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Hamburg European Open 2021: Benoit cares - and the rain jacket could have stayed at home

The week and a half of the Hamburg European Open are almost over - what got stuck?

by Florian Goosmann from Hamburg
last edit: Jul 18, 2021, 09:33 am

The audience numbers? Yeah. At least something is going on again, from the official 600 at the beginning of the women's tournament to 3,600 in the men's semi-finals (4,000 were allowed due to the corona conditions on the final weekend). The stadium, which theoretically holds 10,000 fans, looked quite empty for many days, especially among the women. The prices on the weekends (women's semifinals / finals: 50 to 120 euros, men’s semifinals / finals: 59 to 145 euros) were also quite steep.
The Center Court, with the fabric roof, is a real gem. And everything around it not too huge, finely modernized, the food delicious and even affordable. It's a shame that access to the training grounds was closed, but due to the corona situation, it was of course sensible.
The men hardly had to complain: there was much less going on at the women's tournament, despite German participation in the semifinals (Petkovic, Niemeier) and final (Petkovic). Problematic here: of course the date in the second Wimbledon week and the corresponding lack of traction, with Dayana Yastremska, Yulia Putintseva and Tamara Zidansek as the top seed. On the other hand: It was the first edition since 2002. That means: keep your fingers crossed that the coming years will do more, it would be better for the tournament. And the Hamburg audience is actually a specialist.
It's a shame that Stefanos Tsitsipas only played two games in singles and one in doubles - he's a charmer. And, contrary to the concerns of some Hamburgers, had a great desire to win, at least one had to understand his frustration in the match against Krajinovic. And the "Moin Hamburg" after his opening win had already made him a favorite here. One is inclined to shout, "Boy, come back soon!"

Nobody really believed the weather in Hamburg. Pure sunshine on almost all of the days of the tournament, the phrase “Why did I take a rain jacket / long trousers with me?” Could be heard almost every day. It's one of the advantages of the July event.
Why the center court has to be called “the center court of the world” is perhaps well thought out from a marketing point of view, but perhaps a little exaggerated.
Oh yes, compliments to the stadium DJ. It's such a thing with music, unfortunately tastes are different. The selection in Hamburg was, however, appropriate, from Eurodance and Culture Beat with “Mr Vain” to Lou Bega with the still grandiose “Mambo No.5” to the Hamburg Dittsche band around Texas Lightning and the still underestimated “ No, No, Never “there was a lot that was fun without looking flat. Had to get it done first.
It's great that Benoit Paire is up for tennis again. You could have been angry with him for the past few months because of his partial refusal to work and the attitude of the ATP not even to speak a word of power. In Hamburg, Paire had a lot of fun and explained how important this was for self-confidence after his first knockout victory. He then had four match points to the semi-finals, the frustration at the end of his defeat against Delbonis, when he threw a bag of drinks angrily on the pitch, is gladly accepted. "Benoit cares", as it was said on tennis Twitter. And the Frenchman's game, which is so different, is simply a great asset to tennis.

Incidentally, Paire won two matches in a row for the first time since January 2020. His record in 2021 now: 4 wins, 19 defeats.
A somewhat irritating conversation with a nice older lady in a bakery just gets stuck. “It used to be something. With Michael Westphal. There you are still crouched with a rain jacket. Those were the days. ”She explained it enthusiastically.

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