TENNIS GERRY WEBER OPEN – When Roger Federer and his good friend from Basel, Marco Chiudinelli received a doubles Walk Over from Martin Emmrich of Germany and Andreas Seppi of Italy, who became ill. “Practice” took on a special meaning as Federer and Chiudinelli took the time to entertain “Ladies Day” fans. From Halle, Mark Winters
Almost every National Basketball Association (NBA) fan knows about Allen Iverson’s one-of-a-kind ability. He was, for a player alleged to be six feet tall, but who seemed to be closer to five feet, ten inches in height, a prolific scorer. He won the scoring title four times, was the Most Valuable Player in 2001, and has been rated the fifth greatest shooting guard of all-time. He had a fashion sense that turned “baggy” clothes into a “cool” look. But, for many, Iverson is best known for his U-Tube popularized rant, following his team’s (the Philadelphia 76ers) early loss in the 2001-02 NBA play-offs. He pointed out that he was the 76ers “franchise player”, yet he was being criticized for missing “practice…” In his epic soliloquy, he used the word “practice” more than twenty times.
Today, at the Gerry Weber Open, (though Iverson was not in Halle, Germany), the afternoon was all about “Practice.” Roger Federer and his good friend from Basel, Marco Chiudinelli were supposed to play doubles against Martin Emmrich of Germany and Andreas Seppi of Italy. Unfortunately, for the fans hoping to see the No. 2 singles seed, Federer’s first tournament match, Seppi became ill, which gave the Swiss tandem a Walk Over.
Gerry, the tournament founder, and his son, Ralf, the Tournament Director, have not made their event so successful by not being intuitively flexible. Federer has a lifetime contract with the tournament, and an understanding of the game beyond merely hitting winners. Rather than leave Court 1 empty for a period or move the Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Robert Linstedt of Sweden, the top seeded doubles team’s contest with Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei and Oliver Marach of Austria, which was scheduled not before 3:00 p.m. Federer suggested that a public “practice” session take place.
As readers can imagine, every one of the 4,500 court seats (and more) were filled to watch Federer and Chiudinelli practice.
Having written about the game for a quite some time, I had to reach deep into my memory to find remember such a stands-filled practice session. Federer, of course, is magic when it comes to drawing appreciative fans, and I recalled clogged aisles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club when he practiced on the revered lawns. In the days, when he was a perpetual Wimbledon semifinalist, Tim Henman was “Our Tim” and crowds flock to his practice sessions, as they do to those of current Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray.
But, this was no ordinary practice. Annually at the Gerry Weber Open, Wednesday is “Ladies Day”, which meant that the grounds, at the tournament facility, were teeming with ladies anxious to see tennis and even more ready to watch Federer go through an entertaining practice. Taking full advantage of the years they have spent on the court together, Federer and Chiudinelli put on a practice session that was choreographed to perfection.
The spectators loved it. Even more meaningful, they left with a better understanding of what is involved in hitting tennis balls and the talent that it takes to do so on with professional skill.
Roger Federer and Marco Chiudinelli deserve kudos. But, the former once again proved why he is so unique by even proposing the “practice”. It is one that turned what could have been a disaster into a memorable experience for Gerry Weber Open tennis fans.
