The All New TENNIS Thread. For those with Sky and those without.

[IAmNotLouise]

Accidentally filled up the last thread without realising.

Have the day off today so can sit and watch the tennis scores update.

We still have too.

I know I had it on the bus because I used it to get on. I'm pretty sure it wasn't in the pocket when I got off but just assumed I'd put it in another pocket with my phone that I was holding at the time so didn't think to look. Logically, I have to have lost it on the bus somewhere so it will either have been found by the driver or by a passenger. If it was a passenger and you are going to hand it in you would give it to the driver or take it to the desk at the bus station at the end of the route. If it was going to be handed in I think they would have it by now.

I'm genuinely fucked if they won't replace it because I can't afford to get into work without it. I can use the rest of this week's food budget to get into work for the rest of this week. But there's no way I can use all of next week's to get in then. Or do that for the next 12 months.

Oh Clay, I'm sorry. Hope whoever has it has an attack of conscience and hands it in, but must say it doesn't look likely now. What have work said?

Any news from the East Raahh?

Work have said if I go to the police and report it as lost they will give me a reference number. I then need to e-mail them the number and they will e-mail Stagecoach and ask if they are prepared to accept the loss of money and then issue a new one if they say they are. I'm not entirely hopeful given that it's 3 days into a 52 week pass. This is not what it says in T&C which as far as I can remember from last week say that they will replace it for £25 but only once a year. Not might replace it.

TBH replacing an £850 bus pass for £25 is exceptionally generous of them and I wouldn't expect it at all except that they've said that's what they would do. And the fact that I can't afford for them not to.

Are you going to the tennis tomorrow? Do you know who you will see? The BBC only has the order of play up for today.

Juan - we got an update,they've visited the Ming Dynasty village, and they are all very impressed with the school. Especially the play ground- which have a scale replica of the great wall in it

Ds was mentioned in the e-mail- apparently he has been inviting people to his room for coffee

He's nearly 11- I'm assuming it's not actually coffee.

Clay - I hope they will replace your pass. I really do think something that expensive should be traceable- it's rubbish it isn't.

Ooh- Del Potato has got a set back from Djoko!

Clay, lets hope work keep their word then, surely it's in their interests to replace it if it's the only way you can afford to get in.

Raahh, he sounds well at home already! Impressed by the replica Great Wall. Not aware of any British schools that have replicas of places of interest, say Stonehenge for eg, in the playground!

Yes, off tomorrow to tennis. Seeing Ferrer and Wawrinka tomorrow, and hopefully Pot on Saturday. Am v v excited! Meeting ds1 at Kings Cross tomorrow - v excited to see him too!

Hope you all have good weekends.

Have a fabulous time Juan !

Sounds like he's having fun. Lol at the coffee.

Hope you have a great time tomorrow, Juan.

Bollocks.

i really like Stan,but Ferrer has now lost 3/3. That's not how he wants to end the season!

Well, Nadal won the first set - and is 3-0 down now inthe secong.

Vamos!!

5-0- wtf? Rafa!!

Wish I could see what was going on...

Phew! Rafa wins then.

vamos

Hi all, quick post from my phone. Have had great day, both matches we saw were three setters - Paes/Stepanek v Granollers/Lopez, followed by Stan v Ferrer. Our seats were right at front behind firstly Radek's crowd (bloody scary crew), inc Azarenka, then Stan's lot. His little girl was there v briefly too, so sweet. Saw Berdych practicing for a bit before coming back to hotel. In restaurant,Bryan Brothers were there and then Gasquet and his mates came and sat right behind us. But no sign of Pot :(. Ds1 is now snoring away and I am contemplating roaming the hotel corridors ...

Hope you're all well.

Well if you will go to the tennis rather than spend the day in the hotel lift then you will miss Pot. Could you pretend you're room service and knock on all the doors or something?

Glad you had a good day though.

Juan- glad you had a good day.

Good start for Potato this afternoon.

