... no joke, I was!!
Based on Denzy's and my experience last year of seeing bus after bus after bus reading COMPLET go by and it taking us over two hours of waiting before we could finally board a No. 100 into Monte Carlo (bloody weekend tourists ;) ) Rafan and I decided that rather than risk it, it would have to be a 6.30 am alarm call and us leaving the apartment at 7.45 am in order to make sure we got there in plenty of time.
*yawn*
So that's exactly what we did, and we arrived at the Country Club as they were just setting up for the day. There was also an extraordinary amount of police around, as well as sniffer dogs, and as we found out shortly later ... that was because The Prince (no ... not him), but His Serene Highness, Prince Albert, was coming to hit a few balls. When we arrived, we didn't immediately ask after where Rafa was practising that day (thinking it a bit early), so we made our way up the various terraces to go to the practice courts. On the steps, we bumped into Sky Sports presenter (and all round biased and unabashed Federer fanboy), Barry Cowan. Our Rafan will talk to anybody *giggle* so she engaged Barry in a conversation and he revealed that Rafa was his tip to win. Not particularly based upon anything, but it was a feeling he had. As I have only very recently emailed a complaint into Sky Sports about Cowan's totally unrelated Rafarants during matches when he ISN'T EVEN PLAYING!, my lips stayed totally shut.
When we were up at the practice courts, we heard a familiar ahhh-oooooo, ahhh-oooooo, ahhh-oooooo ... yep, heard her before we saw her - Vika the Shrieker was practising. So we watched Azarenka for a little bit, before going back down again, when a steward seemed very keen to encourage as many people as possible to go to the practice court to watch Prince Albert frame a few shots. :D Ilie Nastase was there and he acted as umpire, Prince Albert was partnered by Fabrice Santoro, and Guy Forget and some other bloke were on the opposite side of the net. We didn't hang about for long ...
By this time we'd enquired about where Rafa was practising, and each time the answer was that he hadn't booked a court. We were told when and where the other three semi-finalists were practising, but there was nothing about Rafa. Perhaps he was having a lie in. :D But word got around that he could be on the Court des Princes (as he was on the Saturday last year), so we headed to wait there for a bit as Berdych was currently on it. When he left, the Rafa fans wished Rolf good luck *giggle* but there was still no sign of Rafa. Eventually, word came through that he was on Court 11 again, which meant that we had to make yet another hike up the hills and terraces in order to get there. I got a seat by the court to watch, joined by my lovely Italian friends. *roll* His practice partner for the day was Michael Llodra *boo*, but it was fun when Rafa called to play a point "for real" and had him scampering absolutely all over the place. Rafa wasn't quite the Practice Grinch that morning, and he did say "hello" to everybody. At the end of practice, Rafan (who by now had totally immersed herself in some of the behaviours of our Europeans cousins) decided that if you don't ask in France, you don't get ... so she enquired after one of the practice balls to Carlos Costa, who promptly gave one to her. She'd practised the same technique earlier when we arrived and they were setting up the tables for the Great and the Good to clatter and chatter through their lunch whilst supposedly watching the matches. The staff were setting the table places and were using plate mats that were made up of various players ... so Rafa went and boldly asked for a Rafa one - which she got. Hehe ...
So we entered the Centre Court to have lunch and wait for the matches. First up was Rolf vs. the PoD and we were desperate for Rolf to take him out, we just wanted him out of the way. And when he took the first set, did we dare believe? Well, no we didn't actually, and as is the case, Djokovic eventually started to get into his stride, moved up the gears and then played his way through it. He won in three, so that was it ... he was in the final, and if Rafa got there, we'd have to endure yet another of their meetings. *gaah*
So it then became time for Rafa and Gilles Simon to start, and the lovely Xisca had joined Rafa's Mum in the players' box and they seemed to be relaxed, laughing and joking and just generally getting on well with each other. We had our own live commentary for the match ... no, we weren't plugged into Radio MCCC or anything, we had Daisy and Dolly - two Gentleman from New York - sitting right behind us and making their comments on every single ball played. One of them thought "Allez le break", was such a hoot to keep shouting on the occasions when Rafa faced break point, until Rafan retorted with ... "Allez le hold!!". :D :D
I have to say that I find Gilles Simon utterly tedious. For whatever reason, I've managed to see him play loads of times when I really seriously don't like him. He justs plays pat - pat - pat - pat - pat - pat - pat from side to side to side to side sidezzzzzzzzzzzzz. I can't say I found the first set stimulating whatsoever, but Rafa won out, 6-3. It was a very hot day indeed on Saturday, and yours truly had brought her Spanish fan with her which I used all the time in Cordoba, with the intention of using it as cheering material. Not today ... I needed it for its real purpose as I was boiling. And of course, a camera man came and caught me in the act of wafting, and there I was up on the big screen and beamed around the globe to the tennis watching public. Denzy sent me a text from home saying ... "Gotcha!". :D
It was a bit alarming that Simon was managing to win some of the longer rallies that the pair engaged in, but he couldn't lift his game on the big points. Eventually, Rafa moved ahead and took the set 6-4 and therefore the match. So there we had it ... we were facing having to watch a Rafa vs. PoD final right in front of our very eyes. I wish I could say we were thrilled at the prospect.
But then it was nice that we met up with our old pals from BBC 606 - Mrs L and Pearl - part of the original gang of Rafateers, and it was great to have a chin wag. Rafan and I then made our way to be part of a huge Rafa fan team photo and then we made our way back to the bus stop for the journey home back to Nice.
Finals day ... what would that bring? *yikes*
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