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Johannesburg, South Africa

I lost 6-3, 6-2 against Lu today. Lu was solid but I felt horrible on the court. I have played bad every day here. I came to Johannesburg late but still I thought I would feel better. I have had a few days to prepare and I have slept well every night. A few years ago I used to land to Australia (from Finland) only 3 days before my match (I can't do that anymore) and still I was able to play some of my best tennis there. I guess the altitude and the time difference just got me this week.

I have played bad in many tournaments, made wrong choices on the court but that's a different thing than feeling physically horrible. I have been to some tests because I have felt the same physical tiredness before. One of the reasons the tests showed, for me to feel like this during spring, is my allergies. I have got medicine and it's better now but spring is still really tough for me. Normally if I play bad, I think what I did wrong and I try to do things to improve. If I have felt physically bad, I have tried to find out why I felt like that. This time I just have to accept that I didn't have enough days to adjust my body.

Anyway I wouldn't want to change the doubles semifinal achievement for a better preparation here. That was so special to me. It's just the price you have to pay when you play well the week before. Now I try to fly to San Jose as soon as possible and get a good preparation for the next tournament, even though I would love to go to a safari here. I guess I just have to do it next time.

Johannesburg, South Africa

I just arrived to Johannesburg. It's my first time in South Africa and I'm really interested in playing here and seeing the country (if I have time for that). I will only play singles here, even though I probably would get in to doubles with someone. I decided to play only singles because of the long tournament streak. I will play 3 tournaments in USA after this. Then I'll play Davis Cup straight after those tournaments and only then I get a week off.

We lost the semifinal 6-1 6-4 to Bryans yesterday. They played really well trough the whole match. When they are on, you should really play well and at least hold your service games at the beginning to be able to challenge them. We did it the other way around, we didn't play well at the beginning, got a nightmare start and the score was 0-5 in 15 minutes. Then we started to play better and just lost one break after that but we were not close to breaking them at any stage of the match so they got a quite convenient win.

After the match I did a doping test, both urine and blood. Then I took treatment for my ankle, which is healing well. After that I confirmed my flight booking (I had hoped to change it to Sunday),paid the stringing, etc. Then I went to the hotel, sat in the sauna for a while, packed my bags, slept for four hours and left to the airport to catch an early flight to Sydney and from there to Johannesburg. The second flight was about 14 hours. Now I just try to adjust to the time difference and to the altitude (the balls move faster through the air because of that).

Melbourne, Australia

First time in a Grand Slam semifinal, c'mon!! The score was 4-6, 6-1, 2-0, 40-40 when our opponents suddenly retired. Ljubicic pulled something in his leg. You never hope for your opponent to get injured, but it's just one of those things you can't control. We did feel in control of the match at that point, winning the second set with 6-1 and leading the third already with a break but of course you can never know what will happen in a match.

It feels nice to be (at least) in the semifinal of a Grand Slam and to break past records. By winning today Michael got to the Last 8 club for the first time. In singles you have to reach the quarterfinal or better and in doubles it's semifinal or better. Michael has been once in quarterfinals (in doubles) in the French Open. So as a nice bonus, our win got him to the club here. I should play myself to the club in French Open, then I would have them all. We'll play semifinal against Bryan/Bryan on Thursday. I have lost against them but also beat them twice with different partners. It won't be easy to beat them, they are the number one doubles team at the moment and they have won multiple Grand Slam titles. We just go out there, enjoy the moment and compete hard.

Melbourne, Australia

We've been getting some more wins in doubles. We got another good victory last Saturday when we beat a tough pair, Fleming/Skupski 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Today we beat Bolelli/Seppi 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(6) in the third round. They had one match point at 4-6, 4-5, 30-40, but I hit a good serve which didn't come back.

It has been very nice to play with Michael. I've known him since many years but it's the first time we play together. Our quarterfinal will be against Ljubicic/Gonzalez tomorrow. It's my fifth quarterfinal in Grand Slams, second in doubles (first one was in US Open 2008).

I have gotten some positive feedback from a few players and coaches about my second round singles here. There were a few watching it live. They complimented the quality of the match and the attitude on the court. It's very nice to hear such things from players and coaches... we/they are the ones who understand tennis the best.

Another nice thing I experienced on Friday was the band Them Crooked Vultures, live here in Melbourne... it was a very good rock concert! I was lucky to get a ticket.

Today I came back to the hotel from the courts and shared a car with a coach. We talked a little bit and he asked me some questions about Finland. I feel like I'm a one man Finland promotion team when I tell people that we don't actually suffer living in Finland. It's not minus 30 degrees and dark all the time and you don't see polar bears on the streets.

It's still surprising how often people don't know anything about Finland. Obviously it's not a big country, but still. The most common things people seem to think about Finland is that it's a very cold and dark country. Then they are surprised when I tell them that we can for example play tennis outside, etc. On the other hand almost everyone who has visited Finland has told me that they had a good time and that it's a beautiful and great country. And of course, I couldn't agree more.

Melbourne, Australia

It's two days since my loss in singles, but I haven't felt like writing about the match earlier. I lost against Serra 3-6, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-5. I was leading 5-2 in the fourth with one break. I had a match point when I was serving in 5-3, 40-30 and also one in his serve in the same set, 5-6, 30-40.

In the first match point I played aggressive. After a few good shots I attacked well and Serra just got a medium high ball back from which I hit a hard forehand drive volley to his forehand corner. He guessed right and passed me down the line. I was almost sure I would win the match when I hit the ball. That is the kind of point you normally win 99 times out of a 100. First of all Serra had to guess where to go and secondly he had to time the shot perfectly to be able to place it so accurate. And he did everything, guessed right and hit it unbelievable well. I happened to lose the one time out of a 100 in that match point. In the second match point I hit a poor return. The fifth set was very tight, Serra just hit some extremely great shots in the most important moments (like a dive-volley winner in my breakpoint at 5-5) and took the victory.

It's amazing how big of a difference in the feeling one single point can make. That is also what makes tennis so brutal and great. If I would have won the match in four sets, by playing one of the best sets of my career (first set) and by getting a good win from a difficult match I would have felt so good. I couldn't keep the level of the first set in the second but I did come back strong in the third. Instead of winning that one point in the fourth, I just had to accept that it's real that I lost it and finally the match.

It always feels extra painful to lose after having had matchpoints. I actually haven't experienced it that many times during my pro career. I have won a lot of matches after my opponents have had matchpoints. It's such a pity that I couldn't continue playing more in singles here.

After my first round, I have hit the ball better every day. Like in the doubles yesterday I think I only missed one ball. Michael and I beat Mirnyi/Bhupati 6-4, 6-4. I played great and so did my partner. It felt nice to beat the fourth seeds with a very good performance. It was also a great pain relief after the singles loss. We'll play against Fleming/Skupski tomorrow.

Another thing that helped me to get over the painful loss was that my ankle was much better yesterday than feared after my singles. I twisted my left ankle in the end of fourth set. I played with the pain in the fifth set and it didn't feel good at all, even worse after the match so I wasn't sure if I could play the doubles. I feared that I might have to take another long break from playing.

Luckily yesterday morning the ankle wasn't that swollen and I could play doubles without pain. I had my ankle taped very tight and wore ankle support which I actually always wear nowadays. It's ok for doubles and I don't do any harm to it by playing but it would have been impossible to play singles today. I'm glad it seems like I won't miss any upcoming tournaments.

Melbourne, Australia

It was nice day in the office today, I won 4 points in a row and then came back to the locker room. I won the match 6-2, 7-5, 6-4. It's a great feeling to win fast and then watch on the massage table your next opponents run in the heat on the court... hopefully for 5 sets (in this case Melzer and Serra actually did play 5 sets). Because of yesterdays rain we had to continue today, the score was 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 and my serve. That was the third rain break, but because it was so late and it seemed that rain would last very long, the tournament decided to postpone our match for the next day.

It was quite a tricky situation to stop the match but I think I handled it well, I never thought in any stage during the break that the match was over. I just planned how I will play the first two points on my serve and to get a sharp start.

I'm over all satisfied how smart and solid I played. The conditions were not easy yesterday, cold, windy and rainy. At least they are always the same for both so you just have to try to adjust things better than the opponent. I'm also happy that I used the rain breaks well and started always strong after those.

I will play against Serra tomorrow. I have a negative record against him so it would be nice to make it better tomorrow. He doesn't give many easy points so I'm looking forward to some long rallies. Doubles will be on Thursday.

Melbourne, Australia

2010 Australian Open main draw starts tomorrow, this is my 10th time in a row playing here (I played once in juniors, the rest in men's main draw). I play against Nick Lindahl (AUS) tomorrow, the match will be third after 11.00. I'm happy to start competing. I have had a good practise week and I've done everything I can to be in the best shape possible. Now I feel I'm ready to go, mind and body feels good. I wouldn't like to practise any more days.

Today I've had an easy day, I just had one hit. I try to eat well, drink enough, just load the batteries. I play doubles with Michael Kohlmann against Bhupati/Mirnyi. First doubles matches are played on Wednesday, I don't know yet when we play.

Sydney, Australia

We lost the doubles with Peter against Aspelin/Hanley 7-6(11), 4-6, 10-8. The match was as tight as it could get. We had five set points in the first set, the second set was very tight and in the match tie-break we were leading 8-6. It was very windy yesterday and not easy to play so comparing to that, the match was quite good... of course from our point of view the wrong team won. I will take the day off today and fly to Melbourne where I start preparing for the Australian Open tomorrow.

Sydney, Australia

I beat Rufin 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3 in the morning and then I lost against Dent 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the afternoon. I'm not in the best mood so it's better that I don't analyse those matches now. Anyway, I didn't play the way I wanted to play in either of them. I'm staying here for practise and for doubles, we got wild card with Peter Luczak... which was really nice.

Sydney, Australia

Greetings from Sydney! Australia (and New Zealand) is one of my favourite places to play, it's always nice to be here. I have good memories from last year when I got my best single win (Djokovic, 3rd in the world) and was quite close to winning the whole tournament here.

Because of missing 5 months last year, this time I have to qualify. This tournament has maybe the highest level in qualifying of the whole year (in a tournament of this size) and it seems that this year's draw is not an exception. Sydney is a much easier preparation for Melbourne than playing qualifying in Auckland which is played at the same time. Many players come here instead of qualifying in Auckland because the flight there is about 3.5 hours and there is a two hour time difference to Melbourne. So there are a lot of top 100 players and also a lot of the qualifiers of Australian Open in the qualies here.

If I win my first match tomorrow, the second round will be later in the afternoon. I don't know who I play against because the draw and the schedule for tomorrow comes out later in the evening. At least I remembered to sign in for qualification, not like one player many years ago who signed his name to a lunch list instead of the sign in-list. Then he wondered why his name was not in the draw. This happened in Wimbledon at the time when you still had to sign in for qualification there. This player just had to enjoy his lunch in England and then fly back home. Not a great trip.

Brisbane, Australia

Frustrating. I lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. It wasn't a bad match at all, it was a good match and three bad games at the wrong time. I felt that I was controlling the game more in the first than in the second set. I had breakpoints in two different games but I couldn't take them. Gasquet had one break chance and he used that and suddenly a potential 6-3 set for me went 3-6.

I was a break down in the second set but then I played really well from the middle of the set and could turn it around 6-4. The next 15min were just poor, Gasquet didn't play any better, I just missed and missed and gave him a 4-0 lead. Those 15min I'm most disappointed about. Then I "woke up" and fought myself back to the game. I played better again and even had a breakpoint to 5-5 but Gasquet played well and took the third set 6-4.

