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The team of both stars has announced that Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafa Nadal’s restaurant has closed.
I settle back on the sofa, very calmly, and review the list of names that will be playing in the Kigali Challenger. It’s not so different from what I would do in my day-to-day life, immersed in the current affairs of a circuit, the ATP Challenger Tour, which brings you closer than anyone else to the action of the best tennis in the world. The only difference, of course, is that I have just arrived in a land rebuilt on the ashes of the most savage genocide and which has now become the cradle of the most important tennis tournament in central, eastern and southern Africa. I reckon there are plenty of interesting names to chat with, but the first reactions from the audience are all heading en masse towards a guy who lived through the golden age of the sport’s history at close quarters:
The task, believe me, is not an easy one. Bernard arrives in Rwanda after accumulating tournaments in India, on completely different surfaces (he goes from hard courts to clay, with the added element of the altitude of the Rwandan capital, that accounts for more than 1500 metres). He has always been a man of contrasts, contrasts that are exacerbated on his arrival in Kigali: the torrid African sun hardly gives him time to adapt, his appearances at the club are of lesser volume than those of other players and, as if that was not enough, an illness (it looks like an stomach illness) strikes him just before his debut. He leaves everything on the court, but falls short to the Romanian Ionel.
The challenge is getting bigger, but I quietly approach him… and I meet a polite, friendly guy,far from the many labels that have been attached to him over the years. Bernard makes time for me before he leaves the club – at 32, his love for tennis has returned without the need to find it on the big stages. At what stage of his career does he find himself in? What are his memories of those battles against the Big Three? How has tennis changed in recent seasons? This is just one of the many conversations and memories you will read about from an unforgettable journey… but perhaps the one people wanted to read the most. Enjoy.
CN: Here we are with Bernard Tomic. First of all, Ben, I appreciate you being here with us. Of course, you travelled to Rwanda from India. It’s a long travel, different conditions. How did you feel about your first match? And, especially, how do you feel about this event? What are your thoughts on its organization?
BT: I think it’s pretty, pretty good. There are two tournaments here. Um, so I only played one, which is the last one. Yeah, and I came from India, so it was a little bit tough to adapt from hard court to clay, and a little bit more altitude. So, today was a little bit… not so pleasant for me. I was feeling sick mostly through the match. You know, always in altitude, in high altitude, you need a couple of days. You need about four or five days. So, today was tough for me.
