ATP NextGen Finals Milan

 Italy and Switzerland (Part 1) - November 2022


ATP Finals Photos (Turin and Milan)

Swiss Air - Full Moon in Zurich


Venice - gateway to the East, the land of Marco Polo
City entrance - Bridge of Lights
Ancient Venice Armory Port

The Eastern Edge of Italy - a beach resort in the Summer on the Adriatic Sea

Milan's Duomo - Flight of the Pigeons

ATP NextGen Finals - Milan

I attended the Brandon Nakashima match at Cloud Allianz stadium. A San Diego native and ATP 250 winner, he won the tournament to become the 2022 ATP NextGen Finals Champion.

Last year, it was an 18-year-old named Carlos Alcaraz, now the youngest World #1. Even the finalist, Holger Rune got into the Top 10 this year. The new generation has finally arrived.
Lots of Italian kids were in attendance, and many of them cheering for their trio of Italian stars. They played using modified rules with "Fast 4" scoring, a sped-up shot clock after aces, and unreturnable serves.

If you enjoy good visual theater, there are a lot of spotlights and dramatic movie THX sound effects with flashing billboards everywhere. I imagine it must be hard to concentrate between points as the actual tennis players. The stadium resembles a large high school auditorium, so every seat is pretty close. Outside are a few vendor booths and ping-pong tables for kids needing an energy outlet break.


Hemingway's Italy - Stresa and Isola Bella

Airbnb - Italian Castle at Stresa, Italy
After the tennis, I took an hour train ride North to visit the Italian Lakes near a town called Stresa.

On 11/11 @ 11AM, all was quiet on the western front. Nearly 100 years later, we remember Armistice Day or Veterans Day here in the USA with the end of WWI.

On that day, I chose to stay on the shores of Lake Maggiore, where Hemingway wrote Farewell to Arms. It was a peaceful town with a boat ferry system to the islands on the lake. Both Lake Como and Lake Maggiore areas are magical!

Isola Bella


The crisp Autumn views from my bedroom window


One important AirBnB selection note for tennis fans - please choose carefully. My Stresa rental was amazing and scenic, the interior decorator was an artist and photographer like me.

However, the Airbnb for ATP Finals in Turin (about a 10-minute walk) had a "nightmare bed".
Find out in the next chapter why I had to spend 2 nights sleeping on the floor to save my back!

FYI - in the end, Airbnb Cover could only refund me 10% off the first night. Caveat emptor: learn what the red flags are you should check *before* staying the 1st night anywhere.

This blog covers the full spectrum of both the highs and lows of Real Tennis Travel stories :)

The Legend of Pinocchio

Pinocchio - Italian Wood Craft Shop

Watch on (Disney+ with Tom Hanks) or Guillermo Del Toro's version on Netflix (Dec 2022)

My interpretation of the tale of Pinocchio is a tale about a single father raising an adopted son alone with Autism. Asperger's is also known as "other World syndrome".

Viewers may note his inherent difficulty expressing emotions as a real boy. He struggles to learn them. He faces challenges in dealing with lying, trusting his own conscience, and misleading selfish cons. Friendship, love, and loss. In the end, he is acoustically isolated as a hostage inside the giant whale, trying desperately to find his father and a way to escape their prison.

A total of 3 versions were published in 2022! I also enjoyed the 2020 version while flying to Europe. A beautifully relatable tale that takes on new meaning as you travel through Italy.

Next Stop - Switzerland and the Matterhorn!


Had a few extra days. Decided to go hiking. Then paragliding.
All before attending the ATP Finals at Turin!

Made it there to meet up with my friend from ATP Rome. We had not seen each other since 2016! I was so happy to share a souvenir shirt I brought with me from my own San Diego Open tournament.

Bridging global tennis from my home to hers in Torino.
Proving that COVID-19 was just a comma, not a period.
Roll with the punches. Our exciting tennis tour continues!


Are you a bird? Or a man?

Bounded inside a big, clear cage
Would you really know the difference?

It is only you who allows another
To tie down your Wings of God.

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Munich and BMW Open - Bavarian Alps Tour

I got an amazing few days to enjoy Bavarian food, culture, and the outdoors. This stop-over trip in Germany was the 2nd European Spring in a row.

Got to fly on the new Luftansa flight from San Diego to Munich direct. On my way to Spain to attend the Madrid Masters 1000 ATP/WTA event, I decided to make the most of this pitstop!

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I drove South through the AutoBahn in a BMW 4 Series diesel. Petrol stations are interesting!

Arriving in the Alps, I stayed at an Airbnb cottage in Garmisch with a nice mountain sunset view for a few nights. The warm glow of morning greets you eagerly for nature's adventures.


Winter Olympics of 1972 - this giant Ski Jump now hosts a beer house!


The many outdoor adventures and scenic landscapes of Germany

BMW Open - Tennis and Cars



The winner Holger Rune, won a new all-electric version, the i4.

Enjoyed the tech innovations in Germany! I was hosted overnight by a BMW corporate employee.

