Busseto
—  Comune  —
Comune di Busseto
The Rocca Pallavicino in Busseto
Busseto Location of Busseto in Italy
Coordinates: 44°59′N 10°03′E / 44.983°N 10.05°E / 44.983; 10.05Coordinates: 44°59′N 10°03′E / 44.983°N 10.05°E / 44.983; 10.05
Country	Italy
Region	Emilia-Romagna
Province	Parma (PR)
Frazioni	Contrada della Chiesa, Frescarolo, Madonna Prati, Le Roncole, Samboseto, San Rocco, Sant'Andrea, Semoriva, Spigarolo
Government
• Mayor	Luca Laurini
Area
• Total	76 km2 (29 sq mi)
Population (December 31, 2004)
• Total	6,890
• Density	91/km2 (230/sq mi)
Demonym	Bussetani
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	43011
Dialing code	0524
Website	Official website

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Italian Wikipedia. (April 2009) Don't speak Italian? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the Italian article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|it|Busseto}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Busseto (Büsé in Emilian) is a comune in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy. It was the capital of Stato Pallavicino. Opera composer Giuseppe Verdi was born in the nearby village of Le Roncole and he moved there in 1824. Giovannino Guareschi also lived in Le Roncole and his Mondo Piccolo was set there.

Main sites[link]

Statue of Giuseppe Verdi

In the town and the local area many sites associated with the life of Verdi can be visited. These include:

Le Roncole[link]

The nearby village of Le Roncole was Verdi's birthplace.

Casa Barezzi[link]

Close by the main square is the home of Antonio Barezzi, the man who supported his early endeavours. He became both Verdi's patron and his father-in-law. In the upstairs lounge, the young Verdi gave his first public performance in 1830 and continued to frequent the house until the death of his benefactor.

The first portrait of Verdi and an oil depicting Barezzi Antonio is on display in the house. Verdi's letters are also on display. The Casa Barezzi is the headquarters of the Friends of Verdi; the organization oversaw the restoration of the building in 1979 and 1998. Since 2001, there has been a permanent exhibition of objects and documents related to Verdi and his relationship to the Barezzi family.

Churches of Santa Maria degli Angeli and San Michele Arcangelo[link]

Both churches are nearby. These are where Verdi played the organ.

Palazzo Orlandi[link]

This is the house which Verdi bought in 1845. He lived there with Giuseppina Strepponi, not yet his wife, from 1849 to 1851. Verdi composed Luisa Miller, Stiffelio and Rigoletto while living there.

Teatro Giuseppe Verdi[link]

Teatro Verdi interior

The Teatro Giuseppe Verdi is a small 300-seat theatre built by the municipality with Verdi's support, but not with his approval. However, he did donate money for its completion.

Villa Verdi[link]

In the nearby village of Sant'Agata, in the province of Piacenza, is the Villa Verdi, the house which he commissioned in 1848 while living in Busseto and where his parents lived until 1851, after which it became Verdi's home for the rest of his life. However, he lived there less frequently after the death of his wife, Giuseppina, in 1897.

Sister cities[link]

• Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

References[link]

• Associazione Amici di Verdi (ed.), Con Verdi nella sua terra, Busseto, 1997, (in English)
• Associazione Amici di Verdi, Con Verdi in Casa Barezzi, Busseto, date unknown, (In English, French, and German)
• Mordacci, Alessandra, An Itinerary of the History and Art in the Places of Verdi, Busseto: Busseto Tourist Office, 2001 (in English)

External links[link]

• Busseto Tourist Office website
• Verdi site with photos of Busseto locations, in English
• Amici di Verdi website
• international-giuseppe-verdi-foundation website (in German, Italian, English, French, and Dutch)

Juan Martín del Potro

Country	Argentina
Residence	Tandil, Argentina
Born	(1988-09-23) 23 September 1988 (age 23) Tandil, Argentina
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	97 kg (210 lb)
Turned pro	2005
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	$8,914,531
Singles
Career record	223–98 (69.47%)
Career titles	11
Highest ranking	No. 4 (January 11, 2010)
Current ranking	No. 9 (May 14, 2012)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	QF (2009, 2012)
French Open	SF (2009)
Wimbledon	4R (2011)
US Open	W (2009)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	F (2009)
Doubles
Career record	28–24
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 105 (May 25, 2009)
Current ranking	No. 185 (November 21, 2011)
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open	1R (2006, 2007)
Wimbledon	1R (2007, 2008)
Last updated on: February 27, 2011.

Juan Martín del Potro (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan marˈtin del ˈpotɾo]) (born 23 September 1988) is an Argentine professional tennis player.^[2] As of 14 May 2012, he is ranked no. 9 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the ATP for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4. Soon after attaining this ranking, however, Del Potro had to withdraw from most of the tournaments in 2010 due to a wrist injury,^[3] and his ranking plummeted.

Having started playing tennis at the age of seven,^[4] Del Potro won his first senior match in 2004 at the age of 15. Del Potro became the youngest player to finish in the Top 100 in 2006, the youngest player in the top 50 in 2007, and youngest player in the top 10 in 2008. In 2008, he became the first player in ATP history to win his first four career titles in as many tournaments.^[5] He also completed the second-longest winning streak in 2008, and the second longest by a teenager in the Open Era, behind Rafael Nadal—with his winning sequence spanning 23 matches over five tournaments.^[5] Del Potro captured his first Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open, defeating Nadal in the semifinal, and Roger Federer in the final, becoming the first man to beat both Federer and Nadal in the same Grand Slam tournament (later achieved by Novak Djokovic at the 2011 US Open). He became the second Argentine and the fifth-youngest man to win the US Open title in the Open Era.^[6] At 1.98m (6 ft, 6 in), he is the tallest player to have ever won a Grand Slam.

Early life[link]

Juan Martín del Potro was born in Tandil, Argentina. His father, Daniel del Potro, played semi-professional rugby union in Argentina and is a veterinarian.^[4][7] His mother, Patricia, is a teacher and he has a younger sister named Julieta. Del Potro Speaks Spanish, English and some Italian.^[8] Aside from tennis, he enjoys playing football and supports the Boca Juniors team in Argentina and Juventus in Italy.^[8] He would often dedicate time to both sports during his childhood, and Argentinian-Italian international footballer Mauro Camoranesi remains a close friend of del Potro.^[4]

Del Potro began playing tennis at the age of seven with coach Marcelo Gómez (who also coached Tandil-born players Juan Mónaco, Mariano Zabaleta and Máximo González).^[4] Del Potro's talent was discovered by Italian ex-tennis professional Ugo Colombini, who accompanied him through the initial phases of his young career, and is still today his agent and close friend.^[9] When questioned about his ambitions in tennis he replied, "I dream of winning a Grand Slam and the Davis Cup."^[10]

Tennis career[link]

2002–2005[link]

As a junior in 2002, del Potro won the Orange Bowl 14s title, beating Marin Čilić en route to a 6–2, 7–6(5) victory over Pavel Tchekov in the final.^[11] In 2003, at the age of 14, del Potro received wild cards to three ITF Circuit events in Argentina, where he lost in straight sets in the first round of each.^[12]

In May 2004, del Potro won his first senior match, at the age of 15, at the ITF Circuit event in Buenos Aires by defeating Matias Niemiz. He then went on to lose in three sets to Sebastián Decoud in the second round. His next victory came over five months later against the Chilean Alvaro Loyola in a tournament in Antofagasta. Later that year, del Potro reached the quarterfinals of the ITF Circuit event in Campinas, Brazil; recording victories over Henrique Mello and Alessandro Camarco. Del Potro won two more matches before the end of the year and saw his world ranking rise from no. 1441 in August to no. 1077 in November.^[13] He also reached the finals in the Argentina Cup and Campionati Internazionali D'Italia Junior tournaments.^[14]

