Visiting Christ the Redeemer with Fognini and Pennetta
Maria Esther Bueno is at the Rio Open and spinning many hats!
“I arrived on Saturday and went up Corcovado to visit the Cristo Redentor [statue of Christ the Redeemer] with Fabio Fognini and Flavia Pennetta for Pirelli,” she said.
“We had a really good time and spent a couple of hours up there as the sun set. It was very spectacular.
“They went up all the way up and looked out of the arm, which is not something the general public gets to do but since Pirelli did the repairs to the statue, they have special privileges there.
“I refused to go up in that lift!” she laughed. “I’m afraid of heights and then it is still quite a climb… no way!”
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- Flavia and Fabio made it to the top!
The statue is 30 metres (98 ft) tall, not including its 8-metre (26 ft) pedestal, and its arms stretch 28 metres (92 ft) wide. It weighs 635 metric tons and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio.
It was Dedicated October 12, 1931 and is an enduring symbol of Rio and Brazil that has sustained considerable damage over the years.
There is a trapdoor on the Christ’s right shoulder and, if you peep out, you can see the world far below, white blocks of flats and offices clustered among folds of tropical green and beyond the sands of Copacabana and Ipanema, lies the limitless Atlantic ocean.
The statue was struck by lightning during a violent thunderstorm on February 10, 2008, and suffered some damage to the fingers, head and eyebrows. A restoration effort was put in place by the Rio de Janeiro state government to replace some of the outer soapstone layers and repair the lightning rods installed on the statue.
It was damaged by lightning again, on 17 January 2014, when a finger on the right hand was dislodged so a massive restoration of the statue was undertaken, financed by Pirelli.
“In 2014 Pirelli is celebrating 85 years in Brazil. Restoring Christ the Redeemer is the best thing we can do to thank this country and celebrate this anniversary”, said Paolo Dal Pino, President of Pirelli South America, at the time.
“For a monument like this, that hosts two million [of] guests a year – it’s going to be three million people probably in 2014 – a place like this, damaged, is something that cannot exist.”
Pirelli’s partnership
Pirelli’s support extends beyond its enduring gift to a nation to supporting the ATP and WTA events comprising the Rio Open as one of the tournament’s set of diverse sponsors.
The event is being held at the prestigious Jockey Club Brasileiro, which can be seen below the Christ.
“I had lunch in the Jockey Club itself after having a hit there and it was really nice to see it again after several years,” said Maria Esther. “The tennis is alongside the race course and we are always so busy that I didn’t get a chance until now.”
Maria Esther dined with the VIPs from Rolex, who had flown out to Rio from Switzerland to see the Rio Open, and then, later in the day, she spent time with their guests at the tennis, chatting and posing for pictures and signing autographs.
“The Rolex people were very impressed with the Cristo necklace that Pirelli gave me. Because it is made in pink [rose] gold, it goes very well with my Rolex watch!”
At the IGK Dinner
On Sunday evening she attended the dinner given in aid of the Instituto Guga Kuerten, another partner of the Rio Open.
“I was very touched when Guga made a speech to me, saying I was his idol since he was 17!” said Maria Esther. “He came over to the table where I was sitting with my Pirelli friends and was very eloquent. It was very sweet of him”
Maria Esther responded by commending Guga for all his great work with kids through his foundation, adding that he and his team were making a real difference to their lives.
You can see her reply on Guga’s Facebook page.
“Afterwards I had a chance to talk to his family, agent and members of his [Guga’s] team,” she continued. “They thanked me for my words but there was no need as they really are doing a great job!”
All this before the tournament even got under way!
“The first day’s play was interrupted by a deluge [of rain] that inundated the courts and made play impossible half way through through the afternoon so on Tuesday we had even more matches to cover.”
Pirelli Press Conference
Tuesday also saw Pirelli call a press conference to bring together two US Open champions – Maria Esther Bueno and Flavia Pennetta.
The two talked about the evolution of the sport and shared experiences about their careers.
“The only thing that hasn’t changed is that to achieve something we need to dedicate a lot and face the challenges with a lot of determination”, said Maria Esther, who is celebrating 50 years of her last US Open win in 2016.