My strokes and body felt good, I'm just disappointed that I started the third set bad and over all, lost the match. I did many things well and right in the match, for example I hit many aggressive backhands (which is my favourite shot and which I have practised more lately) well. It's just such a big difference in the feeling between losing and winning a match.

I went to the gym straight after the match, that's a good way to get over a tight loss. I used the aggressiveness (which comes when you are pissed off!) to get a good practise session. I stay and practise here for a few days before flying to Sydney.

Brisbane, Australia

Happy new year! It's my fourth day in Brisbane and I feel fine with the time difference and I'm starting to get used to the heat as well. The weather forecast for today is bad, thunderstorms around Brisbane area, hopefully I get to practise some tennis today.

I'll play against Gasquet tomorrow, not an easy start. I think if he stays healthy and puts all the peaces together, he could be top-10 player all the time, he can play so well on all surfaces. I have to play well tomorrow to beat him, but I'm also feeling pretty good, better and better every day.

I practised with Roddick yesterday and we talked about how weird it is that we never played each other during our pro career. We only played once in juniors (French Open '99). We have played basically same tournaments for about 9 years. Both of us have played almost against all the others who have been on the top during these years. The same players play each other very often, for example I have played many times against Nalbandian, Safin, Rochus and a few others.

Tonight I try to continue my winning streak in Monopoly-game (actually I've only played it once here). I'll play with Jürgen, his fiance and Philipp (Petschner) again.

Hong Kong

The short off season is over and another year of tennis starts again. I'm ready for 2010. I got some rest, practised well and most importantly I stayed healthy. I practised mostly in Copenhagen and then spent some time in Helsinki and northern Finland. There I did some cross country skiing and just relaxed.

It's always nice to know that at least during the Christmas time you get to spend some time with your family and friends. Apart from missing them throughout the year I also miss the Finnish nature very much (sea, archipelago, lakes, forests, mountains, Lapland, etc...). It gives me so much energy and my mind really rests when I can be there.

Right now I'm waiting for my flight from Hong Kong to Brisbane. On Monday morning my plan was to fly to Doha on Tuesday and play the qualifying there. In the afternoon I got a phone call from the ATP saying I got in the main draw in Chennai. I booked a flight there for Wednesday but later that same afternoon I got another phone call saying that I also got in the main draw in Brisbane. Brisbane was originally my first choice so I decided to go there instead of Chennai.

I like playing in Australia and it's also better preparation for the second tournament (I'll have to qualify in Sydney unless I play semi or better in Brisbane). I'm landing in Brisbane on Thursday morning and then I'll just try to get used to the heat again. In the beginning I "hit the wall" quite fast but after a couple of days my body gets used to it and I can run for hours on the court.

A few years ago in Finland I prepared for the heat by carrying an exercise bike into the sauna and cycling there (greetings to Captain Jortikka). I think it helped me more mentally than physically but at least I felt tough after it. crazy Finn :)

Salzburg, Austria

The season of 2009 is now over. It would have been much nicer to end it with a tournament victory, but I lost in a tight final against Berrer 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 yesterday. I didn't play perfect, but it wasn't a bad match either. I played better tennis than in the quarter- and semifinal, Berrer was just harder to beat.

We both hadn't lost a set on the way to the final and I felt that we really were the two best players of the week. Berrer played well and was serving great. I didn't have any breakpoints in the first and third set. In the second set, I played two poor service games where he broke me. He was leading 5-2 with two breaks when I took my only break. I had another chance to break him to get to 5-5 but he held his serve, won the second set and obviously was slightly better in the third.

I think Berrer will get higher in the ranking if he keeps playing like he played throughout the week in Salzburg. I wish all the best to him, he fights really hard on the court, has great attitude on and off the court and respects other players.

It's tough to lose a tight final like we had. Winning the whole tournament makes such a big difference in so many ways. Anyway it was a good week for me and even in the final we played high quality tennis during many stages.

Now I will rest for a few days and then I'll start practicing hard. I.m going to do a lot of fitness off the court and on the court I'll work with things that I want to improve now (this time I don't tell what those are... then I don't have to answer questions about them all the time. It's better if people just see the result on the court).

During Christmas time I'll take a few days off, then practice a few again before leaving early to prepare for the first tournament of 2010. I don't know yet where I'll start. I'm first out from the main draw in Chennai, third out from Doha and fourth out from Brisbane. Hopefully I'll get in somewhere.

When I started playing after my break, one of my goals was to get enough points to get in to the main draw in Australian Open and I'm very happy that I reached that goal. I'm also happy that I could finish the year in top 100 (88.). This is my 9th year in a row... all my years as a full time professional player.

In the statistics it says that my professional career started at 2000, but I was still a student at that time. Of course I already played many men's tournaments during 2000, but after I graduated from high school at spring 2001, I was a full time tennis player for the first time. Then I broke trough to top 100 immediately during the same year and have finished there every year since then. It feels especially good now with having 4 months off because my wrist + 1 month off because I was sick + getting injured in Australian Open and having to retire in the first match.

I missed almost all of the big tournaments this year. Also year 2004 when I broke my wrist (it took about 3,5 months to get fit again) was more demanding. Otherwise I have been able to play most of the seasons healthy. Hopefully I'll be in top 100 in many years to come and get even closer to the top 10, back to where I was as my best. I'm looking forward to year 2010!

Salzburg, Austria

I beat Beck 7-6(3),6-4 yesterday. I started slow, but at the same time Beck played really well and took 3-0 lead in just a few minutes. Then I started to play better and took 5 games in a row but lost that lead and the first set went to a tie-break in which I played well.

Karol started to play with a higher tempo in the second but I could answer to that and I took a 5-3 lead in that set. I had one matchpoint at 5-3, but I played bad in it. Then we had a marathon game and finally by winning that I won the match.

I will play final against Michael Berrer in the afternoon. He is a great guy on and off the court, extremely professional and playing well at the moment. It won't be an easy match.

When I won Jersey a few weeks ago, I felt I was playing good tennis in every match. Even though so far I haven't lost a set here, I feel that I can still play much better. That's a good sign. I have been mentally strong and I've played smart. Now when I've got quite many matches under my belt, it's also easier to win and play more solid. I hope I can lift up my game even more in the final... the last match of the season!

Salzburg, Austria

I beat Koellerer 6-2, 7-6(6) yesterday. The first set was a little bit better tennis from me than the second. The quality of the game in the second set was horrible. Koellerer was serving for the set in 5-3,then I was serving for the match in 6-5 and after that Koellerer had a 6-4 lead in the tie-break, but I turned it around and won it 8-6.

I won the match with mental toughness. My game wasn't good at all, but I fought extremely hard and tried to play smart and concentrate, even though my feeling in the strokes was terrible. From all of my matches has a player never behaved so bad on the court than Koellerer did yesterday. He complained about everything, tried to disturb me in many different ways and behaved bad. He got a point penalty and didn't even shake my hand in the end.

I noticed already during the match that many people were supporting me, even though I played against an Austrian in Austria but after I won, the crowd really cheered for me. There were about ten people, young and old, who came on the court after the match and apologized for Koellerer behaving so bad. Few of them said that they are really sorry and that Austrians are not like him. That was a very special experience. It's nice to know that people respect the players who play fair. That's also something I respect, professionalism.

Today I have to play better again, I play semifinal against Karol Beck. We have played many times against each other and had some tough matches, I think our wins are 3-3. He has played very well this week so I expect a difficult match again.

Salzburg, Austria

I beat Fischer 6-1, 6-3 yesterday. I felt very comfortable in the rallies again and I played smart, that's why I won the match quite easy. I have felt much better here than last week in Helsinki. Later after that match we lost doubles 2-6, 6-2, 10-6. We played good in the first set, then in the second set we lost two no-ad points in the row and after that Zovko/Allegro started to play much better and could keep the momentum until the end. We didn't play well in the match tie-break.

I'll play against D.Koellerer later today in the quarterfinals. I try to take revenge from last time... at least it's impossible to play worse than last time I played him.

This is my 8th tournament in the row, longer tournament streak than ever. That's maybe one of the reasons(+lack of match routine in the beginning) I have played up and down during some of these weeks. I just didn't have too many options after missing 5 months of the season. I wanted to get used to play matches again and to get as many wins and points I could get. It helped that one tournament was in Helsinki and I could stay at home. I don't have the feeling that it's the end of the season now, even though it's already December. I also feel fresh at the moment because I've had two comfortable singles wins here. I'm looking forward to work hard to get few more wins before my 09-season ends.

Salzburg, Austria

I beat Haider-Maurer 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday. I kept good tempo from the baseline all the time and didn't have problems to control the game. Ground stokes felt good and I moved well. Even though it's not too much altitude here, balls are flying trough the air quite fast, otherwise the surface is pretty slow.

Yesterday we won doubles with Aisam 6-1, 7-6(3). Today we'll play against Zovko/Allegro. I'll play singles before that against Martin Fischer, another Austrian.

I have one of my good friends here with me, Lauri. We played first time in the same tournament when I was 9 and Lauri was 10. We have been friends since then. We played indoor minigolf on Wednesday and we both beat the old course record... we were on fire!

Salzburg, Austria

I'm on the train on my way to Salzburg. I lost against Henkka 7-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Friday. I had more chances than in Jersey when I beat him 6-4, 6-4, but I used them poorly (or actually not at all). I had many break and game(also one set point) points but I hit the ball everywhere else than where I wanted it to go. Over all our match on Friday was very far from the quality we played in Jersey. It's great for Henkka that he could win the match. He had a nice finish for his "rookie year". It's easier to handle loosing if you at least play ok, it's much more painful when you play bad. And on Friday I was extremely disappointed with the way I played.

On Saturday in doubles we beat Marx/Zelenay 3-6, 6-4, 10-8. We started bad but we just hanged in there and could win in the end. We played great points from 4-7 in the match tie-break. On Sunday we lost the doubles final against Bopanna/Qureshi 6-2, 7-6. They played really well throughout the whole match. We made a few unforced errors in the first set and the way they played, didn.t leave any margin for that. We played better in the second set and had one set point in the tie-break but ended up losing it and the whole match. I feel that Henkka and I make quite good results in doubles now even with a routine performance. When we play more in the future, we can really keep improving more and hopefully win in the big tournaments.

Salzburg will be the last tournament of my short season. I'll play against Haider-Maurer in singles and in doubles I'll play with Qureshi against Lang/Raditschnigg. I won't have a long rest after this week because I had a 5 month break already this year. I will have a few days off during December, but otherwise I will practice hard for the next year.

Helsinki, Finland

Yesterday I beat Bemelmans 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 and in doubles we beat Junaid/Motti. Both matches were not as good as first round but good and solid enough to take comfortable wins. It was nice to play on center court yesterday because the hall was almost sold out.

I will play quarterfinal today against Henkka. Hopefully the match will be as high quality as the one we had in Jersey two weeks ago. Doubles semifinal will be tomorrow against Marx/Zelenay. Today I will write a note for the foreign players for the players' locker room that after washing hands, hands should be dried with hand towel, NOT with pefletti (the thing you put under you butt when you sit in the sauna). :)

Helsinki, Finland

The tournament started the way I wanted it to start. We played great doubles on Monday when we beat the number one seeds 7-6(10), 6-3. It was an entertaining match with only one break in the whole match and with all 4 players playing well. At the moment Henkka and I play solid and with good confidence. We just get better and better the more we play together. We try to work and keep up the good form.

In singles I beat Luncanu 6-2, 6-1 yesterday. I played very solid and had a good mix of aggressiveness in all the strokes. I only made about 4 unforced errors and with my higher tempo I could force the opponent to make mistakes. I felt in total control from the beginning to the end.

