Davis Cup Brisbane Experiences
By Peta
Wednesday,12 July - Patrick Rafter's Cherish The Children Luncheon
Well I arrived in Brisbane on Friday evening with my family without any dramas whatsoever. Kerrin arrived up here on Monday with her family and this morning Marcus (my hubby) and I picked Robyn up from the airport after her extremely early morning flight (who gets up at 3am to catch a plane? I ask you... it's just not decent!)
After resting up at my in-laws place for a couple of hours and contacting Kerrin to make arrangements for meeting up at the Hilton Hotel just prior to midday, we got Marcus and his dad to drop us into town.
We already figured that Patrick would not be attending the luncheon as he had only arrived back in Brisbane late last evening - but we were disappointed to find out that in fact none of the team were able to make it, as they had two training sessions today.
Well we weren't too disappointed for too long as just about every other Rafter in the Brisbane area was in attendance (Jim & Jocelyn, Peter, Theresa, Louise, David, Michael and many other relatives). The Grand Ballroom was full of Patrick's spirit and talk of him was on everyone's lips for the whole afternoon (his ears must have been burning - this is a common saying we use when we talk about some one who is absent)
We met up with Kerrin and her daughter Farin, Tina and Kate and were served pre-lunch drinks in the foyer. Upon entering the room we saw many table (approximately 30) already laid out with the entree and a stage area with a huge rainbow arch made of balloons, the centre piece of the stage was the Davis Cup and on either side were two massive projection screens on which was being played a video montage of last years Davis Cup semi final in Brisbane - this was a fantastic video with selections of play and fans, the team on the sideline cheering and encouranging the players (remember Pat in that adorable blue/yellow hat?) and particularly lots of footage of the Fanatics in their lime green t-shirts!
Then the proceedings proper began. The Tom Jones montage video was played (I'm sure most of you will have seen this great piece of Pat's fighting and winning spirit - if you haven't, it is highly recommended), and the Master of Ceremonies - Pat Welsh (what a fun and entertaining guy) welcomed everyone.
Unbelievably Jim and Jocelyn who had arrived at 4am this morning were there and were the first to be invited up onto stage to speak about Patrick, their trip to Wimbledon and their appreciation for all in attendance in supporting Patrick's charity. They were positively beaming as they spoke of the journey to the All England Club and how proud of Patrick they were in his achievements at Wimbledon, especially in his graciousness in losing and not stealing any of Pete's glory as he celebrated his record breaking win (even though the crowd was 80% behind Pat on the day according to Jim).
After entree two of Australia's Olympic swimmers - Daniel Kowalski and Giann Rooney spoke about their previous achievements, current training regimes and aspirations for this year at the Sydney Olympics. Both were delightful speakers and Daniel was particularly engaging when he spoke about sharing the same surgeon and physio as Patrick (he had a shoulder operation as well and he and Pat even had an appointment one after the other one time) and how inspirational it has been to watch what Pat has achieved. He said that all the hard work is worth it when you see Patrick playing in the Wimbledon final and himself making the Olympic Squad.
Peter Rafter was asked to speak about this year and the struggles and joys that have abounded. Pete finished with an amusing story about being introduced to Clauia Schiffer while he had lunch all over his face - he had been eating lunch by himself when Sandon Stolle (who is currently dating Claudia's sister - there's some gossip for you!) had brought the two ladies in and asked if they could join him for lunch... he was somewhat mortified to be caught in a messy situation with one of the world's most beautiful ladies :-)
We watched another video clip, this time it was about Cherish The Children and had some delightful footage of Patrick meeting sick, disadvantaged and needy kids... once this was finished Louise spoke about the work that they did through the charity, thanked the many sponsors and all who attended.
Next up was the Charity Auction, many items were up for grabs but this was no Auction for the faint hearted! Of note were the following items: A signed and framed Agassi racquet $3700, a signed and framed Pat t-shirt from the 1999 Australian Open $4300, and a signed and framed 1999 Davis Cup t-shirt $4000. In all approximately $19000 was raised from this section of the afternoon alone.
Next the raffle was drawn, which consisted of many terrific prizes - none of which went to our table - fooey!!! despite all of us pitching in and buying plenty of tickets (at 8 tickets for $50 this was also a big ask).
