HCFoo's Blogyard

Showdown of Champions in KL: Federer, Borg and McEnroe LIVE in Malaysia

2008-07-25T09:12:00.004+08:00

World no. 1 Roger Federer and two tennis legends, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe has confirmed their participation for the Showdown of Champions 2008, to be be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur on Nov 18.

However the fourth player will either be the newly crowned Wimbledon champion and world no. 2, Rafael Nadal, or American hottie James Blake to complete the cast of this 'chance of a lifetime' star-studded show.

The reason why Nadal might not be able to make it is due to the clash with the Davis Cup final.

“The decision as to who will play in Malaysia will hinge on the outcome of the Davis Cup semi-final clash between Spain and the United States (US) in Madrid on Sept 21,” said Nick Freyer, senior vice-president and head of tennis of IMG Asia, the event organisers, at a news conference, here today.

Freyer said if Spain were to lose, Nadal will travel to Kuala Lumpur but if the US were to lose the clash, Blake, who is currently world no. 8, will make his way here. Personally I don't mind because Nadal will have a chance to grab the Davis Cup for his country and I'll get to see Blake, who is also one of my favourite player.

“We will watch the lively battles between the 80’s stars, Borg and McEnroe followed by Federer and the fourth player. Then the final set will be Federer and Borg against McEnroe and the other star,” Freyer said.

Three matches with one ticket, wow, that's worth enough to pay for the best seat.

Tickets for the showdown, priced between RM108 and RM498, are on sale at all Ticket Axcess outlets from yesterday or call +603 7711 5000 for enquiries. The official Showdown of Champions website is www.showdownkl2008.com which is not ready yet at publishing time.

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai outplay Roger Federer

2008-07-24T12:36:00.005+08:00

These days Roger Federer's luck is running low.

Federer, who is in Toronto for Rogers Cup, arrived at Hilton Toronto on July 18, expecting to be given his favourite suite, unofficially known as the 'Federer Suite'.

But to his surprise, he discovered that his suite had been allotted to Bollywood's husband and wife team Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai who were also in Toronto for The Unforgettable Tour.

Abhishek and Aishwarya had checked into Hilton Toronto on July 16. Says a source from Wizcraft International, organiser of The Unforgettable tour,

"The local promoter, Moe Jivani, insisted that Abhishek and Aishwarya be given Roger Federer's suite. Naturally, Hilton Toronto officials told him that it was reserved for Federer. But Jivani insisted and finally the Hilton Toronto officials relented."

Meanwhile, Federer arrived at Hilton Toronto on July 18. He was disappointed to find his suite occupied and tried to argue with the hotel authorities about getting it, but his efforts went in vain. The hotel authorities politely refused to give him his favourite suite.

Aishwarya and Abhishek stayed in Hilton Toronto till July 19. Federer had to stay in another suite until then.

(Image by AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Adrian Wyld)

Post-Wimbledon nightmare: Gilles Simon ousts Roger Federer

2008-07-24T11:32:00.002+08:00

I wonder why 'tennis greats' like Boris Becker and John McEnroe like to come in between the 'rivalry' of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Recently, Becker and McEnroe have suggested that Nadal is now the unofficial world no. 1 - as he is by a hefty margin in the 2008 ATP Race and of course winning two Grand Slams back-to-back at the French Open and Wimbledon.

However Federer will not hear of that as the world rankings are a moving 12-month window that includes his 2007 US Open triumph.

Roger Federer has denied that Rafael Nadal is the top man, contradicting the view of two former greats.

"There is never an unofficial world No1. Of course he has still won two unbelievably difficult tournaments and whoever wins those is supposed to be No1. But I have had a very good end to the past two years. It's hard to snatch the No1 position, he knows that."

On the other hand, I think Nadal is smart as he was playing a psychological game too by saying, "Right now I don't want to be No1. I only want to play a good tournament here (at Rogers Cups)."

Still battling to adapt to the loss of his Wimbledon title after five years, Federer is now trying to gain back his confidence and respect at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada.

However, his hope falls short after losing in the second round to French hottie Gilles Simon 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.

