Aegon Masters serves up another treat

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:51

tennishead reporter Jamie Renton gets caught up in the fun of the 2009 Aegon Masters tournament…

How London can stage two so wildly different tennis tournaments in the space of two weeks just ten miles from each other – is beyond the confines of my mortal mind.

The inaugural Barclays ATP World Tour Finals proved a triumph for tennis, serving up a feast of the worlds best eight players on a deliciously appetising platter at the O2 Arena.

Like the rest of the watching world, us Brits gobbled up the treat indulgently.

But after eight days of blissfully high-octane tennis that culminated in a stunning win for Nikolay Davydenko, almost two weeks later, I found myself kicking-back in a box at the Royal Albert Hall at the Aegon Masters, nibbling on a prawn sandwich.

It is a crazy paradox. From the intense, big-hitting duels in glorious evidence at the O2 Arena comes a tournament oozing with light-hearted fun, crowd interaction, and plenty of showboating. Amid the entertainment, you almost forget you are watching some hugely talented former greats, all still more than capable of producing top-notch tennis.

At the Albert Hall, nobody really cares who wins, half the time, nobody really knows. Ask those competing in the singles and you will find their competitive streak still burns strong. But in the doubles, well, its mostly pantomime stuff especially when the

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here