Throughout the afternoon Louise visited every table in the room and personally thanked each person for coming and supporting Cherish The Children. When she visted our table she had a kiss for each and everyone of us - she is such a sweet lady.
Robyn spoke with Louise, Jocelyn and Woz (who had arrived half way through the afternoon) several times during the afternoon. Kerrin and I were lucky enough to be introduced to Jocelyn by Robyn saying "these lovely ladies help me with Planet Rafter, Jocelyn". It was an honour to meet this beautiful and gracious lady.
Robyn found out the vital info about where and when the boys would be practicing tomorrow from Woz, we said our good byes and it was time to leave.
We made our arrangements for meeting up on Thursday to watch practice in the early afternoon and pick up t-shirt/tickets in the evening and went our separate ways.
Thursday, 13 June
Just a quick report to say - fooey again - no Pat in our lives (besides on the TV news bulletins) today.
I got dropped at Robyn & Belinda's motel, Kerrin was already there and not long after Cindy also arrived. We made our way up to ANZ Stadium at about midday only to find the Brazilians practicing... the Aussies wouldn't be there until approximate 3pm. While Cindy and I went to find something to eat, the others went inside to secure some front row seats for our group. When we arrived back our small group was joined by Tina, Kate, Lynn, Jeanette and Tamara. When I popped out a little later on I noticed a guy in a Fanatics t-shirt talking to a couple of ladies - they turned out to be Nifty Nev, Jill and Angie. So our group was complete for today - just Deb, Michelle and Mal to join us tomorrow.
We watched Meligini and Guga practice... they were lots of fun - hitting balls into the crowd and they especially sent one up with a security guard for Belinda... lucky girl :-)
At about 2.45pm the Aussies arrived in small groups and at 3pm their practice began. There was Rochey, Newk (doing media work), Muddy, Woodforde, Lleyton, Sandon, Killer and Tramacchi... as I said before no Patrick. We had a glimmer of hope at around 3.30pm when Peter Rafter arrived, but no - Pat was resting up because he is on first tomorrow (we didn't know this at the time).
After practice finished we called Woz over to deliver some parcels to some of the Aussie players and he was rather frantic because the t-shirts hadn't been delivered yet! We got Killer over as well and Robyn had him sign a pic with my pen and on my back!!! I also had my picture taken with him - way to go resourceful Robyn! He said he'd see us tonight at the Fanatics party.
We made arrangements to meet at the Adrenalin Bar at 9pm and went our separate ways.
I saw all the news services tonight and Pat was being very cheeky during the the press conference at the draw. Actually so were Guga and Meligini. Guga was asked what it would take to win and he said "a good return, forehand, backhand and serve!" and giggled!
Off to get ready for the party now... Catch you tomorrow...
Go Warrior Pat and the Aussies for Day 1.
Friday, 14 July
The rest of Thursday:
OK, so I best correct one thing from yesterday's report... at practice we met up with Angie and her Mum Carol - not Jill. (there are so many new names and faces that my tiny brain doesn't really seem to cope sometimes!) When I got home from practice I watched all the news bulletins and was rewarded with seeing our group... I also learned that there would be a Fanatics piece on the Brisbane ABC Stateline TV programme 6pm Friday (of course this has been and gone now, so I'll slot in a bit about that here: it was largely an interview with Woz, footage of last year and Woz/Newk discussing where the seating would be this year - Newk/The Team had specifically requested better seating so that the players could better connect with the Fanatics during the matches. Newk was interviewed and he said that particularly Lleyton loved pumping himself up with the help of the Fanatics and that he hoped the Fanatics were now permanently a part of every Davis Cup tie!).
Last night we all met up at the Adrenalin Bar in the city to collect our t-shirts (Mr & Mrs Potato Head on the front and "Back On The Potato Patch" on the back) and tickets. Robyn had already got them from Woz and as always did a great job of arranging us all... thanks Robyn. Jill, Mal and Michelle and Tina's husband Stelios also joined us here (Deb had arrived in Brisbane after a cancelled flight left her in transit for 3 hours in Melbourne - damn, but had gone directly to the motel rather than the noisy bar). We had the pleasure of meeting the much talked of Henry (great catch Martina!) and Nifty Neville (anyone who has been to previous Davis Cups will remember these lovely guys).