"It's a bad start, no doubt. I wish it could have been different. Now I'm going to get some practise in."

Federer obviously not happy with his game but yet gave credit to the Simon, the world no. 22.

"As the match went on I struggled a little bit to put the forehands away. He's a good baseliner. We saw that today. He moves well. He's deceiving because he's kind of thin and tall but moves really well for his height, you know."

"He flicks a lot of balls with his backhand as well, so when you come in you can't see where he plays."

Nadal, meanwhile, won in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday over Canadian Jesse Levine to move into the 3rd round.

Should second-ranked Nadal win the Rogers Cup, he would have a chance at next week's Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati to end Federer's 234-week reign as the top- ranked player.

Federer had begun 2008 with a 1,445 point lead over Nadal in the rankings. That advantage had almost halved going into the Toronto event, where 500 points are awarded to the winner.

(Image by AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

Malaysian tennis in dilemma

2008-07-23T07:34:00.004+08:00

I hope what I'm reading is true. Not only that we might be having tennis legends Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, as well as current ATP world no. 1 and 2, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal right here in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 18, we might be having WTA tournament right in our backyard next year too!

LTAM have plans of bringing in international stars including world No 1 Roger Federer and Spanish ace Rafael Nadal later this year followed by a WTA tournament next year to further spur the interest of tennis among the locals. ~ Malay Mail

I salute Lawn Tennis Association Malaysia (LTAM) for bringing such high standard of tennis into this country. I almost lost hope in Malaysian tennis but now I can see how serious these guys at LTAM trying to relive tennis sport in our country again.

However, while LTAM is working hard to reinvent tennis sport in Malaysia, all the efforts seem to go down the drain after it was announced the sport will not be played at the next Malaysia Games in Malacca in 2010.

The reason for the exclusion remains unknown. Oh, perhaps Malaccans do not play tennis or there's not a single tennis court in that historical state. This call totally crushes the spirits of the younger enthusiasts.

And why isn’t football or hockey got the axe? You know our local football and hockey scene suck BIG time.

National tennis coach Rahizam Abdul Rahim was very upset upon learning the sport will not be held in Malacca.

“We allowed Malacca to host an ITF junior tournament last year as a bid to generate more interest among the youths in gearing up for the Sukma.But now tennis is not part of the list and it’s really disappointing.”

Rahizam further explained that Sukma is an avenue where the juniors graduate into the senior level.

“It’s not like the standards of Sukma are high, but it still serves as a platform for us to scout new talents. The sport is well represented by all states and yet it’s being dropped.”

This is not the first time tennis was dropped from Sukma. Tennis was axed back in the Kedah 2006 Games. Instead of moving forward, we’re taking a step back.

Will Malaysia ever have players like Adam Malik or V. Selvam again? I mean, can you name a single Malaysia tennis player now? I can't. Don't we have talents here in this country? Who are responsible to transform the sport?

Perhaps LTAM should look at our national squash team as a model. With little resource, they are still able to go far and make an impact in the international level.

Nadal vs Federer and McEnroe vs Borg LIVE in Malaysia?

2008-07-22T12:42:00.005+08:00

Thanks to Nazz for this tips from The Star:

Fans in for a double treat in November

KUALA LUMPUR: Tennis fans are in for treat in November with exhibition matches featuring Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg against John McEnroe.

Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) executive secretary Jaafar Abu said yesterday that the four had confirmed participation in the “Countdown of Champions”, set for Nov 18 at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

“Last year, we had Pete Sampras and Richard Gasquet along with Nadal and Federer,” he said.

World No. 1 Federer will get another chance to avenge his defeats by world No. 2 Nadal in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon this year.

Borg, 52, and McEnroe, 49, will take the fans a chance to walk down memory lane, remembering the highs and lows of their bitter rivalry, typified by the 1980 Wimbledon final won by Borg in five gruelling sets. – AFP

OMIGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could this be real? Let's wait for more updates.

Updates: This exhibition match was mentioned in Tennis Week. Just got to know that this exho is known as "Showdown of Champions".

