HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GERRY WEBER OPEN – FIRST TIME’S THE CHARM & THE BEST PART WAS WATCHING ROGER FEDERER’S PERFORMANCES! WIN OR LOSE THERE IS NO ONE BETTER, EVER

Written by: Staff on 19th June 2016

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GERRY WEBER OPEN – FIRST TIME'S THE CHARM & THE BEST PART WAS WATCHING ROGER FEDERER'S PERFORMANCES! WIN OR LOSE THERE IS NO ONE BETTER, EVER

epa05363766 Florian Mayer (top) of Germany in action against Brian Baker of the USA during the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, 14 June 2016. EPA/FRISOÂ GENTSCH |

By Lioba Anna Moers

I’m currently at the ATP Gerry Weber Open in Halle Westfalen (Germany) at my first big pro tennis tournament! I’m spending a wonderful and exciting week with my fiancé, Andy Fitzell. Today is the last day and unfortunately we’ll leave soon to get back home. It was great to be among all the tennis fans, watching matches live and to be so close to the players! To give you an impression of this amazing grass court tournament here are my top 4 highlights of the week:

1. First of all, a HUGE thanks to 10sballs_com! It was so cool to be behind the scenes, watch every match live, be in the press area and participate at the press conferences. [I finally got to use my journalism skills, and my parents thought those classes were impractical]

2. The entertainment offered around the stadium was another highlight of the week. There was a huge stage with a variety of programs (live music, interviews, etc.), shopping tents of tennis brands, food stands and attractions. The whole atmosphere was awesome, although the weather didn’t always bring sunshine.

3. Another highlight was the final of the doubles: after beating the Bryan Brothers in the semi-finals, Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram competed in the finals today against Lukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya. Raven is a good friend of Andy’s, and I was able to meet him in person yesterday. So during today’s final I was hanging at the edge of my seat. I was so happy to see Raven and Rajeev win the title, even though as press we are not allowed to cheer or show favoritism towards any player!

Switzerland’s Roger Federer returns the ball to Dominic Thiem of Austria during their semi final match of the ATP tennis tournament at the Weissenhof in Stuttgart, Germany, 11 June 2016. EPA/MARIJAN MURAT

4. But the most amazing highlight for me was that I was able to watch matches of my tennis idol, Roger Federer, in person! Unfortunately, he lost yesterday against 19 year old Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. But it was an unbelievable experience to watch him play four times. Way before the matches started, the stadium was already full of fans waiting for the arrival of the “King of Grass”. You could literally feel the tension in the air. It was even better than I expected. His perfect strokes and elegant way of playing were celestial! Of course I participated in the press conferences after the matches to get a better impression of him. Now I understand why he is so well respected. He answers every question in detail and is very accommodating to journalists. I hope he’ll bless us with his presence for many more years to come!

I can recommend every tennis fan–or anyone who like sports in general–to come to the Gerry Weber Open. Not only because it is one of the few grass court tournaments, but also because of the whole package: sports, fun, shopping and entertainment. It’s definitely an experience I won’t soon forget!

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp World Tour, Gerry Weber Open, Grass tennis, Halle, Malek Jaziri, Roger Federer, Tennis News