The music was loud (to my 29 year old ears anyway, what an old fuddy duddy, huh?!!) but they played a great selection of new and classic hits. Kate, Carol, Angie, Kerrin and I were all seen grooving up a storm on the dance floor! No amount of coaxing could get Robyn up there :-)
I had made prior arrangements with my hubby Marcus to meet him for coffee between 10.30-11pm and I managed to con a few of the others into joining us. After searching for about ?hour we were finally recommended to a 24 hour establishment - we were all well and truly ready for coffee, and then bed not long after! I guess we all got to bed by about 1am... with a 6.30am wake up call for most to be ready and at the stadium by approximately 8am, which didn't leave much time for sleep.
Friday:
So to the stadium for 8am - it was a struggle but we all made it (well, OK I was the last to arrive - I admit it I love my bed!). I spied Tamara and Cindy and asked them who was on the Aussie practice court... the casual reply was "oh that's Patrick"... off I dashed! This was my first time seeing him with a racquet in his hands LIVE and I didn't want to lose another second of it. Kerrin had been first to spot Pat stretching before his practice session (despite the others not being convinced of his identity) but she would know that tall figure with those bandy legs anywhere!!! Robyn was click, click, clicking away and later said "I wasn't going to take so many photos this year, but I've already snapped off 70 this morning!!!". Well, Deb had her video rolling and Tina, Lynn, Kerrin and I were also snapping away madly too, and who could blame us??? :-)
Just prior to Pat's practice concluding, breakfast for the Fanatics arrived and my stomach got the better of me (Astrid, I know you can relate to this!). I jumped in line and got my orange cordial and McDonald Bacon & Egg McMuffin (not much but enough to keep the tummy grumbles at bay!). The others meanwhile got to say "Hi" to Pat as he came off the practice court, Deb caught Pat's lovely smile to Robyn on video and Kerrin swears he also recognised her too - way to go girls :-)
As the girls cued for brekky (which had all run out, a mercy dash had to be made to the nearest Maccas in a BMW - it returned some 15 minutes later - a long time when your tummy needs sustenance!), I went over and snapped a few shots of Guga.
Guga looked good in practice, while Pat was looking pretty average - he wasn't happy with his kick serve (or should I say lack-of-kick serve!)... but it was noted that this could well be a good sign (much like the old wives tale that any easy pregnancy means a difficult birth and vice versa) - this proved to be the case :-)
We all got together and headed into the Stadium with much anticipation as to just how good these seats were going to be... we were not disappointed. The Fanatics had an allocation of seating right opposite the Aussie bench and started in row E (behind some corporate/A-reserve seating). Our seats were row G & H right on the service line - FANTASTIC!!! Woz distributed boxing kangaroo flags which most of us were able to obtain, so between those and our banners we rarely had our hands free - besides during points of course.
As you will be aware our boys didn't need much encouragement today - Patrick played terrifically (even though Guga was no opposition at all - we later learned that he has had a reoccurence of that groin injury and will probably not play for the rest of the tie)... If Pat's first serve let him down, his second serve had found it's kick and he pretty much didn't need any other part of his game - even though on the whole volleys and smashes were looking pretty good too. Most disappointing was the fact that Guga didn't make him work and we didn't get a single shirt change - FOOEY, with such good seats too!!! Pat gave thanks to the crowd for their support during his match - crediting us with helping him to play well (did I mention he's an absolute sweetheart anytime recently???!!!).
Likewise Lleyton didn't need much support from us either, although the match with Meligini was a bit more involved than Pat v Guga had been. There were actually some rallies and Meligini discovered that drop shots (none of them convensionally hit) were a good idea for awhile until Lleyton started putting his foot down and running those down too! In both Pat and Lleyton's matches there were lucky/questionable line calls, replayed points and lucky netcords (the latter particularly so for Lleyton). At the end of the first set in Lleyton's match we joked that we would be home by 2pm... how were we to know that this was right??? His match was all over by 1.20pm - I don't know what Channel 7 did for the next hour and a half remaining of their broadcast. During Lleyton's match I was using my binoculars to gaze on Pat, who was watching the play intently. He smiled and joked with Killer (sorry Chris - that's Paul Kilderry), and I exclaimed out loud "geez, Pat's gorgeous"... this was during a point and those around me dug me in the ribs and said "why don't you say it loud enough for those outside the Stadium to hear as well"... ooops, I'll have to remember to keep those thoughts in my head in future!!!