Del Potro reached his first final of the ITF Junior Circuit on 11 January 2005, the Copa del Cafe (Coffee Bowl) - Junior ITF Tournament in Costa Rica, which he lost to Robin Haase in three sets. He was involved in a dispute with the umpire during this match, who decided to stop the play because of rain, which del Potro believed favoured Haase. Because of the rain delays, the final set had to be played indoors; this was the first time the indoor courts had been used in the 44-year history of the youth tournament.^[15]

At the age of 16, del Potro reached his first senior singles final at the Futures tournament in Berimbau Naucalpan, Mexico, where he lost to Darko Madjarovski 6–3, 4–6, 4–6. He then went on to win consecutive titles at two Future ITF Circuit events in Santiago, Chile, including the 26th International Junior tournament. In the first tournament, he beat Jorge Aguilar, 6–4, 7–6(6), and in the second, he did not drop a set in the whole tournament and defeated Thiago Alves, 6–1, 6–1, in the final, a player ranked more than 400 places higher at the time. He won his third title in his home country by defeating Damian Patriarca, who forfeited the match, at the ITF Circuit event in Buenos Aires.^[16]

Del Potro turned professional after the Italy F17 event in Bassano, and in his first professional tournament, the Lines Trophy in Reggio Emilia, he reached the semifinals, where he lost to countryman Martín Vassallo Argüello in three sets. Two tournaments later, he reached the final of the Credicard Citi MasterCard Tennis Cup in Campos do Jordão, Brazil, where he lost to André Sá, 4–6, 4–6. After turning 17, he won the Montevideo Challenger by defeating Boris Pašanski in the final in three sets.^[16] That same year, he failed in his first attempt to qualify for his first Grand Slam, at the US Open, losing in the first round to Paraguayan Ramón Delgado.^[17] Throughout 2005, del Potro jumped over 900 positions to finish with a world ranking of no. 158, largely due to winning three Futures tournaments.^[16][18] He was the youngest player to finish in the year-end top 200.^[19]

2006[link]

In February, del Potro played his first ATP tour event in Viña del Mar, where he defeated Albert Portas, before losing to Fernando González in the second round.^[20] Later, seeded seventh, he won the Copa Club Campestre de Aguascalientes by defeating the likes of Dick Norman and Thiago Alves, before beating Sergio Roitman, 3–6, 6–4, 6–3, in the final.^[21][22]

Del Potro qualified for the main draw of his first Grand Slam in the 2006 French Open at the age of 17. He lost in the opening round to former French Open champion and 24th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero.^[22][23] Having received a wild card, he reached the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Umag, Croatia, where he lost in three sets to the eventual champion, Stanislas Wawrinka.^[24] In Spain, he participated in the Open Castilla y León Challenger tournament held in Segovia, defeating top seed Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals and Benjamin Becker in the final.^[22][25]

Del Potro qualified for his first US Open in 2006, after being seeded ninth in the qualifying stages, where he beat Brian Vahaly, Wayne Arthurs, and Daniel Köllerer in straight sets.^[26] In the US Open, he lost in the first round to fellow qualifier Alejandro Falla of Colombia in four sets.^[27] He went on to qualify for his first ATP Masters Series tournament in Spain, the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where he lost 4–6, 4–6 in the first round to Joachim Johansson.^[22] After receiving a wild card thanks to Roger Federer, he reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland; defeating lucky loser Tobias Clemens in the first round and George Bastl in the second round, before losing to the eventual runner-up Fernando González, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6.^[28] Del Potro finished 2006 as the youngest player in the top 100 at 18 years, 2 months.^[8]

2007[link]

Del Potro playing against Fernando González in the 2007 Australian Open

Del Potro began the year by reaching his first semifinal in ATP Adelaide, Australia, where he lost to Chris Guccione, 7–5, 3–6, 5–7, having beaten Igor Kunitsyn, 6–2, 6–0, earlier in the day.^[29][30] He then reached the second round of the Australian Open, where he had to retire because of injury in his match against eventual finalist Fernando González in the fifth set, with the score being 6–7(7), 6–4, 7–6(3), 4–6, 0–4 at the time of his retirement.^[10][30] In February, del Potro played for Argentina in the first round of the Davis Cup against Austria, winning the fourth and definite match against Jürgen Melzer, 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2, allowing Argentina to qualify for the quarterfinals.^[31]

Del Potro defeated Feliciano López, 6–1, 6–2, before losing to eventual semifinalist Mardy Fish, 1–6, 6–7(9), in the second round of the indoor Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.^[32] In his next ATP Masters event, he reached the second round of the Pacific Life Open, beating Gustavo Kuerten in the first round, but then losing to Richard Gasquet by a similar margin, 6–7(2), 2–6.^[33] Del Potro went further in the Sony Ericsson Open, reaching the fourth round after he defeated three top-50 players: Jonas Björkman, Marcos Baghdatis, and Mikhail Youzhny, before falling to Rafael Nadal, 0–6, 4–6.^[34] In May, he lost in the first round of the French Open to eventual champion, Nadal 5–7, 3–6, 2–6.^[30][35]

In his first grass-court event, del Potro beat Thomas Johansson in two sets and reached the second round at the Queen's Club, where he lost to Nadal.^[30][36] He also reached the quarterfinals in Nottingham the following week; there he beat British qualifier Jamie Baker and Kunitsyn in the first two rounds, but lost to Ivo Karlović, 6–7(10), 5–7, at the quarterfinal stage.^[37][38] At his inaugural Wimbledon Championships, he defeated Davide Sanguinetti, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4, in the first round, before losing, 2–6, 5–7, 1–6, to eventual champion Roger Federer in the second round, after a rain delay in the third set.^[39][40]

Del Potro lost to Frank Dancevic in three sets in the second round of the singles at the ATP event in Indianapolis.^[41] At the same event, partnered with Travis Parrott in doubles, he won his first doubles tournament, defeating Teymuraz Gabashvili and Karlović, 2–6, 6–2, 10–6, in the final.^[42] He regards this as a special victory, "It was fantastic to play doubles with Parrott. I'm so happy because I've never won a doubles tournament. For the rest of my life, I will remember this tournament."^[43] Del Potro qualified for the ATP Masters Series event in Cincinnati, where he reached the third round. He defeated countryman Guillermo Cañas in the first round and Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second, before losing, 5–7, 6–3, 5–7, to former world no. 1 Carlos Moyá.^[44][45][46] At that year's US Open, he defeated Nicolas Mahut, 6–0, 6–4, 6–2, and Melzer, 6–3, 6–1, 6–4, before losing to eventual finalist and third seed Novak Djokovic, 1–6, 3–6, 4–6, in the third round.^[30][47] He also reached the third round of the Madrid Masters by beating Potito Starace, 7–5, 6–1, and Tommy Robredo, 6–7(4), 6–4, 6–3, before losing to eventual champion David Nalbandian in straight sets.^[48] In the last tournament of the year, the Paris Masters, he reached the second round, where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko, 6–7(3), 1–6.^[30] That year, del Potro was the youngest player to finish in the year-end top 50 at 19 years, 2 months.^[8]

2008[link]

Del Potro won 4 consecutive titles in 2008, with the final one coming in Washington.

