So, I have just been on one of those spontaneous trips that are always superb. Too bad that the flying along the E6 has left my car with a roaring noise and a nasty smell. So much for Dalarna.

Right, so while we are all involved in the rather posh sport of cycling, I thought I would go and check out the most posh sport of all...tennis. When I first moved here I was playing quite a bit and even took some lessons but I never really found anyone equal. So after several near castration attempts and general frustration with getting beaten so bad, I started cycling...where I also get beaten badly.

Anyway, the Swedish Open in posh little Båstad is an example of something fantastic when people put some time and money into sport. Just like Ulricehamn for skiing or Falun for MTB, it is possible to bring the world to little Sweden. Just check out their Hotel Skansen where you can have a little conference and fix your own tennis tournament.

Watching tennis live is really something special. Essentially the players don't want you there and seem to have so much difficulty concentrating that they lose their whole game if someone sneezes. Then there is the ref sitting up there on the podium. One had this deep voice which said 'Game' in a way that made you think he was a commentator. And I loved how they would just turn to the crowd and say 'Quiet please' over and over. It creates such a strange atmosphere. The crowd wants to clap but if they clap too much they get yelled at. It's crazy!

Yes, and why I decided on these two days to visit...well...I am single so I don't need to justify choosing women's tennis. The question, you may ask, is whether they do grunt as much as in this clip?

Well, to some extent the answer is yes. Since you are sitting so close to the court and it is so quiet, you hear everything. The French players were quite happy to yell out a few 'putain' or 'merde' when they messed up and your dear local hero Johanna Larsson has a temper also. Here is a nice temper clip...


I can fully understand the grunts. In fact, that tells me they are trying. To see just how hard they hit that ball is seriously impressive and if that grunt gets an extra 30 km/h on their service, well, why not?