After a cold start to the morning (5C overnight - with 4C expected tonight) the day turned out to be absolutely delightful... there was still a bit of a breeze for Pat's match but that had completely disappeared for Lleyton's match. Despite applying sunscreen and hiding under flags/banners, most of us ended up a little pink by lunchtime. Highlights amongst the Fantatics were Nifty Nev in his now famous golden wig, Darren the bugler, Henry playing Waltzing Matilda on the bagpipes, calls of "watch out for the potatoes" if there was a bad bounce, and Woz attempting to play the theme to "Rocky" on the trumpet during a change of ends in Lleyton's match (Pat thought this was hysterical). Oh, also Lleyton and Killer took one look at the "Funky Skunky" banner and cracked up Astrid :-)
All the Fanatics were invited to the ANZ Club for drinks afterwards and who are we to turn down such an invitation??? After a couple of drinks, relaxing chats, looking over video and digital pics taken today, a phone call from Martina, and being utterly frustrated at watching post match interviews with no sound, at about 4pm we decided it was time to call it quits and head home/motel for much needed rest. Woz had been around earlier and invited us to "Fridays Bar" for this evenings drinks... most of us decided that this was not for the faint-hearted (us oldies) and that we would be giving it a miss tonight - Tamara and Kate are complete party animals and were planning on going... hope you had a ball girls :-)
I watched all the news services again tonight and there was plenty of stuff on the Davis Cup - in the general news and the sports section as well. Apparently some people had paid $80 for seats where they couldn't see a thing and that had quite rightly caused a bit of controversy and many unhappy customers - I recall that the same thing happened last year, wouldn't you think they would learn from their mistakes??? All of our group beside Kerrin, Kate, Tamara, Cindy, Deb (whew - she was throwing a sickie at work today!) and I managed to get a feature on the Channel 7 News service - way to go girls.
Double tomorrow starts about 11.30am, so we arranged to meet up in the Stadium at approximately 11am. At last report the Aussies will be fielding Sandon and Mark , the Brazilian Team was not really known due to Guga's injury status. I know one thing is for sure, I don't have to pack the Pat or Lleyton banners for tomorrow!
Saturday, 15 July
Well, sorry for leaving you all in the lurch for a couple of days - it's been hectic up here since our boys won the tie on Saturday afternoon - YAY!!!
Now the Doubles was a great match of tennis - of course the supposedly injured Guga had recieved some kind of miracle overnight and was playing superbly with Oncins. These guys were playing every point like it was a match point - getting very pumped up, slapping each others backs or giving high fives with much gusto... this was so for the whole Brazilian team - what a fantastic bunch of blokes. Let me recommend attendance at any Davis Cup tie that this team is involved in, they are so much fun and are so commited to one another and ready to support and encourage at the drop of a hat.
This was the busiest day for the Fanatics getting our boys through a five set match. It was with much relief that we won the fourth set... phew finally the end was in sight and once the Aussie boys get a whiff of victory nothing will hold them back. It was terrific that Sandon got to open the first game of this match and to also serve for the match as well. Everyone was aware of what a relief it was to him to finally win a doubles rubber in Davis Cup after many let downs in recent ties. He was the hero of the day and of course it was mentioned that this would have to be the best birthday present possible (it was his birthday on Thursday).
I think it was at the beginning of the fifth set (or perhaps late in the fourth) that Pat and Lleyton disappeared together from the sidelines. A little later on I decided to go for a wander and buy a hat for Kerrin and I. I had to walk all around the ground to find a merchandising stand that had the one we wanted and was almost tempted to pop down the practice courts to see if Pat and Lleyton were down there, but stupidly I didn't - the doubles match was so entertaining that I headed straight back there. Deb meanwhile had popped out to the ladies and had overheard talk along the lines of "isn't he just gorgeous, do you think we should have stayed longer at the practice courts"... she needed no further information, quickly washed her hands and was off like a flash to find Patrick! Of course she was rewarded with both Pat and Lleyton just finishing off a shortened practice session. Word had come from the courts that the boys had just broken in the fifth set and should get back courtside pronto. Deb caught a few moments of them on video camera and also saw Pat's brother Steve with his two small boys chatting with Pat.
