Tomas Berdych.net

Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace -- and good wishes from China -- to children all over the world.

Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame.

Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

Fuwa also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature -- the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky -- all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation.

Q: Tomas, are you looking forward to the Olympics?

TB: Yeah, of course. After my last memories from Athens, it's still the big thing in my mind. And if I get a chance, I'm going to be healthy, so I will be pretty happy to go there and to see another Olympic Games. I think for me it's a really special tournament.
Q: Your win over Federer put you on the map, didn't it?

TB: Yeah, of course. I mean, it was a huge match, especially in the Olympic Games, which is not every single week. A lot of people are watching, not only the tennis, but everybody's watching the Olympic Games. And when there is a big, big result or something in one kind of sport, everybody realises it.

Q: Your victory over Federer was almost four years ago, but do you still think back to that match?

TB:: Yeah, of course, I can see many of the points if I close my eyes; I can see it like on the video. So, yeah, it was pretty fantastic, especially when we start in the morning with the warm-up.

We were sharing the courts; I was sitting and watching and thinking, yeah, this is the guy. Then thinking what I'm going to do on the court, playing with him. And then when we start the match, everything works, everything was fine, and I was feeling great. The atmosphere was nice on the court. So, yeah, it was a pretty fantastic match.

Q: What other memories do you have from Athens?

TB: Staying in the Olympic Village with all of the athletes. You can see everybody from all the other sports, all the basketball players or whatever. It's pretty nice to meet somebody you have only watched on the TV.

Q: How was living that village life during the Olympics?

TB: Yeah, it was pretty special. It was really nice because we had a house, and we stayed there with our basketball players. We were really close to the tent with the food, so we didn't need to travel a lot from the village.

Q: What do you prefer, the winter Olympics or the summer Olympics?

TB: Well, of course the summer Olympics. But it's tough to say, because for the summer Olympics there is a chance that I can be there. And for the winter Olympics we have our ice hockey team. So that's like two different things.

Q: And no doubt your girlfriend, Lucie Safarova, will be there. Does that make it more special?

TB: Yeah, of course. I mean, four years ago it was the beginning of our relationship. And it was for me on the line whether I would get into the tournament or not. So I was lucky to get in. She is younger than me, so now it's going to be the first time for her, and I think she's going to enjoy it. It's going to be a really nice week for us.