Del Potro's first half of the season was hampered by injuries and a change of coach, starting with a first-round loss in Adelaide, where he was the seventh seed.^[49][50] He then made it to the second round of the Australian Open in January, only to retire against David Ferrer due to an injury when the score was, 3–6, 4–6.^[51] Del Potro returned to the circuit in March, winning his first match against Jesse Levine, 7–5, 6–1, at the Sony Ericsson Open, before losing 4–6, 2–6, in the second round to López.^[52] Struggling with injuries, his ranking fell as low as no. 81 in April. "At the start of the year, I was playing good, but I had many injuries, many problems with my body, with my physique," said del Potro. "I changed my coach, changed my physical trainer, I changed everything."^[53]

In May, del Potro had to retire again, this time in a first-round match against Andy Murray at the Rome Masters which stood at 7–5, 4–6, 0–1 at the time of his retirement. During the second set, the Argentine allegedly made derogatory comments about Murray's mother which resulted in a complaint to the umpire.^[54] Del Potro's serve was subsequently broken three times in a row, and he suffered a back injury, which caused his retirement.^[54][55][56] In his second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, he was eliminated in the second round by Simone Bolelli in four sets.^[51] In June, he reached the semifinals of the Ordina Open, losing to eventual winner and top seed Ferrer in straight sets.^[57] For the second year in a row, he was knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round; he won his first round clash with Pavel Šnobel in straight sets, but then lost, 6–7(5), 3–6, 5–7, to Wawrinka.^[51][58]

After losing to Wawrinka, a successful summer followed for the Argentine. In July, del Potro and his team decided to remain in Europe to test his fitness. "We decided to play on clay courts for my back because if I start to play again on hard courts, maybe I will injure it again", he recalled.^[53] Del Potro won his first career ATP tour title at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, defeating Gasquet in straight sets in the final.^[59][60] A week later, del Potro reached his second career ATP Tour final at the Austrian Open in Kitzbühel, where he beat local hope and sixth seed Melzer, 6–2, 6–1, in less than an hour, to claim his second title in two weeks.^[61] Having competed in just two clay tournaments all of the 2007 season, he never thought he would win his first two titles on clay courts.^[53]

In August, del Potro won his third consecutive title at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, beating Andy Roddick, 6–1, 7–6(2), in the final.^[62] After the match, Roddick praised his opponent. "[Del Potro] hits this way and this way kind of equally and he can hit it from inside out and running to it, which is a good thing for him, bad for the rest of us".^[62] A fourth consecutive title followed a week later in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., where he recorded a 6–3, 6–3 victory over Viktor Troicki, becoming the first player in ATP history to win his first four career titles in as many tournaments.^[5] "I don't really understand what I did. It is difficult to believe that I have won four consecutive titles", del Potro said, crediting coach Franco Davín for his impressive run. "He changed my game. He changed my mind. He changed everything. When I play and I see him in the stands, it gives me confidence. I can play relaxed."^[53]

Del Potro preparing to serve at the 2008 US Open

At the 2008 US Open, del Potro progressed to the third round, where he won his first match to five sets in the circuit against Gilles Simon to reach the round of 16.^[51][63] He went on to defeat Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori in straight sets, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3.^[64] In the quarterfinals, he was stopped by eventual finalist Murray,^[65] losing after almost four hours.^[66] The defeat came after 23 consecutive victories: the second-longest winning streak in 2008 and the longest winning streak by a player outside the top 10 in the last 20 years.^[67]

Del Potro was selected to play his first home-based Davis Cup tie, between Argentina and Russia, which took place on 19–21 September. He won his first singles match against Davydenko in three sets, 6–1, 6–4, 6–2. He also won the fifth and deciding match against Igor Andreev in straight sets, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1, booking Argentina a place in the final.^[68][69]

At the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, he made the final by defeating 11th seed Jarkko Nieminen, top seed and defending champion Ferrer, and fourth seed Gasquet.^[70] He was defeated by Tomáš Berdych, 1–6, 4–6, in the final.^[71][72] At the Madrid Masters, he lost in the quarterfinals in straight sets to Federer.^[73] He reached the semifinals of his next tournament, the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, before losing to countryman Nalbandian, 4–6, 4–6.^[74] He was beaten by Nalbandian again in his next tournament, this time it was in the second round of the Paris Masters. Del Potro blamed fatigue for his defeat, "It's difficult to play the last tournament of the year. I was tired, my mind was in Argentina [the venue for the Davis Cup final]".^[75] This left del Potro's qualification for the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup out of his hands; fortunately for him, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat James Blake in the semifinals, which was enough to ensure his place at the year-end event.^[76]

Del Potro won one match at the Masters Cup, against Tsonga, but lost his other two matches against the higher-ranked Djokovic and Davydenko, meaning that he exited the tournament in the round-robin stage.^[77][78][79] This was his last event of the year on the ATP Tour. He went on to lose one match, 6–4, 6–7(2), 6–7(4), 3–6, in the Davis Cup final, against López, as his team succumbed to a 3–1 loss against Spain.^[80] He was forced to withdraw from his second match due to a thigh injury and was replaced by José Acasuso.^[81] Nonetheless, del Potro enjoyed a successful season; winning four titles and finishing 2008 as the youngest player in the top 10,^[8][20] top-ranked Argentine, and highest-ranked South American.^[82]

2009[link]

At the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, del Potro was the top seed for the tournament.^[83] He defeated American Sam Querrey in the final, 6–4, 6–4, to win the title, the fifth of his career.^[84] Seeded eighth at the Australian Open, he beat Marin Čilić in the fourth round to become the first player to reach the quarterfinals that year.^[85] Del Potro's tournament ended in his next match, when he lost in straight sets to Federer, 3–6, 0–6, 0–6.^[86] At the BNP Paribas Open, the sixth seed del Potro advanced to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by world no. 1 Nadal.^[87] Del Potro avenged that loss the following week at the Sony Ericsson Open, where he came back from a double break down in the third set at 0–3 to defeat Nadal in the quarterfinals.^[88][89] This was the first time del Potro had defeated Nadal in five meetings.^[90] Despite a 1–6, 7–5, 2–6 loss in the semifinals to Murray,^[89] del Potro reached a career-high ranking of world no. 5.^[20]

At the 2009 French Open, del Potro made the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Federer

In the clay-court season, del Potro was eliminated in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters by Ivan Ljubičić.^[91] In Rome, del Potro beat Troicki and Wawrinka to advance to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by defending champion Djokovic in straight sets. This meant del Potro's head-to-head record with the Serb was now 0–3.^[89][92] Del Potro then played at the 2009 Madrid Masters. After defeating Murray for the first time in the quarterfinals,^[93] he lost to Federer in the semifinals, 3–6, 4–6.^[89] At the French Open, where he was fifth seed, del Potro defeated Michaël Llodra, Troicki, Andreev, and ninth seed Tsonga en route to the quarterfinals.^[94] He then defeated three-time former quarterfinalist Robredo to get to his first semifinal.^[95] He was defeated in a close semifinal, where he was leading by a set twice, 6–3, 6–7(2), 6–2, 1–6, 4–6, by eventual champion Federer who, after their match, said: "[Del Potro] is young and strong, I have a lot of respect for him."^[96] Prior to this encounter, del Potro had never taken a set from Federer in their five previous career meetings.^[97]

At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, his poor grass-court form from the past continued on, as he went down to unseeded Lleyton Hewitt, 3–6, 5–7, 5–7, in the second round.^[98] In the Davis Cup quarter-final against the Czech Republic, del Potro won his matches against Ivo Minář and Berdych in straight sets, but Argentina still lost the tie 2–3, eliminating them from the competition.^[99] A few weeks later, he defeated Hewitt and Fernando González en route to the Washington final.^[100][101] He successfully defended his title against top-seeded Wimbledon finalist Roddick, 3–6, 7–5, 7–6(6), to win his second tournament of the year^[102] and become the first player since Andre Agassi to win back-to-back Washington titles.^[103] Del Potro played the following week at the Masters 1000 in Montreal, where he was seeded sixth, defeating world no. 2 Nadal in the quarterfinals, 7–6(5), 6–1, his second win in a row over Nadal.^[90][104] He then defeated Roddick in the semifinals, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5, saving a match point, to advance to his first Masters 1000 final, and to improve his head-to-head record against Roddick to 3–0.^[105] In the final, he lost against Murray, 7–6(4), 6–7(3), 1–6.^[104] He later withdrew from the next Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati due to fatigue.^[106]