I feel that since I started to feel physically normal again in Basel, for the first time after the injury and sickness break, I have felt even more relaxed on the court than before. I have never stressed much about results and I have never been very nervous during the matches, but now I feel that it's even easier to play and fight one point at a time. Easier to live in the present moment. I think sometimes long breaks can have a positive affect on these kind of things.

Today I will have a day off from matches and just practice 1,5h tennis and do a little bit of fitness. In the evening I'll take part in Finland's tennis yearly tennis gala.

Helsinki, Finland

I will have a difficult match tomorrow: There's a kids' day in the tennis hall and I'll play against Mr. Hevisaurus at 17.00. Mr. Hevisaurus is the lead singer in a band called Hevisaurus. They produce and play heavy music for kids. I guess Mr. Hevisaurus is trying to make a career in tennis as well. I expect him to be good, at least strong, but I'll give him a lesson tomorrow!

Then later in the evening I'll play doubles with Henkka against the first seeds, Tecau and Hutchins. It's not the easiest start but I hope we can start the tournament in similar a way as we did in the first round in Jersey two weeks ago, when we played a great first round match against the first seeds, Fleming/Skupski.

My singles will be on Tuesday against Luncanu from Romania. I had some easy days after last weeks match and now my leg feels good. Nothing was broken, it was just extremely stiff. Little rest and treatment helped a lot, I don't feel the pain anymore. I'm looking forward to starting the home tournament!

Bratislava, Slovakia

It's not often in tennis that you can enjoy your victories for a long time. The next tournament is always coming up soon and it's not often that players win few tournaments in a row. I was far from it this week. I had a great week last week but yesterday was a bad day in the office. I lost singles (1-6, 6-3, 6-2) and doubles (6-7, 7-5, 10-6). We should have taken the second set in doubles, because we had few good chances to break them. Match tie-break didn't go well.

In singles I played so different from last week. I felt like I was a tired shadow on the court. I didn't take control of the points and I didn't play with good tempo and as aggressive as last week. I also served and returned bad. I tried to fight and hang in there without playing good in any stages of the match. Golubev just didn't put one ball to the court in the first set, then he started to serve and return better and I lost the momentum in the match.

I hurt my right leg in the practice yesterday morning. I could play normal, it just feels extremely stiff now. When I make the decision to play the whole match, there's no excuses. If I couldn't play for the win, then I wouldn't go to the court. Now I just really have to take care of leg. I fly home today, then I'll get some treatment for it and hopefully can start a good preparation for the home tournament soon.

Bratislava, Slovakia

It's Wednesday morning in Bratislava. I'll play against Golubev later today and then doubles after that against him and Istomin. Our doubles is a re-match from the US Open. Golubev is one of the toughest first round opponents with me being seeded. I hope I can play like I did last week. At least I will work hard and I have good confidence. Two easy days after the final did good for my body.

This is an another tournament with a few Finns. Emma, Juho, Kobra and Keisari are here. It's feels so nice but strange to be able to speak Finnish in a tournament. I'm not used to it.

I had an interview yesterday. The journalist asked me about my year so far and so on. Then he asked me about the tournament in Jersey and one question was that now when I won the final in Jersey, my record in the challenger finals are 8-1 and in the ATP-finals it's 1-8... "why?" That's such a ridiculous question. When I had won all my challenger finals earlier, the media asked me why I'm so strong in the finals. Then it took me a few ATP-finals before I won the title in Auckland and before that the questions were the other way around: "do you get nervous in the finals?", "do you think you'll ever win, because you have lost so many finals". I can say that the final has never been a "big" thing for me in a negative way and I haven't lost one ATP-final because I was nervous. When I play in the challengers, the level of my game is good enough to win most of the finals too, even if I don't play my best. In the ATP-finals, even when I have been in good form and played for example against Federer, Blake, Nalbandian or Gaudio, my game just hasn't been good enough to beat them on that day. It's that simple.

Some questions make athletes feel that the journalist underestimate them and that they have no idea about the sport. A lot of people think that they know what the athletes think, what the mental/physical/technical strengths and weaknesses are. But in fact I'm the only one who knows what I think and how I handle things on court (I think the mental side is one of my strong points). In tennis, like in other sports, only the athletes and people who have followed the top level closely like coaches etc., know what it's all about.

Jersey, Great Britain

It's just a great feeling after winning a tournament! I like it A LOT!! I beat Robert 4-6, 6-1, 7-5. It was a high quality match again. Even the tournament organization said that it was the best match ever played in Jersey (or maybe they just say it after every final??).

I started the match poorly, Robert had a 3-0 lead with two breaks. Then I started to play better but I could only take one break back in the first set. Second set was probably my best set of the tournament, I kept very high tempo but still had a good variation in the game. In the third set Robert played really well from the beginning. I managed to keep my level up as well and could take a 5-3 lead. I had one matchpoint then at 30-40, but he served a good first serve in and I didn't get the return back. Then when I served for the match in 5-4, I played aggressive and well but Robert played extremely well and broke me back with some kamikaze-passing shots. I stayed calm, kept fighting and broke him again and then held my serve to win the title.

After bad luck I've had this year, this victory feels very good. Especially the way I played the whole week, gives me a lot of confidence. From last week I started to feel like there's a new man on the court when I compare that feeling to the feeling I've had past weeks. Still I played much better here than in Basel. I'm happy that I could keep the same level the whole week. I came here hoping to play good tennis and to get many wins and that's what I got.

The week would have been perfect if me and Henkka would have got the doubles title as well. Hopefully we take it in Helsinki then. I will fly to London tonight and then tomorrow to Bratislava. There I try to get used to the court and to get as much rest as I can. I have played a lot of tennis since last Wednesday but my body feels quite good at the moment. I'll play doubles with Quereshi in Bratislava and my first round opponent in singles is Golubev.

Jersey, Great Britain

I beat Kamke 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-3, I continued playing well. Kamke moved really fast, we had many long rallies with high tempo. Because he moved well, it wasn't easy to overpower him. I had 5-2 lead with one break in the first set, then I played two poor games. I had two setpoints later in the tie-break but didn't take them. I started to play with an even higher tempo from the beginning of the second set and didn't let him take the control anymore. I'm satisfied with my performance, especially in the last two sets.

We lost the doubles final later, 7-5, 3-6, 10-2. We played our only bad set of the tournament in the first set and with this scoring system (match tie-break as a third set) there's not too much margin to have bad moments. We played better in the second set, but then after that Nielsen/Sirianni were just zoning in the match tie-break and we could only watch when balls passed by... We played three good matches here before so it would have been nice to end the tournament by winning the title. Next I try to do that in singles, last challenge of the week will be against Stephane Robertia.

Jersey, Great Britain

I beat Henkka 6-4, 6-4 yesterday. It was a high quality match, we both played really well. Henkka was leading 3-1 in the first, then I broke him back and once more after that in the first set. I held all my serves in the second set and could break Henkka once. Peter (Henkka's coach) told the statistics to me after the match. I had much better break points conversion than Henkka, that was obviously important. I did only one unforced error in the whole match, served 80% first serves in, played smart and especially returned well. That's what I had to do to beat Henkka, because he was playing really well. It's not surprising for me, Henkka has been playing well in all the matches I've seen him play lately. I think he played top 50-tennis today. If he stays healthy, he will be that also on the paper (and why not even better), sooner or later.

We also continued our good doubles form by beating Goodall/Duclos 6-7, 6-1, 10-5. I hope I continue playing well and that we can keep our good form in doubles. I play against Tobias Kamke in the semifinal today and later we play doubles final against Nielsen and Sirianni.

Jersey, Great Britain

I beat Evans 6-4, 6-2 yesterday. I played well again. We also continued playing well in doubles, we won 6-4, 6-2 against Pauffley and Ward. I play against Henkka on Friday, it's a pity that we have to meet each others already in the quarterfinals. With the tennis we have been performing here this week, this match could have as well been the final. At least one Finn is in the semis for sure. If we keep up the game we have played in doubles, we can go all the way in that. We'll play against Goodall/Duclos in the semifinal.

Jersey, Great Britain

I beat J. Minar 6-1, 6-2. I played great! I haven't played this high quality game for a long time. It's so nice to feel fast, strong, solid and play smart. I haven't felt this good on the court since the spring time. That virus I had, must have taken a lot of energy out from me, because only during last week I started to feel that I have lot of energy again. I can only compare the feeling now, after starting to feel (physically) normal again.

I really enjoyed every moment on the court today. I know from the experience that the tennis I played, was the tennis which has taken me to close to top ten in the world. I won't expect to feel great every day from now on, but I'll work hard for it. I got a little extra confidence boost when I just saw my last week's first round opponent (Benneteau) beat Federer on TV. Small marginals, that's no news. Still it was a big upset. I will play singles (against Daniel Evans) tomorrow in the afternoon and doubles will be later after that.

Jersey, Great Britain

We won the doubles yesterday 6-4, 7-6(4). It was a high quality match, everyone played well. Yesterday was the first time after my break that I returned really solid and fast again. That has been one of my strengths all these years. I just have been little rusty and slow in returns after my comeback. It's not surprising that Fleming/Skupski have won a lot lately, also two ATP World tour events. This match showed again that when we are playing well, we have the game to do really well. We haven't ever played really bad together but when we have both played well at the same time (like yesterday and half of the match in Stockholm), it seems that we can even beat the best. Our next match is tomorrow. Henkka won yesterday and his next match is tomorrow as well. My singles will be later today.

Jersey, Great Britain

Greetings from Jersey! It's the first time I'm here, the island seems to be very beautiful. Henkka is also here, he qualified yesterday and he'll play against George Bastl today. Hopefully Henkka has the same energy on the court that he has when he listens to his music. I'm listening mostly rock, sometimes heavier, sometimes calmer music, it depends of the feeling I have. Now Henkka is trying to make me listen his party music... progressivehousetrance-electricmusic (I might call it wrong?). It doesn't have the same affect on me that it does on him, he is jumping all over the room when he is listening to that...whatever works is good! I'll still stick to my more rocky style.

In the evening we'll play against first seeded Skupski/Fleming. They are the hardest opponents on the paper in the doubles draw, they have just won two ATP titles, in Metz and in St.Petersburg. I think we are also a tough draw in this tournament so it will be a big first round match. My first round opponent in singles is Jan Minar, the match is tomorrow.

Basel, Switzerland

I lost against Wawrinka 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 yesterday. It was frustrating because I could have taken the match in two sets, I had a good 5-3 lead in the first set. I tried to keep the same energy and game plan in the third than I had in the second, I just started to make too many unforced errors and wrong choices.

If I keep doing the right things, with the matchplay I will start playing more consistent. After the match I had to do a doping test. I have a lot of routine (I've been tested about 15 times a year) to do the tests so it didn't take a long time.

I'll fly to Copenhagen today and then later during the weekend to Jersey where I'll play next. I have been reading a lot lately, I just read Stieg Larsson's first two books in about one week. I was frustrated that I had left the last book of the trilogy to Copenhagen before flying to Vienna, but I didn't expect that I would have read so much so fast. Now I'm looking forward to starting the third book.

Basel, Switzerland

Back on track. I beat Benneteau 7-5,6-2 yesterday. Whatever I had last week, I don't have anymore. For those 4 days in Vienna my body didn't work at all. It could have had something to do with the sickness I had, I don't know... Or maybe it was just a really, really bad week.

Since the first practice here in Basel, I.ve felt normal. Yesterday my body felt good again, I felt fast and strong and I played well. I'm so happy that I won. I love the feeling when my opponent has to play well to win a point against me. It's great when I'm early in a good position and have time to mix up the tempo and the pace... that's when I feel confident. I think I played my best match since I started to play again. My goal was to stay positive, move well and play smart and that's what I did. It was a big match for me; that I was able to stay strong on the court, specially after all the frustration from last week, showed me that I'm mentally strong.

