Who says famous tennis stars never visit Singapore? Well I used to think that. In one of my articles I wrote awhile back about Maria Sharapova in Singapore, I mentioned Singapore never manages to attract the top tennis players. Well I was both right and wrong about this. Right because we have not still managed to organize a major tennis event after Maria Sharapova played an exhibition tennis match here in Singapore back in 2007, but wrong to say that no major tennis star has set foot here on Singapore soil. Just last week, Serene and I due to sheer luck had a chance encounter and had our photo taken with a former World Number 1 tennis player Andy Roddick and his new coach Larry Stefanki here in Singapore!


Roddick and Stefanki were on transit from the Exxon Mobil Qatar Open in Doha (where Andy Roddick made the finals) to Melbourne to begin his preparations for the 2009 Australian Open. Serene and I were actually on another flight en route to Macau for a short vacation when we noticed Andy and Larry about to enter the waiting area to board their flight to Melbourne. Initially I didn’t recognized Andy Roddick but his Lacoste outfit gave him. I was rubbing my eyes in sheer disbelief as it was only hours ago that I just watched him play in Doha against Andy Murray and now he’s standing right in front of my here in Singapore! We politely asked Andy and Larry if they could pose for some photos with us and they both obliged. It was one of those days which I will never forget getting my photo taken with a former world number one tennis player and the player with arguably the best and fastest tennis serve in the game!