Robertson raves over Pinoy fans 7/19/2005 6:00:27 AM Manila Times ASK Nathan Robertson one reason why he would come back to the Philippines to play badminton, and he will have a quick, short reply: "The fans." "I love them. They're crazy-but in a great way," says the 28-year- old Briton, who got to see how crazy Filipino fans could get on Thursday night, when he and longtime partner Gail Emms went up against the country's best players, the siblings Kennevic and Kennie Asun*cion, in the MVP Cup Asia vs. Europe tournament. Robertson and Emms prevailed in three sets, but not after the home crowd that filled the Philsports Arena in Pasig City-who also endured the venue's lack of air conditioning-gave them an earful trying to coax the Asuncions to an upset victory. The lively Filipino audience is one of the things Robertson, one- half of the world's best mixed-doubles team along with Emms, will take away from his first visit to the country for the Ryder Cup-sty le event held in honor of telecom tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan. Meanwhile, the native of Milton Keynes, a city one hour north of London, is looking forward to a return-not just to Manila, but to the Olympics, where he and Emms settled for the silver medal against China's Zhang Jun and Gao Ling last year in Athens, Greece. "We weren't very happy with that finish," Robertson says over lunch at the Discovery Suites in Pasig City. "Maybe we would have won the final, so now we're aiming for gold in Beijing [in the 2008 Olympics]. It would be nice to take it from them [Chinese] there." Despite the Olympic setback, Robertson and Emms-playing partners since they were both 15 years old-have an impressive list of victories in the last 18 months. They are the reigning European, All- England and Swiss Open champions, and were finalists in the Denmark and German Opens. "She's just brilliant," he says of Emms, who briefly left their partnership to go to col lege, hooking up again in 2001. "She may not be as good as the Chinese, but she's dangerous around the net area. She's very aggressive and feisty, and she hates to lose-which is the same for me." But their long-term alliance isn't the only reason for their success, says Robertson, the youngest of four children who started playing the game at age 6-at a club once owned by his mother-and turned pro at 16 after finishing basic schooling at Nottingham. The dashing Englishman points to his badminton shoes made by Hi-Tec, a British brand he has endorsed for the last nine years that entered the local market in September and is catching on with Filipino players. "They're good. They help me a lot," Robertson says of Hi-Tec shoes, which were developed in Britain's indoor courts in 1974. "Seeing that Asian players are normally lighter and faster than Europeans, that gives them a speed advantage. The shoes help me cope with that, and allows me to think my gam e over better than my opponents." Hi-Tec, which has expanded into a global sports brand, has also developed a golf-shoe line that Robertson-an avid golfer who holds a 10-handicap and hits the links at least twice a week between badminton tournaments-also gives the thumbs-up. "I got a free membership to a local club back home after the Olympics, so I go there between events, and the shoes I wear [from Hi-Tec] are just perfect for me," he says. Still, Robertson's passion is badminton, so much that he doesn't have a clear picture what he will do once he hangs up his racket. He does say that if he cannot play for Britain when London hosts the 2012 Olympics, he would like to be a badminton commentator for TV or just "get involved" with the game. "I really have no definite plans. I have some investments in properties in Bulgaria and Miami in the United States, but I'd like to play for as long as I can," he says. Besides taking care of his daughter Neve, 7, who lives in Milton Keynes, what's clear for Robertson is that he would like to return to the Philippines to play again in the MVP Cup, which he describes as a "bonus" to the sport. "I'd love to be invited back," he says. "The format is brilliant, and it's one of the best events I've played in. There's always a good crowd and a great atmosphere, and I really was surprised by it in a good way. "Besides, I don't think many of the players in the tournament have been to the Philippines before, and I'm sure most of them would want to come back," he adds. Filipino badminton fans would also want Nathan Ro*bert*son to return- so they could show how crazy they are for him too. --Jimbo Gulle
Yeah she is like a big sister there. All of them was fanning her since the aircond of the stadium was swtiched off. The shot was taken after a set with Yao Jie. During the event, All of them put aside their differences. All for a team the same goes to team Europe.
Won't be surprised if Zhang was actually giving him ideas on how the training and technique differs in China. Picture #2 looked a lot like, "Shh... later, that annoying cameraman is at it again..."
