Spam & Fun » , China, two weeks ago and was a semifinalist in

LONDON – It was a magical Wimbledon fortnight for Genie Bouchard as she became the first Canadian to ever make a grand slam singles final. She has taken the tennis world by storm this season, which is just her second as a full-timer on the WTA Tour. Bouchards meteoric rise means many in the media world are still trying to get to know the 20-year-old and what makes her tick. And at the All England Club Bouchard was bombarded with questions about every possible topic. The Montreal native handled it with class and great humour. The following is the best of Bouchards media interactions from Wimbledon 2014. 1. BIEBER FEVER After a win at the Australian Open in January, Bouchard was asked if she could date anyone, who would she date. She picked Justin Bieber. The media (especially the British tabloids) have not forgotten. This is from Thursday, after her semifinal win: Q. Do you think Justin Bieber will have noticed you yet? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I hope so. Im putting in so much hard work, you know. I want to see this hard work rewarded. I dont know. I mean ... Q. Hes not been in touch then? BOUCHARD: No (laughter). You know, hes kind of been in trouble recently, so ... Im not associated with that at the moment. But, you know, if he cleans up his image ... No? Someone is shaking their head no. Q. Given Justin Bieber is not Royal Box material, who would be your dream person to see there on Saturday? BOUCHARD: Hes not (smiling)? They really wouldnt allow him in the Royal Box if he came? Q. He might not be the top of the invite list. They wouldnt let him through the gates. BOUCHARD: I feel like he would manage to get himself in there somehow. No? Who else? Um, thats a tough question. I would love like to see Oprah there or something. Believe it or not Bieber was brought up again on Friday on the eve of her championship match: Q. Has Justin Bieber been in touch with you since yesterday? BOUCHARD: No, he has not been in touch in the past 24 hours. 2. OPRAH ADMIRATION Q. Something you said yesterday thats been bugging me overnight, why you said Oprah Winfrey would be your dream spectator in the Royal Box? BOUCHARD: Shes a person I would love to meet. Ive gotten asked before if you could go to dinner with someone, Ive named her in the past. I think her story is really special. She came from nothing and built herself up to this huge empire and the richest woman in the world. I love those stories like that. Justin Bieber is another story like that. I just love the story of making yourself into something. I would love to hear about her experiences and all those kinds of things. If she would watch tennis in the Royal Box, that would be cool. Q. Does that reflect you a bit, you identify with it a bit? BOUCHARD: Yeah. You know, Ive worked really hard in my life. I appreciate other people who have done the same and have these amazing dreams and actually work hard and go out and achieve them. Especially when they come from really humble beginnings and have this positive attitude on life. Whatever they earn, its like because of them. Theyve truly earned it. Yeah, I love those stories. 3. PEER-PRESSURING A PRINCESS Bouchard is named after Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew, whom she has never met. Q. Have you received any messages from the Royal family since youve been here? BOUCHARD: No. Am I supposed to? I mean, I would like to think Princess Eugenie would come out and say a word or two. Im looking forward to maybe meeting one day the girl I was named after. That would be pretty cool. But no, not yet. I havent really spotted any. Not that Ive been socializing around the grounds. Princess Eugenie did show up to Saturdays championship match. Q. You said yesterday that you would like to have the princess youre named after in the Royal Box and she was there. BOUCHARD: I know, that was crazy. I did see her in the box. Im very happy that she came out. Disappointed I couldnt put on a better show for her, but Id love to meet her, of course. Its the only person Im named after. Shes the only one in the world. Q. Did she say anything to you at all? BOUCHARD: I havent seen her. If shes still here, hopefully Ill get a chance to meet her. I dont know. 4. ROOF ROMANCE Last Monday, Bouchard played Alize Cornet in a fourth-round match on Centre Court, which was interrupted by rain. There was a 30-minute delay while the roof was closed. Q. The delay today was considerably shorter than we experienced on Saturday. Any effect at all? BOUCHARD: Yeah, well, I thought they would put the roof up right away, but they kind of waited I think to see. Im happy I got the experience of playing under the famous roof. I follow the roof on Twitter (@WimbledonRoof), and hes kind of funny. I hope hes proud of how I played today. He was looking down. Hopefully he enjoyed the match. 5. MARRIAGE PROPOSALS Q. I dont know if youve been on your phone, but hundreds of people have been tweeting you asking you to marry them. What do you think of that? BOUCHARD: Yeah, I wont check that too much, especially during a tournament. Good effort, though. Theres always a chance, I guess, that Ill say yes over Twitter (laughter). So keep em coming. 