Every time I watch a Roger Federer match live I always wonder if there’s any bigger character in sport, that individually attracts this kind of attention and admiration.
If the Swiss is on court, crowd mania ensues, along with the Mexican waves and relentless chants.
If you’ve been to the Dubai championships frequently enough, you must have noticed the Federer fan pictured.
Her name is Jane Liardon and she has been to every single match here at the Aviation Club for the past 11 years.
She’s dressed in head-to-toe RF-centric Swiss attire, and spent the entire match yesterday encouraging people around her to cheer on the 17-time major champion.
The interesting thing is, she’s not even Swiss. She is British but her husband is from Switzerland. Look out for her in Federer’s next match today against Lukas Rosol, you’ll realise how her passion is simply contagious.
Quiet please
During the Federer match, I was debating with a friend whether the live music played in the Irish Village outside the stadium actually distracted the players on court.
Federer was asked about it in the press conference and said: “I don't know when it started, but I did hear U2 in the third set. I was hearing the waterfall in the first set behind the royal box, and there was like a fountain or something outside.
"It really depends on your focus a little bit, and the less good you play, the more irritated you become of all these little things.”
Josh makes an impression
An unlikely guest made an appearance at the tournament at the Players’ Party on Tuesday night, and again yesterday at the Aviation Club – Josh Berry, the young YouTube sensation who made waves with his spot on impersonations of tennis players.
Novak Djokovic and tennis commentator David Mercer joined Berry on stage at the party and the world No2 interviewed the talented 17-year-old, who impersonated different players on demand.
From Rafael Nadal to David Ferrer, to Andy Murray to John McEnroe, Berry was a big hit and left Djokovic in a fit of laughter, especially when he imitated Richard Gasquet saying: “I cannot finish a sentence without saying the word backhand."