Women tennis: Cashing in on sex appeal

2008-07-21T20:30:00.004+08:00

Gone are the years where androgynous-looking tennis players like Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graff and Billie Jean King shouted the word feminism.

World no. 1 Ana Ivanovic is FHM magazine's no. 1 too.

Today, the WTA players ooze sex appeal rather than sexism. We have more 'Anna Kournikova' now than yesteryears, which I believe is a good thing. I mean that's the BEST THING that ever happen in women tennis.

However, unlike Anna Kournikova, many top women players today are able to sell more than just sex appeal. They dominate on court and the WTA rankings. They win trophies and the Grand Slams too.

We love the whole package: talents and good looks. Fans and the media love to see these players on court as much as to see them off court.

There’s Ana Ivanovic in Dolce and Gabana being escorted to a swanky party by Sir Richard Branson. Or glam shots of Daniela Hantuchova in an airline magazine; Venus Williams signing copies of a book of glamorous shots of her at Ralph Lauren’s London store and so on and so on until you get to Ashley Harkleroad on the cover of the new issue of Playboy ~ excerpt from Tennis Week.

Ashley Harkleroad and her strategically placed towel.

According to Larry Scott, the chief executive of WTA tour, in the London's Financial Times newspaper,

"All sports are trying to distinguish themselves through their athletes and the glamorous nature of what they do. That’s what sponsors are after."

Personally I'm embracing the development in the women tennis world these days. At least I have more off court highlights to blog about. And I admit that recently I do spend more time watching women players on TV too. This article in Tennis Week is right: more glamour equals bigger ratings.

(Images via FHM and Playboy)

Roger Federer stars as Greek hero in Olympics ad

2008-07-18T08:20:00.000+08:00

A global campaign for Beijing Olympics is out! The dramatic global TV promotion called "Heroes" features tennis player Roger Federer and runner Haile Gebrselassie as mythic Greek heroes. Also in the TV campaign is basketball legend Yao Ming.

China hopes this campaign that apes the film 300 will heighten interest in the Beijing Olympics.

It was developed by the International Olympic Committee for use internationally by broadcasters who have the TV rights to air the Beijing Olympics.

The BBC, which holds the TV rights in the UK, will not be running the promotional clip.

"We only use our promotional airtime for BBC programmes and BBC content," said a spokesman for BBC Sport. "All of our campaigns are tailored for a particular audience."

Hence, this video could be taken off youtube anytime.

The 60-second clip, by WPP-owned ad agency United, opens with a bearded sage-like character gathering together an array of the world's best athletes in a temple.

"Welcome all, the time has come, all eyes are on you," he booms to the assembled throng. He then highlights each athlete's skills, comparing their abilities to God-like feats.

"You all make us proud to be human beings regardless of race, religion or nationality," the sage says at the end. "Because if you are able to achieve such greatness nothing is unreachable. Go and amaze us."

The overall campaign, called The Best of Us, aims to highlight key tenets of the Olympic games.

The IOC, which makes promotional campaigns for every Olympic games, will be keen to present a good image of the event after negative media coverage around China's treatment of Tibet protestors during the Olympic flame relay.

The latest promotion, which also includes Swedish star Carolina Kluft and Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, follows a previous advertisement, called Teens, that pushed sport as an antidote to youthful insecurity.

The Best of Us campaign also includes press and digital ads and a viral promotion called Puskitas.

(Mostly text via guardian.co.uk)

Ashley Harkleroad's Playboy spread revealed

2008-07-17T08:43:00.000+08:00

A couple of months ago, Ashley Harkleroad created a huge sensation in the tennis world not because of her accomplishment on the tennis court, but because of her announcement to be the latest athlete to pose for Playboy.

So there you go a sneak peek at Ashley Harkleroad's much-talked about August Playboy spread.

I haven't got much information about the article nor have the time to surf for it but here's what Downthelinetennis says:

The mag gets down to the nitty-gritty with the 23-year old baller discussing sex, locker room looks and Anna Kournikova. Some choice quotes:

“I do think athletes have better sex,” she asserts with a bashful giggle. “Who wants a waify girl with no definition to her body? I like that I have some power and that everything’s tight.”

