Counting down to Wimbledon - Federer, Ivanovic, Wozniacki and others

Wimbledon Championships 2012 start in a few hours. Here are some practice photos of several players. 

Ana Ivanovic practicing at Wimbledon 

Caroline Wozniacki

Roger Federer warming-up. Will he be world Nº1 again?

Britain's favorite Andy Murray (Image via Murray's Facebook)

Serena Williams practices a few days ahead of the tournament

Agnieska Radwanska

Don't miss this short video! Rolex ambassadors - Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Li Na, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin Del Porto and Roger Federer - talk about the uniqueness of Wimbledon.

(Photos via Wimbledon's Facebook Page)

Sharapova's Road to Wimbledon

Maria Sharapova hasn't played any tournament after her historic victory at the French Open. Just like French Open men's champion Rafa Nadal, she took some time off to visit friends and to work on her own projects, like the Sugarpova brand. Here are some of world Nº1 moments ahead of the Wimbledon Championships.

Spain 
Visit to Juan Carlos Ferrero tennis academy and Sugarpova candy factory

Juan Carlos Ferrero and Nicolas Almagro with Masha at the Equelite Sport Academy (Photo credit: Equelite)

London
Practice, practice, practice 

Images via Wimbledon's Facebook Page

Exhibition match with Varvara Lepchenko at the Hurlingham Club, London

Photo: Lepchenko's Twitter

Sponsor time!

Evian teaser for Wimbledon's ticket contest. (Contest is valid until Monday, 25 June. Visit Twitter @evian_uk for more information): 

Evian ad for Wimby 2012

Heading to practice with the new HEAD bag (Photos: Wimbledon FB and website)

Interview, sponsored by Evian, in which "Masha" explains why Wimbledon is so special.

Party Time!

Pre-Wimby Party...Masha steals the spotlight!

Living like a "commoner"

On Friday (22 June), London was hit by a major bus drivers strike over demands for an Olympic bonus. Maria Sharapova somehow managed to find a bus sooner than a taxi! She posted on Facebook: "It took me way too many years to get on that red double decker English bus, but I finally made it! Well the truth is, I was looking for a black cab and somehow ended up here. Fun fun!!"

Wimbledon Championships

First Match - Monday, 25 June

Maria will play her Wimbledon first round match against world no.133 Australia's Anastasia Rodionova. Match is the second of the day on Centre Court. Schedule of play begins at 1.00 PM London time (2.00 PM CET, 8.00 AM ET & 5.00 AM PT).

Rafa's Road to Wimbledon

Wimbledon starts tomorrow! Most players had about two to three weeks to prepare for the grass. Some played grass-court warm-up tournaments, others took a mini-break. We wonder what else have they been doing? Rafael Nadal was one of the last players to arrive in London. Let's take a look at what he's been up to the past couple of weeks. 

First Stop: Halle, Germany

Rafa usually plays the Aegon Championships as Wimbledon warm-up, but this time he decided to try Halle (Gerry Weber Open). The transition to grass has always been difficult to the Spaniard, and this year is no exception. He was defeated in the quarter-finals by German Philipp Kohlschreiber. A little loss, perfectly understandable after the intense clay-court campaign and the emotional victory at the French Open.

"I have really enjoyed Halle. Now I'll have a rest after two months of hard competition", Rafa posted on FB.   

Second stop: Home, Mallorca, Spain

Nadal was begging for some time off. He told the BBC Sports after his defeat at Halle that he "played almost every match possible since Indian Wells". "It's better not to practice for a few days. It's time to rest with my family, friends, to relax," he added. And so he did.

Hanging out with friends

After a lunch with his cousins

 Beach time with friends and girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello (Xisca)

Third stop: Wimbledon, London

Rafa arrived in London on Wednesday and went to practice, just like any other player. On Thursday, he had a surprise for his fans and it had nothing to do with tennis. On his Facebook and Twitter, he announced he was learning how to play poker! The Spanish star signed a deal with Poker Stars and will represent Team PokerStars SportStars (that includes ex-tennis player Boris Becker) in online tournaments, advertising campaigns, and charitable events. The endorsement deal is valid for a two-year period and according to some sources is worth 12 million euros.

Fourth Stop: Getting ready for the Grass

June, 21- Morning practice cancelled due to rain. Nadal heads to the kitchen. :)

Multi-talented Rafa!

Friday, cloudy but good enough to hit some volleys. Practicing with Gilles Simon.

Later in the evening, Google + hangout with the fans. Time for some lovin'!

Saturday, practice as usual, this time with Stanislas Wawrinka

Football in the evening. Cheering for his Spanish fellows at the Euro 2012

Spain is in the semis

That's all folks. Hope you enjoyed the public weeks/life of a tennis player :)

(Images via Nadal's Official Facebook, except photos on the beach which belong to Rafaholics)

Roland Garros: Excitement grows as players practice in Paris

Roland Garros 2012 is just around the corner, and the word in Paris is practice, practice, practice. The motivation and excitement around the second Grand Slam of the year is so high, making us believe that players DO know the meaning of the Nike ad, which says: "Think training's hard? Try losing."

Yep, nobody wants to lose and the competition is tight! Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are battling for the top positions in the WTA ranking. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have a competition of their own for the Tennis nº 2 ATP position, even if their goal actually is to leapfrog Novak Djokovic. On the other hand, the Serbian is competing with himself for the "Novak Slam". He could become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win four consecutive slams in a row, if he takes the title at Roland Garros. 

The stakes are high but everyone is having fun, as you can see from the photos and videos shot in the lovely city of Paris (Credits: All by FFT/Roland Garros, except for Federer's photo with the poster, which is from his FB page).