Well I went back out to Miami for the final. Made a snap decision at 3am Saturday morning, shortly after the Del Potro match ended. Went on the internet, found a flight Glasgow-Orlando at 2pm with Virgin Atlantic and then on to Miami with American Airlines, arriving 21.45. Perfect. The final was Sunday at 1pm.
Couldn't book on line as it was less than 24 hours before departure so set my alarm for 8.20 so I could call the travel company when it opened at 9am.
So it was meant to be. Got to Andy’s apartment around 10.30pm to find the gang watching Braveheart on TV! They had been round the block for dinner to an Italian restaurant called Novecento and filled me in on the forfeits dished out to the losers of the weekly tennis footy challenge.
Fortunately Andy won and was spared but Ross wore make up and a wig to dinner, Jez wore a skirt and Miles had to put on an ear-ring, sleeveless top and headband… Good fun!
Sunday morning, woke early and got stuck into the ironing mountain. A I (Andy Ireland, the physio) came round to give Andy a stretch and a rub while Jez did a Starbucks run. Bagels and peanut butter followed by melon for breakfast and then they were off to the site around 9:45.
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Kim and I headed in with Sharon (who manages Andy on a day to day basis for 19 Management) around 11.15 and got horrendously stuck in the weekend traffic. Seemed every man and his dog were trying to cross Rickenbacker Causeway to get to either the tennis or the beaches over on Key Biscayne!
Got there eventually and headed to Player Services to sort the match tickets before hitting the Pasta Bar. The player lounge and restaurant were deserted as always on finals day so there was no queue for a change! Small plate of "design your own pasta" for $5 and a smoothie for $3. Sorted.
Spotted the Djokovic family at the other side of the room with their matching Adidas shirts on. They often do that when they are supporting Nole. I think it looks a bit naff, personally. No chance Andy asking us to do that :-)
Around 12.45 the pre-match entertainment started on the Stadium court. It was spectacular. There were 60 members of the University of Miami marching band dressed in white, green and red (must have been roasting in their outfits) strutting their stuff. There were about 20 cheerleaders too working out to lively music and it culminated in the Star Spangled Banner. Literally the moment the national anthem ended, a couple of jets swooped down right above the show court. Awesome. Perfect timing.
Well you know the result of the match so all I'll say is, it was ridiculously hot out there and I'm glad I wasn't playing! After the trophy ceremony, it was shower, sushi, drinks and off to press! When you win a title, the press duties take so much longer and we were told Andy would be at least an hour between journalists and snappers. The snappers wanted to take pics with the trophy on the beach so we left Andy with Sharon and headed back.
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He appeared later having had to pose in the ocean with his trophy and ran straight to the shower to get rid of the salt. We celebrated with a cup of tea and a tray of Wholefoods chocolate cup cakes. Awesome!
Bit of banter in the apartment and then out to dinner at Nobu on South Beach. Phenomenal food and lots of fun. Good way to celebrate as so often there is no time to really enjoy the occasion coz you're rushing to the airport to catch a flight home or to the next event.
Will spend Monday packing and cleaning the apartment before flying home in the evening. Another good tourney for Andy and the team but now it’s the clay court season and the first event starts next week in Monte Carlo. He has a couple of sponsor obligations this week including hitting balls off the roof of the 02 Arena in London to launch the ticket sales for the Masters Cup in November. Should be interesting. Must increase his insurance policy!
More from me in a couple of weeks at the Bressuire 12&U event in France where I'm heading with seven kids. Slight change of scene and tempo but looking forward to it. Well, I think I am!