregs official fan club (5 mature ladies with silly hats on etc...) stranded at the front door....no taxi until 2.00am !!! I offer to take them into Aberdeen....drop John off at our hotel...so we can get keys...then i go back and get the 'Ladies'....drive them to their hotel.....get lost coming back....pick up john...go back into Aberdeen...get pizza...get lost again....back to the hotel to eat cold pizza...fall into bed at 1.30am....switch on laptop...and find a free unsecure wireless network...hence this post....at this time in the morning.

The 'ladies' have promised ot give John free ticket for the DC tie and they will look to reward my kindness by doing the same....'no' i said...but they insisted !

End of day 2

Sheddie · administrator

I love the diaries Drew, great reads - really entertaining

Sounds like you're having a fantastic time, well done in asking all those questions to the players - found out some really, really interesting info which we wouldn't have known otherwise. Like steven I can't believe how few questions the others asked. It's a good job you were there, would have been a pretty poor press conference otherwise.

It's great that James saw our site, thanks so much for that

Hopefully he can remember the url. Once I've got the new frontpage sorted out with the new domain name, then I'll email that to him.

I'd never heard of McKie before but it's great to hear that he sounds like such a good prospect. Greenleaf, how's he done in juniors so far ?

Yeah, I was amazed at the O'Brien-Baltacha match. I thought tht Katie would win quite comfortably in straights given her superb form this autumn and the fact that Bally will have been rusty but from set 2 it sounds like Bally just outplayed her. Do you think that the court favoured Elena more ? She definately has a much bigger game than Katie, has a definate edge power-wise with her serve and forehand. Was the serve working well in the match ? That's such a key for Elena, when it goes in she takes confidence from that and can compete with some of the world's best [eg: Capriati at Wimbledon a couple of years ago] but when it goes awol, the rest of her game seems to follow suit.

Elena's form is really promising for her comeback next year, hopefully she can quickly get back to where she belongs, in the top 150. I agree about the legs btw

LOl @ John and the fags

Lol @ Greg's official fanclub aswell. It always really amuses me, as you'd think that it'd be a lot of teenage girls as with Murray and Henman but instead it's a lot of late-middle-aged women [about 20 years older than Greg on average] who have a crush on him

That's nice that they offered you and John tickets, are you planning to go ?

Drew · Nov 26, 2006

Will post an update later...but I really enjoyed this...standing on the court with all the media and the players at the end....all because I had a bit of plastic hanging around my neck...what a thrill...must have asked 20 questions over the weekend....did NOT make a fool of myself...I think we have added some credit to this messageboard. Thanks to everyone for posting stuff especially scores and comments....going with John to the holiday inn bar...later !!!

PS A Real big thank you to Tom at WSM for all the help !

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

You were one of those on the court at the end? WOW! I wish I had known - not that I would have known which one was you, though!

It must have been a great experience and you have done a wonderful job on behalf of this board - congratulations!

lucyflory · Social player

Drew wrote:

Wandered about the place desperately looking for something saying 'media idiots who came in the wrong door - this way'.....a kind man shorter and balder than me ( if thats possible) came to my rescue grunting 'this is a restricted area...follow me....'

Drew - so glad to read you had a fun time! You must not worry at all about going in the wrong entrance. I did exactly the same at the DC final in Seville, a couple of years ago...ended up queuing up for a chefs jacket and the chance to work in the catering department! lol

yesyesbadboy · Lower Club Player

Remember i posted months ago about the state of the courts for the aberdeen cup. I knew the court was too close to the stands and the fastness of it you could see it last yeat. so if i could see it on telly why couldnt the organisers see it in front of them