Well, this post is not about tennis, as the two past ones. I decided to change the subject a little bit. Let’s talk about surf.

Teahupoo is the most dangerous and famous reef break in the world. Just to give an example of the intensity of this wave, ‘‘Teahupoo’’ means ‘‘scraped head’’ in Tahitian. So you can imagine that, in order to surf there, you must have an expert and be in the peak of your physical condition. In case you don’t, you can be sure you are pretty insane. Another characteristic that makes Teahupoo so risky is its shallow shoreline, which can result in serious injuries in case of a wipeout

The kind of wave you find in this spot (massive, tubular, often reaching 7 to 15 ft) is favorable to tube riders. As Teahupoo is mainly a left break, goofy surfers also take an advantage on regular surfers.

This place is the sight of the annual Billabong Pro Tahiti tournament, which assembles the greatest professionals in the whole world. Winning this championship is no doubt a wish of everyone in the WCT. The guys that are usually considered as favorites to win this contest are Kelly Slater (who had an incredible performance in 2005, with two maximum grades in the final stage), Andy Irons, C.J Hobgood and Bobby Martinez.

The photo was taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanallenbs/534372933/.

  From June 25^th to July 8^th, the All England Club grass courts received the best players in the world. The most traditional tournament in tennis history, Wimbledon, started in 1877. You can be sure that the main dream of any tennis player is to be able to compete in this contest. This year, the matches were many times delayed due to rain, which is a characteristic of London weather, as you probably know.

   The winner of the competition was Roger Federer, who can be already considered as a myth in this kind of courts. He played very well during the whole tournament, didn’t have difficulties to win his matches or loose any sets until the final, when he beat Rafal Nadal in a fantastic game. The Swiss was obviously very happy and emoted, since he won his fifth title in a row. He is getting nearer and nearer from the mark of Bjorn Borg, the 7 times Wimbledon champion.

   The great surprise of this year edition was no doubt the French Richard Gasquet, who finally proved he had conditions to achieve the final stages in a Grand Slam. After one of the longest matches in tennis history (5h58min), he bet Andy Roddick. The American had a lot of chances to close the game, but didn’t succeed and saw an incredible recuperation from his opponent. The day after this match, Gasquet faced Federer, and evidently didn’t have strength, power to win. But what is sure is that from now on, he will be no more considered as a well talented boy, and will have enough confidence to play better an better and improve his ranking.

The photo was taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=359008502&size=s

The 2007 Roland Garros edition has just finished. The most important tournament played on clay courts originally started as a national tournament in 1891. In 1925, the French Championships became international. Everyone who enjoys tennis is a fan of this competition. The stadiums are beautiful and there is always plenty of people watching the matches. The atmosphere at the Suzanne Lenglen and Philippe Chartrier courts is always amazing.

This year, the winner of the competition was Rafael Nadal, the ”king” of clay courts and the main favorite in the beginning. He has nice strokes from the baseline and can run for many hours without being tired. He already won the French Open twice before, in 2005 and in 2006. But the Spanish player faced some difficult challenges during the contest. In the final, he beat Roger Federer. The Swiss, who is probably the best tennis player in history, didn’t manage to overcome the consistency and the determination of ”Rafa” (that’s the way he’s called by the Spanish). Novak Djokovic was also one of the guys that performed well during the tournament. He achieved the semi-finals, and lost to Nadal after three straight sets. The twenty-year-old Serbian is having a great season this year, and has already beaten Nadal in Miami.

During the past two weeks, we were able to watch high quality tennis. Now, the clay season is over, and the players are preparing themselves to face the most traditional Grand Slam of the year: Wimbledon. Federer already won this tournament for four times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006). He is no doubt the man to be beaten in the English grass courts and will try to equalize the mark of Pete Sampras, who won it five times in a row.

The photo was taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bip/18416556/

For me, Australia is one of the world’s most interesting and beautiful countries in the world. Its geography is pretty curious, because the main part of the country is a desert. You can find many rare animals living there, such as kangaroos. I have a particular admiration for the Australian population (the “Aussies”). They love sport and enjoy competitions. There are many cities I would like to visit in Australia, but, if I travel there one day, Sydney will be no doubt the first one. It’s an amazing town, with young people from many different places, and an extraordinary life style. I decided to join this photo to my blog because the Opera House is one of the most known architectural

The photo was taken from http://www.flickr.com/people/tiredcynic/

Kelly Slater

Originally uploaded by daseinBOX.

In this photo, you see a surfer with his board in the foreground. He’s probably looking at the big and perfect left in the background. Maybe you don’t know who this guy is (well, even if you didn’t know before, you probably know now, because the title of the article is his name). I’m sure surfing fans have recognized his silhouette. He’s Kelly Slater, the best surfer the world has ever met. He has already won the world championship title eight times, and he’s aiming at more trophees. So you can deduce the man standing there is pretty important for the surfing community.

Surf is definitely one of my favorite sports. I’ve practiced it since I was six and I use to watch every contest I can (on TV, internet…). The surfers I like the most are obviously Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Nathan Hedge (they’re both Australians), and Jamie O’Brien (a Hawaiian). The surf spots I consider as the most perfect in the world are Teahupoo (in Tahiti), Pipeline (in Hawaii), Jeffrey’s Bay (in South Africa) and the Mentawai Islands (in Indonesia).

Old Trafford is a beautiful stadium and Manchester United, a great team. I guess these two reasons are enough to explain why I would like to see a live Manchester United game at Old Trafford.

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It is a beautiful and complete sky station, with many good hotels and restaurants. You can go there alone (if you want to focus on competitive skying) or with your family (to enjoy the mountain life).