WTF diary: 'handball' the hot topic in the scrums
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“So, Roger, let’s talk football…”
Two days to go until the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals kick off, people. Two days. Excited much?
We are, especially now we’ve been up close and personal with some rather snappily dressed elite tennis players at the pre-tournament media day at the Marriott County Hall in Westminster.
After they’d posed in front of that London stalwart, the red double decker bus, and received a token of ATP Chief Exec Adam Helfant’s appreciation, the players were thrown to the mercy of the assembled press for insights into their season and World Tour Finals prospects.
The perfect opportunity to talk about a football match, then.
Well, okay, maybe not any old match – that match, the World Cup qualification play-off between France and Ireland on Wednesday night that was effectively settled by a deliberate handball from French captain Thierry Henry.
Even those hidden under rocks have an opinion on the subject – and the players were no different, particularly with tennis now being played under HawkEye.
Roger Federer, not shy with his derogatory opinion of technological intervention and a sponsorship stablemate of Henry’s with French razor manufacturer Gillette, was understandably on the Frenchman’s side.
“If the referee doesn’t see it I just think it is the systems and the referee who are at fault,” said the Swiss, before noting that there may be an irish slant to coverage of the event. “It doesn’t sound like that in France I think.”
However, the world No.1 admitted that video technology would indeed have been appropriate in this case.
“I guess to some degree I am surprised that decisions like this can still have such an outcome on a result,” he said. “Today with the technology they have they should maybe do something.
“It seems football needs it more than tennis,” he finished, with a cheeky grin.
And Federer wasn’t the only one talking oddballs. Novak Djokovic “absolutely supports technology for soccer,” while Fernando Verdasco admitted that HwkEye has been good for tennis.
“It may not be 100% perfect, but we accept it. Before it was terrible when you knew the ball had landed 15cm out and the umpire called good.
“There was nothing you could do. Now it is better.”
Shaken, not stirred
It was hard not to look round the room and think the players were secretly trying to outdo each other in the suave department, but for stylish recovery of the day, step forward Nikolay Davydenko.
The enigmatic Russian was denied his usual low-profile media attention when his table collapsed with the press huddles in their infancy. Even the hefty pack surrounding Murray – and Murray himself – briefly turned to see what had happened.
But Davydenko did what Davydenko does – simply made no fuss, before completing the rest of his interviews as he leaned against the much sturdier refreshments bar.
He’s been and had a hit on the two-day-old court at the O2 arena, and was happy with what he found – not too fast, not too slow, just right for his game.
Wanna swap shirts?
Davydenko’s not the only one to have given the new court a go. Andy Murray had a hit earlier with Novak Djokovic, and admitted the O2 was “impressive”.
Perhaps Murray was grabbing a chance to scope some the practice kit he’ll soon be sporting when he completes his switch to adidas gear in the new year. Not that Djokovic is likely to be wearing it himself by then.
It looks like defending champion has one more press conference in him, as Italian sports brand Sergio Tacchini are set to make an “outstanding announcement” from the players’ hotel tomorrow morning.
New year, new gear? Looks like it for both the world No.3 and No.4.
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