Bonjour Andy!

After recovering from the flu, Andy hopped a flight to Lyon, France, where he will play this week in the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon. He is currently fine-tuning his game and warming up his shoes on the Taraflex carpet surface with coach Dean Goldfine.

Andy received the #1 seed, with two Argentinians seeded second and third; Mariano Puerta and Gaston Gaudio. The 2001 Champion Ivan Llubicic is seeded #4. In Andy’s half of the draw are friends and fellow American’s James Blake and Robby Ginepri (8). Andy’s first round match is against Wild Card Frenchman Thierry Acione. Andy will be looking to capture the 300th career win that escaped him last week.

The Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon was founded 19 years ago by Gilles Moretton. Andy and Moretton share a similar outlook on the sport. As Andy takes each tournament one match at a time, Moretton takes this tournament one year at a time. “Each year is a challenge, and once you achieve that challenge, you think about the next, and the next…”Moretton noted on the tournament’s success.

Andy will be playing for 45 ATP race points and for nearly $115,000 before he skips over to Paris. To follow Andy in Lyon with live scoring, go to www.gptennislyon.com. Stay tuned to AR.com for the Order of Play and Andy’s action in Lyon.

Go Andy!