“Tennis players don’t mind showing off their bodies,” she said. “Often in the locker room I feel other girls’ eyes on me.”

“Anna [Kournikova] is stunning to look at, but she’s probably a bit damaged from what she’s been through. That’s how she acts — a bit damaged.”

(Image via orlandosentinel.com)

Michael Chang inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame

2008-07-14T12:59:00.004+08:00

With the Beijing Olympics less than a month away, Michael Chang finds it appropriate to receive his sport’s highest honor. On Saturday, the Chinese-American athlete was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Michael Chang poses with his fiancee, Amber Liu, after he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

He won the 1989 French Open at age 17—the youngest man to win a major—as the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing were escalating into bloodshed.

“For me, at the French Open, if I wasn’t playing my match I was glued to CNN watching the events unfold,” Chang said during a news conference before his induction. “The crackdown actually happened that Sunday of the French Open.”

“I think it’s a very special year for Beijing. I’m really excited for what’s going to happen for China,” Chang said.

Chang was an ambassador who helped China get the bid to hold the Olympics.

(Images by AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Have a good weekend!

2008-07-11T18:00:00.000+08:00

I'll be going back to hometown tonight. So, no blogging during this weekend.

Before I knock off for my weekend rest, here's a picture (or two) of Nicolas Kiefer. Finally he got himself a haircut (and clean shaven)! Look so much better now.

Handsome and confident (Sorry but he's out from Gstaad Open anyway due to foot problem).

Ugly and depressing, eh? No more.

And lastly, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have confirmed their place at the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup, to be held for the fourth year at Shanghai’s Qi Zhong Stadium from November 9-16.

(Images by Getty Images/AFP/File/Glyn Kirk)

Anna Kournikova plays exhibition at Mercedes Cup

2008-07-09T13:17:00.004+08:00

Rafael Nadal might give the Mercedes Cup a miss but not former Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova. She and Henri Leconte from France were playing at an exhibition match at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany.

(Images by AP Photo/Daniel Maurer)

Nadal arrives home as hero, aiming to be the world #1

2008-07-09T08:39:00.000+08:00

After a successful run at the Wimbledon Championships, Rafael Nadal arrived to a hero's welcome in his home town of Manacor on the Spanish island of Majorca, and declared that the number one spot in world tennis is now his goal.

"Now it has become a little objective," Nadal said.

Nadal has long been world number two, behind five-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer of Switzerland.

However, Nadal admitted that things have changed after beating Federer in Sunday's historic final.

Federer continues to lead the way in the ATP ranking with 6,600 points, followed by Nadal on 6,055. This is the closest gap for them.

Nadal acknowledged that he has "good options" to reach the top spot in the upcoming North American tour, when he plays the Masters Series tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.

He was acclaimed by hundreds of fans - including Balearic Islands regional president Francesc Antich and Manacor Mayor Antoni Pastor - as he waved to them from the balcony of the Manacor town hall.

Nadal, 22, said he stands a chance of becoming world number one provided he maintains his current level of play and keeps "working with the same humility," while he again praised Federer as "the best player in history."

I think he made the right decision by pulling out from the Mercedes Cup due to fatigue and to prevent further injury to his knee.

(Images by JAIME REINA/AFP/Getty Images)
(Most of the text via bangkokpost.com)

2008 Wimbledon Champions Dinner

2008-07-07T18:03:00.003+08:00

The newly crowned Wimbledon men's singles champion, Rafael Nadal, arrives at the dinner.

Wimbledon women's singles champion, the undisputed grass court queen, Venus Williams.

Rafael Nadal, the Wimbledon men's singles champion and Venus WIlliams, the Wimbledon women's singles champion arrive at the 2008 Wimbledon Champions Dinner last night at the Hotel Intercontinental Hyde Park Corner in London, England.

Tell you what, I'm still awed by last night's battle between Nadal and Federer.

(Images by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani: Roger Federer's BFF @ Wimbledon final

2008-07-07T17:09:00.004+08:00

Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani spent another day at the Centre Court cheering for Roger Federer.

The couple sat next to Federer's girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec throughout the 4 hours 48 minutes match, the longest in the history of Wimbledon final.