6. STANLEY CUP TAKES A BACKSEAT Q. How much of a hockey fan are you? Would this be your Stanley Cup if you get this? BOUCHARD: I think Wimbledon is greater than the Stanley Cup, so I wouldnt compare it to that. But I am a little bit of a fan. Not a huge follower. Im more of a bandwagon fan. I kind of follow in the playoffs. Im not a true fan. But, you know, I enjoy watching games live. But I think hockey season is over, and its a summer for tennis now. 7. BIG BANG, LAME PUNS Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons travelled to London to support Bouchard. The two had become friends via e-mail conversations last year. Bouchard is a huge fan of the show and some members of the media could not help themselves ... Q. Its appropriate that youre making a big bang, I guess. BOUCHARD: That was a really corny joke. God. And a few days later ... Q. Youre now set to play in the biggest match on the biggest court in the biggest tournament. The other day you were talking your favourite show is the Big Bang Theory. Do you think this is a kind of a big bang? BOUCHARD: Someone made that really lame joke a few days ago. I called him out on it. So Im going to have to say that was really lame again. Im just trying my best, you know. Just, like I said, so excited. This is what Ive worked my whole life for. Earlier, Bouchard was asked why she enjoys the sitcom. Q. The Big Bang Theory is such a wonderful show. What do you love about it? BOUCHARD: Its my favourite show. Its a comedy, you know. For me, so many unexpected things, you just burst out laughing. Its a nice way to relax and have a good time. Its less stressful to watch than, say, like a movie on a war or something. Its pretty relaxing, which I love. Jim Parsons character Sheldon is my favourite character. Hes so nerdy. I love the character. Hes so smart and set in his ways. I think the writing of the show is pretty spectacular. Q. Do you have a little bit of nerd in you? BOUCHARD: I do have a little bit of that in me. When I was in school, I really enjoyed school. My favourite class was math class. I was very determined to try to get 100 per cent on all my math tests. I think that kind of self-discipline translates to tennis. But, you know, I would have loved to go to school and go to university and things like that. Maybe Ill do that when Im 30 and just chill with the 20-year-olds. 8. WHERE ARE ALL THE STUFFED ANIMALS!?!? At the Australian Open, Bouchards legion of followers – Genie Army – showed their support by throwing stuffed animals on the court after her matches. That hasnt happened as much at subsequent grand slams much to the dismay of some reporters. Q. Was the crowd more subdued than you would have expected? BOUCHARD: Well, its Wimbledon. Everyone is really classy here. Thats what we expect at Wimbledon. Its nice. Q. The reason I ask is you didnt appear to have many of the little toys thrown on at the end. Did you have any today? BOUCHARD: I got some actually after my practice this morning. That was pretty motivating. I got Cinderella as well. I got a person. I like to think thats me. Someone gave me it because Im a princess. Yeah, I saw a few flags, single members of Genie Army. But its Wimbledon, so were a little bit more subdued here. Its the tradition. I like that. And a few days later ... Q. Genies Army threw a couple of toys at you. Have you had any thrown over to you recently? BOUCHARD: No, I havent. I think its because theres a rule that youre not allowed to throw anything on the court at Wimbledon. Im sure thats a rule and thats why I havent received any. Q. As far as throwing things on the court, from a country where theres a tradition of throwing things on the court, did that offend you? BOUCHARD: Not receiving things? Q. Yes. BOUCHARD: No, it doesnt offend me. Its kind of a bonus type thing if I get it. I dont think it happens very often in tennis. The crazy Genie Army from Australia started it. Ive received it at most tournaments since. But Wimbledon is very proper, so, you know... Q. Its been like six months with the stuffed animals. How many do you have and what are you doing with them? BOUCHARD: I have to go and count. I mean, for sure over 50 because sometimes I get multiple after matches. Although at Wimbledon, maybe theyre not allowed to throw things on court. Im going to go with that since they havent thrown me any on court. But Im going to do something cool with it. Just wait and see. It will be something cool. 9. BLUE BLOOD Q. We know about your familys interest in the Royal family. The Countess of Wessex and a number of other Royals were in the box. Have you played for Royals before? How does it feel? BOUCHARD: First off, I should say parental interest, probably mostly mother. She named us, so I wasnt really aware of what was going on at that time (smiling). I did not know who was in the box. I will get that information later for sure. Q. Youre named after a princess. Do you ever have princess-like tendencies? BOUCHARD: Yes. Q. What are they? BOUCHARD: You can ask my coach or my parents or anyone that I can be a princess (laughter). I mean, theyre not horrible. But I can be moody in the morning. Im not so much of a morning person. My fitness trainer carries my tennis bag around. But thats so I dont get tired because I want to save all my energy for the match. You know, I dont know. I mean, I can demand a few things once in a while, but I do it with love (smiling). Q. You say its your mother that is a bit of a Royal family nut. Why is she? BOUCHARD: Shes kind of like a closet Royalist. I dont know. Theyre very nice names. My younger sister is Charlotte. My younger brother is William, like Prince William. I think theyre all very nice names that can last through generations and can fit for young people and old people, you know. I dont know. I mean, youd have to ask her really. Shes over there. 10. CASE OF THE COUGHER At the end of her third-round win over Andrea Petkovic, Bouchard and the German shared a laugh at the net. Q. You were pointing and laughing at something at the net. BOUCHARD: I asked her if she heard this lady coughing during the match. There was this lady that was really coughing a lot. She was like, I know, I thought she was dying. I was like, I know, I wanted to say something to the umpire, like maybe she should leave and get help. I mean, it was kind of distracting. We were also both like, Whats going on? I think she finally left in the end. Yeah, we both kind of almost felt bad, like, Is she okay? I think shes fine now ... Well, I dont know for sure. Custom Oakland Athletics Nike Jerseys . Klose has a bruised pelvic bone and abdominal muscle problems but team doctors are trying to get him fit in time for the match. Bender has a hamstring injury. Germany is already without half-dozen players, due to injury or bad form. