MADRID: Although defeated by Thiem in an absolutely thrilling match, Dimitrov emerged as the crowd favorite at the Madrid Open.
Complaint office – The organization of such a prestigious tournament can count on an impressive number of volunteers that offer their time and passion in order to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Among the many available jobs, some are really dull. For example, let’s spare a thought for the security guards that have to stand for an entire match facing the stands instead of the court, while constantly following every single little movement in the audience. Even more uninspiring is the task assigned to the guys that control the access to the elevator that will take you to the press room. But the worst place is located in the south-east corner of the Caja, where the coldest wind will literally cut your face. It is a place where no one would like to work at: The complaint office. Even on the hottest day of the year, it will always be winter in the complaint office and you will always see the lonely girl at the front desk wearing a heavy jacket, a scarf and a ski beanie. She should probably be the first person to file a complaint!
Who is on the way up and who is on the way down – The Caja is composed of different floors and the internal elevator stops at every one of them. Floor -2 is used by the photographers, floor -1 is filled with journalists, the ground floor will give you access to the three stadiums and the third floor is at the service of TV stations. Every time you take the elevator, not only it is impossible to predict at what floor it is going to stop, but you might also run into a celebrity when you simply don’t expect it. Yesterday we ran into the famous photographer Gianni Ciaccia and former world No. 2 Alex Corretja, who is now working as a tennis analyst for the Spanish national television. The two stars hugged each other hello while we were silently enjoying the scene.
The “Grigorettes” and Dominic’s little fist pump – The late afternoon match between Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov on Thursday truly entertained the Grand Stand crowd. The usual “Bulgarian corner” with Grisha’s fanatics also included three beautiful girls who were screaming and cheering for their favorite player, while a middle-aged gentleman dressed in Bulgaria’s colors – green pants, white jersey and red jacket – was furiously staring at the line judges whenever they made incorrect calls in favor of Dimitrov’s opponent.
The match was of the highest quality and both players equally stole the show, even if one of the guys in charge of the court maintenance played a prominent role at the beginning of the third set. As the chair umpire asked him to dust the lines before play resumed, the guy not only meticulously cleaned every inch of the lines but he also dusted the MADRID sign that was entirely covered with red clay. The audience amusingly applauded his keenness and Thiem congratulated him on his success with a little fist pump.
Come on, Ferru! – On the Grand Stand crowd never stopped cheering for David Ferrer during his difficult match against Kei Nishikori of Japan. Each time they screamed “Come on, Ferru,” my colleague Ferruccio Roberti thanked the audience with a bow.
(Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions – www.t-lglobal.com )