Del Potro on his way to winning US Open

Seeded sixth at the 2009 US Open, del Potro began by defeating Mónaco and Melzer in straight sets,^[107][108] before dropping a set but defeating Köllerer to reach the fourth round.^[109] He defeated a resurgent Ferrero, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3, to advance to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.^[110] Del Potro then advanced to the semifinals by defeating Čilić, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–1.^[111] Del Potro was down a set and a break, before winning 17 of the final 20 games to win the match.^[112] His advance to the semifinals ensured his return to the top 5 in the world rankings.^[113] He then defeated world no. 3 and reigning Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal, 6–2, 6–2, 6–2, in the semifinals to reach his first Grand Slam final. This was his third consecutive victory over Nadal and made him the first Argentine to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Mariano Puerta at the 2005 French Open.^[114] In the finals, del Potro rallied from a set and a break down to defeat world no. 1 and five-time defending champion Roger Federer, 3–6, 7–6(5), 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–2; his first victory over Federer after six previous defeats,^[97] and Federer's first loss in the US Open since 2003. Del Potro stated, "Since [I was] young, I dream with this and take trophy with me", said del Potro, who became the first Argentine male to win the title since Guillermo Vilas in 1977. "I did my dream, and it's unbelievable moment. It's amazing match, amazing people. Everything is perfect."^[6] After the match, Federer praised del Potro; "I thought he hung in there and gave himself chances and, in the end, was the better man."^[115]

He is the first player since countryman David Nalbandian to defeat Federer at the US Open, and at 198 cm (6 ft 6 in), he is the tallest ever Grand Slam champion.^[116][117] Besides Nadal, Del Potro is the only player to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam final, and the first player to defeat both Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam tournament.^[118][119]

Dick Enberg hosted the post-match ceremony during which a victorious Del Potro requested to address his fans in Spanish. Enberg declined the request saying that he was running out of time, but went on to list the corporate sponsored prizes Del Potro won.^[120] A couple of minutes later, Del Potro made the same request again, and only then did Enberg relent saying, "Very quickly, in Spanish, he wants to say hello to his friends here and in Argentina". An emotional Del Potro finally spoke a few sentences in Spanish to a cheering crowd. Many viewers expressed disappointment with Enberg and broadcaster CBS over the interview.^[120] A CBS executive later defended Enberg, noting that the contract with the United States Tennis Association required that certain sponsors receive time during the ceremony.^[121]

Del Potro (bottom) in action during the 2009 WTF final

In his first match since the US Open, Del Potro was upset by world no. 189 Édouard Roger-Vasselin in straight sets at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.^[122] He then lost his second straight match to Melzer in the second round at the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai, retiring while trailing, 5–7, 1–2. This retirement caused concerns over the length of the tennis season.^[123] He had to retire again in the Paris Masters quarterfinals when down 0-4 to Radek Štěpánek due to an abdominal injury. In November, del Potro competed in the ATP World Tour Finals, where he lost his first round-robin match against Andy Murray, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, but he managed to defeat Fernando Verdasco, 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(1), in his second match to keep his hopes alive. After defeating Roger Federer, 6–2, 6–7(5), 6–3, in the following match, he qualified for the semifinals, ousting Murray by the slimmest possible margin of one game.^[124] He defeated Robin Söderling in the semifinals, 6–7(1), 6–3, 7–6(3),^[125] before losing to Nikolay Davydenko, 3–6, 4–6, in the final.^[126] Del Potro finished 2009 as the youngest player in the top 10, top-ranked Argentine, and highest-ranked South American for the second consecutive year.

2010[link]

Juan Martín del Potro in the 2011 Tokyo Open lose with Feliciano López.

Del Potro started his 2010 season at the AAMI Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, Australia with a 6–3, 6–3 win over Croatian world no. 24 Ivan Ljubičić.^[127] On January 11, he moved up to a career high world no. 4.^[128] He was scheduled to face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on day 2 of the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament, but withdrew due to a wrist injury.^[129] He came into the 2010 Australian Open with the injury not healed, and was forced to take a month off after the event.^[130] In the fourth round, he fell to eventual semifinalist Marin Čilić, 7–5, 4–6, 5–7, 7–5, 3–6.^[131]

Following the Australian Open loss, del Potro missed several tournaments, including the Masters tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, which were touted as potential return dates,^[130] due to the persistent wrist injury. Even though he withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, he regained the world no. 4 ranking, due to Murray's early exit in the second round.^[132] He then withdrew from Barcelona and the Rome Masters. He was going to return the week beginning May 2.^[133] However, on May 4 del Potro took the option of having an operation to fix the injury.^[134] On May 19, del Potro said he would not defend his US Open title, but if all went well, he would appear after the event, targeting the Paris Masters as a possible comeback.^[135] However, on July 22, the USTA stated that del Potro was expected to defend his US Open crown. The player himself confirmed that his comeback to the tour would be the Thailand Open^[136] and said nothing about the New York event.^[137] On August 2, del Potro returned to the practice courts.^[138][139] A week before the start of the US Open, after practicing for two weeks, del Potro withdrew from the event, as he felt he was not ready to compete at the highest level.^[140]

After the nine-month break, del Potro confirmed that he would make his return at the 2010 PTT Thailand Open.^[141] In his return match, he lost in the first round, 6–7(7), 4–6, to Olivier Rochus.^[142] He then also played at the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, but again lost in the opening round, this time to Feliciano Lopez, 3–6, 0–6.

2011[link]

Del Potro began his 2011 season at the Medibank International as a wildcard entry.^[143] In the second round, Del Potro was defeated by Florian Mayer of Germany, 2–6, 5–7.^[144] His next tournament would be the first Grand Slam of the year at the 2011 Australian Open, where Del Potro was defeated by 23rd seed Marcos Baghdatis in the second round, 1–6, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6.^[145] As a result, Del Potro slipped further down the rankings to no. 485.

After the Australian Open, he participated in the SAP Open in San Jose, where he was accepted into the main draw via special exemptions (SE). He reached the semifinals, after defeating Gabashvili, Lacko, and Hewitt. There, he lost to top seed Fernando Verdasco in straight sets. Del Potro's next scheduled tournament was the 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup, where he was again accepted into the main draw via special exemptions. Here, he made his second consecutive ATP semifinals by defeating sixth seed John Isner, Ivan Dodig, and qualifier Michael Russell. In the semifinals, he lost to top seed, world no. 8 and eventual champion Andy Roddick, 3–6, 4–6. To continue preparing for his first ATP Masters event since 2009, Del Potro entered the 2011 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. He defeated Ričardas Berankis in the first round, 6–4, 6–1, Teymuraz Gabashvili in the second round, 6–1, 6–1, fifth seed Kevin Anderson, 6–4, 6–4, and second seed Mardy Fish, 6–1, 7–5, to advance to an ATP-level final stage of a tournament since 2009 at the Barclays World Tour Finals in London. In the final of this 250 tournament, he defeated an erratic Janko Tipsarević, 6–4, 6–4, to get back in the winners circle.

Del Potro's next tournament was the ATP Masters at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open. He reached the semifinals, where he lost to top seeded Rafael Nadal in straight sets, 4–6, 4–6. Del Potro then flew to Key Biscayne, Miami to participate in the second ATP Masters of the year at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open. Del Potro made it to the fourth round, where he played Mardy Fish and lost, 5–7, 6–7(5).

He then played in 2011 Estoril Open, which was Del Potro's first tournament on clay since he lost the 2009 Roland Garros semifinal to the eventual champion Roger Federer. In Estoril, he defeated Fernando Verdasco, 6–2, 6–2, in the final. On the way to the final, del Potro defeated top seeded Robin Söderling, 6–4, 7–5, and dropped just one set in his five matches. After suffering an 8-millimeter tear in his left rectus, del Potro withdrew from Madrid and did not participate in the Rome Master, but has confirmed that he would play the French Open. Del Potro lost to Novak Djokovic, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, in the third round.

