Rogers Cup
Tennis players' lounge is a pre-match heaven
August 13, 2010
Nicole Baute
LIVING REPORTER
One of the world's greatest tennis players is sitting on Andrew Bockner's sofa.
Actually, Bockner says in a hushed voice from the other side of the Rogers Cup Player's Lounge, Rafael Nadal is lying down with his feet up, in the back corner where the lights are low.
“I've seen him do it before,” says Bockner, co-founder of Andrew Richard Designs. “He gets in here, he finds a comfortable spot, he sits himself down and he goes through his pre-match routine, whatever that is for him.”
A few minutes later, Nadal emerges from his reverie and heads to the private outdoor patio, his entourage materializing around him.
This is the third year Bockner has designed the Rogers Cup Players' Lounge, located just above the locker-room at York University's Rexall Centre. He used his Tranquility line of outdoor furniture — woven, espresso-coloured sofas and chairs with deep seats and white cushions — along with throw pillows in relaxing shades of purple and green. Lilies and orchids are on the tables.
This is a high-security room. Media visitors must be escorted. They may not talk to the players. They may not take photos that will identify the players.
A spa, ping-pong, foosball and pool tables, flat-screen televisions, computers with Internet access, snacks and drinks make this place a haven for the pros between matches. Last year, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour deemed it the best players' lounge.
Every player has a different pre-match routine. Some hang out with their significant others and coaches in the brightly-lit half of the room, talking through their moves down to the wire. Others, like Nadal, prefer to be alone, meditating and relaxing, sometimes with headphones.
The lights are dim at far end of the room, where candles set the mood and the smell of Aveda products fills the air. One player is receiving a scalp massage, but staff at the spa say the number one request is for a pre-game haircut. A few young women — likely wives or girlfriends — are getting manicures.
Last year, when the Rexall Centre hosted the women's Rogers Cup, Bockner says the women were so eager for the manicures, pedicures and skin treatments on offer that they were practically fighting over appointments.
“The women are funny because certain women can't be near other women,” Bockner says. “We were notified beforehand of who can't be near who. But the men don't have such issues.”
During the 2008 tournament, Bockner says, it rained almost every day. While waiting for the rain to stop, the players (men that year) took to the ping pong table in the lounge, engaging in some of the fiercest table tennis matches you've never seen. A crowd gathered around, watching intently and cheering.
“These guys are between 20 and 28 years old, that's what you're gonna get,” Bockner says. “They happen to be professional athletes, but they're kids first, and they're competitors.”