It doesn’t take a human being to pick the first name out of the proverbial hat at the official Fed Cup final draw ceremony.
We found out that little-known fact on Friday afternoon when a sea lion named Clyde was given the honour of orchestrating how the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas final would play out this weekend.
His pick: CoCo Vandeweghe of USA. Vandeweghe, a Fed Cup debutante, will open the final against reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, who is the top player on the defending champion Italy’s team.
A sea lion?
Yes, a sea lion, which is not that startling given the fact that the entertaining draw ceremony took place at one of San Diego’s most acclaimed tourist attractions – SeaWorld!
So, there everybody was lined up on the stage – the U.S. and Italian squads, and an assortment of other dignitaries when Jane Harvey, the referee for the final said that Clyde was set to pick the first name. She then asked everybody to applaud, which appeared to be Clyde’s cue to enter center stage.
And there he was – Clyde, in all his glory, and he was quite the big boy. He was in the back of a cart with two of his trainers driving him in for his moment of fame.
Clyde certainly made it known he was in attendance, barking his distinctive sea lion noise. The referee delivered the bowl and the trainers directed Clyde to pick a tennis ball that had a player’s name in it.
The formalities done, everyone wanted to get in on the action, especially all the players who spent time petting Clyde before he was whisked away, presumably for a nice lunch of raw fish for a job well done.
In case you’re wondering, no one could ever remember an official draw ceremony being so much fun. In the future, other nations are going to have a lot to live up to in beating out memories of SeaWorld.
A whale of tale
Speaking of CoCo Vandeweghe, this marks the 18-year-old’s Fed Cup playing debut and the encounter against the more accomplished 30-year-old Francesca Schiavone should certainly be quite the experience.
Typically, players don’t debut in the finals, but Vandeweghe’s been posting excellent results of late, and U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez believed that CoCo’s “height, her serve, her ability to really hit the ball up here (gestures high),” would have more of an impact against the unorthodox game of Schiavone’s.
The last time the U.S. debuted a Fed Cup player in a final was back in 1995. Chanda Rubin had the honour against Spain and lost the first rubber to the more accomplished Conchita Martinez, who had won Wimbledon the year before.
Rubin bounced back to win her second match against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, although the U.S. lost that tie 3-2 to Spain.
Craig Gabriel, the Australian voice and writer for this Fed Cup website, didn’t hesitate to predict a similar fate to Rubin’s for Vandeweghe in her opening Fed Cup match.
It’s not that Craig doesn’t like Vandeweghe, he just realistically believes it is likely to be a tough outing for the American teen, making her debut and facing a reigning Grand Slam champion.
In fact, Gabriel offered himself up for what could be a tasty lunch delight for SeaWorld’s star performer – Shamu the Killer Whale. Speaking about Vandewegh at lunch, Gabriel said, “If she beats Schiavone I’ll jump into the pool with Shamu.”
Apparently, LA Times reporter Diane Pucin wasn’t so sure that Shamu would be happy to have Craig’s company, retorting, “I can feel Shamu shuddering from here.”
We certainly invite anyone in the San Diego area to head over to SeaWorld on Sunday morning if Vandeweghe defeats Schiavone to watch Craig Gabriel bonding with Shamu! Just kidding, although I’m sure we’ll try to force him into living up his declaration.
Ring in the moment
Bethanie Mattek-Sands had a few minutes at SeaWorld wondering she was going to tell her husband, Justin, a dolphin ate her wedding ring.
Mattek-Sands, along with the rest of the American team, were given a private outing to visit the whales and the dolphins before the draw ceremony.
While at the dolphins, the players had a great time, laughing as they petted the friendly creatures and were guided by the trainers in getting the dolphins to do tricks.
At one point, the trainers had the players waving their hands and turning around in front of the dolphins to get them to sing. And there went Mattek-Sands ring flying off her hand.
It was thought it might’ve flown directly into one of the dolphin’s mouths, which were open at the time. Fortunately, Mattek-Sands found the incident humorous as everyone was cracking up.
A closer look revealed the sparkling gold ring bedazzled with sparkling diamonds actually landed in the pool. The trainers held the dolphins away and one leaned in to save the day and retrieve the ring, which went directly into Mattek-Sands pocket.
“The dolphins, we got to pet them and everything,” said Mattek –Sands later on during the press conference.
“We were doing hand gestures to make them do tricks. We did one where you’re supposed to turn around and scare them. I do it, and my wedding ring falls off in the pool. Thankfully, the trainers got in and got it out and everything is okay.”
Family affair
The SeaWorld experience was a family affair for U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez, who not only had her young kids in tow, Isabella and Nicolas, but husband Tony Godsick also made the scene. If Godsick sounds familiar you probably recognize him as Roger Federer’s agent.
Also making the scene was Lindsay Davenport, a former U.S. Fed Cup star, who is working for the Tennis Channel this weekend. Davenport had her young son, Jagger, with her to see the SeaWorld sites.
Shop til you drop
The Italian team was asked what they’ve been up to while in beautiful San Diego. “Nothing” was the response from Flavia Pennetta.
But Sara Errani gave a bit more of a full picture: “We are trying to stay together in the hotel. We’re not doing anything because we don’t have too much time. But maybe went one day to (the shopping) outlets in the morning, one day playing cards.”
Paul Zimmer, our official Fed Cup photographer, can apparently double as Mr. I Spy. He reported that on Thursday afternoon he ran into the Italian team shopping in the Levi’s and Abercrombie & Fitch stores at Horton Plaza, a shopping mall in the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego.
The building of the mall in the mid-1990s helped revitalize a run-down area of San Diego into what is now a trendy shopping and restaurant district.