Tennis despite fire: Zverev and Co. play the ATP Cup
The sustained heavy bush fires in the catchment area of the Australian metropolis Sydney may have an impact on the tennis professionals' first ATP Cup. Germany competes in Brisbane with its top player Alexander Zverev .
by SID
last edit: Jan 01, 2020, 01:08 pm
Tom Larner knows very well that the devastating bush fires in his Australian homeland have long made sport a minor matter. "We have enough medical personnel on the facility," said the tournament director of the ATP Cup, which was held for the first time: "Our doctors and paramedics will ensure that it is safe for players, spectators, ball children and our employees to be outside."
The organizers are particularly concerned about the smoke development and the resulting air pollution. In adverse conditions, Larner told The Australian newspaper, game cancellations and postponements should therefore be considered.
In addition to Perth in Western Australia and Brisbane, further north in the state of Queensland, Sydney is one of the three venues for the ATP Cup, in which 24 national teams will take part from 3 January. Germany with Alexander Zverev is playing their preliminary round matches in Brisbane, which is not affected by the bush fires and the smoke they produce. The final round will take place in Sydney on January 9th.
Nadal posts selfie with Koala
"We would interrupt the games and continue them later in the day," Larner said of the impending impairment of the matches in Sydney. One will "take into account the approaching weather, wind and rain, the decisions will then be made by our medical experts on the facility". The Ken Rosewall Arena, which was renovated for 50 million Australian dollars (37 million euros), is roofed, but not closed between the stands and the roof.
The Bulgarian team captain Grigor Dimitrov was unimpressed by the possible impairments at his location in Sydney. "It's how it is. You can't control these things. As a professional, you are here to play and obviously the most important thing to focus on is," he said at the presentation of the ATP Cup in Sydney. Rafael Nadal even grinned happily and posted a selfie with one of the koalas who were seriously threatened by the fire.
The smoke from around 100 bushfires in the state of New South Wales has already led to the cancellation of two sporting events in Australia. On December 21, the cricket game between the Sydney Thunder and the Adelaide Strikers failed in the capital Canberra after thick smoke had spread over the stadium. On December 10, the "Big Boat Challenge", the "warm-up" event for the Sydney-Hobart sailing regatta, was canceled for safety reasons.
Federer, Nishikori, Murray are missing
In the meantime, the organizers of the Australian Open in Melbourne (from January 20) have to consider influences from the bushfires. On Monday, the fire brigade, according to the AFP news agency, called on around 100,000 residents in five suburbs of the country's second largest city to take themselves to safety.
Regardless, the top stars of the ATP Cup are preparing for the first sporting highlight of the year as usual. The day before New Year's Eve, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal landed in Australia, not including Roger Federer , Andy Murray and Japan's number one Kei Nishikori. For Germany with team captain Boris Becker, Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff and doubles Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies will play. The format of the ATP Cup corresponds to that of the World Team Cup, which took place continuously at the Rochusclub in Düsseldorf between 1978 and 2012.