Tuesday 25th July : Day 18

Marriage . The final frontier . To boldly go where so many have gone before . These are the journeys of the starship humanity , its eternal mission to seek out new adventures and push the boundaries of human emotion .

NJ, you're a good man .

Good luck to you and your intended .

Monday 17th July : Day 17

The weather was great at the weekend and so the court beckoned. A great doubles on Saturday against my good friend Tim and his brother-in-law . I played with Mark , half the reigning club doubles champions . Thankfully he carried me through two generally good-humoured sets .

People may disagree , but I generally regard myself as having a very placid and even temperament . I hate confrontation and believe in the old-fashioned virtues of politeness and respect .

However , on the tennis court that brittle veneer of cordiality often gets stretched to breaking point , and its worth examining why .

Tennis means a lot to me . I am as vain as the next person about my standard of play , although I like to think that I have come to terms with my lack of ability . But when I fail to play to even the mediocre level I have so come to cherish is the moment it all starts going wrong . My psyche is not suited to 'bad days' .

So racquets break , balls go into lakes and I turn into an arse . I'm not a bad loser , I'm just a bad player . I can lose 0 and 0 and be happy with the level of my performance , or I can be deeply unhappy whilst in a strong position .


When I get into this state it is pure self-loathing that takes over , and that is the crux of the matter . Tennis is the only part of my life where my self-esteem falls to such a dramatic low .

After my marriage , tennis is the most cherished thing in my life ; and yet it provides the absolute all-time psychological lows of my life . Perhaps I am destined to always be a 'grumpy' tennis player , although I don't want to be .


So to all of you who have experienced that side of me , I would like to take this opportunity to apologise unreservedly for past indiscretions , and crave your indulgence for future ones .



Goodnight, Friends.

Friday 14th July : Day 16

Picture the scene : a group of friends sitting around having some takeaway pizza . Suddenly a 'friend of a friend' turns up and helps themselves to several slices . How infuriating is that ? It never ceases to amaze me how brazenly selfish some people can be . Later in the vening the same individual failed to buy a drink despite some heavy hints .

The really sad thing is that this pathetic individual would have been more than welcome , if only he had used a bit of wit and charm . Even an introduction would have been nice .


I guess I expect too much of people.

Sunday 9th July : Day 15

The perfect storm (in good way) : Federer and Italy . I was lucky enough to be at Wimbledon today and it was something special . It was important for Federer to win , because he was in danger of becoming the greatest player ever to be dominated by another! So roll on the US Open , probably the most 'neutral'surface for these two as they stand 1-1 head to head on hard courts .

I'm now looking forward to things getting back to 'normal' round here and taking the clubhouse back from the corporate hospitality parasites . They pay the bills, but that doesn't mean we have to like it .


Ciao!

Friday 7th July : Day 14

London has been remembering the actions of a small group of obsessive , politicised ego-maniacs who tried to change our whole way of thinking . But enough of Live8 .

The truth is that today's public outpouring of grief was too melodramatic and did in fact hand a victory to the 7/7 bombers. How can we say that they did not affect our way of life when central London came to a halt today ? The act of rememberance is noble , but fundamentally private . However , in this media driven age we feel obliged to turn such things into an 'event' .

The poor souls caught up in the bombings are not 'heros' as the hyped-up coverage suggests , but victims . Our attempts to glorify them smack of desperation and reveal how few real role models we have in modern society .

When you have a moral vacuum at the heart of Government it is not surprising that the rest of the country follows suit .

So rather than mourn so publicly we should perhaps take today to reflect on why we ever became victims of such an outrage .

Thursday 6th July : Day 13

I admire Amelie Mauresmo's ability to win today . In the past her nerves might have let her down , but in the last few months she seems to have found an inner steel . I hope she wins on Saturday .

Anxiety is incredibly debilitating . I have a predisposition towards nerves and tension which often strikes several days before the fear-inducing event . The two classics are tennis matches and flights . I now take a couple of diazepam pills before getting on a plane.


Anyway ,I'm gonna try to get some sleep now ,although I'm a bit worried about what the market is going to do tomorrow....................

A bientot!

Tuesday 4th July :Day 12

More revelations about John Prescott , which should come as no surprise to anybody . Two shags has been playing away , and accepting generous hospitality from an American casino operator , allegedly .

This cretinous mound of lard is not fit for public office , just as he was not fit to pass his 11+ . So lets return him to the backbenches , so that he can spend more time with his croquet coach .


I played very badly tonight , my energy level was very low . No excuses , just my crapiness really .


Laters!

Monday 3rd July : Day 11

It was hot at Wimbledon today, very hot . We had a wonderful lunch in the Members restaurant but I could only last a few games on court, so I came back for a 3 hour tea-break which was very pleasant indeed . Once it had cooled down I joined Mrs.F in our excellent seats on Court 1 and watched Rafael Nadal work hard to get the better of Irakle Labadze , a mercurial player from Georgia who clearly sees no need to go to the gym or hit the ball with anything other than 100% force .

4th July tomorrow: I hope Americans take time amidst all the chest-beating to consider what position their country now occupies on the world stage . The Land of The Free and Home of The Brave is in danger of losing both those qualities.


Adios Amigos!

Saturday 1st July: Day 10

Fascinating day for an anorak : after a good hit with my Zen Master in the morning I was due to meet Russian player Dmitry Tursunov to take him to my Dad's radio show on the BBC Russian service . The show was live and timing was going to be crucial .

I had mixed feelings when Dmitry lost the first two sets . A timely finish was great , but the whole mood is far better when you're interviewing a winner . My prayers were answered.....Tursunov won the next three sets and after a fraught drive through town he was in the studio with ONE minute to spare . The show went well and this bizarre day ended with Mrs F and I having a takeaway at the players flat . He is a nice, very professional guy and I hope he does some damage next week .

Back soon.

Friday 30th June: Day 9

Modern life in a city relies heavily on our ability to get on with each other . Bad neighbours can ruin our quality of life , whether it's down to noise problems , anti-social behaviour or just nosiness . A good friend of mine who lives just a few doors down has had a lot of trouble recently and all he's trying to do is sort out his loft. The tortuous planning process and idiotic objections from neighbours really makes you wonder whether anybody in this country is interested in actually bettering the place . And thats before you have to deal with shoddy and expensive builders .

So good luck to you ,mate, and don't let the bastards get you down!


Tune in tomorrow for more ranting.