There was much excitement at the conclusion of the doubles rubber - as you could imagine with a 3-0 (so far) win of the Davis Cup semi-final. Australia into it's second final in a row is really an amazing effort - well done boys!
But the excitement didn't end there - an announcement was made that Paul Kilderry would play and exhibition match with a young Brazilian guy - Bruno somebody. The fanatics went wild - Killer is a huge favourite with the Fanatics - after all, he is the official Social Director of the Australian Davis Cup Squad!... he is at every party or drinking session that we had for the whole weekend. Perhaps 2/3 of the crowd had gone home, but those that stayed were rewarded with an extremely entertaining showpiece. The Fanatics all moved down the front rows of our section (opposite the players bench) so that we could be closer and offer more support. Bruno was a little cutie and was being coached by Meligeni, Killer was being coached by Lleyton. If Bruno missed a shot or lost a game Meligeni would playfully knock him about the head and chatise him. When Killer lost his way we all yelled at Lleyton to "talk to him Coach Hewitt"! At one point close to the end of the match, when Killer had missed an easy ball he called Wozza (Fanatics Leader) onto court to play for him. This was so funny - Wozza is obviously no tennis specialist but gave it his all - with much cheering from his army of course! Pat had a great time watching this match. I can't remember the name of what they call this type of exhibition match but it was the first to 9 games I think. From memory Killer won it 9-3 to take Australia to a 4-0 lead over Brazil.
Arrangements were made to meet at the Adrenalin Bar at 8pm. That night the Bledislow Cup (Rugby Union annual event between Australia and New Zealand) was being played and a huge crowd was expected at the bar. This was no joke - the cues just to get inside the bar were amazing, stretching most of the block. Fanatics in their t-shirts were given express entry with no waiting, so that was good. Once inside we gathered, got a drink and worked for the next 45 minutes to get enough seats for everyone - we camped out in the same spot as last year between the bar and the mens toilet... the players have to go past us on their way between!
There were sooooooo many people in the bar on Saturday night - it was unbelievable... at about 10pm the Rugby finished with a close lost to the Aussies - we secretly thought this might be a good thing, perhaps some of the crowd would disperse now??? At about 10.30-10.45pm the Davis Cup team arrived and quickly made their way behind the bar - their safe haven when the crush of the crowd became too much. All the guys were in Fanatics t-shirts, except Newk and Rochey who were in their team suits... Newk had his tie around his head like a sweatband. Not long after the Aussies arrived the Brazilian team also rocked up (on Thursday evening I had said to Wozza - "hey you ought to invite the Brazilian guys to the players party, they would be heaps of fun" - his reply was an emphatic "piss off we're not having them there it's an Australian celebration and we don't want them there"... what a different a couple of days makes. Of course they soon realised what fun blokes they all were and did infact decide to invite them along! Woohooo!!).
There was supposedly a Players, Fanatics and invited guests ONLY area between the bar and pool tables but security was appalling this year. Last year it had worked out really well, but I guess with the sheer volume of people it was a bit much for them to control... the crush of people over there was incredible and the players mostly stayed behind the bar or close by it for most of the evening. I reckon there were more people in the Adrenalin Bar at 3am in the morning this year than there were for the whole of the night last year.!
I missed Patrick, Lleyton and Newk paying a visit to Belinda and arrived back to find Guga, Sandon and Woodforde signing her t-shirt and deep in conversation with her - all the guys are just terrific taking time out of their revellry to come and speak with Bee - there is no way that she would be able to get anywhere near them otherwise. Sandon was just overjoyed at his win - he was positively beaming and so obliging to all of us crazy chicks, signing anything we asked him too.
No doubt Bee will write a report about her night - there were some extra special moments that it would be better for her to describe than getting them second hand from me but will just let you know that I can back at one stage and Guga was doing a dance for her - wooohooo!!!
Robyn also got Guga to sign her amazing Australian Open pic of him - he had an amazing look on his face when he first saw it... :-)
Kate had such a great night that she remembers little of it!!! She was amazed to wake up on Sunday morning and find her shirt signed by Lleyton (I think she is the only one that got his), Pat, Sandon and Paul. I was with her for the last three and the boys had a great time writing each others nicknames in brackets and showing one another.
