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AEGON Champ’s: People’s Day


 

Originally published on: 13/06/11 16:09

It wasn’t that Queen’s Club was transformed by the people on Monday, but the prestigious venue did feel a little more egalitarian than normal, with members confined to the designated areas on the balconies.

According to the tournament organisers a capacity Centre Court crowd of 6,858 gathered to witness the Scot’s victory with thousands of tickets sold within an hour of going on sale on Sunday evening. A good 2000 tickets were sold for £10 each on the gate this morning and those that could not get a seat on Centre Court were able to watch the match on a big screen erected in the public area.

Andy Murray eventually defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 in just under two and a half hours in a captivating match. After a slow start, the Scot demonstrated more of the flair that we’ve grown accustomed to this week and also treated the crowd to a couple of through-the-leg shots – the second of which hammered the final nail in the coffin for Tsonga, who seemed to throw himself around the court as often as Boris Becker did in his career.

“He was playing a different sport to me in the first set. I’ve never seen someone dive so much on court,” said Murray of his opponent after lifting his second Queen’s Club title. The 24-year-old managed to match Tsonga for determination in the second set as he clinched the tie-break for the loss of just two points.

Also admitting that his time at Queen’s this year had been “one of the most fun weeks I’ve had on the tour,” Murray’s relaxed approach has put him firmly in contention to challenge for the Wimbledon crown. Mind you, if he does manage to feature in that prestigious final, one thing’s certain – it’ll take place on a Sunday not a Monday. Sorry people.

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.