Today I'll watch a little bit of my opponents play after I've practiced. It will be an interesting match: Wawrinka on home court against last week.s (Lyon) winner Ljubicic. I don't really care who wins, I focus on the quality of my game. If you stay healthy, one week can change the direction of the future, there.s about 1000 examples of that in tennis. That's why I stay positive and work hard and don't think about the ranking. It is what it is because of missing 5 months of the season. I like challenges and mine right now is to get back to the top. I'm confident as it is something I've done before.

Vienna, Austria

I lost 6-1, 6-2. It has never felt so difficult to hit the tennis ball as it did yesterday. I think I hit more balls with the frame than I usually hit during the whole year. My match was a disaster. Even on the days I play bad, I usually can hit many balls back and I can run well so my opponent really has to beat me. Yesterday I couldn't even hit two balls in a row in to the court and I moved like a cow.

I haven't played great after the break I had, but at least I have hit clean shots and I have had good timing. Since the first practice session here in Vienna, my game has felt bad, strangely bad. Usually I can find the timing and work trough the difficult days with my good footwork but here I have just kept playing bad. In every practice the guys were beating me easy...that has never happened before. It's not so much about them beating me but how I played. I hit the ball all over the place and when they hit once to the corner, I was late. I prepared for this tournament as well as all the others, even the ones where I have played really well, reached finals etc. and I feel healthy. Nothing worked here.

The good news is that I can only play better and after the match I was told that I got in to the main draw in Basel. That's nice news, one more ATP main draw this year. I have played well in Basel before, so I'm looking forward to it. Finals in 2007 and two good matches last year, loosing tight 6 and 6 to Roger. I'll go there tomorrow. Today I'll take the day off from tennis. I go to the gym and then I'll do some sightseeing in the city.

Vienna, Austria

I'm in Vienna now, I came here yesterday from Stockholm. I lost the quarterfinal 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 against Rochus on Friday. I haven't ever had an easy match against Olivier and this wasn't one either. He was playing well and controlled the first set. My game was going too much up and down in the first as well as the third set. In the second set I started to move more forward and take the ball earlier and played a great set. I played very poorly in the first game of the third set and lost my serve. I had chances to take the momentum back in the second and third game but did some mistakes in those situations. After that I didn't play smart and even though we had some tight games, I couldn't really come back to the match anymore.

That match was the first one where my game and fitness really was tested since I've been healthy. Against Olivier, I should have served and returned better, then it would have been easier to get the control of the point. I also should have moved better forward. My strokes felt good but I made some wrong choices during the match. I'm clearly lacking match routine.

I am quite satisfied with my matches in Stockholm considering it only was my second tournament after the break. It's not so easy to perform your best when you haven't played a lot. I'm trying to remind myself of that as I usually demand so much of myself. Baghdatis is a good example of it not being so simple to come back. He didn't play well for a long time after his injuries but now he has started to put everything together on the court and he is playing well again.

I'm very hungry to work hard for a good comeback. It's nice to still get some chances to play tournaments this year, even though many of them are a little smaller. My next challenge is against Daniel Koellerer here in Vienna. He will be the crowds favorite on home court but I'll have the support of exceptionally many players behind me. It's amazing how many players have had bad experiences on the court with him. I've only heard about his behavior against his opponents during matches. Anyway, if somebody gets personal on the court with me, I just get more adrenaline and usually start to play better. Luckily most of the players are professionals and have respect for their colleagues. Our match will be on Wednesday.

Stockholm, Sweden

I had an easy day yesterday. I did my routines in the gym in the morning. After that I hit 30 minutes and had a lunch. My plan was to go back to the hotel after that because I supposed to play against Haas late in the evening. Then tournament's supervisor came to me and told that Haas is sick and he can't play. After that I booked a court for some more practice. It's a pity that Haas got sick, I hope he gets better soon. I think every sportsman prefers to play and beat the opponent, no one really hopes someone to get sick or injured.

After having so much bad luck this year, I'm just happy to be still in the draw and be able to compete healthy. I'll play against O. Rochus today in the quarterfinal. We have played many times and we've had some great, long battles. I think the wins are 6-3 for him, but he won last 3 times... it would be nice time to change that. I expect a difficult match, he doesn't miss much and he is moving great. He has also been in good form in the first two rounds here. I must play patiently but aggressive at the same time. I'm looking forward to fight hard on the court.

Stockholm, Sweden

I beat Dimitrov 6-0, 6-2 yesterday. I played tactically perfectly, changed pace and spin in the ground strokes and serve. I tried to mix up the game a lot and it worked well, he kept missing a lot. I felt that if he would start playing with a different tactic, I could also put one more gear on. Instead of changing anything, he kept playing the same and that's why I won so easy.

I'm happy that I could take more advantage of our match last week better then him. I really felt that experience beat an inexperienced junior yesterday. I love the center court here in Stockholm, it.s like a second home for me. There was also a good crowd yesterday, nice atmosphere.

I'll play against Haas or Serra (they play today) tomorrow. It will be nice to play against either of them. I try to get revenge; I have never beaten Haas and I lost against Serra two times in February. Even that I haven't played many matches, I feel quite confident like I usually feel in Stockholm. It's also nice to prepare for the next match after a good performance yesterday.

It's a pity that we won't get a big "Finnish day" tomorrow because Henkka lost a tight match yesterday. It was a good match and marginals were really small. At least Henkka showed his potential. With his talent, little bit of luck (no bad injuries) and being able to keep the hunger to improve, I'm sure he will be a top player. I know what it takes to be in the top and I think Henkka has those qualities. It's a long and hard road but very rewarding in many ways.

Stockholm, Sweden

I'm relaxing in the hotel room, listening music and reading a book. I will sleep a little bit before going back to the hall. I warmed up with Henkka in the morning, his match is in the afternoon. My match will be last one in the evening. It's great that there is two Finnish players in the singles main draw, I'm very happy for Henkka that he is playing well, I still think he can win even more here. I think it was me and Tuomas Ketola who played last time in the main draw in the ATP event. That was when Tuomas qualified in Wimbledon and US Open few years ago.

We lost doubles late yesterday 2-6, 6-3, 10-6. The first set was our best set ever, we both played well at the same time, every single point. We gave no chances to the opponents. Then in the second set they started to serve better which made harder to break them. Then they broke us in 3-4. After that it wasn't so easy to control the game anymore. Things can change quickly in doubles against good players (like Coetzee and Huss) and with no-ad/champions tie-break rule. We had the feeling in the fist set that we can do anything on the court. We just played one bad Henkka's service game in the second set and 15 min after that we had lost the champions tie-break and the whole battle.

It felt frustrating to lose that kind the match. We knew that with the game we played in the first set, can be enough to beat anyone. That's why it would have been so fun to keep going in doubles, trying to win more. Now we try to make as many "Finnish days" as possible by winning our singles matches. More days like today would be great, two Finns on the center court!

Stockholm, Sweden

I'm sitting in Kungliga tennishall, waiting for Henkka's match to start. I think he has good chances to qualify if he plays well. I have practiced and done my daily exercises already. We'll have doubles in the evening against the fourth seeds, Coetzee and Huss. It will be last match on center court. I will leave the hall after Henkka's match and then I come back later in the evening. It's not good to stay the whole day in the hall and that's why I'll go back to the hotel and then for a walk to get some fresh air. Tomorrow's schedule hasn't come yet, but my guess is that my match will be in the evening. I'll play against Dimitrov again, second time in one week.

Stockholm, Sweden

We lost our semifinal 6-4, 6-3. We had many chances but we didn't get even one of those. If we would have won, we would have played in the finals which would have been obviously nice. Now when we lost, at least Henkka got the chance to play his first ATP qualification which will be nice for him. We are already in Stockholm, place where I have lots of good memories from. I think this will be my 11th time in the tournament. I broke trough here in 2001 when I reached the finals, I played in an other final in 2006 and in the semifinal last year. I have also practised many times here, then there's always many Finnish supporters watching the tournament so it makes me feel like I am on the homecourt here. I will practise two times today, watch Henkka play and then take a massage. And last but not least, sauna. They have two saunas in the men's locker room, one which is warm, but not hot and one which is hot, there you can throw water to the sauna stones... that's for the finns. :) I guess this time I won't be there throwing water alone because Henkka, Kobra(Timo) and Keisari (Kim, he is here coaching a polish player Janowicz) are also here for the qualification.

Kolding, Denmark

I lost against Peya 4-6,6-2,6-2. I served and returned badly. Ground strokes were ok but it didn't help too much on these very fast courts. Peya kept serving well after the first set and he started to control the game. I just have to accept the irritating fact that it's hard to play well and solid immediately after having breaks from playing. At least I feel fresh again, which is positive. Last week I felt tired all the time, even off the court.

I got some more match play in the evening's doubles. We beat Emmrich and Siljeström 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 10-4. Our opponents were playing well, especially serving big so it was tough to break them on these courts. I served so much better in doubles than singles and Henkka also varied his serve well which made us difficult to break as well. We were very pumped when it got tight and we found our best shots when it counted the most. I returned my best returns of the day when they had two match points in a row (Siljeström was serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, 40-30 and then the no-ad-point). We both lifted up our games in the second set tie-break and champions tie-break, we were clearly better in those.

There was a lot of drama on the court, first the match points and then more serious moment when Siljeström smashed and hit Henkka hard in the throat. Henkka couldn't breath for a while and I got frightened that he might even die, it looked so bad for a while. Luckily the ball missed the most vulnerable part by a couple of centimeters and Henkka was able to continue (life!!!) playing quite fast. Thank God I didn't have to use my mouth-to-mouth skills because nothing more serious happened. We will play semifinal against Marray/Qureshi.

Kolding, Denmark

I beat Dimitrov 6-2,6-7(4),6-2 yesterday. It was nice to win the first match after the break. I had to work hard on the court, it wasn't easy to play a match again. I'm happy how I could improve my game during the match. We both played better in the second set comparing to the first, but then I could raise the level of my game in the third set and took it quite easily 6-2. I will play against Peya in the afternoon, he is dangerous opponent on this surface, he has a good serve and volley game. Doubles will be the last match in the evening.

Kolding, Denmark

It's Wednesday morning in Kolding. I just had a big breakfast, I ate about 10 kilos of pineapple as usual. I had a good practice week in Copenhagen last week. I came to Kolding already on Friday, it was good to come early because the courts here are lightning fast, like I was told before. It's really serve and return which counts here, there won't be many rallies in the matches.

I'm hitting the ball well and my body feels quite good considering that I was in bed/on the sofa for two weeks. Because of being sick for so long, I have been getting tired on the court but last two days I have felt better. Luckily I don't have to run that much on these courts.

Henkka came here on Monday from Germany where he played finals in a Future. It's nice to have an other Finnish guy around. Hopefully laughing makes life longer because we have been doing that a lot. It hasn't happened too often that I can spend time, practice and play doubles with a Finnish guy during these years. It would be nice to have a Finnish gang taking over players' lounges in all big ATP tournaments. Maybe some day.

We had doubles yesterday evening with Henkka. We beat Dodig/Veic 6-2,6-2. That's a very good result on this surface, it.s almost like 0 and 0 on slower courts. We played well the whole match and had fun on the court again. I also got revenge from Henkka in table tennis so yesterday was a good day! Our next match is tomorrow.