Del Potro in 2011 Wimbledon

Del Potro reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon for the first time by defeating Flavio Cipolla, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3, in the first round, Olivier Rochus, 6–7(7), 6–1, 6–0, 6–4, and Gilles Simon, 7–6(8), 7–6(5), 7–5. He then lost to world no. 1 Rafael Nadal, 6–7(6), 6–3, 6–7(4), 4–6, in the fourth round. Del Potro returned to the top 20 at world no. 19 for the first time in nearly a year. His next tournament was the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, where he received a first-round bye as the second seed. He defeated James Blake, 6–4, 7–6, but was defeated 2–6, 4–6, by Ernests Gulbis in the quarterfinals.

At the 2011 Rogers Cup, seeded 16th, del Potro defeated Jarkko Nieminen, 6–4, 6–0, before losing 3–6, 4–6 to Marin Čilić in the second round. At the Western & Southern Masters tournament, del Potro advanced to the second round with a 4–1 ret. result over Andreas Seppi, before losing to Roger Federer, 3–6, 5–7, snapping the two-match winning streak he had against his rival. Del Potro entered the 2011 US Open seeded 18th. He beat Filippo Volandri, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1, in the first round and Diego Junqueira, 6–2, 6–1, 7–5, in the second, before losing, 6–4, 6–7(5), 2–6, 6–7(3), to Gilles Simon in the third round, thus ending his US Open campaign.

Del Potro in the 2011 US Open.

After the US Open, del Potro played in the Davis Cup semifinal against Serbia, winning both of his rubbers against Janko Tipsarević and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 7-6(5) 3-0 ret. helping Argentina to a 3–2 victory over Serbia in the semifinals, booking their place in the final. He then played in the Stockholm Open losing in the second round to James Blake 6-4 6-4. He then reached the final in Vienna losing for the first time to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga despite having won the first set, he eventually lost the final 7-6(5) 3-6 4-6. Del Potro then reached the semifinals of the Valencia Open 500 losing to eventual champion Marcel Granollers 6-4 7-6(4). He then withdrew from the Paris Masters due to a shoulder injury, wiping out his chances of qualifying for the Year-End Championships.

Del Potro played in the Davis Cup Final losing to David Ferrer, despite being two sets to one up, eventually losing in a pulsating 5 set contest 2-6 7-6(2) 6-3 4-6 3-6 in a match lasting over five hours, he then played in the reverse singles rubbers against World no. 2 Rafael Nadal, after winning the first set, Nadal won the Davis Cup 6-1 4-6 1-6 6-7, allowing Spain to triumph once again. Argentina lost the final 3-1.

Del Potro finished the year ranked World no. 11 despite being ranked no. 485 at one stage. He was named 2011 ATP Comeback Player of the Year.

2012[link]

Del Potro's first tournament of the year was the 2012 Apia International Sydney where he was the top seed. He made it to the quarterfinals after receiving a bye into the second round. He defeated Łukasz Kubot in the second round, 6–4, 6–2. In the quarterfinals, he was beaten by Marcos Baghdatis, 7–6(7), 6–4.^[146]

In the first round of the 2012 Australian Open, Del Potro defeated Adrian Mannarino in four sets, 2–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–4.^[147] he reached the quarterfinals of the grand slam for the second time losing to Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2.

He went on to play in Rotterdam at the 2012 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, where he was third seed. Here he defeated Tomas Berdych, 6-3, 6-1, in order to make it to his first final of a ATP 500 level tournament or higher after returning from his wrist injury in 2010. He lost to Federer, 6-1, 6-4, in the finals. At the Open 13 in Marseille, Del Potro defeated Davydenko, Gasquet, Tsonga and Michaël Llodra in the final to get his tenth ATP championship. Del Potro then had a good run in Dubai, reaching the semifinals, then losing to Roger Federer again in straight sets 7-6(5) 7-6(6). Del Potro lost in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open to Federer for the fourth time this year 6-3 6-2. He made it to the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open but lost to David Ferrer 6-3 6-3.

Del Potro started his clay court campaign of 2012 in the Davis Cup Quarterfinals against Croatia, he won his first rubber against Ivo Karlović 6-2 7-6(7) 6-1, he demolished Marin Čilić in the reverse singles 6-1 6-2 6-1. He will continue his clay court season at the Estoril Open, where he was the defending champion and the top seed, he did not drop a set en route to the finals where he beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets 6-4 6-2 in the final, to collect his 11th ATP World Tour Title. He will next compete in the Madrid Masters as the twelfth seed and defeated Florian Mayer in the first round 6-4 6-2, Mikhail Youzhny in the second 6-4 7-6(1), Marin Čilić in the third 6-2 6-4, Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-4 in the quarterfinals and lost 6-7 6-7 to Tomáš Berdych in the semifinals.

Del Potro is currently playing at the second grand slam of the year, the French Open where he is seeded 9th. Del Potro defeated Albert Montañés in the first round 6-2 6-7(7) 6-2 6-1, Édouard Roger-Vasselin 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 6-4 6-4 in the second round and Marin Čilić in the third 6-3 7-6(7) 6-1 and will face 7th seed Tomáš Berdych for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Playing style[link]

Del Potro is primarily an offensive baseliner with a powerful serve and deep, flat/topspin groundstrokes.^[148][149] His forehand shot is one of his main strengths and possibly the most powerful in the game, capable of frequently generating speeds of 100 mph,^[150] and he also possesses a very consistent and powerful double-handed backhand.^[151] Del Potro's height allows him to get a powerful first serve (often clocked in the mid 130s, and maxing out at 147 mph (M1000 Madrid, vs Murray), and makes it easier for him to return high topspin balls.^[152] Del Potro's best results have come on hard and clay courts; while weaker results have come on grass courts.^[153][154]

Equipment and apparel[link]

Del Potro briefly used the Wilson BLX Pro Tour Racquet for the 2010 season, but after returning from his wrist injury switched back to his Wilson K Factor 6.1 95 (16x18) and strings with Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power at 62 lb, and is sponsored by Nike. He often wore a sleeveless shirt but starting at the 2011 season has worn one with sleeves, a double-wide wristband, a bandana, Nike Zoom Breathe 2K11 shoes and a pair of woven shorts when on the court.^[8]

Career statistics[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Tennis portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Juan Martín del Potro

• Official website (Spanish)
• Juan Martín del Potro at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Juan Martín del Potro at the International Tennis Federation

Awards
Preceded by Juan Curuchet Walter Pérez	Olimpia de Oro 2009	Succeeded by Luciana Aymar
Preceded by Robin Haase	ATP Comeback Player of the Year 2011	Succeeded by Incumbent

v t e Association of Tennis Professionals: Top ten Argentine male singles tennis players as of May 21, 2012 Juan Martín del Potro (9 ) Juan Mónaco (15 ) Carlos Berlocq (37 1) David Nalbandian (40 2) Juan Ignacio Chela (43 6) Leonardo Mayer (68 ) Horacio Zeballos (108 1) Federico Delbonis (117 ) Martín Alund (153 ) Diego Junqueira (171 1)

v t e Association of Tennis Professionals: Top ten male singles tennis players from the Americas as of May 28, 2012 1. Juan Martín del Potro (9 ) · 2. Mardy Fish (10 ) · 3. John Isner (11 ) · 4. Juan Mónaco (15 ) · 5. Milos Raonic (22 ) 6. Andy Roddick (33 4) · 7. Carlos Berlocq (37 ) · 8. David Nalbandian (40 ) · 9. Juan Ignacio Chela (44 1) · 10. Santiago Giraldo (50 1)

Renata Tebaldi (Pesaro, Italy, 1 February 1922 – San Marino, 19 December 2004) was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved opera singers of all time,^[1] she primarily focused on the verismo roles of the lyric and dramatic repertoires.

