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January 09, 2004<download pdf doc>

CENTRE COURT ACTION

Tennis – a game played by super stars, in an excellent stadium, sponsored by Watson’s water, and watched by clever individuals who know exactly how to enjoy life to the fullest.

The Hong Kong Watson’s Water Challenge got off to a great start yesterday evening with an exciting opening ceremony that had all the ingredients for a delicious three days of tennis – 5 grand slam singles finalists/winners, beauty (16 year old Sharapova) and the beast (Max Mirnyi), an enthusiastic crowd of supporters, and a sound system to die for – never mind about the music.

Signed tennis balls were hit out into the well-receiving crowd by all nine of the stars before the real entertainment began.

First up on centre court was Roger Federer and Max Mirnyi. Two big-serving, beautiful-volleying experts battled it out in a hard-hitting display of talent vs. talent.
Federer, having finished the year 2003 as the world’s number 2 ranked player and a Wimbledon title under his belt, was the firm favourite. In a well-fought match, Federer finally managed to break the seemingly invincible Mirnyi serve and take the match 6-4 in the final set.

A special treat followed with Martina Navratilova taking to centre court again in an exciting mixed doubles match. She, partnered by Federer, took on Dementieva and Verkerk, and Verkerk’s serve. At 6-1 down, Navratilova got her second wind and showed the Hong Kong crowd why she has 20 Wimbledon titles to her name. With a sneaky little game of hide ‘n’ seek behind the big Canon camera and a few words to her younger partner, she managed to crack a few returns back and force a break of Verkerk’s serve. The crowd were on their feet, egging on a huge comeback. Some excellent tennis was seen in the next few games – Federer punching back a few volleys at the bullying Dementieva; Navratilova showing us that an old dog who already knows all the tricks needn’t have to learn them again. The fighting duo clawed their way back to 6-5, before graciously bowing out to their over-powering opponents 8-5.

Although superstars to most, the players showed Hong Kong just how fun tennis can really be. The atmosphere of the tournament managed to bring out the best of them - Verkerk and Dementieva have taken their bows and stepped aside, letting the crowd-pleasing Navratilova and Federer play the final match in their place on Saturday afternoon.

Verkerk, in an interview, expressed how well he thought the tournament had been run so far, how much he enjoyed being a part of a tournament that combined both excellent competition from 7 top 20 players in the world, and enjoyment in the form of a mixed doubles draw – “They should definitely have more tournaments like this on the tour… this is why we play tennis… because we love the game, not just the results.”

Be sure to purchase your tickets for the finals. Be a clever individual. Enjoy life to the fullest.