This is for people who want a full post of the 30+1 challenge I did.
Day 1: Favourite men’s tennis player? In case you didn’t already knew. It’s obviously Roger Federer. It’s actually pretty recently that I became fan of him. I wasn’t really into tennis and I only watched when Kim Clijsters played because I’m belgian and my parents would watch it too. Then my father decided to watch that Federer-Djokovic match at the us open in 2009 (I guess there wasn’t anything else on tv) and I was really facinated about the way Federer played. My father went to sleep but I kept watching that match and when he hit that ‘between the leg shot’ I was sold. I looked up some information because I only knew he was swiss and had a rivalry with a certain Nadal. So it was actually thanks to him I became a tennis fan. I have to say that I became fan before I knew he has won a record grandslams and stuff. (Unfortunately I totally didn’t experience those glory days) So that’s why whatever happens in the future he will always be my favourite tennis player and I will always support him
Day 2: Favourite women’s tennis player? I don’t follow women’s tennis that much. So I’m going for the obvious answer here. I’m belgian so a big Kim Clijsters fan. But except for the reason that she’s belgian I also like her attitude on and off court. I think she’s funny and sweet. And she’s probably the only reason that I even watch women’s tennis. I hope she grows her hair back and gets rid of that horrendous haircut…
Day 3: Favourite doubles team? Uhm…I don’t really follow doubles. But I do like the Bryan Brothers :) I’ve seen their vlogs and they seem really funny and nice. And yeah if Federer decides to play doubles with Wawrinka I’m pulling for them to win. But yeah that’s pretty much my opinion on doubles…
Day 4: Your Least favourite men’s player? I think probably most people already know that I don’t really like Novak Djokovic. I’m not going to make this a hate post but I’ll explain why. At first I really liked him I thought he was really funny with those imitations and just his behaviour over all. But then he started winning against Federer and also against Nadal. It’s not only that I don’t like him because he’s winning against my favourite players but I don’t really liked his attitude as number 1. I think he didn’t really stayed grounded and he didn’t take his responsibilities as number 1. When I was watching ‘Sporza’ (belgian sportchannel) they were showing pre-tournament interviews of Federer, Nadal,… and then they said that they hadn’t got one of Djokovic because he used the hurricane as an excuse to not show up. And I was like what? he’s the number 1… What I also don’t like about him is all those injury time out’s and his ball bouncing. And then at the end of the season he played some horrible matches were it just seemed like he gave up and I really hate that attitude on court. I get that he had an injury but come on you have to give it your all until the match is finished. I hope I can like him again in the future because I’m not really a hater type of person…
Day 5: Your least favourite women’s player? I don’t really follow women’s tennis so I don’t really have a women’s tennis player I don’t like. If you asked me a couple of months ago I would probably have said Marion Bartoli just because she is so hyper on court that it’s annoying to watch her. But now I know she’s a big Federer fan. She literally said that Federer is her ideal man. She also said ‘If he would ask to go to the moon I would go. I admit I cry when he loses big matches. He’s friendly, good, he has class. And when he says hello to me I’m trembling over my whole body’ So just for that I have to like her. That’s pretty much it…i don’t have any problems with any women’s tennis player.
Day 6: What’s your most memorable match? I’ll tell you which was my favourite match of 2011. Without a doubt it was when Federer broke Djokovic’s winning streak at the French Open. Everyone was thinking Djokovic would win that match (including me if I’m totally honest) and he just proved once again why he is the greatest of all time. I remember that I was literally jumping up and down after that match…
Day 7: Which is you favourite Grand Slam tournament? Well…the GS trophy that is the most important in my opinion is the Wimbledon trophy. But from a fan’s perspective I really like Roland Garros. Because Radio RG is just too funny…Craig Gabriel who does impressions of accents is just epic. And don’t forget about ‘Jukebox’ and those other funny behind the scenes video’s. They also post full press conferences if I’m right. I also like the Australian Open for those fundraisers and Jim Courier interviews.
Day 8: Who would be in your dream women’s match (anyone from past and present)? Well like I already said I’m not a huge women’s tennis fan so…I’ll pick Kim Clijsters to play Serena Williams. That would be a pair up that would be interesting to me. Both can beat each other so it would be a very close match and at the end I’d hope that Kim would win.
Day 9: Who would be in your dream men’s match (anyone from past and present)? (Yeah even on Christmas I’m doing this, I’m so dedicated :p) That’s not a hard one for me. Of course that would be a Federer and Nadal match. It’s just the perfect match up, the smooth strokes from Federer mixed with the competitiveness of Nadal. There’s no match like that…the tennis you get to see in such a match is from another planet. But yeah in the end I would like to see Federer win even though I like Nadal too.
Day 10: The Grand Slam you would most like to go to: I would probably go to Wimbledon. It’s not too far from Belgium and it’s the most prestigious grandslam in my opinion. Otherwise I would go to Roland Garros because it’s not far either.
Day 11: Who is your favourite umpire? I’m going for Mohammed Lahyani. There’s always something that makes me laugh when he umpires a match. He is always so excited when he says ‘correction ball was in’, he’s just amazing!