Renata Tebaldi with a friend

Early years[link]

Tebaldi was born Renata Ersilia Clotilde Tebaldi in Pesaro, the daughter of a cellist, Teobaldo Tebaldi, and Giuseppina Barbieri, a gifted singer who had wanted a singing career but eventually became a nurse instead. Very soon, the parents split up and Renata, together with her mother, moved to the latter's home town, Langhirano in the Province of Parma.

Stricken with polio at the age of three, Tebaldi was unable to take part in strenuous activities and instead became interested in music. She was a member of the church choir in Langhirano and her mother sent her to piano lessons with Signorina Passani in Parma at the age of thirteen; she worked with boundless diligence, practising four or five hours a day and dreaming of a career as a concert pianist. She also sang everything she heard. Her main source of inspiration was listening to the radio. It was not until her piano teacher took the initiative that Renata was sent to Italo Brancucci, a singing teacher at the conservatory of Parma. She began studying a short time later at the conservatory, taking lessons with Ettore Campogalliani for three years. Renata had to concentrate on scales and voice training for two years before she was allowed to learn the first songs towards the end of her second year of training.

Carmen Melis[link]

She went off to spend a Christmas holiday with her father's brother, her uncle Valentino, at Pesaro. There, as operatic destiny would have it, Valentino owned a small café where the famous former diva Carmen Melis came to buy pastries. Melis was a teacher at the Pesaro Conservatory. Valentino talked to Melis about his niece, and the diva finally consented to audition the young girl. Melis had been a soprano prima donna at La Scala in Milan and had sung with Caruso and Titta Ruffo.

Melis was to become Tebaldi's most important teacher: the next day, and for the remainder of her holiday, Tebaldi worked with Melis; when she returned to Parma, the improvement was so drastic that no one believed it was the same voice. It was then that she determined to move to Pesaro permanently, where she lived with her father's family and took classes with Melis both at the conservatory and privately. Melis organised a scholarship for her and Tebaldi made her first public appearance singing "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" from Catalani's La Wally at the theatre in Urbino. At the age of 22, Tebaldi made her debut as Elena in Boito's Mefistofele in Rovigo. She performed several more times in Parma – in La Bohème, L'amico Fritz and Andrea Chénier and started working, again through Melis, with the conductor and singing teacher Giuseppe Pais in Milan 1944. An audition for Carlo Gatti, the Scala's director, came to nothing as there were hardly any performances anymore during the war years. She made her debut as Desdemona in Trieste alongside Francesco Merli and caused a stir.

Arturo Toscanini[link]

Her major breakthrough came in 1946, when she auditioned for Arturo Toscanini. Toscanini was favorably impressed, calling her "voce d'angelo" (angel voice). Tebaldi made her La Scala debut that year at the concert which marked the reopening of the theatre after World War II. She sang the "Prayer" ("Dal tuo stellato soglio") from Rossini's biblical opera, Mosè in Egitto, as well as the soprano part in Verdi's Te Deum. She was given the operatic roles of Margherita and Elena in Mefistofele and Elsa in Lohengrin in 1946. The following year, she appeared in La Bohème and as Eva in Die Meistersinger. Toscanini encouraged her to sing the role of Aida and invited her to rehearse the role in his studio. She was of the opinion that the role of Aida was reserved for a dramatic soprano, but Toscanini convinced her and she made her role debut at La Scala in 1950 alongside Mario del Monaco and Fedora Barbieri in a performance conducted by Antonino Votto. This was the greatest success in her still young career and was to launch her international career.

Her voice was used for Sophia Loren's singing in the film version of Aida (1953).

International career[link]

She went on a concert tour with the La Scala ensemble in 1950, first to the Edinburgh Festival and then on to London, where she made her debut as Desdemona in two performances of Otello at Covent Garden and in the Verdi Requiem, both conducted by Victor de Sabata.

Tebaldi and Callas[link]

By the early 1950s, Tebaldi was firmly entrenched at La Scala. But a new star had appeared on the scene – Maria Callas. In 1950 Callas was taken on at La Scala as substitute Aida for an indisposed Tebaldi. Matters came to a head in 1951 when both were with an Italian company touring South America. Perhaps unwisely, the two of them were engaged to appear in the same concert. Afterwards Callas accused Tebaldi of breaking a no-encore agreement, when she delivered not one but two extra arias. The squabble continued when Callas criticised Tebaldi's interpretation of Violetta in Traviata, which Tebaldi has to transpose down, and suggested that she give up the role.^{[citation needed]} The in-fighting continued during the rest of an acrimonious tour.^{[citation needed]} The culmination of this rivalry came in an article in Time magazine where Callas was quoted as saying that comparing herself to Tebaldi was like comparing champagne with Coca-Cola.^[2] However, witnesses to the interview stated that Callas only said "champagne with cognac" after which a bystander quipped, "No, with Coca-Cola", but the Time reporter attributed the comment to Callas.^[3]

Although she had a very powerful voice, Tebaldi always considered herself a lyric soprano. Even though the young Tebaldi successfully performed roles in operas and works by (among others) Rossini, Spontini, Mozart, Handel and Wagner she eventually centered her career on verismo and late Verdi roles, roles not as well suited to Callas' voice. Callas, in contrast, considered herself a dramatic coloratura soprano and started her career in the heaviest roles, but soon after, concentrated on the bel canto repertoire, which were not a good fit for Tebaldi's vocal range and technique. How much of the rivalry was real, and how much whipped up by fans and the press, is open to question. Some also believe that the entire rivalry was instigated by their respective recording companies in order to boost sales, and that they were instructed to play along. According to Time magazine, when Callas quit La Scala, "Tebaldi made a surprising maneuver: she announced that she would not sing at La Scala without Callas. 'I sing only for artistic reasons; it is not my custom to sing against anybody', she said."^[4] Nevertheless, Tebaldi apparently felt that the public perception of a rivalry was ultimately good for both their careers, since it aroused so much interest in the two of them.

In the end, however, there was a reconciliation. After Tebaldi had inaugurated the 1968 Met season with Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, Callas, who by that time had given her last opera performance, went backstage to congratulate Tebaldi. It was the last time the two sopranos were to meet.

The Met[link]

Tebaldi made her American debut in 1950 as Aïda at the San Francisco Opera; her Metropolitan Opera debut took place on January 31, 1955, as Desdemona opposite Mario del Monaco's Otello. For some twenty years, she made the Met the focus of her activities. For the 1962/1963 season, Tebaldi convinced the director of the Met, Rudolf Bing, to stage a revival of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. The opera had not been staged since the turn of the century, but Bing was convinced that it would be a great success for Tebaldi, and for Franco Corelli, who sang the role of Maurizio. Unfortunately, Tebaldi was not in top vocal form. Alarmed, she took a thirteen-month hiatus from the stage. She later returned as Mimi to great acclaim.

She sang more at the Met and far less elsewhere. She had developed a special rapport with the Met audiences and became known as "Miss Sold Out". She sang there some 270 times in La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, La Fanciulla del West, Otello, La forza del destino, Simon Boccanegra, Falstaff, Andrea Chénier, La Gioconda and Violetta in a production of La traviata created specially for her. She made her last appearance there as Desdemona on 8 January 1973 in the same role in which she had made her debut eighteen years earlier.

Later years[link]

By the end of her career, Tebaldi had sung in 1,262 performances, 1,048 complete operas, and 214 concerts.

