One of the joys of living in Perth is that as soon as the last New Years Eve firework fizzles out, we’re into the Hopman Cup, a week long festival of tennis. This year there was the added bonus of seeing Roger Federer’s first game back after several months break.
© The Ponder Room
On the second day of 2017 I was lucky enough to witness the return of Roger Federer to competition, not a bad way to start the year. As you’d expect the crowd was huge, in fact it was an official record, the largest crowd at the Cup, around 13,000 people. I’ve been to a lot of events at the Perth Arena but I’ve never seen it packed to the brim.
© The Ponder Room
With a full house the atmosphere was beyond electric. The smoke and laser rock star introduction only added to the hysteria, and then it was down to business.
© The Ponder Room
Roger soon vanished a few collywobbles and was back to his usual impressive ground strokes. His opponent Dan Evans from Great Britain certainly didn’t disgrace himself, but the first match in less than half an hour. Roger looked as fresh as a daisy.
© The Ponder Room
The women’s singles featuring Belinda Bencic (SUI) and Heather Watson (GBR) was a long, somewhat uneventful tussle. When the match finished and it was time for the mixed doubles, it was interesting to note that the crowd was still at full capacity. The earlier Federer match had been over too soon, everyone was hanging on for more.
As soon as the match started it was obvious it had been worth the wait. Federer and Bencic had a fantastic connection which resulted in many giggles as well as good shots. Evans and Watson gave as good as they got, giving the crowd the fast paced match they’d wanted to see.
© The Ponder Room
© The Ponder Room
© The Ponder Room
Bencic not only kept pace, she helped Roger out on more than one occasion, something he was quick to point out in the post match interview. Switzerland had won.
© The Ponder Room
As I watched the venue empty I pondered:
- Clearly it’s a good idea to take some time off and regroup.
- What an amazing opportunity for the young female Swiss player.
- Many of the true tennis punters were not impressed with the Fast Four format. While it meant the end of 1am finishes it robbed them of watching a great doubles match.
- Any company wanting to create good customer service could learn a lot from the staff at the Arena. Every time I’ve been there the staff seem happy and eager to please. In fact I went three times this season and on each occasion my guests commented on the staff’s attitude.
- Roll on next year.
