On site
This year there is a new VIP area in the tennis stadium at Rothenbaum in Hamburg. An afternoon with wine and salmon and the heat battle between Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fils.
The first shock comes halfway through the first set: the tournament doctor runs onto the court. The match between Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fils has to be interrupted for several minutes. A murmur goes through the audience. Is there something wrong with Zverev’s knee, is the final perhaps already over early? The 27-year-old sustained a knee injury at the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon and has been wearing a bandage since then.
On the court in 31 degree heat with fans waving around him, he complains of nausea and is said to have said audibly to spectators sitting nearby: “I feel like I have to throw up.” He briefly talks to his physiotherapist and the doctor. The latter gives him powder in the water bottle: electrolytes for the diabetic. Zverev continues playing and the spectators breathe a sigh of relief.
For many here in the sold-out stadium in Hamburg Rothenbaum, the defending champion, who grew up in Hamburg, is the great hope. If he wins, he would be the first German since Gottfried von Cramm in 1949 to defend the title of a traditional tournament.
In the new VIP area, most people agree shortly beforehand: “Our Zverev” will win, announce the guests over white and rosé wine. This year, for the first time, the organizer Tennium has organized the tournament. As a demarcated area, they had a tent erected to the right of the main entrance for up to 350 people. The goal: It should be the new “place to be.” From 340 euros, anyone can buy a ticket for the area, including seats with a better view of the court. They are hoping for celebrities and possibly new sponsors.
Tennis between shrimps and celebrities
Celebrity guests such as star chef Tim Mälzer and ProSieben presenter Steven Gätjen have been there during the tournament to see for themselves. From the inside, the “Rothenbaum Club” looks like an upscale restaurant. The menu includes dishes such as salmon at 45 degrees, pasta with shrimps and beef fillets. “The salads here are very salady,” says one employee. Many visitors wear polo shirts.
“The VIP area is now much bigger and more elegant. There is no comparison to last year,” says visitor Laura Jansen. The 28-year-old marketing manager is particularly pleased about “the generosity.” Once in the tent, you can help yourself to unlimited amounts of food at the food counter with the various stands.
A woman with a diamond necklace around her neck, who does not want to be named – she does not want to lose entry – says: “I don’t need all this posh stuff” and sips her wine. Another guest, Florian Tkatsch, 40, says he bought the tickets primarily for the better view of the pitch. The managing director of an advertising agency is happy with the new area, but is annoyed that he was not allowed to take the drinks he bought in glass into the stadium and that there was no way to refill them.
A storm is brewing over Zverev
A lack of drinks is also an issue on the court. Arthur Fils gesticulates angrily, spectators hear him complaining about the water not being refilled. But that doesn’t stop him from giving Zverev a match that’s on par. Is it Zverev’s knee, is it the diabetic’s blood pressure?, the spectators ask themselves. Until he finally manages to tie the sets. The game drags on, the audience becomes restless, and then a thunderstorm brews. Use of the retractable roof, which hangs from the sky in a circular metal structure. Folded up, it resembles a tribe of bats, now it slowly spreads over the audience like the dark suspicion that “our Zverev” might not write German tennis history that day after all.
A few minutes later, Zverev and Fils aren’t the only ones wiping the rain from their faces. While the two are sweating, the guests in the top tier are hit by the rain shower that the storm is blowing into the stadium. Even the fold-out roof isn’t a 100% protection against the Hamburg weather. Zverev would probably have imagined the outcome differently. Thunder thunders over Hamburg, and the Hamburg player loses – after exactly three hours and 33 minutes. The decision is made in the tie-break. Zverev loses the match 3:6, 6:3, 6:7 (1:7).
It was “a dog fight,” Fils said later in the press conference. Zverev was optimistic. He was already looking forward to being on the court again. At the end, Fils got champagne instead of enough water – Zverev poured it first over his head and then into his mouth. He himself was not holding the winner’s trophy that day, but he might soon be carrying the German flag at the Olympics. For the ambitious tennis star, this is probably only a small consolation.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
