Sport Bladet July 2006
Translated by Birte
© Sport Bladet
"The girls do everything we ask them for"
These are the reasons why Båstad is one of the most popular tournaments among the players...
Here are 4 reasons why Båstad is the favourite tournament of the players: Annika, Anna, Camilla and Klara. "They do everything we ask them for" says this years Båstad favourite Tommy Robredo.
The prize money is not the biggest, not the appereance money
or numbers of spectators either. Anyway, all the top players come back to Båstad
year after year and the tournament has been voted to the best one on the tour
from the players the last 4 years in a row.
The spanish player Tommy Robredo, 24 years old and number 9 in the world explains
why he came to Båstad the 7th year in a row.
"The practicing possibilities are good and the courts are also great. Everything
is so near, I have only 30m from my hotel room to the court and can jump into
the sea from my hotel window. Furthermore Thomas Wallen and Christer Hult (tournament
directors) treat us very well."
Then he talks about what all the other players name as well: "And so the
girls..." Now Robredo doesn´t talk about the blond girls at the beach
or at Pepe´s Bodega (a famous night club), but about the girls in the
players lounge. "They give us presents. They do everything we ask them
for. I always feel like I am at home", Robredo says.
When Wallen and Hult started to work with the tournament in
2000, they wanted that the players feel well in Båstad. Anna Cronwall
works in the Players Lounge which is one of Players Lounges where many players
talk about. 12 girls work in the Players Longue during the tournament. "It
is mostly because of their great work that we got this award 4 years in a row"
says Wallen.
The girls sometimes even work in the middle of the night.
Anna tells that they managed to get the acceptance to land in the middle of
the night in Roskilde for a friend of Nico Lapenntti, who came with a private
jet in 2003. The players can watch tv, eat, play cards or enjoy in the massage
chair. Besides this, there are everyday new activies arranged for the players.
"We are guys between 20 and 30 who love to do things"
says Robredo. "On monday there was the traditional clothes evening, where
the players could get a hair cut, buy clothes or get a face massage", Anna
says.
"When I met the players in Monte Carlo they told me how much they look
forward to Båstad in order to get their hair cut. And, for example Ferrero,
he loves the face massage" Anna says.
"You all spoil the players a lot?"
"Yes, we do," Anna says.
"A lot of goodlooking, well trained young guys and many
young, blond Swedish women, it must be a lot of fun, or...?" *smile*
"Not what I know...you should ask the girls and the players about that..."Anna
says and smiles.
You can view the article (in Swedish) here