Del Potato mot through. he had his chances, too.

ahh well.

Vamos nadal!

Roger!

Back home now :(. Feel like I stepped briefly into another world, had such a lovely time. What news from Shanghai Raahh? Any update on the bus pass Clay?

Was gutted for Pot, he r should have won. We were right at front again and I did my best to cheer him on (and have sore throat to prove it!) but I was seriously outnumbered by Rog fans! I was surrounded by them, inc my ds1 and the lovely lady sat on my other side! Franco Davin and Pot's trainer were sat directly opposite us. So strange to see all these people who you "recognise"!

Just before the match there was a presentation ceremony to Rafa, so that was an added bonus - got to see him receive his award and be interviewed live (not that I understood a word!). His girlfriend, mum and sister (and some men who I didn't recognise but presume were family) walked right in front of us.

Next match also very good - Djok and Gasquet. Ds1 is big Djok fan and for this session we were sat at front just to left of umpire's chair, and Djok's seat was in front of us so Ds1 delighted. I know he's not very popular on here (Djok, not ds1!)but I have to say he thanked the ball boys/girls a lot and applauded several of Gasquet's shots. Was an exciting match to watch.

Biggest thrill for me though was my near miss with Pot yest morn when waiting for boat to O2. The boat currently alongside was the ATP boat, and Pot walked down gangplank towards it about ten feet away from us. I actually had given up hope of any sightings and wasn't looking when ds1 said "there's your one". Ds is really good at recognising people, 'twas he who spotted Bryan Brothers and Gasquet on Friday night, and yest he also saw Greg, Boris and Sue when they walked past. I was totally oblivious.

Tennis finished last night at about 10.30, and I suggested to ds that, rather than battle our way home, we should go back to hotel and see if we could stay another night. Then I decided I'd probably bankrupted us as it was, so we came home. On Pot's FB page this morning there is a pic of him in the hotel bar...

Sorry for ridiculous length of post, and hope I haven't sounded boasty but I was/am very excited, and genuinely feel like I've had a holiday. There were some ATP officials sat in front of us last night and when the Djok/Gasquet match went to a third set they were complaining amongst themselves saying things like "just what we need, another set of tennis". Wanted to tap them on head and ask them to swap lives!

Enjoy Sunday everyone, back to real life now and the school uniform ironing!

Oh meant to say that one of the Bryan Brothers (not sure which one though!) threw a sweaty wristband to ds!

for the update-Juan - it sounds like you had a great time. I saw some of yesterdays first chance all week- and did feel he should have won.

Haven't had an e-mail update todate from the head but they are all having a great time in China- every day is packed, so no time to miss us and I'm really proud of ds because he did a speech in mandarin to the host school. He had worked it all out himself- I'm just hoping it was unintentionally insulting

have missed this afternoon- dd1 has nabbed the tv, but well done Rafa! Vamos and year end number one!

Sounds like you had a brilliant time. Not boasty at all. Glad you got to see Pot even if it wasn't in the hotel bar.

at your DS's speech in Mandarin. That can't have been easy. Do they learn Mandarin at school? It's not easy. I did try once but couldn't really get my head round it. Focusing on Turkish instead.

No real news on the bus pass. Now have a lost item reference number from the police. Have to e-mail that to work car parking department, who e-mail it to Stagecoach who then decide if they will allow car parking department to replace it. Could take a while. Not sure how I'm supposed to get to work in the meantime though. Might just take some annual leave.

Ooh forgot to say - tennis will be on iplayer if you've missed it Raahh. The whole week's should be there.

Clay- I think i may try and watch some tomorrow.

So- Rafa/Djoko final- which is as it should be, I guess.

Not a completely surprising result there. Hope Nadal can win.

Don't think every match is on iplayer just what was shown on BBC.

How are you managing to get to work Clay?

Are we all about to watch the last tennis match of the year? I'm sad.

Cept for Davis Cup of course.