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys 2020 . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead the Sacramento Kings to their third straight preseason win, a 107-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-miami-marlins-nike-jerseys . Particularly when speaking in the stadium of Tuesdays opponent: Manchester City. "Maybe they dont fear us as before," Pique said on Monday, "because in the last two years we didnt win the Champions League. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys .Y. - Sven Andrighetto scored once and set up two more as the Hamilton Bulldogs hung on to defeat the host Adirondack Flames 5-3 on Tuesday in American Hockey League action. Custom Baltimore Orioles Nike Jerseys . Canada was placed in one of the easiest groups during Saturdays live televised draw in Montreal.Shanghai, China (SportsNetwork.com) - Top-seeded reigning two-time champion Novak Djokovic and former world No. 1 Roger Federer reached the third round, while former top-ranked great Rafael Nadal was sent packing Wednesday at the $4 million Shanghai Masters tennis event. Playing with a bout of appendicitis this week, the second-seeded Nadal lost his second straight match, this time in 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) fashion at the hands of fellow Spanish left-hander Feliciano Lopez. Nadal also came up a quarterfinal loser last week at the China Open, his first tournament back after missing three months of action with a right wrist injury. For sure [I dont feel] perfect, said Nadal. Its the same way that I felt before. A little bit more dizzy now. But thats it. Nothing that I have to worry about. When you lose a match, it is not the moment to talk about obvious things. I lost. Feli played better than me. Nadal, who has been taking antibiotics for the appendicitis, began feeling pain in his abdomen on Saturday, and the next day went to a hospital where he learned he had the early stages of the condition. Nadal said he opted for antibiotics rather than undergo surgery right away. The French Open champion said the risk of his condition getting any worse after a few days of steady improvement is always very, very low. The 2009 Shanghai runner-up said he will talk with his doctors when he returns to Spain about whether hell need to have the appendix removed. Meanwhile, the current world No. 1 Djokovic handled Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 and the third-seeded Federer barely survived against Argentine Leonardo Mayer, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), in 2 hours, 42 minutes, as Mayer led 5-2 in the third-set tiebreak before the Swiss legend fought back to advance at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. The 2010 Shanghai runner-up Federer saved five match points on Wednesday. It was the second-most match points he has saved in his career. Federer saved seven match points in a first-round win over Scott Draper in Cincinnati in 2003. Djokovic is undefeated in his last 11 matches in Shanghai and is looking tto lift the trophy here for the third year in a row.dddddddddddd Already a Masters winner in Indian Wells, Miami and Rome this season, the 27-year-old star is chasing his 20th Masters title. He dismantled Tomas Berdych for the China Open championship last week. Djokovic beat Juan Martin del Potro in last years Shanghai finale. Another top-five upset came when former top-10 Frenchman Gilles Simon foiled fourth-seeded Australian Open champ Stan Wawrinka, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4, on Day 4. And American Jack Sock posted a big upset by tackling seventh-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. The Japanese star Nishikori was fresh off his titles in Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur and had won 15 of his previous 16 matches on tour. Eleventh-seeded former world No. 1 Andy Murray continued his recent run of fine play by besting 6-foot-8 Pole Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 6-2. Murray captured his first title in 15 months on Shenzhen, China, two weeks ago and was a semifinalist in Beijing last week. Murray titled here in Shanghai in 2010 and 2011 and was the runner-up in 2012. In other action involving top-10 seeds, No. 5 David Ferrer overcame Slovak Martin Klizan 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; a No. 6 Berdych drubbed Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-1; Argentine wild card Juan Monaco doused No. 8 Canadian Milos Raonic 5-2, retired; and Frenchman Julien Benneteau upended No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 6-3. Raonic was last weeks Tokyo runner-up to Nishikori. Also on Wednesday, 13th-seeded John Isner edged out fellow American Steve Johnson 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7); 14th-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut outlasted Canadian Vasek Pospisil 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4; Tunisian qualifier Malek Jaziri beat Chinese wild card Chuhan Wang 6-0, 6-4; and Russian Mikhail Youzhny snuck past Croat Ivan Dodig 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3. The third round will be staged on Thursday, as Djokovic will face Kazakhstans Mikhail Kukushkin, Federer will meet Bautista Agut, and the 2011 Shanghai runner-up Ferrer will tangle with the resurgent Murray in some featured matches. This weeks big winner will collect $798,450. ' ' '