By Contributor Jack Beeston
The grass court season is reaching it’s climax with another gripping Wimbledon drawing to a close, this years tournament has been full of surprises. Looking at this years tournament one thing is certain, British tennis is thriving with several players making it through the first few rounds.
Not only in Britain but in Nottingham as well which was evident after I visited the Nottingham Aegon Open for the first time last month. This was my first visit to the event and what an experience I had! As a huge sports fan I have been to a variety of sporting events across the country. This however was my first tennis tournament and it was right on our doorstep, featuring top players such as Kevin Anderson & Kyle Edmund amongst many more. After this experience I would urge anybody to visit this event next year or take a trip to any tennis tournament you can get to. Like myself, if you have not been to a tennis event before you may not know what quite to expect. Well here is what I thought…
As I arrived the rain had been coming down and play was just about to restart on centre court. So I made my way to my seat but not before passing the outside courts that were all full of action. Something I cannot describe is how intense the atmosphere is on these courts. You are so close to the players that you can hear every breath and see first hand the force and accuracy the players get on their shots. While waiting for play to start on centre court I took a seat, little did I know I had sat next to the coach of Britain’s Brydan Klein who was playing at the time. This scenario completely sums up the atmosphere of the event as unlike any other – sport players and coaches alike roam freely around the venue meeting fans and cheering on their compatriots. I even had a chance meeting with Britain’s Dan Evans who was going to watch Britain’s James Ward play on centre court but was more than happy to greet those who recognised him.
I made my way to centre court to watch James Ward take on the talented Tunisian; Malek Jaziri. As the players walked out on to the court the crowd erupted in support for the popular Briton. The atmosphere at the whole event was fantastic, everybody was extremely friendly and more than happy to have a laugh and a joke with strangers sat around them. On a Monday afternoon the crowd aged from six all the way up to over eighty and everyone was very respectful of the players when they were locked in battle on the court. Unfortunately, on this occasion it wasn’t good news for James Ward as he lost the match. But again a sign of the positive atmosphere at the event the crowd were very supportive of the winner, especially when he signed the match balls and fired them into the crowd.
While at the Nottingham Open I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the historic Davis Cup Trophy that was on tour. Looking at all the dates and winners on the trophy really does put into perspective how well the British team did last year.
The Nottingham Open although about the top players, it was also about getting children, young people and adults back into the game of tennis. Everyone was welcome to have a go on court alongside the pros in the Try Tennis area. Seeing everyone having fun playing the game (even in the rain!) really creates a buzz around the venue and the sport as a whole. With Major Events like this hopefully Nottingham can encourage people to get into tennis once again.