Throughout the tense final, it seems that the heavily pregnant Gwen Stefani is merely accompanying her husband. She looked bored, what more had to put up with the match suspensions due to rain.

However it's totally different for Gavin who, just like Mirka, seems to show a lot of emotions during the match.

Stefani is expected to remain in London until she gives birth to her second baby.

(Via dailymail.co.uk)

Rafael Nadal finally beats Roger Federer @ Wimbledon

2008-07-07T04:22:00.005+08:00

If you are a Nadal fan, you'll be just as emotional as me witnessing his win at the Wimbledon men's singles final moment ago. He finally became the first man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

Nadal, the first Spaniard to win Wimbledon since Manolo Santana in 1966, also avenged his losses to Federer in the last two finals here and snapped Federer's All England Club winning streak at 40 matches and overall grass-court run at 65.

During the championship point, Federer sends a forehand error into the bottom of the net. After so much of drama and rain delays, the 4 hours 48 minutes match finally ended with the results 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7.

Nadal in tears, hugs his great rival and immediately runs up to his box to hug his family and pick up a Spanish flag. He then hops over to the royal box to shake some hands of Spanish royalty!

Nadal celebrates his win with Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and Princess Letizia of Spain.

During the interviews with the players, Federer said, "I tried everything, it went a little late and everything, but look Rafa is a deserving champion, he just played incredible today. He's the worst opponent on the best court, but it's been a joy again to play here, I know I couldn't win it under the circumstances, but I'll be back next year."

According to the new Wimbledon champion, "This is my favourite tournament, for me to win on this court is a dream. I'm playing in the same time as the best player in history, Roger Federer. He's still number one, he's still the best, he still has five titles here, and I just have one."

Now Nadal has won his 5th Grand Slam title, adding to his four consecutive French Open championships. Federer, meanwhile, remains two shy of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam wins.

Wow, it's almost 5 a.m. and I'll have to go to work in a couple of hours. But this is one of the best Monday morning, ever. And I can't wait for the Olympics tennis to start.

(Image by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Julian Finney/Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
(Some part of the text from Yahoo! UK Eurosport)

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: Rivals Reunion

2008-07-06T15:04:00.003+08:00

Once again, we will see the two top seeds meet in the final again. Let me tell you, I've never get bored watching both players play against each other, every time. And tonight's match is extremely an important one.

Another Wimbledon trophy in waiting, no?

As a Rafael Nadal's fan, I've heard and read quite enough about people having doubt in Nadal's ability in beating the world no. 1, Roger Federer, particularly on lawn. Yes, Federer is still the best player on this surface, but you have got to see how much Nadal has improved on grass court this year. Better slice, better backhand and better control on the court. And mentally, he is still the man with the mind of steel!

Bjorn Borg seems uncomfortable with Federer and Nadal breaking his records.

It's funny to read that tennis legend Bjorn Borg changes his mind about who's going to win at the championships, veering towards Federer instead of Nadal.

After the French Open when Nadal thrashed Federer in the final for the loss of only four games, Borg, the last man to win both tournaments in the same year, said he thought Nadal would win Wimbledon for the first time.

Not many tennis legends see what Nadal is seeing.

But after watching both men play “unbelievable tennis” to reach the semi-finals he told reporters: “Roger is playing perfect tennis.

“Before the tournament I picked Nadal just to pick someone else… Nadal has improved his game a lot since last year but if Roger is playing the way he has until the semi-finals it’s going to be tough to beat Roger,” Borg said.

After winning the claycourt French Open, the Spaniard quickly adjusted to the slick surface by capturing the Queen’s Club title a week later.

“Nadal looked like he had been practising on grass for a month… for me it was impossible to get used to the grass that quickly,” Borg said.

In Paris, Borg said Federer had a bad match. “But this is his home field.”

Well, whatever, Borg. We'll see if you make another wrong prediction, again. Same goes to Vijay Amritraj who seems not very good in making 'precise' prediction.