Tebaldi never married and had no children. In a 1995 interview with The Times, she said she had no regrets about her single life. "I was in love many times," she said, flashing her dimpled smile. "This is very good for a woman." But she added, "How could I have been a wife, a mother and a singer? Who takes care of the piccolini when you go around the world? Your children would not call you Mama, but Renata."^[1]

Tebaldi retired from the stage in 1973 and from the concert hall in 1976. She spent the majority of her last days in Milan. She died at age 82 at her home, in San Marino. She is buried in the family chapel at Mattaleto cemetery (Langhirano).

Museum[link]

Since February 2010, the 15th century Castle of Torrechiara – Langhirano – has hosted within its rooms a permanent exhibition dedicated to Renata Tebaldi. This “Castle for a Queen” unveils the many sides of this great “diva”, whose artistic and personal life remain on display. The items showcased followed her over the arc of time as she spread the world-class tradition of Italian lyrical art…all the way from the beginning of her career and throughout her artistic achievements. The exhibition is presented by the Renata Tebaldi Committee in collaboration with Superintendence of Environmental Heritage and Landscape of the province of Parma and Piacenza, the Regio Theatre Foundation of Parma and the Municipality of Langhirano and with the patronage of the province of Parma.

Selected Recordings[link]

• Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini): Tullio Serafin conducting the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, with Carlo Bergonzi, Fiorenza Cossotto, Enzo Sordello. Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. (1958) (Decca Records).
• La Bohème (Giacomo Puccini): Tullio Serafin conducting the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, with Carlo Bergonzi, Gianna D'Angelo, Ettore Bastianini. Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. (1959) (Decca Records).
• Manon Lescaut (Giacomo Puccini): Francesco Molinari-Pradelli conducting the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, with Mario Del Monaco, Mario Boriello, Fernando Corena. Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. (1954) (Decca Records).
• La Wally (Alfredo Catalani): Fausto Cleva conducting L'Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, with Mario Del Monaco, Piero Cappuccilli, Justino Diaz. Coro Lirico di Torino. (1968) (Decca Records).
• Cavalleria Rusticana (Pietro Mascagni): Alberto Erede. With Jussi Björling and Ettore Bastianini. Recorded live at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 1957. (London Records)
• Tosca (Giacomo Puccini): Francesco Molinari-Pradelli) conducting the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, with Mario Del Monaco and George London. Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. (1959) (Decca Records).
• Tosca (Giacomo Puccini): Gianandrea Gavazzeni conducting the La Scala Theatre Orchestra, with Giuseppe di Stefano and Tito Gobbi. La Scala Theatre Chorus. Recorded live at La Scala in 1959. Opera d'Oro.

References[link]

Notes[link]

Websites[link]

• Tebaldi, Renata -- Encyclopædia Britannica

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Renata Tebaldi a New Tribute
• International Jose Guillermo Carrillo Foundation
• A Tribute to Renata Tebaldi (including discography)
• YouTube - Renata Tebaldi is Madama Butterfly Tebaldi sings "Un Bel Di Vedremo" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly in this 1959 video.
• Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)

Robbie Williams
Williams performing as part of the Progress Live tour in May 2011
Background information
Birth name	Robert Peter Williams
Born	(1974-02-13) 13 February 1974 (age 38) Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Genres	Pop rock, soft rock, dance
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, vocal coach, record producer, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, synthesiser, drums, piano, violin, harmonica, marimba
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Universal (2011–present) Virgin (2009–2010) Chrysalis (1996-2008)
Associated acts	Take That
Website	robbiewilliams.com

Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams^[1] (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That.

Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams left the group in 1995 to launch his solo career. On 15 July 2010, it was announced he had rejoined Take That and that the group intended to release a new album in November 2010^[2][3] which became the second fastest-selling album of all-time in UK chart history^[4] and the fastest-selling record of the century.^[5]

Williams has sold over 70 million records worldwide, which ranks him among the best-selling music artists worldwide.^[6] He is the best-selling British solo artist in the United Kingdom and the best selling non-Latino artist in Latin America. Six of his albums are among the top 100 biggest-selling albums in the United Kingdom. He has also been honoured with seventeen BRIT Awards—more than any other artist—and seven ECHO Awards. In 2004, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame after being voted as the "Greatest Artist of the 1990s."

Life and career[link]

1974–89: Early life[link]

Williams was born to Peter and Janet Williams in Stoke-on-Trent on 13 February 1974. His parents ran a pub called the Red Lion in the town of Burslem, before his father became the licensee at the Port Vale F.C. Social Club - this led to Williams' lifelong affinity for the team.^[7] Williams attended Mill Hill Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent^[8] then St Margaret Ward Roman Catholic School in Tunstall,^[9] and also attended dance school UKDDF in Tunstall.^{[citation needed]} He participated in several school plays, and his biggest role was that of the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver!.

1990–95: Take That[link]

In 1990, the sixteen year old Williams was the youngest member to join Take That. According to the documentary Take That: For the Record, his mother read an advertisement seeking members for a new boy band and suggested that he try out for the group. He met fellow member Mark Owen on the day of his audition/interview with Nigel Martin-Smith. During the heights of the band's popularity, Williams was known as the extrovert and practical joker of the band. Although the majority of the band's material was written and performed by Gary Barlow, Williams did perform lead vocals on their first Top Ten hit "Could It Be Magic", "I Found Heaven", and "Everything Changes". However, he had conflicts with Martin-Smith over the restrictive rules for Take That members, and he began drinking more alcohol and dabbling in cocaine.

In July 1995, Williams's drug abuse had escalated to the point of his having a near drug overdose the night before the group was scheduled to perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards. According to the documentary For the Record, he stated that he was unhappy with his musical ideas not being taken seriously by lead singer Barlow and Nigel Martin-Smith, because his desire to explore hip hop and rap conflicted with the band's usual ballads. Barlow explained in interviews that Williams had given up trying to offer creative input and merely did as he was told. As well as Williams's friction with the management of the band, Jason Orange had problems with his increasingly belligerent behaviour, his lack of interest in performing, and his frequent habit of missing the band's rehearsals.

Both Orange and Barlow confronted Martin-Smith about the internal conflict, because they did not want him dropping out while touring and before any possible future touring of America, which never took place. During one of the last rehearsals before the tour commenced, the group confronted Williams about his attitude and stated they wanted to do the tour without him. He agreed to quit the band and left; it would be the last time for twelve years that they were all together. Despite the departure of Williams, Take That completed their Nobody Else Tour as a four-piece band. They later disbanded on 13 February 1996, Williams's 22nd birthday.

Shortly afterwards, Williams was photographed by the press partying with the members of Oasis at Glastonbury Festival. Following his departure, he became the subject of talk shows and newspapers as he acknowledged his plans to become a solo singer, and he was spotted partying with George Michael in France. However, a clause in his Take That contract prohibited him from releasing any material until after the group was officially dissolved, and he was later sued by Martin-Smith and forced to pay $200,000 in commission. After various legal battles over his right to a solo career, Williams was victorious in getting released from his contract with BMG. On 27 June 1996, Williams formally announced that he had signed with Chrysalis Records.

[edit] 1996–98: Life Thru a Lens and I've Been Expecting You

After leaving Take That, Williams launched his solo career starting off in 1996 by covering George Michael's "Freedom", the single reached number two in the UK Singles Chart.^[10]

Recordings for Williams's first album began at London's Maison Rouge studios in March 1996. Shortly after his introduction to Guy Chambers, Williams released "Old Before I Die" which would be the first single taken from his début album. The single reached number two on the UK Charts;^[10] however, it was largely ignored on international charts.

His debut album, Life Thru a Lens, was released in September 1997. The album launched with his first live solo gig at the Élysée Montmartre theatre in Paris, France. The album debuted at number eleven of the UK Album Charts.

