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Japanese version

Mon. July 20:

Before I will begin, I will state very clearly that I did not see Michael today at all. In fact, the day started rather unauspiciously since my bro, mom, and I arrived at the Van Ness UDC Metro station to discover that the shuttles weren't even operating yet due to the fact that match play was shifted to one huge 4 PM session. Great. However, we managed to secure transportation every morning until Friday in a spiffy Official AT P Tour vehicle. That's right--we arrive in style, just like the pros do, except we're the sole non-players allowed this distinction. Posh Mercedes-Benzs and all. I like this.

The tournament hotline was PACKED with phone calls. I was beginning to regret this choice of volunteer job, but nevertheless dealt with the agony of red blinky lights, messages, and putting people on hold. Fortunately, I got a 30-minute lunch break, which was utilized well when I bumped into the Gambill brothers, Tory and Jan-Michael, outside. They were accompanied by the omnipresent annoying ATP bearded guy who persistently asked questions. "Gambill and Gambill!" he proclaimed. He turned to me. "Which one are you looking for?" "That one there," I said, and pointed to Jan-Mike. I handed him a photo to sign, and J-M looked at it and asked, "You went to the French [Open]???" I said, "Yup," and the annoying guy said he wished he was in Paris at that time. ARGH!

I was released from my shift at 6 PM. There was supposed to be an autograph session strictly for the volunteers from 2:30-3:30 PM, but the players--which supposedly should have included Michael, Jim Courier, and the Bryan twins--never showed. Lovely. I scanned the practice courts and saw Carl with his Prince gear chatting with some guy. I wasn't sure what it was about, but he asked the guy for a business card. The guy didn't have one, so he wrote his vital info on a paper and handed it to Carl. Curious. My brother and I tagged behind Carl, who stopped to peek in the Stadium, where Paul Goldstein was playing. I tapped his shoulder and asked to take a picture with him, which he obliged. Carl then turned away, and I couldn't think of anything to say, so I blurted out, "How do you like Seattle?" He immediately brightened and said, "I love it there! It's fantastic." I added a comment about being there last summer, but he had already walked off.

After Paul finished his three-set match (he lost to Sargis Sargsian), Jan-Michael waited for the National Anthem to finish so he could walk on court. My brother, a girl, and I had cameras, but the Stadium was practically empty. :o( J-M noted the cameras and kind of smiled in our direction while Tory stood beside him. A guy from Mix 107.3 (a local radio station) introduced J-M's opponent, and as he walked out, this dance music blared from the speakers. J-M was pretty surprised and his eyes completely bugged out. "Sorry, that's all we had," said the 107.3 DJ.

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