Day 12: Who would be in your dream doubles team (can be mixed)? This is a really easy question for me to answer. I would love it that Nadal and Federer would play doubles together. Just the thought of them playing together and touching each other makes me all happy. Please please someone make it happen (and quick)…
Day 13: What’s your favourite tennis surface? I’m going to say hardcourt just because it’s the surface (if it’s not too fast) where you see the ball the best and see great rallies. But I also like grass because Federer won those 6 wimbledon titles on it (yeah that’s right I made a Federer reference again)
Day 14: Which player has the best personality on the court? It’s totally not original or anything but I’m going to say Roger Federer. He always looks calm out there win or lose and he’s a very fair player. He also almost never freaks out about a call so I personally like his personality on the court…
Day 15: Who is the funniest player off the court? For me, Andy Roddick is the most funniest player on tour. He doesn’t have to try too hard to be funny (like a certain person who’s number 1) and people who think he is cocky are in need of a good sense of humor.
Day 16: Who is the most boring player? I’m going for Murray al though I know he can be fun sometimes. But I’ve decided to pick someone out of the top 10 because otherwise I would pick someone who I barely know. And Murray just has that boring vibe over him…
Day 17: Which player is the fairest on court? I think that has to be Roger Federer. It’s not for nothing that he received the Stefan Edberg sportmanship award. I’ve even seen him correct the score on a couple occasions
Day 18: Which player do you have the most respect for?It seems like I’m answering every question with Roger Federer (it’s probably because I almost always do) but it’s because he is really the answer to almost every question. So yeah I’ve got the most respect for Roger Federer. At age 30 he’s still able to motivate himself and handle those critics. And the fact he handles himself so good (he takes his responsibilities, he’s always nice and friendly,…) is just astonishing. Also he won 16 grandslams, was in 23 grandslam semi finales in a row and a lot more records that it’s hard to not have respect for him.
Day 19: In the past, which match has been your favourite women’s match? I have to say Kim Clijsters/ Na Li. I really loved it when Kim won the Australian Open, it was her first non us open grandslam. I was so happy for her and she really deserved it.
Day 20: In the past, which match has been your favourite men’s match? Since I don’t follow Roger Federer that long. I have to say the Australian Open final in 2010 when he beat Murray. It still is the only grandslam I’ve seen him win live. I hope I’ll be able to see him win at least one more…
Day 21: Who’s your favourite French tennis player? I really like Gilles Simon since he did that ‘Jukebox’ performance haha. You should check it out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7MIWJ0slE8&feature=plcp) it’s so funny and hot at the same time :)
Day 22: Who’s your favourite American tennis player? Since I already said I found Andy Roddick the funniest player on tour I’m obviously picking him. I hope he can have a better year this year…I really feel sorry for him that he’s not in the top 10 anymore :(
Day 23: Who’s your favourite Spanish tennis player? I’m picking Rafa…he’s a great tennis player and I really admire his mental game. He’s hot, sweet and has a bromance with my favourite male tennis player. Also his accent is so adorable and there are so many more other reasons to pick him.
Day 24: Who’s your favourite Australian tennis player? Lleyton Hewitt for sure, I like his fightpower and attitude on court. And he has been in a relationship with Kim Clijsters too. It’s a shame he is struggling so hard lately and I hope that he will be at least back in the top 20. I also like Bernard Tomic and believe that he has a nice future ahead of him.
Day 25: Which men’s and women’s player was world no. 1 on the day you were born? (DOB: January 4, 1993) So it was Jim Courier (from October 5, 1992 till April 12, 1993 where Sampras took over) and Monica Seles (September 9, 1991 till June 7, 1993 where Graf took over) Good to know I have a special band with these people now.
Day 26: Which has been your favourite rivalry to watch? Like I would have to think about that. It’s of course Federer/Nadal! The level of tennis you get to see in those matches in unreal. And they have that bromance thing going on that makes it even more excited to watch. It’s just a shame that Djokovic came and spoiled the party and I really hope I’ll be able to see a lot more Fedal this season. But I do have to admit that I would like it that Federer won a bit more of those fedal matches so the head to head wouldn’t be that one sided. It doesn’t really reflects the small gap between the two. (also due to the fact they played a lot on clay)
Day 27: Nadal or Federer? Let me first say that I think both are awesome. But I think it’s pretty obvious that nobody beats Federer for me. I mean he is really the best tennis player I’ve ever seen play and he’s also such a nice person (I could go on and on and on about him) But then again you have Nadal which I also do like. I like his fighting spirit and he’s just such a sweetie. A better question would be: Fedal or Djokovic. Would be a lot more to say about that…
Day 28: who will win the next Wimbledon? On the men’s side I pick Roger Federer because he has already won it six times and can still play breathtaking tennis on grass. You can never write him off and he would totally deserve it. Then on the women side I say Kim Clijsters, she really could do it if she is healthy and it would be a nice finish to her career. (At this period in time I know my picks are a bit unlikely to happen but I can only hope)
Day 29: Who will win the next US Open? I think Kim Clijsters can win if she’s healthy and fit. She’s definately one of the best on hardcourt and won it already a couple of times. You already know who I want to pick for the men but to mix it up a little I’m going for Rafa Nadal. He’s a great player and not only on clay. If he beats those Djokovic demons in his head I’m sure he’s going to win some slams this season. He’s definately my pick after you know who ;)
Day 30: Why is tennis so awesome? Since I became a fan of tennis because of Roger Federer. I have to say Roger Federer but I do like to watch other tennis players as well. It’s just that the sport is interesting to watch, it’s being played with a lot of variety and it’s so physical demanding which is really fascinating. I consider it the best sport that there is because of that. People who say tennis is boring have definately not watched some great players or matches.
Day 31: Who will win Australian Open 2012, men and women’s draw: I hope Roger but since he has got that back scare… I guess Novak is probably the favourite but I can see Roger stop him if he’s playing his best. For the women: I would love to see Kim win it again. But she also has had an injury scare and I think she has to watch out for Azarenka who’s in top form at the moment.
