Chris Evert plays her final match as a professional, defeating Conchita Martinez 6-3 6-2 to help the United States to a 3-0 victory over Spain in the final of the Federation Cup in Tokyo.

Chris Evert:

If this is it, I think I’m going out on the highest note possible. I came here thinking this is my last tournament scheduled for this year, and maybe forever, and what better note could there be to end it on, playing on a great team for my country.

Martina Navratilova:

I think all of us really wanted to win it for Chris, but she won it for herself, too. She won all her matches so she played a huge part in it. it was great to be on the team with her.

Some pics of Nadal rocking his Nike outfit during the Davis CUp semifinals against France:

Spain, Serbia, Argentina and France battle this week end for a place in the 2011 Davis Cup final.

Spain vs France

Spain leads by 1-0 after Rafael Nadal‘s easy win over Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-0 6-1. Gasquet lost his serve in the first game of the match and after that there was only one player on the court.
And 2-0 for Spain, David Ferrer dispatched Gilles Simon 6-1 6-4 6-1.
Llodra and Tsonga totally dominated Spanish heartthrobs Lopez and Verdasco 6-1 6-2 6-0. 2-1 for Spain before the reverse singles on Sunday.
Nadal secures Spain’s spot in final, the third in four years, with his win 6-0 6-2 6-4 win over Tsonga.

Serbia vs Argentina

Novak Djokovic pulled out of Serbia’s opening singles match against David Nalbandian. He was replaced by Viktor Troicki.
David Nalbandian gave the first point to his team with his four sets win 6-4 4-6 6-2 6-3.

Defending champion Serbia is in big trouble after Janko Tipsarevic’s loss to Juan Martin Del Potro.
The Serbian team came back to 1-2 after the victory of their doubles team.
In the fourth rubber, Novak Djokovic retired, trailing Juan Martin del Potro 6-7 0-3.

Argentina will face Spain for a remake of the 2008 Davis Cup final.

 Loading ...

Enjoy the second part of Mike’s report about his son’s experience at the Sanchez Casal Academy.

Notes on Living in Castedellfels!

- We didn’t rent a car. Walked/Renfe/Metro everywhere and loved it! Watch your step on the sidewalks –dog crap. A Barcelona tradition?

- Best rotisserie chicken and cerdo (pork ribs): Dos Cabelleros and Rotisserie Pineda. Rober’s at Playafels for good cheap eats. Fruites Selectes Rosa in downtown for fresh fruit & veggies. Say hi to Carlos and his wife Rosa! Gailot is the high-end meat and cheese shop. Try their 3 Euro wine –it’s excellent!!! Excellent service at all these places.

- Convenience store: the Depaso gas station on Pineda is a life saver! Make their bread and pastries right there. Awesome 65 cent coffee from the Zannusi machine.

- Renfe (commuter train) can be unreliable in morning. Beware!

- Playafels at night can be over-run with rowdy tourists. Not where the locals eat and hang out. We LOVED SITGES. SPEND TIME THERE INSTEAD!

- Be prepared for more city noise at night –dogs barking, people milling around. Apartment buildings tend to have bad sound insulation. Bring a sound machine and ear plugs to get through the night.

Best Places to Eat & Buy Stuff!

You can count on the DEPASO on Ave Pineda!

Read the rest of this entry →

Thanks a lot to Mike, who allowed me to publish his report about his son’s experience at the Sanchez Casal Academy.
If you want to share one of your experience (encounter with a pro, your stay at a tennis academy…), please contact us.

Four Weeks at Sanchez Casal Academy
- My 14-year-old Californian son had four terrific weeks at Sanchez Casal in July 2011. We moved as a family to nearby Castelldefels for the month.
- His tennis improved a lot!
- We came mostly for the intense footwork training and because of the high quality of the players at ASC.
- We weren’t disappointed!!

Red Clay Tennis Mecca at last!
This is the sign you see right off the main road that connects Barcelona to the airport. The road is the C-31, Autovia del Castelldefels. Our heart went pitter patter with excitement when we saw it! We are finally at the place where great players are made!!!

Close up of sign
Big arrow pointing in the direction of the Academia….nice touch!

Let’s get over the highway, please
This shows the walk bridge off the main road (C-31). If you take the L95 bus from Castelldefels, you get off the bus in front of the Tryp Hotel (seen in background) and then walk over the highway to where this picture was taken (that is, the bus stop area for the bus heading southbound). ASC will drive your jugador directly to ASC each day if you want.

Tennis Camp or Camping Trip?
You think for sure you’ve made a mistake –you are out in the boonies. But you are re-assured by the large ASC sign you went by. Soon you venture down this country road.

Read the rest of this entry →

Brilla. Ilumina tu país – Shine. Light your country