I start singles tonight against Dimitrov, not an easy first round. He is a young and talented player. I saw him when he beat Berdych and played well after that against Nadal in Rotterdam so I won't be underestimating him. He hasn't had that big results after that so I guess because of young age he still plays very up and down. Anyway, who ever serves well here, will be hard to beat. Marginals get even smaller on these kind of courts and you really have to use your chances when you get them.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Last Saturday was the first day I felt better. I hit for about 20min and walked in a park for a while. I have felt better every day since then. I came to Copenhagen yesterday. Today I hit 1,5h,I didn't move much, I was just standing still and hitting a lot of strokes. I want to start slowly, not to get my heart rate up in the beginning when I start to practise again. My strokes will probably feel normal after a few practises but after having fever for 10 days, my fitness will not be great. I need to have patience and practise smart, that way I can get in a quite good shape pretty soon. I will play a Challenger next week here in Denmark, in the city of Kolding. I think I go there on Saturday so I have time to get used to the surface. I've been told that the it's one of the fastest comparing to any other tournament. Henkka and I get a wild card for doubles. It will be fun to play with him. We can do great in any tournament when we are playing well. After Kolding, I will play one of my favourite tournaments, Stockholm Open. Kom igen!

Helsinki, Finland

This is already my 10th day of being sick which probably is a record for me (there's a chance that I might even have swine flu). During the summer I made my "injury record" with the four months... these are not the records I want to be breaking. My 2009 tennis season has been a bad joke. I hardly even started it. Always a break after a break, little comeback after comeback. But I will not give up because of bad luck.

Today I had to pull out from Tokyo. It sucks to loose three chances to play in good, important tournaments. I would much rather write here about my matches than my injuries or sicknesses. Unfortunately I just haven't been able to play most of the season. After pulling out from Metz my goal was to get back in good form for Bangkok, then after pulling out from there, to get fit for Tokyo. Now I just want to be healthy. Nothing else matters.

Helsinki, Finland

I'm still very sick and now getting really frustrated and annoyed because of this situation. Two days of antibiotics and only a small change in my condition. This is not how the rest of my unlucky season is supposed to go. I'm supposed to be playing tournaments, not lying in bed sick. Normally during a season by now I would have played around 20 tournaments, this season I've played 13, where in two of them I got injured and in one I was sick. And also playing New Haven was only a preparation for the US Open, so in all only nine tournaments.

I started the season off well with one of my best wins in Sydney, beating Djokovic, who was ranked third in the world at the time and getting into the final. Since then it's been a struggle. Even the tournaments I've been able to play have been hard as I've been "making comebacks" in most of them. During our last Davis Cup week I started feeling great on the court, hitting the ball really well and finding my confidence again. I was really looking forward to playing tournaments but now it seems like I have to start all over again.

Mentally this is taking a lot of me but I'm still just trying to stay positive and hopefully I will be ready to play in Japan next week. If I can play there, I can't expect any results as after being as sick as I am for over a week my body will be weak and my condition probably horrible. My lungs are full of slime and it will take a while before it's all out again. Running around the court is physically hard even when in best shape, after my illness it will be (mildly said) demanding.

My ranking is of course dropping during this all and even though I know it's because I haven't played much it's still hard to see it happening. It's tough because of all the bad luck during the season I don't even get a chance to play and improve it. I haven't lost my game, only my ranking points. Now I just have to get well again and then start kicking some gluteus maximus.

Helsinki, Finland

I had to pull out from Bangkok, I'm still very sick. I don't remember the last time I've had a virus as hard as this. I have been in the hospital twice for some tests and if I don't feel better tomorrow, I'll have to start taking antibiotics. Just trying to get better now and hoping to be able to play in Tokyo.

Metz, France

I had to pull out from Metz. I got a high fever and a sore throat yesterday afternoon and I still feel the same. It's very disappointing because I was really looking forward to playing today. I felt great in practice, the surface here fits my game well and I had a lot of confidence to start the tournament. I wrote to my blog after the US Open that it was the right choice not to wait for the protected ranking because my wrist feels perfect and I still get in to the tour events with my ranking for the rest of the season. That's why I want to play many tournaments now, to get as many matches and points for the next year as possible. It doesn't feel great to lose chances to play, because of getting sick... just after being 4 months off. It's hard to make it back to the top if you can only play a few tournaments a year.

I think I have had enough bad luck in tennis lately. At least this makes me respect those healthy years more. I have worked so hard to get back in shape and I really don't feel like having any breaks anymore. I just need to accept this, can't control these things. Now I have to pack my bag and organize my trip back home. It would have been easier to get sick before I flew here, but on the other hand it was good that I didn't get sick during Davis Cup. Henkka got sick the day before me. We might have the same virus. That's why he couldn't go to Sweden, where he was supposed to play this week. I just hope that I won't miss more tournaments, I should play in Bangkok next week.

Metz, France

One of my goals for the year has been achieved now, Finland qualified to the first division in Davis Cup. We ended up beating Cyprus 3-2. In doubles on Saturday, Henkka and I were 2-0 down in sets against Baghdatis/Kallias but we stayed positive, fought hard and won the fifth set 7-5. Trough the whole match we felt that we are the better team, we just didn't have the momentum in the first two sets. We held our serves easy at the beginning and all of the Cyprus service games were close but we just didn't win them before the third set.

Henkka and I have such a good spirit on the court, it's always great to play with him. I hope we could play some big tournaments together in the near future. On Sunday I lost against Baghdatis in four tight sets and Henkka beat Kallias easy in straight sets in the deciding match. In the first two sets against Baghdatis I felt very similar to the first set of Saturdays double. I controlled the game but Baghdatis could hang in with good serves and then he used his break chances well. In those first two sets I felt that I didn't do much wrong. Every time I had 0-30,15-30 or breakpoints in Marcos' serve games, he came up with great first serves. The times I got the return back, I tried to mix up the game: I played slow, I played fast, I tried different things. I have played against Marcos 5 times before and this was the best he has ever served. I started to get the chances in the third set and won it 6-3. I was very confident to win the whole match after that. I also started the fourth set with a break, but then I played a few poor games. I lost the fourth set 6-4. I knew that the longer the match would be, the better it would be for me. That's why it would have been important to take at least one of the first two sets.

Anyway I felt that I played better in Davis Cup than in the Us Open, so it's one step in the right direction. I was very disappointed with the loss but not with the way I played. I felt fast, I hit the ball well! and I didn't feel nervous at any point of the match and all that even though I haven't played many matches. Who knows what the outcome would have been without my long break. At least I.m quite sure I would have gotten a few more returns back, even though Marcos served really well.

I would have loved to end the tie with my match, to get the unreachable 3-1 lead in front of the home crowd, but that didn't happen. I wasn't a happy guy when I got to the locker room! I wanted to win that match so bad. 10min in the locker room helped me to calm down enough to be able to be the calm, analytical guy in the press conference. You can always be proud of yourself if you just give the best you can every time you are on the court. And that's what I try to do every day. You can't play your best tennis every time but you should give everything you have on that day. I know I can play better tennis, but like I wrote earlier, I played already better than in USA and did many things well, so it wasn't a bad match at all. It's just that I HATE losing. But Davis Cup is a team sport and that helped me to get over my match faster. I wanted to go and support Henkka.

The most important thing for me in Davis Cup is that Finland wins! I was very confident in that Henkka would beat Kallias. Everything suited him: an opponent that can't hurt him and doesn't like fast courts. Henkka likes big matches and the surface was perfect for him. Henkka played really well and won 6-0, 7-5, 6-0 and we were back in the 1st division for the first time in 5 years. I haven't even realized that it has been so long since we were there last time. It's nice to be back there! If everyone stays healthy, Finland won't be an easy team to beat.

Salo was a great place to play a Davis Cup tie. The hall was very good in every way, people were nice and we stayed in a small, very cozy hotel. I was hoping for more crowd on Friday and Saturday but the atmosphere was good anyway. On Sunday there were more people in the hall and the atmosphere was obviously even better.

The surface was also a right choice for us. It was the best for Henkka and the worst for Kallias. For me and Marcos it didn't make that big of a difference, we were both favorites in our singles on Friday. For our match on Sunday it's really hard to say which surface would have been the best for me. I have beaten Baghdatis on slow and fast hard court, indoors and outdoors and I have lost against him on indoor hard and on clay... So you never really know.

I'm already in in Metz, I flew here early on Monday. I hit a little bit yesterday evening and then some more today. I will play against Grosjean tomorrow, he is coming back from a long injury break. Doubles will be in the evening against Llodra/Clement. I'll play with Rohan, he is also fit again. He was injured around the same time as I was. I hope I keep playing better and better, last week was definitely good for my game. Tomorrow will be a very exciting day because the draw for next years Davis Cup will be made.

Salo, Finland

It's Friday evening. Finland vs. Cyprus is 1-1 at the moment, I beat P.Kallias 62 61 60 and Henkka lost against Baghdatis 63 63 62. Henkka fought hard and didn't play bad at all. Baghdatis played very solid today and just kept passing Henkka with small margined shots. I'm very satisfied how I played after the first few games. I only lost one game after 2-2 in the first set, then I started to play solid and smart. Doubles will obviously be very important tomorrow. We will try to continue the good game we have every time played together with Henkka. We have also played well in the doubles practices during this week. I was planning to write a little bit every day to my blog, but now I.m only writing for the first time. It has been a very nice, busy, and relaxed week. A lot of practice, food and nice time off the court. We have had a great team spirit again. We have 8 persons in the team: myself, Henkka (Kontinen), Harri (Heliövaara), Laxi (Laaksonen), Micke (Kontinen), Keisari (Kim, the captain), Jami (Jarmo Ahonen, physio) and Keijo (Teemu Purho, the team manager). Same team that we had last time in Naantali except Micke is now in the group instead of Kobra (Timo Nieminen). We have had such a good time, singing Finnish songs in the car and playing life games (elämäpelit) etc. Juniors (Micke and Laxi) came up with an idea of coloring the hairs with Finnish colors, blue and white. We ended up coloring little bit of both colors, everyone has a unique style. The blue color should last for two weeks. I would do almost anything to raise the team spirit so it wasn't a hard decision to make. I'm wondering how dramatic ideas the juniors will come up with in the future years. Shillälailla!

Copenhagen, Denmark

I came back from New York yesterday. I didn't get any sleep on the flight so struggled to stay awake during the day but fought hard and didn't sleep until the evening. I'm satisfied with how my US Open went. In doubles Aisam and I lost on second round. It was great to play doubles with him, I really like his attitude. We decided before the first match that even if we wouldn't play well, we.d just stay positive and fight hard every single point. We ended up beating Golubev/Istomin 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. We saved two match points in the second set tie-break. We didn't play great but we stayed positive and fought hard and that always helps to get extra luck on your side. We played better in the second round against Nestor/Zimonic, even though we lost 7-6, 6-3. They just were stronger in the tight situations. I was really happy with the way I served in both doubles.

In the second round of singles I lost against Tsonga 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. He got one break in every set. I had only one break chance which I didn't use and Tsonga took all of the three he had. He was basically serving too well, his first serve percentage was really high. After a good serve it was easy for him to take control of the points. My returns were quite far from the normal, I could really feel the time off in returning. I have been practicing my returns but it's still different to hit them in a match.

I played as well as I could in all four matches considering that I had 4 months off. Even playing against some of the best players in the world (Tsonga ranked 7, Nestor/Zimonic ranked 2) I was up in the right tempo and didn't feel like an outsider on the court. Every day my game felt better but as I expected, it wasn't enough to beat top 10 players yet. I'm happy with how fast I was able to adjust my game to play against the top guys, the result could have been much worse.

Now I also know that I made the right decision to start playing as soon as possible and not wait 2 more months for protected ranking (you have to be out from the tournaments for 6 months and then you can use the ranking that you had on the day you got injured for 8 tournaments). I feel I.m ready to play, I have no pain in the wrist and I.ll still get in to about the same tournaments that I would with the protected ranking. Hopefully I play well, win many matches and get my ranking up fast again. I have done it two times before and now I have to do it again. I will have to play some smaller tournaments if needed. I can't change what happened, my injury was just bad luck. Now I'm looking forward, working hard and enjoying being healthy again. It's a nice feeling to play better every day.

