Hi all! Just a little more tennis miscellany to keep us going.

Who says the Asian leg of the tour is a jet-lagged drag? Rafael Nadal has already touched down in Bangkok, almost a full week before the main draw of the PTT Thailand Open starts, and long-injured Juan Martin Del Potro can’t wait to make his tour comeback at the tournament.

His message via Twitter (and google translate):

“I’m happy to be able to tell you: I’m going to play again! The tournament will be in Bangkok next Monday. Thank you very much for everything!”

Kind of like futbol announcers, it’s better in Spanish:

Joining Nadal and del Potro in Bangkok is late entrant Fernando Verdasco.

If the Spanish (and Argentine) players are happy to be Thailand, Thailand is even happier to have them. The local media are keeping close tabs on Rafa during his stay. I caught this story at NadalNews.com (via TheNation):

A day after landing in Thailand for the first time, the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion motored two kilometres out to sea on a fishing trip with eight buddies in Hua Hin yesterday morning.

The tennis celebrity reportedly had a good time with rod and reel but returned to shore in the afternoon with the smallest catch.

Back on dry land, Nadal paid a visit to the tennis court to prepare for his debut in the PTT Thailand Open next week. The Spaniard is likely to play a round of golf this morning then stop by a vineyard in the afternoon.

Moving on. . .The 2011 Davis Cup draw ceremony took place in Brussels on Wednesday. Here’s the outcome.

WORLD GROUP

First Round

Serbia (s) (c) v India
Russia (s) v Sweden (c)
Czech Republic (s) (c) (*) v Kazakhstan
Argentina (s) (c) v Romania
___________________________________

Chile (c) v USA (s)
Belgium (c) v Spain (s)
Germany v Croatia (s) (c)
Austria (c) v France (s)

(s) = seeded nation
(c) = choice of ground
(*) = choice of ground decided by lot

I’m already looking forward to a USA vs. Spain quarterfinal on my home soil. Whoo eee!

Click here for more on the draw, including the Zonal ties.

Alright, so everyone’s wondering “Where’s Roger?” Well, I’m not sure, actually. But here he is in New York City with Mirka fairly recently. Thanks to SAH for the link (via laineygossip.com via Photos from Ahmad Elatab-SaleemElatab/Splashnewsonline.com)

I love these two, but what is it with the Federers and cardigans? There are other outerwear options, guys! (Okay, I’m really just talking to Mirka, here.)

Finally, this week marks the 40th anniversary of the Virginia Slims Houston Invitational, a tournament rife with rebels, tennis dresses and hipster pixie cuts.

Photo via the WTA website. Click here for the story, and more on the Original Nine.

Oh, and just in case you come here first – be sure to check out this week’s SI Mailbag. Love the opening plea for Fedophile/Rafaelite harmony. Amen!