Spring in Barcelona

!Rafa_161 By Rosangel Valenti, TW Contributing Editor

As many of you know, I spent several days watching tennis live last week, at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. It was the tenth stop on the 'Rafa Euro-Spectator Slam'. It was even hotter than Monte Carlo last week - I now have a red, shiny, sunburned nose. There was no shelter from the blazing sun in the stands  - anyone planning to attend should carry a shady hat, plenty of water, sunglasses, and full-on sunscreen. Luckily I was still carrying my peaked cap with the Monte Carlo Masters logo on it - though, to make it camera-friendly, I had to wear it back-to-front, in the same unattractive way as many of the players do (see below....).

It was my first visit to Barcelona and I didn't form much of an impression of the city. A ten-hour day of viewing tennis tends to preclude sightseeing, except in a place like Monte Carlo, where the sights are visible from the court. As a frequent traveler, I speak just enough French, German, Italian and Spanish to avoid major mishaps. One thing I liked about Barcelona was that when I managed to speak some Spanish, the locals didn't automatically answer me in English, which made the effort seem worthwhile. Language aside, though, any tennis tournament by now feels like an oasis of familiarity.

The Real Club de Tenis Barcelona itself an oasis personified. The attractive venue is tucked away in a relatively traffic-free area of the city. The main road near to the venue is lined with well-tended trees, and cars meander down it at a very relaxed pace. The main building  dates from 1899. It's a charming structure of warm color, surrounded by well-kept trees and pink potted plants. I had to go inside to pick up tickets, and found that much of the interior was open to visitors. The entire event was surprisingly relaxed, security-wise. No-one ever asked to search my bag, and, with ticket in hand, it was easy to wander in and out. Arriving for the final, the first person I saw walking out of the main entrance of the club was Toni Nadal, who subsequently stopped to pose for a picture with a Rafa fan.

If you spend a few days here, you'll have the chance to see players up close. The two practice courts are unobtrusively adjacent to the main court.  On semifinals day I arrived early, and went to sit beneath some shady trees with my book. But something exciting seemed to be going on, because the seats by the practice courts were filling quickly. Fortunately, I wasn't overly absorbed in my not-very-absorbing book to cotton on to the fact that Rafa was practicing there. During his practice sessions, a security guard stood watch, just in case his uncle, Carlos Costa, his practice partner (current world number 341, Bartolomé Salva-Vidal) or the rest of the entourage needed help holding off the mob. As a Catalan-speaker in a Catalan-speaking city, he's very popular with the locals - probably too much so to walk freely around the place without being stopped every few seconds. However, I did see his girlfriend strolling the grounds, as well as Mohamed Lahyani, genially chatting with passers-by.

I watched two Rafa practice sessions, along with about a hundred other fans. I also saw the Bryans on the other practice court, as well as David Ferrer, who practiced right next to Nadal before the final. When the players left the practice courts, fans sprang up with cameras and autograph books. But I was struck by how respectfully the players, especially the Spanish players, and most especially Rafa, were treated by the public. Stillness prevailed over their practices. Once, two small boys who were clearly his cousins (Toni's sons) watched. During his rest period, he had one of them sitting on his lap. At the end of the session, Rafa elected (showing off, I presume) to kick a couple of tennis balls into the crowd. He missed one, and one of the cousins ran to fetch it and throw it to fans. The practice sessions were fascinating, with the players concentrating on ball-striking, rather than movement or point simulation.

In addition to the singles matches you all might have seen, I watched enough of the Bryans versus Lopez and Verdasco to believe that the Spanish lads are capable of occasional brilliance (especially Lopez from the net), but the Bryans are likely to outlast them in a potential Davis Cup encounter (The Americans dominated both matches I saw, taking the title).  I saw Andy Murray play one doubles match, with Alex Corretja watching from the stands. Murray was partnered by Ross Hutchins (who played Davis Cup doubles for Great Britain earlier this year against Argentina). They lost the match (against Kevin Ulyett and Jeff Coetzee); Murray looked no calmer playing doubles than singles, although he berated only himself.

The public got full value from the final, because it was competitive. It was the Monte Carlo quarters all over again, with Ferrer using his forehand to the ad court with devastating effect. When he took the second set, I sat there and seriously wondered whether I would be capable of taking the requisite Ferrer victory pictures, in the event he won. I concluded that if it might encourage Snoo Foo to return to TW, I would manage it  - somehow.

I'm including below the links to my Barcelona photo galleries. I didn't take pictures every day - after all, I was there to watch tennis.  Among the shots I like most are the ones of David Ferrer congratulating his friend at the end of the final - more than perfunctorily, from looking at their interaction. And although I'm not sure that it's obvious in the pictures, random long-legged females showed up to take part in the trophy photos (my versions, of course, are taken from a distance). One of the random ladies was deliberately sprayed with champagne by the new/defending champion, and she momentarily looked horrified, then seemed to decide she didn't mind.

Finally, the Barcelona trophy is so ridiculously big that one or two shots seem to have even Rafa staggering under its weight. Obviously, he needs more practice in handling that particular trophy.

Photo web galleries are as follows: Rafa vs. Lopez, 1st May; other players 1st May; Rafa practice session 3rd May 2008; Rafa during semifinal with Gremelmayr; other players 3rd May; Rafa practice session pre-final; Rafa during and after the final. The practice session pictures are probably for Nadal fans only. There are plenty of pictures of other players - I was fortunate to be seated in a spot where I could not only see the main court, but also had good visual access to the secondary court, on the days that it was being used.