Williams released what would be the fourth single taken from his album. "Angels" became Williams' best-seller in the United Kingdom.^[11] The song, apart from becoming a hit around Europe and Latin America, caused sales of his album to skyrocket. The album remained inside the British top ten for forty weeks and spent 218 weeks there altogether, making it the 58th best selling album in UK history with sales of over 2.4 million.^[12] The album eventually managed to sell over three million copies in Europe.^[13]

Williams and Chambers started writing the second album in Jamaica in early 1998. The first single, "Millennium", became Williams' first solo number one single in the United Kingdom.^[14] It also became a top twenty hit in many European countries, Latin America and Australia.^[15]

When the album I've Been Expecting You was released in late October 1998, it débuted at number one in the UK Albums Chart.^[14] The album received more attention outside the United Kingdom, leaving its mark in the European and Latin American markets with hits such as "No Regrets", a collaboration with The Pet Shop Boys' singer Neil Tennant and The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon.

A cover of a track from World Party's album, Egyptology, became Williams' second number one hit in the UK.^[14] Williams finished the year with a European Tour late in 1999.

The album I've Been Expecting You sold almost 3 million copies in the UK and was certified 10x Platinum by the BPI.^[16] In Europe, the album sold over 4 million copies.^[17]

[edit] 1999–2001: Sing When You're Winning and Swing When You're Winning

In 1999, Williams was signed to Capitol Records in the United States, a part of EMI. He embarked on a US promotional tour and released his first U.S. and Canadian single, "Millennium". The album The Ego Has Landed was released in July 1999 in the United States and Canada.

Williams in London in 2000, gesturing to a paparazzo photographer.

In the middle of promotion and the tours in 1999, Williams began work on his third studio album. This time he had finally found his inner confidence.^[18]

The first single taken from the album was "Rock DJ", a song inspired by Williams's UNICEF mentor, the late Ian Dury. The video showed Williams in an attempt to get noticed by a group of females, first stripping and then tearing chunks of skin and muscle from his body, and caused controversy in the United Kingdom and many other countries. The video was edited by Top of the Pops for its graphic content and many other channels followed suit.^[19] The song became an instant hit, reaching number one in the UK (becoming his third number one single as a solo artist) and New Zealand. The song went on to win "Best Song of 2000" at the MTV Europe Music Awards, "Best Single of the Year" at the BRIT Awards and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects.

When the album, Sing When You're Winning was released in August 2000, it topped the charts in many different countries.^[20] In the UK the album was certified 2x Platinum on its first week of release.^[21]

After the success of his third album, Williams wanted to take another musical direction. He took two weeks off from his tour to record what would be his fourth studio album, a big band album.^[22] Born from his life-long love for Frank Sinatra – combined with the success of the track "Have You Met Miss Jones?" that he recorded for the film Bridget Jones' Diary in early 2001 – the album was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.

Williams took the chance to duet with his long-time friend Jonathan Wilkes, Little Voice star Jane Horrocks, Saturday Night Live star Jon Lovitz, Rupert Everett and actress Nicole Kidman. The first single released from the album was a duet with Kidman, on "Somethin' Stupid". Originally a hit for Frank and Nancy Sinatra, the song became Williams' fifth number one hit in the UK.^[23] It eventually went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2001.^[24]

When the album Swing When You're Winning (in reference to his 2000 studio album Sing When You're Winning) was released in late 2001, it became an instant hit in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.^[25]

"Beyond the Sea" was featured over the credits of the film Finding Nemo in 2003 and was also released on the film's soundtrack CD.

A DVD called Robbie Williams Live at the Albert Hall was released in December of that year. So far, it has become one of the best selling music DVDs in Europe, being certified 6x Platinum in the United Kingdom^[26] and 2x Platinum in Germany.^[27]

[edit] 2002–05: Escapology and Intensive Care

In 2002, Williams signed a record-breaking £80 million contract with EMI.^[28] The contract included a number of provisos, including the label ceding greater creative control to the artist and a commitment to breaking Williams into the US market. So far it is the biggest music deal in British history. The deal was brokered by Ingenious Media, a leading UK corporate finance advisory business.^[29]

Williams began working on what would be his fifth studio album, spending a year in the recording studio. The album heralded a new era for Williams. He had taken a more active role in the making of this album, giving an indication of his growing confidence in the studio. "One Fine Day", "Nan's Song", and "Come Undone" were the first songs that Williams wrote without the input of Guy Chambers. Most of the songs were recorded in Los Angeles.^[29]

The album's first single, "Feel", written by Williams and Chambers, was recorded as a demo. When they started working on the album and were trying to re-record the vocals, Williams felt unsatisfied with it, so he decided to include the demo version and then release it as the first single.^[30] When the single was released in late 2002, it became Williams' biggest international hit, going number one in countries like The Netherlands and Italy, as well as reaching the top ten in almost every single European country.^[31]

When Williams' fifth studio album, Escapology, was released in late 2002, it hit number one in at least 10 countries around the world. In the United States, however, it failed to make such an impact.

Due to the controversial video for the album's second single, "Come Undone", it was heavily censored by MTV Networks Europe for depicting a debauched (but fully clothed) Williams having three-way sex with two women. The video was about some young people having a party and it showed footage of fights, drug taking and alcohol abuse. It also showed unsettling images of insects and reptiles. The uncensored version of the video was released on DVD single in Europe and was also included on the Enhanced CD Single.^[32] BBC Radio 2 also banned the song for its explicit content.^[33] At that time, it was confirmed that Williams and Guy Chambers were to officially split up.^[32]

Escapology sold almost 2 million copies by the end of 2003 in the United Kingdom.^[34]

In October 2003, Williams released his first live album, Live at Knebworth.

In October 2004, Williams released, Greatest Hits, a retrospective of his career, and also, to reveal the new tracks he had been working on with the then-new collaborator, Stephen Duffy.^[35] "Radio", the compilation's first single, debuted at number one in the UK Singles Chart^[14] (becoming Williams' sixth number-one hit). When the compilation was later released it debuted at number one in the UK^[14] and was the best selling album of the year in the UK^[36] and Europe.^[37]

Eight years after the release of "Angels", in February 2005 the British public voted it as the "Best Single of the Past Twenty-Five Years" at the 2005 BRIT Awards.^[38]

After touring Latin America in late 2004 for the promotion Greatest Hits, Williams started working on his sixth studio album. Recorded at his house in the Hollywood Hills, the album was co-written by Stephen Duffy over the course of 24 months.^[39]

The track "Ghosts" was inspired by the Human League's "Louise", about a man who breaks off a relationship with his partner and realises he still has strong feelings for her.^[39]

The album Intensive Care was launched in Berlin on 9 October. It became a smash hit around the world.

In November 2005, Williams took home the MTV Europe Music Award for 'Best Male', but also, entered in The Guinness Book of World Records when he announced his World Tour for 2006, selling 1.6 million tickets in one single day.^[40] But after the success, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, and Howard Donald had agreed to reunite in Notting Hill, west London, for a preview screening of a documentary about Take That. The documentary screened on ITV1 on 16 November 2005. Unfortunately, according to a source quoted by The Sunday Mirror, "Robbie announced he wasn't coming. The rest of the band were gutted but felt the show had to go on."^[41]

Williams kicked off his Close Encounters World Tour in South Africa in April 2006, when he finished his European leg of the tour. 2.5 million people had seen the show,^[42] and after touring Latin America and Australia the numbers went up to 3 million.

[edit] 2006–09: Rudebox and Reality Killed the Video Star

Robbie Williams in concert in Hamburg, Germany in 2006

Williams released his much anticipated dance/electro album, Rudebox, on 23 October 2006. It featured collaborations with the Pet Shop Boys, William Orbit, Soul Mekanik, Joey Negro, Mark Ronson, Chris Grierson, The Orr Boys. It received mixed reviews: Allmusic gave it a four star rating, the NME 8 out of 10, and Music Week and MOJO were equally positive,^[43] but it received much weaker reviews from some of the British press.