You’d think the big heaving grunts on centre court would be a dead giveaway that your opponent is putting you under pressure. I’d want to be poker faced and play with silent determination, but then this isn’t a sedate game of poker. It’s huge slamming serves and almighty cross-court volleys that take the breath away with every hit.
Can you hear him?
Things got hot and heavy on centre court yesterday in Auckland in the quarter finals as I watched John Isner the 6’9″ (six feet nine!!) 24-year old American with the boyish face beat Tommy Robredo (and who has just gone through to the finals as I type) then Frenchie Arnaud Clement (pronounced Cle-monn) beat Austrian Jurgen Melzer. The 2nd game was more powerful I thought and you could seriously brand someone with those serves that came flying into the canvas surrounds.
The best stands are Robinson and Redwood if you don’t want to be baking in the sun and haven’t been invited by any swanky corporates to share their umbrella.
Parking is a bit of a mare. Annoyingly the Carlaw Park Wilson carpark gave me a ticket and allowed me in, only to find after circling up 6 floors that the only vacant spots were all Tow Away and I had to come back down and leave. Grr. The shingle pit across the road from the Stanley Street courts are a makeshift park for $15 for the day and was the only carpark available when I arrived yesterday afternoon.
Lufthansa a sponsor of this event and from whom I managed to blag my tickets. Thanks! But the big news out from them is that they have just launched their own booking website so you can now go direct for flights anywhere in Europe and buy online. Jump here and check it out on www.lufthansa.com
Tags: Auckland, Heineken Open, Lufthansa
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