ATP Tennis Tournament in Bangkok
Well, I don't follow professional tennis that much, but my attention was drawn to the annual ATP Tennis Tournament in Bangkok by a message in the Algemeen Dagblad. It will be played at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani from September 21 to next Sunday, September 29.
The ATP tennis tournaments are played in many countries, such as Rotterdam, and Bangkok has also been participating in this tennis circuit for years. Not the most famous tennis players play in Bangkok, the Frenchman Richard Gasquet – who won the tournament last year – and the Czech Tomas Berdych are the highest ranked players.
Two Dutchmen also come into action, Igor Sijsling and Robin Haase. Both Dutch players won their first match and unfortunately they were condemned by the draw to play against each other in the second round. I say unfortunately, because it would have been more fun if they would meet later in the tournament (final?), but anyway it can be a nice match. In any case, there is at least one Dutchman in the quarterfinals.
As said, it is not always the most well-known players who make an appearance in Bangkok, but often younger professionals who can grow into the world top. A look at the “Hall of Fame” in Bangkok shows us that Roger Federer won the tournament in 2004 and 2005 with Andy Roddick resp. Andy Murray as opponent. Tsonga and Djokovic played the final in 2008 and Andy Murray won the tournament in 2011.
The tournament is broadcasted on Thai television by True Visions, but a visit to the Impact Arena evokes a different atmosphere. Take a look and you might see a future Grand Slam winner at work
Check out the website for all the details: www.thailandopen.org