A couple of times I asked Guga and Jamie Oncins to pose for a picture for me - but they would never let you photograph them by themselves - they always had to get you in the shot with them of take the camera and take the photos themselve... I'm sure I have half a roll of film done by them of people I probably don't even know, or the roof/walls etc! what fantastic guys - they have an absolute ball wherever they go.
BTW Astrid - I asked Pat if he liked the "Funky Skunky" banner we made for him and he said "Oh yes, it's terrific, thanks for that"!
Lleyton was taken home to bed by his sister at about 1am and we all decided to head off at about 3am... great timing - that was when Pat left too!
The Aussie team had a limosine all decked out with streamers, writing, newspaper clipping of their win etc and another nice car as well. Pat went to get in the decorated limo but was put into the other car... Marcus came to pick me up (what a great guy getting out of bed at 3am to pick his wife up from a party!) and we followed Pat's car home!
Aaarrrgh - only 3?hours sleep before we had to be up and off to the tennis again!
Sunday, 16 July
OK, so I managed to drag myself out of bed by 7am and got to the Stadium just after 8am... my family had to be congratulated for putting up with me and arranging their lives around me this weekend - what a terrific effort!
Straight down the practice courts (waved hello to Lynn and Jeanette on the way), met up with Kerrin (who had been there since 6.45am!!! some attempt to avoid the traffic jams huh?!!), Carol and Angie. There was a nice guy giving away hot chocolate drinks - what a great idea first thing in the morning after a big night of partying... I thanked him heartily! The Brazilian's were out practicing - nice little Bruno with Andre Sa... There was no sign of Lleyton - he must have practiced on centre court before the gates opened. At about five minutes to nine Kerrin (otherwise known as eagle eyes) spotted Pat walking down towards the practice courts (I couldn't believe that he was just casually strolling down and not being brought on the buggy things they use!) so we made our way over and took a favoured position. Kerrin on the entrance side (she had spoken to Pat at the party and asked him to sign some things for her and he told her to meet him at the practice courts) and Angie and I on the opposite side of the court where there was much more room. I gave Robyn a quick call on the mobile to let her know - they were just getting in a taxi to come as they hadn't expected Pat until 9.30. As it was a quick but effective practice session Robyn, Deb and Cindy missed it all, but did manage to speak with him and have some things signed. He was in great spirits and looking very fit for someone who'd got to bed at 3.30am... how do these boys do it???
Back into the Stadium for the matches... Lleyton's was a much more serious affair then Pat's and was of course over and done with in two sets. Pat's match against Meligeni was terrific fun - with Meligeni jumping up on a high wall at the back of the court to try and hit one of Pat's smashes... with Pat's encouragement he did another headstand and then so did the Brazilian coach and they assisted Newk to do one too... Pat and Meligeni played a bit of soccer with the tennis ball at one stage, and right on the last change of ends the whole Brazilian team did a song and dance routine that their supports had been doing all weekend - it was terrific fun. Pat stayed focused to the end amongst many calls from ladies in the crowd to change his shirt and to let Meligeni win the second set so we could watch more tennis! At one stage during the match when one woman had pleaded with Pat to change his shirt, Newk had empied Pat's bag only to find a pair of short shorts which he held up for Pat to change into - everyone cheered encouragement but Pat wouldn't be in it!!!
When the match concluded Paul Kilderry was lifted up by the team in recognition of all the hard work he puts in on the practice courts and generally keeping the spirits of the team up.
Several of the Fanatics went back around to the Sports Club for lunch/drinks and most of our group did this. It was very unfortunate all weekend that Lynn had to leave straight away as her family did not want to join in any of the other activities that were going on. I hope that she get to experience the full Fanatics things at her next Davis Cup tie.
We made arrangement to meet and go out for dinner in the city with several of the Fanatics main group and then on to a couple more drinks at the Adrenalin Bar later that night. I guess I got Robyn and Deb back to their motel by about 11.30pm (after getting a bit lost in the city streets!), we had another coffee and debrief of the weekend, watched the lunar eclipse and then I headed home. Deb and Cindy had a 4am start off to the airport. Deb had an early flight back to Tasmania and then on to work today - what a trooper!!!
Better leave it there...
Peta
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