(Image by AFP/Carl de Souza/AP Photo/Kevin Lamarque/Alastair Grant)

Venus Williams: The Queen of Wimbledon

2008-07-06T08:16:00.004+08:00

Now, my chance to win a trip to London under the ESPNStar.com's Thai Airways contest is brighter as I've predicted Venus Williams win at the Wimbledon women singles.

Venus proves she is really comfortable playing on grass court by winning her 5th Wimbledon women singles trophy! Not only that, it's a double celebration for Venus as she also won the women's doubles title!

“I’m definitely more in tune with my sister’s feelings because one of us has to win and one of us has to lose,” the No. 7-seeded Venus said. “You could never detract from winning a Wimbledon, so of course it doesn’t detract from that. But I’m definitely thinking about how my sister’s feeling.”

I think it's bullshit when people said the sisters will sit down together with their parents and discuss who's going to win at Wimbledon. Serena lost to her big sister Venus 5-7, 4-6, as though she had just finished losing to a stranger.

“It’s definitely not any easier,” Serena said. “I just look at her as another opponent at the end of the day.”

About 3.5 hours after the women singles final ended, the sisters returned to the same court, except now they were playing on the same side of the net, and they beat Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-2 to win the women’s doubles title.

On the men's doubles final, Daniel Nestor celebrates with Nenad Zimonjic after winning 7-6 (14-12), 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-3, in a match that lasted 2 hours, 39 minutes against Kevin Ullyett and Jonas Bjorkman.

(Images by AFP/POOL/Glyn Kirk/Ian Walton/Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The Williams sisters make up and break up @ Wimbledon

2008-07-05T00:36:00.000+08:00

First they’ll be playing against each other at the Centre Court, trying to beat each other for the prestigious Wimbledon women singles title, which is their 7th all-in-the-family final at a Grand Slam tournament, but first since 2003.

Then they’ll pair up to play side-by-side in the women’s doubles final. “This is what we’ve been aiming for,” Venus said. “We haven’t reached this achievement in a few years now.”

Venus is chasing for her fifth Wimbledon championship and second in a row. The last woman to successfully defend her title at the All England Club is Serena, who won the tournament in 2002 and 2003, beating Venus in each final.

Currently, Serena holds a 5-1 edge in Grand Slam finals, and 8-7 overall.

My bet would be on Venus winning it back to back at the Wimbledon Championship.

(Image by AFP/Carl de Souza)

Quote of the day: All eyes on China's Zheng Jie

2008-07-04T08:56:00.004+08:00

"China has quite a lot of sports in which they lead the world."
~ Zheng Jie

Zheng Jie, might lost to Serena Williams but I bet that will not be the last time we hear from her.

She is probably now China's best bet in the upcoming Olympics tennis. There were about 100 millions people in China who watched her match against Nicole Vaidisova, so image the number of people who will keep an eye on her in the Olympics.

Hope that's not a burden though.

(Image by AP Photo/Adam Davy)

Federer, Nadal and Safin move on into the semifinals

2008-07-03T13:01:00.005+08:00

I was really disappointed with the rain delay last night because that means the quarterfinals will end very late at night.

I dozed off again while waiting for Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray match. I woke up half way of the match and saw Nadal leading by 2 sets. It was 4.50 a.m. So I guessed Nadal was already in a safe position, it was okay for me to go back to sleep, in bed.

With Marat Safin moving on into the semifinal to meet Roger Federer after defeated hottie Feliciano Lopez, I assume it's going to be an interesting match between the former world no. 1 and the current world no.1 this coming Friday. However, with the way Federer is playing here in Wimbledon, one can only say that the top seed is already halfway booking a place into the final.

And I can confidently say that Nadal will get his chance to clinch his first Wimbledon, whether his opponent is Arnaud Clement or Rainer Schuettler (whose match was suspended last night).

Fast forward to Sunday I can't wait for the men's final...

In the meanwhile, I'm looking forward to tonight's women semifinals.

(Image by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Arnaud Clement sticks to his trademark bandana

2008-07-02T00:19:00.004+08:00

The pictures say it all. And it seems that his 'friend' Nolwenn Leroy shares the same interest too.

(Images by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images/AP Photo/Alastair Grant/Sang Tan)