Sport | Tennis

O2 gets the seal of approval

The O2 arena is the first American-style multi-purpose arena in London at the hub of the hi-tech 350 million pounds entertainment complex The O2, also known as The Dome.

  • By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
  • Published: 10:58 November 24, 2009

  • Image Credit: AP
  • A view of the stadium is seen as Britain's Andy Murray plays his tennis match against Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro during the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London

London: Almost all of the tennis stars here have given their seal of approval to The O2 Arena – the home for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals till 2013.

“I felt this is a proper court and it is fair for all playing styles,” top seed Roger Federer said of the new venue.

“If you want to play far back, you can do that. If you want to move in, you can do that too. That’s why I think it’s a good surface for the World Tour Finals,” he added.

The O2 arena is the first American-style multi-purpose arena in London at the hub of the hi-tech 350 million pounds entertainment complex The O2, also known as The Dome. With a capacity of 20,000 it is one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe. In 2008, after just one year of opening, the O2 arena became the most popular venue in the world, selling more tickets than Madison Square Garden and the Manchester Evening News arena.

Construction on the O2 Arena began in 2003 and finished in 2007 and after conducting the season-ending competitions in Houston and Shanghai, the ATP awarded the tournament to London for a five-year period ending in 2013. “The crowds are great, the lighting is unique and the focus is very much on us as we cannot see the crowd. It’s not Wimbledon like, but still special,” Federer noted.

Home favourite Andy Murray was in awe of the atmosphere at the arena. “When you are on court it’s so dark and you can’t see them, you only hear them. The atmosphere is excellent,” Murray stated.

“It’s dark in the back and I guess that helps us keep the focus on court. It is definitely different to an outdoor event,” Murray added.

The Scot further elaborated the uniqueness of this competition. “This is different to Wimbledon. There is no build-up to this event and that is what makes it a bit more difficult for all. Whereas there’s a good two weeks with Queen’s before Wimbledon,” Murray offered.

Also pitching in for the arena were the Bryan twins Bob and Mike. “It’s great. It’s a beautiful arena and there couldn’t have been a better place to play this tournament. All the players are excited to play here and the fans are great. This is probably the biggest stage, especially for the doubles players,” Bob stated.

Seventh seeds Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram soaked in the moment. “It’s very theatrical like out there,” Mirnyi said.

“It is how tennis should be,” Ram chipped in.

“Max almost started to sing today,” Ram joked.
 

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