Blog by Cedric Pioline - Part 1
Posted on April 17, 2009
It’s been raining pretty much all day here in Barcelona. I played one game of my match against Felix Mantilla before the heavens opened and I’ve been stuck in the clubhouse ever since.
I’ve come prepared for this situation though and I’ve got a really good book to read to pass the time in the locker room. It’s called ‘The Keys of a Scandal’ and it’s a French book about Nicholas Sarkozy and his relationships with the business and show-business world. I’m not exactly a specialist in politics but I’m trying to follow it because I like to know what’s going on in France, and this book is really interesting.
One of the things I usually love about Barcelona is the warm climate, so we’ve been really unlucky here so far this week. I still get to enjoy the good food and the good atmosphere of the city though. If it stops raining for long enough this weekend I might take a walk around the city and try and visit a couple of art galleries. I also love the culture of staying up late here, but I just have no idea how anyone manages to get up and go to work in the morning!
When I finally do get back on court, Felix is going to be a tough opponent. I surprised myself with how well I played against Michael yesterday, especially as I haven’t played on clay since September last year. But Felix played really good to beat Magnus (Gustafsson) and he’s looking in great shape. I am playing really well at the moment though and I’m going to try to use the confidence that I got from winning The Masters Tennis in London to have a really good season in 2009. I’d really love to beat Pete Sampras again. It felt so good when I did it in London for the first time. I’m thirsty for more!
Cedric