 The special guided tour inside the heart of BMW Global HQ factory.

Finished autos are "delivered" onto the carousel platform, rotating on the 2nd-floor center showroom.

Hiking the Bavarian Alps -

Sunrise photos from the town of Garmish and then made the loop around Lake Eibsee.



Zugspitze - home of the World's longest ski lift


Reaching the summit of Germany. Channeling my Jimmy Chin (MasterClass) for this Canon shot.

Welcome to Austria! The International Mountain Pass Border over the Alps.

The Rooftop of Deutschland. More beer.

I also highly recommend exploring the Gorge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with its scenic waterfalls!



The short rain made for more dramatic photos! With overcast skies as I hiked down to the valley gorge.

Fussen - a Storybook Fairyland town in Europe with painted walls of magic.

Click to zoom in! Castles of Mad King Ludwig. A great board game and a bucket list to see.




Photo Albums (Tennis & Travel)

Knowing life's red and yellow lights eventually turn green.
May you all discover your life's 2nd Mountain. Good luck!

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (2021)
This journey was inspired and narrated by Matthew's audiobook
"Catching green lights is also about Timing, the world's timing and ours. 
It can also be about sheer Luck and Fate. 
Navigating the Autobahn of Life in the best way possible. 
It's about getting Relative with the Inevitable at the right time."
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Barcelona Open - rallying with Rafael Nadal on St. George's Day


Rafael Nadal at the Barcelona Open - Banc Sabadell

This important clay tournament has been a pillar of his entire career.

Rafa has been attending this club ever since he was a child, coming with his uncle on field trips.

The winner of Barcelona is the defacto Tennis Champion of Spain - the Spanish Open since 1899.



St. George's Day @ Barcelona Open


A day when girls receive flowers, and the boys receive books - St. George's Day in Barcelona is a very jubilant time for many young people.

To participate in the celebration, I bought 3 flowers from local students and handed them to some smiling girls. 

This was also the day I finally got to step on the same clay as His Spanish Majesty, King Rafa! In Madrid 2022, both royals were in attendance.

On this cloudy Catalonia morning, I spotted Carlos Moya on the opposite bench from Diego Schwartzman. I had no doubt that Nadal would be just a little behind. I raced up from the media center to get the guards' confirmation that he had entered the premises.

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  • Experience your Summer of Spain using my map on the "Clay Camino" trail

Facing the Bull's Charge

To my surprise, Rafa came right up the narrow hill. Literally, everyone got out of the way. He might have been looking for an open practice court or Coach Moya.

Greeting me alone, I panicked and could only quickly share that I would visit his academy and home island the following week.

He responded simply, "Great! I will see you there."

But at that point, I didn't think he was actually being serious! 


When Rafa straight runs at you - no physical contact is required to knock you over psychologically. No human is immune from flinching.


I have read about other sports legends like Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali.
They commanded the same intensity in any room.
Rafa is the sportsman of this era and sport.


Whether you are a cameraman, opponent, or a tennis fan. Rich or poor, young or old. We are all but humans and God-fearing mortals once the eyes of El Toro are locked onto you. The weight of his presence has broken the will of many men.

Netflix's Break Point series

You can see how even Casper Ruud at the French Open for the 2022 Final knew that sinking feeling of imminent doom. Waiting in the runway lobby for the Championship Match, he nervously asks:

Q: How long is left?  A: Not long.

You've met a Giant. His mental strength of a superhuman. The Deity has manifested on clay.
In all my years of tennis, there has been no equivalent moment as meeting Rafa on clay.

I have witnessed no greater miracle. Breathing the same air and sharing the same clay court.


Visiting Rafa and the RNA team in Mallorca


After this trip, I was lucky to be invited to Mallorca on a special media fare session before the Madrid Open.

At the Rafa Nadal Academy, I lived/ate/trained with the pros daily. I shared the same gym space with Naomi and Rafa during their French Open preparation routine.

I had access to his giant locker room with multiple saunas and ice baths. Played on the hard and clay courts, swam in the Olympic pools, and met his personal physio. On the bench was Rafa's decorated bag with 20+ Grand Slams!

Even chatted with Uncle Toni. WTA World #1 Iga Swiatek visited in 2022 just before winning her 2nd French Open. Some magic in the Manacor water?

I was assigned a dorm room adjacent to the US Open Champion at night. During the day, we walked beside the living legend at his home proving grounds. Full review with photos here.


Uncle Toni - the Tennis Palm Reader

I went to take my selfie with Uncle Toni, but I still had bandages on my left hand from an injury I suffered at the Barcelona Open on Day 1.

Even after a week, the wound was still not fully healed.
The Spanish Medics added a journal entry that will always serve as a record of my visit.
I gave the kind nurse that treated me one of 3 roses from St. George's Day. I hope she remembers.

I flew Air Europa over the Balearic Sea. Rented a car and drove the long way across the island. During the car ride from Palma airport, my bandage was no longer sticking. When I tried to hide it from Uncle Toni - he immediately took my wrapped hand and wanted to know what had happened?