Four times champion in Flushing Meadows and three times winner in Wimbledon, both in singles, Maria Esther congratulated Pennetta on her victory last year against fellow Italian Roberta Vinci.
“I was at the final and it was such a pleasure to see them playing. It was not only about physical strength, but it was a beautiful tennis match. It was also nice to see how brave Flavia was retiring at her best”, she added.
Pennetta congratulated Maria Esther on her achievements and thanked her for the compliments.
“I really don´t know how they played back then. Today things are much easier for us and I really don´t know what they are feeding this new generation… They are all huge”, she joked.
“Now they pay a lot more attention to the physical part of the sport. I used to like it better in the past, when the game was more mental and technical. It´s incredible to see how much the sport evolved in this period.”
The Italian also explained that the decision of retiring last year was made before winning the title, the eleventh WTA trophy of her career.
“It was something I was thinking for a while and the most difficult part was telling my parents. But I knew it was time to do it and I feel happier now. But I never thought I would end my career on such a high level”, said the Italian, who is in Rio to watch her fiancé Fabio Fognini play the tournament.
“I´m really happy to be here and it´s such a different experience to be in a city as a player and just for keeping company to your fiancé! I´m enjoying Rio a lot and relaxing a lot as well”, revealed Pennetta, who has been sightseeing since she got to the city during the weekend.
“I climbed the statue of Christ the Redeemer with Fabio and it was just amazing. It was great and I took some of the best pictures of my life up there.”
The Italian television station, RAI, reported on national news > Click HERE.
Pirelli issued this release to the media:
“Maria Esther Bueno, the first woman to lead Brazil’s flag in the elite of world tennis, will be brand Ambassador Pirelli in 2016. The tennis player will participate in company events and lectures throughout the year and will offer tennis clinics for guests of the tyre manufacturer.
Pirelli chose this icon of the sport due to the affinity between the tennis and the tyre manufacturer.
“We chose Maria Esther Bueno to be Ambassador of our brand because she is a legend, a person who represents exactly the values with which the Pirelli share: daring, dedication, resilience and strength of will,” says Paolo Dal Pino, Chief Executive of Pirelli to Latin America.
“The tennis player represents exactly the message that we believe in,
“Love for the craft is another quality that binds the company to this tennis player, who is the first woman to lead the Country to the top of the podium of the most important tennis tournaments in the world, including Wimbledon and the US Open.”
“Everything I did, I did with love, without counting the Championships and titles I won. My history of dedication, my resilience, being strong-willed and very, very daring is why we’re together, Pirelli and I, “says Maria Esther Bueno.
The Pirelli has a tradition in supporting sports and in Brazil, the brand already had volleyball team and supported national boxing icons.
Currently, the company is the largest supplier of Brazilian auto racing and unique brand of formula 1 tires.
In November 2015, the TireMaker announced the partnership with the Rio Open, only tennis tournament in South America to host both an ATP World Tour 500 and WTA International.
Pirelli Calendar
In 2016, the iconic Pirelli Calendar has reinforced the brand’s connection with the world of tennis to imprint Serena Williams, portrayed by the powerful lens of Annie Leibovitz.
Williams is gracing the April page, posing topless in the milestone edition of the calendar which features women chosen for their achievements and not just looks.
Even though the 2016 issue of this famous calendar is historic since, unlike in previous years, the models are mostly fully clad, the winner of 36 Grand Slam titles stripped down to her black panties, showing her powerful muscles while posing back to the camera.
“Pirelli is promoting the calendar during the tennis here in Rio with a 30 second video, which we shot in Sao Paulo a few weeks’ back,” said Maria Esther. “It’s a remarkable piece of work by the photographer.”
The idea behind the new calendar was to showcase women of all fields and celebrate them for their power, poise, and accomplishments—rather than their naked forms.
Included in the portrait series are Fran Lebowitz, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Amy Schumer, Serena Williams, Tavi Gevinson, Ava DuVernay, Yao Chen, Mellody Hobson, Shirin Neshat, Agnes Gund, Kathleen Kennedy, and Natalia Vodianova.