It was also important for me to get fit for Davis Cup against Cyprus which is played in a week and a half. The winner qualifies to the first division. Kim (the captain) will announce the team in a few days. I practiced with two potential team mates Micke (Kontinen) and Laxi (H. Laaksonen) before leaving New York, they were playing juniors there. It's a positive situation for the captain that there are a few players to choose from. The training camp starts on next Sunday in Salo. I'm looking so much forward to a fun week and great battles!

New York, USA

Competing and winning is so nice, I won't ever get tired of the feeling it gives me! Yesterday I beat Fabio Fognini 7-5, 7-6, 6-4 in the first round of US Open. It was my first victory in four months so obviously it feels really good. I enjoyed playing, just being healthy and hungry to play. Last week in New Haven my game (backhand) wasn't ready for matches against the top guys, but at least I got a good preparation for the US Open and that was my goal with playing the tournament.

The first practise here in New York was the first time I felt that I could hit my backhand normal again. The problem wasn't the lack of strength in the arm, I was missing coordination and timing. All the practise on the court and the hard work I did off the court helped me to get used to the tempo and to find the timing to hit my backhand. I'm also satisfied with making so many right choises in the match yesterday as it's not an easy task after such a long break. I felt physically and mentally strong. And hopefully the more matches I get my game will just keep improving.

I found out that my partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi from Pakistan and I got in to doubles as Igor Andreev pulled out. That was great news! We were the first pair out from the original draw and obviously the first alternate pair to get in. We'll play against Golubev/Istomin on Thursday. The schedule is perfect because my match against Tsonga isn't until Friday. Today I'll take an easy day, I'll hit once with Aisam, do some pilates exercises, cycle, stretch and then I'll get a massage.

It will be nice to play with Aisam, I've known him since junior years. He is a great guy and I also think that there is a lot more potential in his game than his ranking has showed in singles and doubles. It's really impressive what he has accomplished in tennis considering that Pakistan isn't a traditional tennis country. These off days in Gran Slams are great. You practise a little bit, relax, eat well and watch the others playing matches. Even though it's exciting to watch matches in Gran Slams, I still try to get away from the tennis and just do things that don't take a lot of energy... Like visiting the local cd stores :)

New Haven, USA

I lost against Paul Capdeville 7-5 6-3. It was nice to be in a match situation for the first time in 4 months. I was leading 5-3 and had two setpoints in the first set but missed a few easy shots. Capdeville also realized that he should hit more to my backhand. My right arm/wrist is still too weak to hit normal backhands. I didn't move to that side as well as I should have as I'm also lacking the match tempo.

I wanted to play in New Haven because I don't have any pain in my wrist anymore and I could use this as a preparation for the US Open. My first tournament after the operation was originally going to be the US Open but because rehab went well I wanted to start competing here. Obviously my goal was to get as many matches as possible but having lost already my main goal is to get my arm strong enough to hit full backhands in high tempo. My match went quite like I expected. From my backhand I hit only one or two winners and missed a lot. Otherwise I felt ok on the court. I need to serve better and react faster in the returns but that will get better with some matchplay. The positive in the match was that my wrist didn't hurt and that I was hitting my forehand really well, that.s the shot that has improved the most (together with my backhand slice) during the break.

I can't wait to hit my backhand well again. Hopefully that day will come very soon. A few weeks ago I was supposed to start competing from the US Open. So being able to already play here is a bonus and I will take the advantage of it. I'll stay in New Haven for a few more days and practise well. I'm going to practise once a day with the top guys to get used to the high tempo again and then once a day with some local guys. With those guys I can practise my backhand more. My plan is to hit thousands of backhands during these days and I really hope that it will be strong enough for playing in the highest level, the US Open next week. Otherwise it'll be hard to win matches and compete against the best.

Now I just have to have patience and keep working on my wrist and my game. I had a long break once before (2004 when I fell down and breaking a bone in my wrist) and I came back to the top. I know what it takes and I believe I can come back again, even stronger. It might happen fast or it might take some time, but I don't worry about that. I just love being on the court. I will work hard on and off the court, physically and mentally. Hard work has always paid off and I believe it will again, sooner or later. At least working hard is all you can do and control... results will hopefully follow.

New Haven, USA

Back on tour! It's about 4 months from the surgery and I'm ready to compete again. I'm in New Haven getting ready for the tournament. I'm so happy and excited! I have had a great summer, different to the past ones but it has been great fun. Still it's a wonderful feeling to be on the road again, being able to compete against the best ones.

I have no pain in my wrist and although the muscles are still weaker than before, I'm able to hit normal backhands. In a few weeks time I should have full strength back in my arm. Otherwise physically and mentally I feel great. I try to play as much against the top players as possible during the next days. I have to get used to the match rhythm again.

Playing points in the practice is never the same as in a match situation but it helps me to prepare for the tournament. On the flight on the way here I sat next to Micke Kontinen. He is going to practice a few days in the Evert academy in Florida. We actually practiced together during the last 3 days in Finland. It would be great to see the Finnish juniors, Micke and Henri (Laaksonen) play in US Open in 2,5 weeks. Juniors play during the second week of the tournament. I'll fight hard to survive to that week. It hasn't been too often that I have had a chance to be in the same Grand Slam with a few countrymen.

I'm really looking forward to playing in New York. US Open is not my favorite Grand Slam but it's still great like all the Slams are. It has a special place in my career. I played my first Grand Slam in juniors and in men's in the US Open. I also won the boy's US Open '99 and achieved my fist Grand Slam quarterfinal there '05. And of course New York is definitely one of my favorite places to visit.

Hopefully I'll stay fit and play well the rest of the season. At least I have the advantage of being "well rested". Every year after US Open I feel that many of the players are getting physically and mentally tired of the long season, travelling and playing many months in a row. That's the time to stay strong. That really can help to win some extra matches in the end of the season. I just feel this is the new beginning of the year.

I practiced twice with Frederik Nielsen yesterday. We have practiced together many times in Copenhagen. He is a good guy to practice with and also a very nice guy to hang around with. I hit clean shots and for being the first practice I think yesterday was good. I usually have no problems adjusting to different time zones and it's even easier when I travel towards the west so the only thing that takes a few days to adjust to, is the humidity here. During the first couple of days I often "hit the wall", but then suddenly my body gets used to it and then I can run for hours on the court.

It has been nice to see some of the players here. Many of them are good friends of mine on the tour. One of them is Marcos Baghdatis, he is a great guy, always happy. Yesterday we talked about the upcoming Davis Cup tie (Finland vs. Cyprus) in the city of Salo. We are both looking forward to that. Now I'm really looking forward to lunch, I'm starving. I'm eating lunch with Frederik and then I'll practice two times, first with Tipsarevic and then with Blake.

Copenhagen, Denmark

I have been hitting 2-handed backhands for 11 days now and it feels good. The doctor said that after the next 10 days i should be able to hit 100% backhand. I'm still hitting it slowly and carefully,but every day i have been able to hit a little bit heavier backhands. If the wrist's rehab continues as well as until now,i should be able to start competing in New Haven,the week before US Open. I just have to be patient. I have been practising in Copenhagen this week,tomorrow i'll go back to Finland where i'll probably stay until i leave for the tournaments. I'm really looking forward to playing tournaments again.i have practised well on the court and worked a lot physically and mentally. Now my wrist just has to get used to the backhand again. I was in a Metallica concert,actually in two,on monday and tuesday,here in Copenhagen. The concerts were both very good! Now i have seen them three times during this summer...i wish that would be possible every year(without getting injured!),that would be nice! Being able to spend more time at home and summer cottage and going to many concerts,i really feel i'm ready to rock on the tennis court!

Copenhagen, Denmark

It's two days since Davis Cup and my voice is still gone. We had three exiting days and I was cheering(screaming) like crazy all the time. For me it's harder to watch matches than play myself. I'm nervous when watching the quys play, I hope so much that they win. It's easier to play because I can control things, but off the court watching others play, you can't do anything. We (the finnish team) had a great week and even though I couldn't play myself, I think this Davis Cup week was one of the best ever. We had such a good team spirit and the people (many people that I know, from my club, TVS-tennis) who organised the tie in Naantali, had done an amazing job. I knew that it will be a great place to have Davis Cup in but it ended up being even better. Hopefully in the future we can have some more Davis Cup matches there. The only negative thing during the week was that Monaco's best player, Jean-Rene Lisnard had to go to the hospital on Thursday night, he was seriously ill. I really hope that he is doing better! I know that he had to stay in the hospital atleast over the weekend. Laxi (Henri Laaksonen) also got sick on Thursday, the day before he was supposed to play his Davis Cup debut. He ended up getting better quite fast and then he played great on Sunday, winning the first match of the day in five sets. That's a nice way to start a DC-career. The first two singles matches were five sets. Timo lost the first match on friday, which was a pity, it was a good match and Timo (Kobra) was fighting well. He really deserved to win the match. Henkka (Kontinen) did a great comeback in the second match, being two sets to love down he ended up winning in five. In doubles Henkka and Harri lost in straight sets. They were fighting well, but they just didn't have their best day. I actually thought that they were the favourite to win, because in my opinion Henkka and Harri can play really great doubles together. On Sunday after Laaksonen's win the score was 2-2. Then Henkka did what he is capable of doing, he played his best when it counted the most. He won 3-0 and Finland won 3-2... JAPA JAPA!! Even though after Saturday the score was 1-2, I had a strong feeling that we would win the tie in the end. I had that feeling already before the weekend. I guess that comes from an amazing team spirit. The players, captain, physio, team manager and crowd did a great job. We practised well the whole week and we also had a lot of fun. I like being part of any team and winning with a great group of people makes everything even better. In about two months, right after the US Open Finland plays against Cyprus at home. Now I have extra motivation to get my wrist fit as soon as possible. If we beat Cyprus, we'll qualify to the first division. I think if everybody is fit and play well, we belong there. I have reached many of my dreams in tennis already but obviously I want to reach much more and one of them is to play in Davis Cup in the world group. I think that might be possible in the near future.

Copenhagen, Denmark

It has been two weeks without the cast now. I have done rehab everyday and yesterday was the first day I was allowed to hit two-handed backhands with a soft ball. So after my tennis practise I played minitennis with my wife. Obviously I was careful and was swinging very slowly and didn't feel any pain at all. We were supposed to hit just a little bit but we had a lot of fun and ended up hitting for 2 hours... I have missed my backhand! That has always been my most natural shot.

I have often heared the question "why don't you learn to serve like Roddick"? It would be the same to ask him why he doesn't hit his backhand like I do. It's not that simple. It's not only a question of will or practising the stroke. Some strokes are always more natural, even for the best ones. Backhand, over all ground strokes, have always been the most natural for me. After a longer break from playing I can always hit ground strokes, also volleys quite well, but it takes a few days to start serving well. The quality of my serve varies more than my other strokes, that's why I also have to practise that more than the other strokes.

When I was a junior, my backhand was my biggest weapon by far. Then my forehand improved a lot and nowadays I often make more points with my forehand than backhand. Even though I have had many of my best seasons after 2005, I would say that I have used my backhand less as a weapon. I got better results but I didn't play as aggressive backhands than I used to. Just before my injury I started to pay more attention to it and worked hard for it. For example my match against Canas in Tunis (the day before the wrist injury) I was really using my backhand well, great variation and power. That's where I continue when I get healthy. By the way, my backhand slice has improved a lot during this injury time. Hopefully it pays off in the long run.

