Hello to all!  I hope everyone enjoyed the Holiday season and are now set in their routines for 2009.  I spent the Christmas holidays with my family in McAllen, Texas, which was great.  The temperatures pushed into the high '80's, which is not exactly winter holiday weather for most of us but is rather typical for South Texas.

It was great to hangout with my family for both Thanksgiving and Christmas as I hadn't seen my parents since Wimbledon and my older sister since Christmas of 2007.  Being away from family and friends is something you have to get used to as a pro tennis player.  This offseason has been quite different from the past 3 years.  As soon as I got back from Europe, I went to Austin to begin studying for the GMAT.  The past couple of years, I have been training in Palm Springs with my coach, Jose Higueras, in December getting ready for the upcoming season.  After I take the GMAT, I will start applying to Business schools for the Fall, 2009.

When I look back at 2008, I have alot of great memories both on and off the court.  I was able to accomplish one of my goals that I set when I first started playing on the tour, which was to play in a Grand Slam.  Wimbledon was awesome.  I've only played on grass a few times as a kid, but I remember it being fun.  And to get to play in London in the biggest tournament in the world was an amazing experience that made all the sacrifices and hard work to get to that point worth it.  After Wimbledon, I headed to Ireland for a tournament.  That was an experience not too many other tennis players have been through.  First of all, it rained practically everyday in Ireland.  Secondly, the tennis courts were made of synthetic carpet designed to absorb water.  So even if it's raining, you can still play tennis.  I played a three-hour match, which I won 14-12 in the 3rd set tiebreaker in non-stop rain.  Everytime I would run for a shot, I would slide 4-5 feet through puddles of water.  It was truly an unforgettable experience.  Luckily my parents love me enough that they watched the whole match under their umbrella.

The weird part about tennis is that although I traveled all over the world, I always seemed to run into somebody I knew or get housing with a family I knew.  The tournaments in the U.S. do a great job of providing housing for players, but housing is not common in other parts of the world.  I started the year in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  My old roommate from UCLA, Rodrigo, lives there.  Last year, I was in New Delhi, India and stayed with a family, the Kapurs, that my parents knew.  I played club tennis in Germany and my teammate from UCLA, Philipp, housed me.  I stayed with a friend, Kristof, in Poznan, Poland.  I played a tournament in Mexico City and stayed with my uncle.  In London, my aunt put me up for a week.  Tennis has connected me with people from all over the world and has helped me appreciate other cultures and societies that I would never have come into contact with.

A prime example of this was at last year's U.S. Open.  I was on the bubble to make qualifying and ended up being the last one out of the singles draw, which was disappointing, to say the least.  However, while I was at the Open, I was asked to workout and hit with arguably the greatest player ever, Roger Federer.  We played in Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is the largest tennis stadium in the world.  It was an amazing experience!  Roger is such a nice person and hitting with him is something I'll never forget.

Finally, while I've decided to retire from the ATP Tour, I want to thank everyone who has helped me in anyway throughout my tennis career.  I really appreciate your support and to all my Berto-Backers out there, have a great 2009, and beyond!

ALBERTO