Anyone For Tennis!

Watching Wimbledon on the TV has always made me feel homesick for good old blighty. My trip home this year coincided with those 2 weeks in June and I was extremely lucky, thanks to some old friends Sophia and Andrew Castle to go to the great event. The All England Lawn Tennis Club looked magnificent - the sun was shining, the flowers were blooming and the tennis was great.

On the Saturday I watched Andrew play in the veterans doubles competition. His partner was the legendary Mansour Bahrami  - the master of the amazing touch and trick shots - and boy could he play and that was with an injured arm.The ball was flying everywhere and in one hilarious point played out in slow motion there was no ball! The umpire didn't seem to mind - in face she was happy to join in the fun especially when the champagne arrived court side! Andrew and Mansour's opponents Aussies Pat Cash and Mark Woodforde were also great sports and went on to win the match and ultimately the competition.

Mansour Bahrami, Andrew Castle, Pat Cash and Mark Woodforde

The next day was the men's final Nadal vs Djokovic at Centre Court - what a treat. We were seated one row above the players boxes and the tension between both camps was intense - alternate sides jumping up and applauding as each hardly fought point was won. The gorgeous Nadal was my favourite and probably most of centre court (and I have it on good authority he is a great guy too) but no one could deny the brilliance of Djokovic on the day.

Djokovic preparing to serve



Before and after the match I was able to do a touch of  "star spotting" in the VIP area - Rafael Nadal, Martina Navratilova, Pat Cash, Virginia Wade, Jeremy Bates and Boris Becker  to name but a few. Sophia and I were also on the TV briefly and spotted by many friends throughout the world - very funny!  A great weekend - cheers Andrew!