Stockholm

Nordea Nordic Light Open
Stockholm - SWEDEN
August 02 - 08, 2004
Draw: 32/32/16
Surface: Hardcourt/Outdoors
Prize Money: $140,000

[News] [Results] [Pictures] [Official Website]

LAST COMPLETED MATCH
1st round	M.E.Camerin/F.Pennetta	6	7	0
1st round	M.Navratilova/E.Tatarkova	3	5	0

02-01	Martina announced her intention to play in Stockholm during a press conference at the Australian Open, early this year. Article - from Dagens Nyheter Sport
08-01	Martina will be paired with Elena Tatarkova, instead of Lisa Raymond, who had withdrawn (to have a rest, as Martina herself explained during her first press conference), and is not scheduled to play until Thursday; as for myself, I had booked three months before, from Sunday thru Thursday. I arrived by plane from Italy, a three-hours flight. The weather in Stockholm was cloudy, quite humid and a light rain was falling. I enjoyed the travel by bus from the airport to the city centre: the nice landscape studded with lakes and typical Swedish farms, their wooden red or yellow facades and white windows, the wide forests of conifers and birches. The accommodation was also comfortable and practical, near to the central station. I met with Patricia, the kind and polite Martina fan with whom I shared this trip to the Nordea Nordic Light Open; we had a first look at the old town that evening, as we went walking through the charming cobbled medieval streets of Gamla Stan.
08-03	We spent the first two days watching some matches at the Olympia Stadion, an amazing, massive building in dark red bricks going back to 1912, when it had been inaugurated in occasion of the Olympic Games (lawn tennis was still present at that time!). The tournament set the Centre Court at one end of the stadium, opposite to the main entrance. Sometimes we saw some players practising in Hagapark (Solna), which was part of Ekoparken, the world first protected green area into the bounds of a big city. It was an idyllic place, and the sight of the tennis courts (three hard courts and two clay courts) was framed by a lake, a huge park and a forest. The weather was still cloudy and humid; however, we didn't see Martina, either at Stadion or at Hagapark. Article - from Aftonbladet.se
08-04	Weather began to delight us: the sun shone and the sky was clear and blue. We reached the Stadion at 9.30 a.m. and learned why we hadn't seen Martina in the previous days: she was not yet in Stockholm! She had arrived at Årlanda airport just on Wednesday, early in the morning, because all the flights from Heathrow had been delayed due to storms... At 5 p.m. Martina held a very interesting press conference, which lasted about half an hour. The small room was pretty crowded with reporters, photographers and TV operators. She looked a bit tired, obviously, but she was sharp and amusing as usual. At the beginning she talked about what had happened in London, as they had to wait for hours on the runway without being able to take off - "it was like here [she was literally surrounded by the photographers], it was all flashing", and about her lugguage which hadn't arrived yet (that's why she was wearing borrowed clothes, as she explained apologizing). Then she faced many subjects, talking about women's tennis, Swedish tennis, the tournament, the Olympic Stadion, Lisa's withdrawal and their chances to play the WTA Tour Championships in November, Stockholm, Swedish food, the Olympics and politics. Martina was really kind. She posed for the photographers outside, with the ancient brick walls and the blue sky in the background. Her mother Jana was present as well, and they went away together after a while. As for me and Patricia, we went back to the hotel and then took a boat, later in the evening, to enjoy the "Under the bridges of Stockholm" tour, which lasted about three hours and gave us an unforgettable view of Stockholm from the water, through the lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. Article - from Dagens Nyheter Sport Article - from Svt.se
08-05	Martina and Elena's first round match was scheduled on Centre Court at 04.30 p.m. From 10 to 11 a.m. we were lucky enough to watch them practising on Centre Court - the first time for Martina there. The temperature was still pleasant, and they worked well, together with Martina's coach. Then we did some shopping (our last chance!) and came back to Stadion at 3.30. Martina was practising on Centre Court again, with Elena. She was wearing a new outfit (a borrowed one, as her lugguage was still on the way). They exited from the court at 4.00 and entered again at 4.30, when the match began. Martina had also a very special fan among the public: her little niece Martina, who was sitting with her mother and grandmother... Unfortunately the match didn't go in the right way, and the opponents took advantage of some unforced errors and bad calls. 6-3 7-5 was the final score. Nevertheless, Martina held another press conference some minutes after the match. She was really frustrated, but wanted to look further away, saying that she wanted to train hard for the upcoming Olympics, which were absolutely her next target.

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[August 02] [August 03] [August 04] [August 05]

Monday, August 02

Practice courts in Hagapark

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Opening Ceremony on Centre Court

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Tuesday, August 03

Some views of the Olympia Stadion

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The Players' Lounge

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Wednesday, August 04

Outside views of the Olympia Stadion

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The main entrance

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Courts n. 1 and 2 and Centre Court

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Fun for children during the Kids' Day

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Martina's first press conference

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28. by Patricia Cove

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Thursday, August 05

Martina and Elena's first practice on Centre Court

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Second practice right before the match

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The first round match

The last press conference

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