Post by tall_one on May 8, 2005 23:18:54 GMT
Federer, Haas Take to the Water in Hamburg!
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INDESIT ATP 2005 Race leader Roger Federer and German star Tommy Haas marked the start of the Masters Series Hamburg tournament in style on Saturday, playing on a special 'floating' tennis court on the River Elbe. The players traded their usual fluid ground strokes, except this time on a special court installed on a pontoon carried along by a push-barge.
The activity coincided with the 816th birthday of the Hamburg harbour. The 30 meter-long pontoon was paraded in front of hordes of spectators on the banks of the River Elbe as the players braved the wind and the waves to put on a startling 20-minute exhibition in front of an estimated 15,000 spectators.
The players, who received widespread applause for their efforts in unfavorable conditions, hit tennis balls to the intrigued crowd before hopping onto a second boat to tend to numerous media commitments prior to the start of main draw action in Hamburg.
Federer: "It was a lot of fun and very enjoyable to play with Tommy. You could feel the waves, the court was definitely moving. It was windy, a nice fresh breeze and the surface was definitely a lot quicker than clay. We got used to it though and got some good rallies going in the end. They said 10 to 15,000 people watching from the harbour. That was fantastic."
"It's the birthday of the harbour and it's something very special for the people here in Hamburg and it's good to try and promote the tournament. I'm feeling good and am the defending champion here here so I have high hopes to do it again. The draw is not the easiest one but I've been feeling good in practice and my coach Tony Roche is here this week as well. It's not every week that he is with me so I hope I can make a good effort here. I'm looking forward to the event."
Haas: "Overall it was an unbelievable experience. It's the first time I've done something like that. I hope it's not the last as it was a lot of fun. It was very enjoyable and who knows, maybe it will be good preparation for the tournament.
"It took a little bit of adjustment at the beginning. We tested each other's games and towards the end had some good rallies and started to feel pretty comfortable out there."
Getty Images
INDESIT ATP 2005 Race leader Roger Federer and German star Tommy Haas marked the start of the Masters Series Hamburg tournament in style on Saturday, playing on a special 'floating' tennis court on the River Elbe. The players traded their usual fluid ground strokes, except this time on a special court installed on a pontoon carried along by a push-barge.
The activity coincided with the 816th birthday of the Hamburg harbour. The 30 meter-long pontoon was paraded in front of hordes of spectators on the banks of the River Elbe as the players braved the wind and the waves to put on a startling 20-minute exhibition in front of an estimated 15,000 spectators.
The players, who received widespread applause for their efforts in unfavorable conditions, hit tennis balls to the intrigued crowd before hopping onto a second boat to tend to numerous media commitments prior to the start of main draw action in Hamburg.
Federer: "It was a lot of fun and very enjoyable to play with Tommy. You could feel the waves, the court was definitely moving. It was windy, a nice fresh breeze and the surface was definitely a lot quicker than clay. We got used to it though and got some good rallies going in the end. They said 10 to 15,000 people watching from the harbour. That was fantastic."
"It's the birthday of the harbour and it's something very special for the people here in Hamburg and it's good to try and promote the tournament. I'm feeling good and am the defending champion here here so I have high hopes to do it again. The draw is not the easiest one but I've been feeling good in practice and my coach Tony Roche is here this week as well. It's not every week that he is with me so I hope I can make a good effort here. I'm looking forward to the event."
Haas: "Overall it was an unbelievable experience. It's the first time I've done something like that. I hope it's not the last as it was a lot of fun. It was very enjoyable and who knows, maybe it will be good preparation for the tournament.
"It took a little bit of adjustment at the beginning. We tested each other's games and towards the end had some good rallies and started to feel pretty comfortable out there."
