Good morning all. I'll be attending the final at Queen's Club this afternoon between Andy Murray and James Blake. After cool damp weather earlier this week, yesterday was hot enough to leave me with sunburn, and today is expected to be similarly warm.
Murray and Blake have met just once before - over three years ago, in Hamburg, when Blake emerged the victor. Murray has had the slightly easier passage to the final, not losing a set, whereas Blake survived a three-setter with Sam Querrey in the third round.
Yesterday I'm sure that Blake would have preferred to progress with a win, but it wasn't to be - Andy Roddick was forced to retire after tweaking an ankle and calling the trainer. Let's just say that I was close enough to the latter incident to wonder what it must feel like to be in Roddick's place at that moment, even though I wasn't part of it. You see, I knew that I would have a tough journey getting to the Club yesterday, and also that I'd need to go shopping for a new computer keyboard after the tennis was over, so I'd stripped down my camera equipment to the bare essentials - still heavy, but a load I could carry over one shoulder. I'd left out of the bag the lens that would have allowed me (from where I was sitting) a shot of Roddick being treated by the trainer, rather than what would have been a foot without a face - I hadn't used it all week, so it seemed like an obvious item to leave out. However, the rest of the photographers more than made up for my lack, and all in the vicinity came over to get the shot. I've done it myself in the past - I suppose the players must become used to having photographers crowding around when this kind of incident occurs, and learn to ignore it.
Roddick was also seated close enough to overhear the shrill conversation that a teenage girl two rows behind him was having on her mobile phone with her mother, to the effect that she was seated just behind Andy Roddick, it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her, and she was even more excited at being seen on the big screen that showed the TV pictures, waving to her mother while still chattering away, oblivious to the rest of her audience. I'm not sure which was more overwhelming - the breathless adulation for Roddick, or the total indifference to his plight.
Again today I'll be posting yesterday's web gallery when I return, and will of course also take pictures of today's final and the trophy presentation. I may just repack that missing lens before I leave.
-- Rosangel Valenti