I said I'm a media photographer.
It's nothing, just a small accident...

He paused. He looked again at my hands and my feet.

He then studied my fingers carefully, seeing each joint's calluses.
The dried, cracked folds. White lines under the creases of my skin.

Uncle Toni pointed at me and said simply, "You are a tennis player!"
Then he smiled joyfully, and we took a selfie together.

The Tennis Hands and Feet of Combat

Like two immortals in Highlander - warriors can sense each other from afar, like the Quickening...
He knows your history to the tennis core before you even speak a word or hit a ball.

Whether a nephew or a new student, Toni has that 6th sense. He reads the soul of men.

In the biography 'Rafa,' Uncle Toni is described as an ancient warrior sage.
He indeed seemed to hail from another era of ancient time of warfare.
He loves what he does. I felt very humbled to be in front of him. 

Blistering from Barcelona - all Spanish artists have learned to embrace suffering.

 

The indelible marks of gladiators, men who have fought inside the Arena.

Loyalty for the Gods of Tennis.
Our apprenticeship began with Sweat.
Earned from the weight of the Clay. 
An oath sealed by the Baseline Brotherhood.

Tennis Truth is told thru the Tan Lines

Tennis Tales Talk in Tangos...
Years of Toil and Training
Forged in Turmoil with Tenacity
Fused by the Tolerance of Toughness.


Painted on each Warrior are our Badges of Honor.
Just above my feet appears dark rings or my "sun tattoos" - anklets etched in from the heat.
Visible only when I remove my mini-crew Thorlo tennis socks. Layers upon layers - my carvings are not of ink but UV light. Sewn into the skin slowly, repeatedly every week for over 20 years.

These truths that money can't buy. Counting my years given to this religion. Like the tree rings of ancient redwoods revealing our time served outdoors.

Deep contrast between two skin tones.
They tell the tale of two bodies - one in war and one in peace.
Once while walking barefoot, one woman commented that I seem to walk with another man's feet!

My Special Summer in Spain

If you ever get a chance to go once in your life - you can use my promo code: "JCTENNIS" for my special VIP discounts on camps and lodging. I have never forgot this wonderful Summer Trip in Spain.

Tennis Vacation in Europe or the USA

As an RNA agent, I now help dozens of tennis families in the US experience the Rafa coaches' training camps. In the past, the Top 2 kids at each summer camp get picked for a free exchange program in Mallorca! Learn more about the full Rafa Nadal Academy experience for Juniors and Adults.

Read Full Article
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Basil - Railways to Roger Pt. 2

Roger's Town - Basel, Switzerland

Back in Europe for the clay-court season, I was returning back to the USA after meeting Rafael Nadal at his hometown and academy.

To make the journey complete I decided to book a detour to see Switzerland again, after the great holiday experience the previous Spring at the Sechseläuten or Sächsilüüte weekend festival.

Visiting Basel via train from Zurich


To complete this European tennis tour, let's go make a tennis pitstop to visit Roger Federer's hometown in Basel!

From here, you can see both Germany and France at the same time!

This is an all-important city for loyal fans of Mr. Roger Federer. Between tournaments, he often flies home to Switzerland to practice and spend time with his family.

Basel Bridge Seal

Just before Madrid, he spent some time prepping with his team to prepare his body for the clay season.

Maestro's Magic

His peers describe him as a funny/silly guy who's still a child at heart. More importantly, he's a very decent, humble human being.

Switzerland's shining superstar - the role model for tennis.

Just like Kei Nishikori from Japan, Roger is a global brand ambassador for Uniqlo.


Swiss Indoors - ATP 500 Event

If you can come here in the Autumn, around October, you can also visit the Swiss Indoor 500 Championships. Roger was once even a ball kid here!

   
The architecture and history of this city are amazing. You will see a lot of German influences around the town center.

Swiss-German is the language most commonly spoken here. But one can get by with English easily here, too - the Swiss are very multi-lingual!

Laver Cup

Later in the year, Roger welcomed the world to Geneva. Just one of many beautiful cities to visit and explore while in Switzerland.

To lend his support in America, he was nice enough to come by during his recovery to support his friends here in the USA for 2021. Flying to Boston unannounced, he surprised everyone during that Laver Cup.

In his final pro match, he played doubles with his greatest rival and friend, Rafael Nadal.

It was a very emotional ending, filled with tears of joy and sadness. But Roger could go out on his own terms, in his own time, in his own way. Tennis will always remember his career and personality fondly.

At the London 2022 Laver Cup, the Big 4 played together for the last time

See Switzerland and Travel with Tennis

I encourage tennis fans to plan a trip to Europe.
Witness the beauty of the country and explore new continents.
Combine your love of tennis and travel together! I show the way.

Why should we make our cages bigger?
When we can make this world smaller.


Perhaps you, too will meet Mr. Federer in the Swiss Alps!
Hope to see you at the mountaintop. Bon Voyage!

Tennis and Travel:
'Tis not the mountain we conquered, but ourselves.

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