[Sunset of Age]

Hi folks, thanks for your well wishes for Roger (and of course for us, too, as we'd like to see him around in Rotterdam as long as possible ).

Rodge is bound to do a lot of promotional activities coming Monday in Rotterdam, one of which... quite next to our hotel.

@ Doris, hope you're feeling better by now. Be sure to take along some warm clothes, it's snowing out here right now.
See you tomorrow in Amersfoort!

[Fed_Ds]

Karin & Doris, have fun! Please tell Roger we love him
And thanks Doris for your report on DC hope you can see a better result this time

[Panthera]

Have fun there, hope you can meet Roger

[Kat_YYZ]

Have a wonderful time, both of you!

[The Bulldog]

Have fun you two! Should be a great week of tennis.

[Sunset of Age]

Originally Posted by Fed_Ds

Karin & Doris, have fun! Please tell Roger we love him
And thanks Doris for your report on DC hope you can see a better result this time

Originally Posted by Panthera

Have fun there, hope you can meet Roger

Originally Posted by Kat_YYZ

Have a wonderful time, both of you!

Originally Posted by The Bulldog

Have fun you two! Should be a great week of tennis.

Thanks you all!
It's going to be fun, if Roger keeps his part of the deal of course - which I trust he will.
Should at least make it to the SF, and hopefully no Davydenko (or any other player) suddenly playing lights-out tennis against him this time (of course you just never can tell...).

Despite not playing an official match tomorrow, Rog's going to be all over Rotterdam with promotional activities. Mr. Krajicek surely's made him work for the cash this time, .

[JediFed]

Have fun! Wish I were there.

[Sunset of Age]

Originally Posted by JediFed

Have fun! Wish I were there.

Sean

Well so far, so good.
Even if most of us pretty much like Tsonga, most of us weren't too sad to see him hit the way out, either.
Sensational victory by my countryman Igor Sijsling!
A few of the Fed fanclub-ladies went for an autograph and a picture with him today.

Roger has been very active and cooperative on the promotional activities and fan meetings department in Rotterdam. Public training sessions, autographing sessions, whatever, he's "everywhere" and appears to be very happy and comfortable, apart perhaps on Monday with the giant tennis racket at the Hofplein - it was very very cold and judging on the pictures made of that occasion, Roger didn't spend any second longer out there in the cold than he was necessarily asked to.

There is a bit of an anecdote I'd like to share: the ladies carrying the Red Envelope actually got filmed and interviewed by a local TV-station while waiting outside for Roger to appear. The camera guys could barely believe it when he indeed did appear, being his normal friendly self to everyone. The ladies had quite a job convincing the camera guys that he'd have done the exact same friendly thing without the camera's being around.

I can personally attest to that being indeed true.

[Kat_YYZ]

Originally Posted by Sunset of Age

There is a bit of an anecdote I'd like to share: the ladies carrying the Red Envelope actually got filmed and interviewed by a local TV-station while waiting outside for Roger to appear. The camera guys could barely believe it when he indeed did appear, being his normal friendly self to everyone. The ladies had quite a job convincing the camera guys that he'd have done the exact same friendly thing without the camera's being around.

I can personally attest to that being indeed true.

yep, I read a bit about that on RF.com. If you see those guys, tell them to check out Roger's facebook posts from last October. He posted a pic of himself holding the Shanghai RE and thanking his fans for it.

[Fed_Ds]

thanks Karin. I was so happy for the RE couriers. It's such a great tradition

Please stay warm. I'm so jealous of you guys. Seems like such a fan friendly tournament!

[alypen]

Originally Posted by Sunset of Age

Roger has been very active and cooperative on the promotional activities and fan meetings department in Rotterdam. Public training sessions, autographing sessions, whatever, he's "everywhere" and appears to be very happy and comfortable, apart perhaps on Monday with the giant tennis racket at the Hofplein - it was very very cold and judging on the pictures made of that occasion, Roger didn't spend any second longer out there in the cold than he was necessarily asked to.

I'm trying to come up with a decent pun on "Hofplein" and "hoofdpijn" or something. Definitely not succeeding at present.

[Sunset of Age]

Originally Posted by alypen

I'm trying to come up with a decent pun on "Hofplein" and "hoofdpijn" or something. Definitely not succeeding at present.

Well talking about hoofdpijn...

Another anecdote I'd like to share with you folks.
I met up with a lovely Japanese lady - who actually offered Roger a rose at the aforementioned Hofplein - , and well... I promised her she'd get her picture with Roger, yesterday.

And know what, whenever I make a promise, I'm bound to keep it.
So yesterday I spent some two hours in the freezing cold at the "artists entry" of Ahoy to get that picture done.
Seriously, we were freezing our [insert various body parts here] off during the wait.

Guess what, when finally, FINALLY, Rodge came out, he immediately asked us "well, who have you been waiting for?", being his fantastic ultimately DORKY self!
Of course, we all got our pictures, autographs, and friendly words - not to mention the HUGS!!!! - from the Maestro himself.
Not to forget to mention, Roger actually remembered Lady X offering him a rose at the Hofplein on Monday before!

*speechless* *speechless* *speechless*

The guy is such a genuine, friendly, NORMAL bloke, just incredible, considering his accolades....

[Kat_YYZ]

Originally Posted by Sunset of Age

...

Guess what, when finally, FINALLY, Rodge came out, he immediately asked us "well, who have you been waiting for?", being his fantastic ultimately DORKY self!
Of course, we all got our pictures, autographs, and friendly words - not to mention the HUGS!!!! - from the Maestro himself.
Not to forget to mention, Roger actually remembered Lady X offering him a rose at the Hofplein on Monday before!

*speechless* *speechless* *speechless*

The guy is such a genuine, friendly, NORMAL bloke, just incredible, considering his accolades....

you lucky devils!

[Sunset of Age]

Okay, just to add a little positive news considering circumstances already talked about enough...

Roger's match against Benneteau might well have been the *worst* I saw of him over ten years' time.
Seriously, he was just total GARBAGE.
Credits to whom deserves them, Benneteau was the better player on all aspects of the game, and I'm happy to be able to see him in the final tomorrow, a genuine reward for his excellent showing this tournament.

But just for a little indication on how much of a genuine gentleman/sweetheart that Roger indeed is, I will hereby report on behalf of who were there (as I myself wasn't), that Rodge came out after midnight to sign autographs, take pictures, etc. for the waiting crowd of fans, even despite his heartbreaking loss.

How.... bloody.... ARROGANT of him!!!!

No?

[alypen]

Absolutely . After midnight, too!

Having Benneteau in the final I think makes the loss slightly less tough to bear. (And I have to say the way the seeds were falling in that tournament I half expected Roger to be among them, anyway).