BLOG: Spain watches Spain reach Final
Date published :
08 Jul 2010 - 15:46:59
OG: Spain watches Spain reach FinalBy Craig GabrielIt was one of the more casual and relaxed Davis Cup dinners, a night of immense fun. Spain, the winners of the last two Davis Cups, and France, nine-time Davis Cup champions with their last victory coming in 2001, were breaking bread together heading into their quarterfinal showdown.The dinner was held at the official hotel on Wednesday evening, the night that coincided with the Spain-Germany World Cup semifinal. Needless to say, especially with Spain in the Davis Cup equation, the speeches at the dinner were kept to the absolute minimum. Considerately, large TV screens were set up in the rooms where dinner was served so attendees could keep one eye on the football action.During the pre-dinner drinks French Davis Cup captain Guy Forget told Albert Costa, his counterpart from the Spanish side, that this night would be the one and only time this weekend” he would be supporting Spain. The comment drew an appreciative smile and nod of the head from Costa, who was very eager to get inside and watch the match that attracted 61,000 fans to the Durban stadium. The atmosphere at the dinner was building as the match drew on. The Spaniards were screaming with excitement as their team drew closer to the German goal. But, alas, so often the Spanish chances to make a goal were thwarted. A couple of Germans at the dinner, namely Soren Friemel, the referee for the weekend, and official photographer, Paul Zimmer, did their best to try and remain calm. Every so often they would allow their preference to be known as the Germans made ground. The evening became more and more hysterical as the match continued and the minutes ticked away.Finally, when Carles Puyol scored with a powerful header in the 73rd minute to give Spain what turned out to be an insurmountable 1-0 lead, the room erupted. The Spanish team led by Costa, and including Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro and Feliciano Lopez, were embracing one another.The Spanish team spent the remaining time counting down the minutes and visibly expressed their anguish as the Germans kept coming in an attempt to even the score.When the referee finally blew the whistle to end the game, the Spanish Davis Cup team and their entourage exploded with joy. Spain -- La Roja -- had finally reached their first World Cup final. The Spanish team could not hide their delight as they started dancing around and chanted Vive Espana!” It was fantastic.Well, not exactly fantastic for all in attendance. A few tables away Zimmer and Friemel were left shaking their heads, which they buried in their serviettes. Needless to say, the two Germans became very easy targets to have fun at in Germany’s defeat.High Life in CoquimboBy Rodrigo ValdebenitoThe quarterfinal tie between Chile and Czech Republic is being played in the same venue where the Chileans defeated Israel in the first round back in March. Fortunately, the mood this weekend is completely different. The earthquake disaster that Chile had just faced prior to the first round is now far behind us and the seaside resort town of Coquimbo offers plenty of opportunities to escape the South American winter. Although unexpected rain appeared on Tuesday evening, most of the week has shown a sunny side, with temperatures between 15 to 20 degrees Celcius enough to enjoy some minutes in the sun.The beach is only 200 meters away from the 6,500-seat capacity Enjoy Tennis Center where the Davis Cup action is taking place this weekend. The 17 km-long seaside allows jogging, cycling, or merely walking along the shoreline.However, if you prefer to have fun at night, there is a casino in the venue itself, 100 meters away from the court, in a building that also features a dance club, several restaurants and other entertainment options.Tom Gullikson, the ITF VIP representative this weekend and former US Davis Cup captain, stated in his speech during the official dinner on Wednesday night that he would support the local economy by trying his luck in the casino.” If he’s as good at gambling as he was on the court, the local economy could be the one supporting him instead!Almost the GriswoldsBy Craig GabrielClermont-Ferrand, site of the quarterfinal tie between France and Spain, is not the easiest of places to get to. If you want to fly in there you probably need to go to Paris and connect. Another alternative is to fly to Lyon and then drive. Yup, I decided to do the drive with a friend who was also heading to the Davis Cup quarterfinal, even though being from Australia I’m accustomed to driving on the right side sorry, I mean correct side of the road! As it turned out the road trip, brief as it was, made me feel as if I almost could be the Clark Griswold character from the well-known Vacation movies Has anyone seen Walley World I didn’t see Walley World, and initially didn’t find it too difficult driving on the expressways on the opposite side of the road. The Sat Nav in the German 5 series car was good and it was great hitting 150 km per hour. Unfortunately, my positive opinion of the Sat Nav system changed when we got to the city. I found that the voice” would sometimes be a bit late, and then it was starting to drive me around the bend. No pun intended! At one stage, I think I, unintentionally, put on my best Jack Nicholson voice from The Shining because I was ready to commit a felony on the Sat Nav.I think I also gave two people in a car behind me heart attacks when I went into reverse without warning. Why That’s simple. The Sat Nav message to turn was delivered too late and I didn’t want to lose my bearings. We finally found our way to the hotel, then discovered the Hotel d’Ville (town hall) and even drove to the Zenith-Grande Halle d’Auvergne stadium. Let me tell you it wasn’t easy. Certain streets were looking very familiar after 40 minutes in the city. We’d been up-and-down them several times, but all I kept hearing was turn left in 200 metres,” turn half-right now,” etc.You’d have to say Clermont-Ferrand has one of the more unusual city logos, which we noticed on a board on the outskirts of town. The logo was the grid mark of a car tire, which isn’t so surprising if you know that Clermont-Ferrand is the headquarters of Michelin. As far as Michelin goes, however, I tend to think star chef and not tires. I can report I’m still here driving around the bend looking for a Michelin star chef. It’s all about Spain in the USABy Sandra HarwittThe United States didn’t make it into the quarterfinals this year, losing a tough 3-2 first round battle to Serbia, in Belgrade, in March. But that doesn’t mean that the U.S. will be without the availability of Davis Cup action this weekend.The Tennis Channel is picking up the Spain versus France tie, offering exclusive live coverage of the quarterfinal on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If history tells the tale, Spain should have momentum in their corner as they lead France 5-1 in Davis Cup meetings.Needless to say, Spain will be a centrepiece of sports action in the United States this weekend as it will be around the world. Not only will the Spain-France Davis Cup tie be on TV, but the World Cup final between Spain and Netherlands will also be receiving full live coverage on network TV. Undoubtedly, the Spanish Davis Cup team and the Spanish World Cup team are all hoping to ride the Rafa Nadal victory wave a week after he won his second career Wimbledon trophy. BLOG EDITOR...Sandra HarwittSandra, an American sportswriter for longer than she's willing to admit, has travelled the world to cover tennis for major publications, such as ESPN.com, The Miami Herald, and Associated Press. Her biggest problem of late is managing to pack worldwide purchases into suitcases and still meet the airline weight restrictions.