Next week I'll be practising in Naantali in the Davis Cup camp. Finland will play against Monaco there 10.-12.7. I'll be the "fifth man" in our team. The official team is Timo Nieminen, Henri Kontinen, Harri Heliövaara and Henri Laaksonen. It's a talented and young team. It will be the first Davis Cup tie where I'm not playing since 1999. I would have wanted to play so bad in Naantali, it would have been special to me. It's very close to where I'm from, I have been there so many times and above all, my club (TVS-Tennis) is in charge of organisation.

The fact is it would be too risky to play an official match now. It's easy to remember in practise that I can't hit two-handed backhands but when in match situation, it would be so easy to forget and accidentaly return with two-hands... and even one that kind of a return would be too much at the moment. It's also hard to say how well I could really play with one hand in the match. I totally believe that Finland has chances to win. Hopefully a lot of people come to watch, Naantali is a great place in the summer and with a big crowd, there can be an unbelievable athmosphere. I'll be practising with and supporting the team during the whole week, I hope I can help with making the atmosphere as good as possible. I write more during next week's camp.

Copenhagen, Denmark

I just finished doing today's rehab for my wrist, then I run back from the gym. I always listen to music when I'm practising alone in the gym or running, music makes it so much nicer. I listen to CMX now, it's one of my favorite groups. I saw them live for the second time last Wednesday in Kaisaniemi's Park in Helsinki with my friend. They played after Waltari, before Faith No More. They all played well and I like all those bands, but my highlight was to see CMX. Faith No More's concert after that was actually much better than I expected. Patton, their singer is an unbelievable singer and entertainer. Earlier on Wednesday I visited Ville Peltonen's ice-hockey camp in Kisakallio's sportcenter. The athmosphere in the camp was great, it was nice to visit there. During the week I did three radio show visits, one tv- and two newspaper interviews. Now I'm practising more again so I don't have so much time for other things. Next I need to cut my hair... it's been a (long) while and my head looks like a bird's nest at the moment.

Copenhagen, Denmark

I'm watching Federer's match in Wimbledon. I hope he wins the title, then he would break Sampras' Gran Slam record and also officially become "the best player of all time". For me he has been that already for a long time. It's funny how many people and the media thought that Federer's time on the top was over. Then he wins the French Open and now the same people and media think he is a huge favorite to win Wimbledon and US open... which he is. I never thought that Federer couldn't still win many Gran Slams and be number one again. Fitness is there, strokes are there and now he again has the confidence to win Slams. The difference is so small among the best in tennis and often the mental side makes the difference. One good example was Söderling in Paris. Of all the players on the tour I'm maybe the one who has practised most with Robin and I have also played doubles with him so I know him quite well as a player. Very good guy to practise with, hard worker. (He is the quy who often beats me in practise... otherwise I'm usually strong in playing points in practise. Obviously I would prefer to beat many of those guys every time in the matches too.) Söderling has, for a long time had the game to be top 10 in the world. He has had a few injuries which have made it more difficult to get to the highest top but I think he has now (atleast in the French Open) found something that brings out his good game more often also in matches. He was using his great strokes clever in Paris, he also stayed very calm, relaxed and concentrated all the time. I think he now believes in himself in a positive way, not creating extra pressure from his own expectations. I think he'll continue making big results if he stays healthy. Being injured really makes you respect the times when you are healthy. I have been quite lucky for many years. I do try to take care of my body all the time. Now when I know that it will still be many weeks before I can play an official match, I have a very different feeling on the court. Usually you have to be mentally and physically sharp ten months a year. There is almost always a tournament coming up next week. That's why many times in practise the upcoming tournament is in the back of your mind. Now when there are no tournaments coming up soon I feel very relaxed in practise. For example if I'm not playing well in practise for a while, I don't have to worry about finding clean shots again because the tournament doesn't start in 2 days. It is actually very demanding to stay mentally and physically sharp for over 10 months a year. I really realise it now when I have a long break from tournaments.

Helsinki, Finland

6 weeks from the surgery. I have been one week without the cast now. Wrist feels weak and stiff but all the time better. I'm doing rehab for it everyday, exercises to get it stronger and streching. Time has gone fast, I have practised, more fitness than tennis, but I have also done many other things. It has been so nice to have time to be at home during the summer time. I have spent more time in the summer cottage than in last 15 years. I have also had time to play other sports like badminton, table tennis, soccer and paddle tennis. I have also been in Metallica's and AC/DC's concerts, they were great! Then the bookstore visits after my book came out have been nice, something different. It's has been interesting to get close to people and talk with them during those visits, everyone have been very positive and nice. And the best thing not travelling to the tournaments is that I have been able to spend time with my wife, family and friends. So far I have felt good and enjoyed every day of the "injury time". GranD Slams are the only tournaments I have followed and during those tournaments I really miss playing and I wish I could be there. Otherwise the time has flown.

Helsinki, Finland

Finnish summer is great (when the weather is good:)!! We had 28 celcius yesterday and 25 the day before. I'm not used to being at home this time of the year so those kind of days feel especially nice. I got the big cast and the stitches off today and a smaller cast on. Now I can start to sweat again! My arm looked so small and weak when they changed the cast. It will be a lot of work to get the wrist strong and flexible again when I get the cast off in 2 weeks. I start hitting the ball tomorrow, that will be nice. It just feels good to stand on the court after one month. Almost all the best Finnish guys are practising with Kim Tiilikainen (Davis Cup captain) this week in Helsinki, I'm going to join the training camp tomorrow. At least without stitches and with the smaller cast I feel one little step closer to the day when I start hitting normal backhand again. This evening I will enjoy Heaven and Hell's concert in Helsinki.

Helsinki, Finland

It has been a while since I last wrote to my blog. I have been enjoying the time at home and practising as much as I can at the moment. I get the big cast and stitches off next Tuesday and then I will get a smaller cast on for another two weeks. I am not allowed to sweat a lot until I get the stitches off. I have been doing leg, stomach, back and some rubberband exercises for my shoulders, so they don't fall apart when I start hitting the ball again. That day will be in one week. Hopefully I can start hitting my backhand in about two and a half months from now on. When I am not able to compete, I usually don't watch a lot of tennis or follow the results, because normally I do it ten months a year. But Grand Slams I still watch, that's always exciting. Actually I am watching French Open right now, Tipsarevic vs. Lopez. It would be great to play there but it has also been very nice to be at home. I have been in Finland and Denmark (Anu is practising badminton in Copenhagen). It's nice to do things that I usually don't have much time to do during the summer, like going to our summer place. I have bought some tickets to upcoming rock conserts in Finland. I'm really looking forward to going to those!

Helsinki, Finland

The surgery today went really well. I will now, for the following 3 weeks, have an angle-cast all the way up to my bicep. During this time I have to keep the hand completely still. After 3 weeks I will get a smaller cast for an additional 2 weeks and can start hitting the ball again. After a total of 5 weeks I will be off all casts and will start rehabilitation of the wrist. In spite of not being able to hit a two handed backhand in the next 3 months, I will instead be able to practice areas of my game which usually get less attention, such as the slice backhand and the inside out forehand. I will also begin practicing a one handed backhand - time will tell how well I succeed with this.

This coming Wednesday, May 13th, a book about my career will be published. The name of the book is "Pelaamisen Lumo", which freely translated means the "Fascination of Competing". Due to my injury I will now have better time to participate in the promotion of this book. I will be participating in several promotional happenings during the coming week.

Helsinki, Finland

Tänään tehty leikkaus ranteeseeni onnistui todella hyvin. Nyt minulla on kolmen viikon ajan hauikseen asti ulottuva kulmakipsi, tänä aikana kättä täytyy pitää täysin levossa. Kulmakipsin jälkeen saan pienemmän kipsin ja voin jo ruveta lyömään palloa. Tätä pientä kipsiä pidän kaksi viikkoa ja sen poistamisen jälkeen alkaa ranteen kuntoutus. Kahden käden rystyä en saa lyödä 3 kuukauteen mutta toisaalta minulla on tilaisuus kehittää osa-alueita joita en normaalisti niin paljoa harjoittele kuten alakierteinen rysty ja kiertokämmen. Aion myös aloittaa yhden käden yläkierteisen rystyn harjoittelemisen - aika näyttää kuinka hyvä siitä tulee.

Keskiviikkona julkaistaan tennisurastani kertova kirja "Pelaamisen lumo". Nyt minulla on aikaa osallistua kirjan julkistamiseen ja aionkin kiertää seuraavan viikon aikana useassa promootiotilaisuudessa.

Helsinki, Finland

There has now been further examinations on my wrist. The specialists have now come to the conclusion that I will need surgery on my wrist. I will go into surgery on Monday. I will need to have the arm in a cast for 5 weeks and I will not be able to hit a two handed backhand until 3 months after surgery. Of course, that depends on how well the rehabilitation will go. I am obviously extremely disappointed. This injury could not have been prevented in any way so it was a question of really bad luck. Right now I am able to appreciate the many years I went without serious injuries. I am most upset about the timing of this injury. This is the peak of the season. All the big tournaments are around the corner and I was also starting to play really well again in Tunisia after a weak spring season. I found in Tunisia what I was looking for, which was wins, confidence and the red thread of the game. I was looking forward to the big tournaments, maybe now more than ever. Now, in the worst case scenario, I will miss all the Grand Slams. There is, however, no way to personally decide or choose the timing of these incidents. I will return hungry and motivated and well trained. You need to see the bright side in situations like this. Now I am able to enjoy more than usually the company of my family and friends, the Finnish summer and rock-concerts.

Helsinki, Finland

Rannetta on nyt tutkittu lisää ja asiantuntijat ovat tulleet siihen tulokseen, että ranne kannattaa tähystysleikata mahdollisimman pian. Leikkaus on maanantaina. Ranteessa on jännetupin tukisiteen repeämä. Käteen tulee kipsi n.5 viikoksi ja kahdenkäden rystyä en voi lyödä n.3 kuukauteen. Kaikki riippuu tietysti miten kuntoutus sujuu. Pettymys on tietysti suuri. Vammaa ei voinut ennaltaehkäistä mitenkään, joten kyseessä oli vain puhdas huono tuuri.

Juuri nyt osaan arvostaa monia aikaisempia, lähes kokonaan terveitä vuosia vielä enemmän. Kokonaisuudessaan olen selvinnyt loukkaantumisista aika vähällä. Eniten mua harmittaa vamman ajoitus. Edessä olisi vuoden vilkkain kilpailujakso. Paljon isoja kisoja ja kaiken lisäksi mun peli alkoi heikon kevään jälkeen kulkea Tunisiassa tosi hyvin. Löysin Tunisiasta sitä mitä lähdin sieltä hakemaankin(ennen kun ranne hajosi), voittoja, itseluottamusta ja punaisen langan peliin. Odotin tulevia suuria kisoja ehkä enemmän kun koskaan. Nyt pahimmassa tapauksessa jää tämän vuoden kaikki Gran Slamit väliin... kun lisäksi loukkaannuin Melbournessakin. Mutta eihän näitä ajoituksia voi itse päättää. Takaisin aion tulla nälkäisenä ja hyvin treenanneena. Asioista kannattaa aina ottaa positiiviset puolet: nyt pystyn ainakin nauttimaan läheisten ja kavereiden seurasta, Suomen kesästä ja rock-konserteista enemmän kuin yleensä.

Helsinki, Finland

Ranteen magneettikuvissa ei näkynyt pahaa repeämää. Luultavasti kyseessä on vain nivelsiteen venähdys, jolloin selvitään ilman leikkausta. Nyt on vuorossa 2-3 viikon kuntoutus, jonka jälkeen voin toivottavasti lyödä rystyäkin - kaikkia muita lyöntejä pystyn jo nyt lyömään normaalisti. Jos ranteessa on vielä silloinkin kipua, niin ranteeseen tehdään tähystysleikkaus. Tämän viikon Münchenin turnaus ja kahden viikon päästä pelattava Kitzbühel jäävät väliin, ensi viikko olisi joka tapauksessa ollut väliviikko. Ranskan Avoimista en ole vielä vetäytynyt.

Tunis, Tunisia

Bad news!! Score was 2-4 for Gaudio when I attacked with my backhand and felt a snap in the right wrist. After that I tried to hit backhands but I couldn't anymore, the pain was huge. I asked the tournament physio to the court, he taped my wrist and I tried to continue. Taping didn't help at all, I hit only slice from my backhand for two games and then retired. I don't know what is wrong with my wrist yet, but obvioysly I broke something in there. It's impossible to tell what happened without diagnosis but what doctors/physios have guessed without seeing a MRI-scan, it can be quite serious injury. It's hard to believe that I broke something in the wrist by hitting a normal backhand... which I have done a million times before. I broke a bone in my right wrist 2004 when I fell down on the court, otherwise I haven't had any problems with my wrist, not even little pain, never ever. I don't want to guess about the future before I have got the diagnosis, but now the wrist feels BAD. All the flights from here to Münich (where I'm supposed to play next) are full so I fly there early monday. I have to go there on site and pull out from the tournament. Then I fly to Finland as soon as possible. I don't feel great now. I was just so happy to win a few matches in a row and play well again, hungry to play bigger tournaments during upcoming weeks and then this happens, I get injured by hitting a normal backhand!? I'm confused. I have always said that even if you are playing well, you still need luck.

Tunis, Tunisia

I beat Canas 6-2 6-4. I played very well today. This was one of my best clay court matches. And one of the best matches this year. I have said the whole spring that I just need a few wins and matches (like everybody does) to get the match routine and then I can make big results again. At least today I felt that after winning two tight matches (it's a long time since I won two matches in a row), I have got the confidence and that's one big reason why I played a great match today. Canas doesn't give you one free point. I stayed aggressive and mixed up my game a lot. After the first set it started to rain and we had about 30min break. Canas came back strong after the rain delay and broke me immediately, but I broke him back and took control of the match again. Tomorrow I'll play against Gaston Gaudio in the semifinal, he also played very well today... I expect it to be a difficult match. Gaudio is making a comeback and he seems motivated. Now I'm watching my friends, Rojer/Brunström playing doubles, then it's time to relax.

Tunis, Tunisia

I beat Dabul 4-6 6-2 6-3. I started very slowly,i moved bad and I let him play his game. It was 5-1 for him in the first set when I started moving better,play smart and more aggressive. It was too late to win the first set but because I started to control the points, I won the second quite easy 6-2. Dabul was leading 3-1 in the third. We a had very long game that I won and after that i had the momentum until the end. I'm happy that I could win this match and play smarter after the bad beginning. Tomorrow I'll play quarterfinals against Guillermo Canas or Dennis Gremelmayer, they are playing the third set at the moment. One of my goals for tomorrow is to start different than today, otherwise I try to play as smart as in the last two sets today. Anu and I didn't know too much about this country but after having many conversations with the tournament drivers,we know much more. It would be intresting to walk around the city as well,but until i'm playing matches it's difficult to go for sightseeing. Today I'll do fitness training in the gym. Then I'll book the hotel for French Open. Otherwise I just relax,read a book, listen to some music, eat well and watch C.S.I with Anu.

Tunis, Tunisia

Salut! I won my first round match in Tunis Open against Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(4). He played very solid and I played very up and down. It is important to win these kind of matches. This week my goal is to get a lot of matches so it was very important to pull this off in the end. I'll play next match on Thursday against Brian Dabul. Anu (my wife) is also here. She had a wrist surgery 3 weeks ago and can't play any badminton yet. It's nice that we can travel together for a few weeks. It's our first time in Tunisia and so far it has been nice here. We are especially enjoying the company of two good friends, Jean-Julien Rojer and Johan Brunström. I have known them since junior years. We have had some nice talks and jokes at the dinner table... but I can't share jokes in the blog.

Barcelona

I have only been resting after my match and now I feel much better. I still feel tired, but I haven't had fever and sore throat anymore. It looks that I can play next week in Tunis if my feeling still improves like it has in the last 2 days. I just want to be healthy! This week will be Jocke's (Nyström) and my last week working together. We started working here in Barcelona last year and from now on I'll continue without him as a coach and he still continues coaching Melzer. We'll stay good friends with Jocke, he is a great guy, we get along well and I also really liked working with him. It just feels better not to continue the player-coach-relationship with him. At this moment I don't feel like working with a full time tennis coach. Maybe we'll work in the future again, you never know. At least we'll keep on having a great time on and off the tour!

Barcelona

I lost 62 61. I didn't have fever in the morning and not later either so there was no major risk damaging my health by playing the match. I had checked that with the doctors. I have some kind of virus, most likely Entero virus. Afterwards, it would have been more clever not to play the match. I'm just so bad in giving up when I feel that I'm able to fight without risking my health. I just wasn't able to put too many balls in the court! Now I just take it easy, rest, and hope that I could play next week in Tunis. If I feel similar to today, I won't play, it doesn't make sense anymore. So not a good day "in the office", but now I try to look forward and stay positive.

Barcelona

Main draw started today, but my match against Feliciano Lopez is tomorrow. We have played against each other quite many times, I have a good record against him. Last time I beat him in Sydney 62 76 but you never know with Feli, he can play very well when he serves good and then he doesn't miss a lot. I have felt good here, these courts are one of my favorite clay courts. I have played some of my best clay court matches here, for example when I in 2006 lost against Nadal in the quarter finals, I was leading 63 41... close but not enough. I had two good practise sessions today, but then after the second practise I started to feel weak and tested my temperature and I had fever... not good! I try to eat well and rest as much as I can and then I hope I feel healthy tomorrow.

Barcelona

Greetings from Barcelona! I came here late yesterday. I stayed and practised in Monte Carlo for a few days, I also hoped that I could have got a spot in the main draw but I didn't have luck with that. Many times at least one player pulls out from the main draw, but now it didn't happen... that's good for tennis but it wasn't good for me. Today I took a day off from tennis. I went to the gym, I lift some weights and ran for 45min. Earlier I went to a music store and bought 9 cd's. They were on sale and I found many good ones. I bought Soundgarden's, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More's older music. I love going to cd-stores! That's my hobby. It's great feeling to listen to good music and to have the cd covers in my hands. Now I'm also reading a music book... Anthony Kiedis's biography: Scar tissue. I'm only half way through, It's an interesting book about someone who has had a very different life. That's a first book I'm reading in Swedish. Until now I have understood pretty much everything, not every single word but always the meaning of the sentence. Tomorrow I'll have a normal practise day again, two times tennis and one fitness practise. It's a good way to take a day off from cd-stores, otherwise I can't carry my Wilson-bags to the next tournament anymore!

Monte Carlo

I lost today against Cipolla 6-4 6-3, I started well but after that my game was just ok and not enough to beat him. He played all breakpoints much better than me and overall very well. Frustrating to lose. Now I just have to hope that I get place from the main draw, because I'm first "lucky loser". All the players here seem to be fit to play so it doesn't look good for me...but you never know, anything can happen, somebody might get sick or injured, etc. I don't ever hope for anything bad for anyone, I'm just very hungry for more matches. So I'll stay and practise here and see if somebody pulls out from the tournament. Now I'll listen to some heavy music from my ipod and go to the gym...that always makes me feel better after losing matches.

Monte Carlo

I beat Stahovsky 6-4, 6-3 today. I'm satisfied with my performance, I did what I planned to do on the court. I played a very solid first clay court match. Tomorrow I'll play last round of qualies against Cipolla from Italy. He is getting a lot of balls back, moving very well and hitting many surprising shots like drop shots etc. I have to put my "running shoes" on tomorrow. My game plan is to stay aggressive and use my heavy top spin forehand a lot, that worked well today. The main draw came out today, there was one surprise, Federer entered to the tournament with wild card. It will be interesting to see how he can challenge Nadal this year on clay.

Monte Carlo

I had a good practice today, I hit with Beck and Söderling. I'm practicing quite often with Söderling during the weeks on tour. We usually have very good quality practices. I almost got to the main draw because Gasquet pulled out from the tournament so I was finally first out from the main draw. Qualification starts tomorrow. It's 9.45 in the evening now and I just found out who I play tomorrow. I will play against Stahovsky. The match is second after 11.00. I know him quite well. I played him once before four years ago, but I have seen him play many times. Nice guy off the court as well. He plays aggressive game so I try to keep him on the baseline and control the game from there. Now I finish my stretching, watch C.S.I and then start to sleep.

Monte Carlo

I'm in Monte Carlo now, preparing for the tournament here. Clay court game feels good, better and better every day. I came here yesterday morning, before that I practiced on indoor clay in Helsinki for about one week. I'm still 2 out from the main draw here and if it stays like that, I'll start playing in qualification on Saturday. I'm really looking forward for the clay court season!

San Jose

Peli ailahteli liian paljon, välillä pelasin loistavasti ja välillä pelistä katosi oikea sävel. Serra syötti aina tappioasemassa parhaat syöttönsä. Serran syötöissä oli paljon murtopalloja ja johtoasemia, joita en kuitenkaan pystynyt käyttämään. Usein en niissä tilanteissa saanut edes palautusta takaisin kun Serra paukutteli linjoille.

Voitin ottelussa enemmän pisteitä, mutta Serra vei ne tärkeät pisteet. Harmittaa tiukka tappio, varsinkin kun tuntui, että pelillisesti olisin voinut viedä kaikki erät. Lisäottelut olisi tehneet pelille hyvää, täytyy nyt pelata pelata paljon pisteistä treeneissä. Positiivista oli se, että Melbournessa tullut vamma ainakin kestää nyt otteluita, se ei vaivannut ollenkaan.

Sydney

Finaalin ensimmäisessä erässä liikkuminen oli huonompaa kuin muissa otteluissani. Nalbandian syötti erittäin hyvin läpi ottelun, ja piti peruslyönnit painavina sekä temmon kovana. En saanut ohjaksia käsiini ja Nalbandian pääsi ohjaamaan peliä.

Puolentoista erän jälkeen (toinen erä tilanteessa 3-5) jalat alkoivat liikkua paremmin ja sisulla tiukka tie-break kotiin. Kolmannen erän alussa oli murtopalloja, mutta kääntyivät harmillisesti tappioksi. En päässyt missään vaiheessa johtoon vaikka kovasti taistelin. Aloitteiden tekeminen Nalbandiania vastaan on todella vaikeaa.

Turnaus oli erittäin kovatasoinen ja silti pääsin taistelemaan voitosta maailman kärkipelaajien kanssa - oli pienestä kiinni. Valmentaja Nyström sanoi ottelun jälkeen, että tuolla pelillä olisi kaatunut kaikki muut paitsi maailman Top 5, johon Nalbandian kuuluu. Tsonga pelin jälkeen hän kommentoi, että tuollaisella pelillä 2-3 kuukautta niin olet takaisin Top 20.

Tämän vuoden kaikki pelit ovat olleet hyviä. Olo on nyt erittäin hyvä ja tuntuu siltä, että pystyn pitämään tätä tasoa yllä ja kilpailemaan tosissaan Top 10 kanssa. Nyt tuntuu hyvältä lähteä Melbourneen vaikka arpaonni olisi voinut olla parempikin, kaaviossa on sata helpompaa vastustajaa. Sunnuntaina kevyet treenit ja sitten maanantaina taistelu jatkuu.