Rotterdam Open
The energy and colour of the Rotterdam Open provides a boost of excitement between the Australian Open in January and the French and UK majors later in the year. Rotterdam’s indoor arena provides the perfect playing surface and atmosphere for the world’s stars to start their European season in earnest. Some of the top names in the world game will be looking to gain a crucial psychological advantage, while many others in the chasing pack will be out to impress with a big performance. So say Ahoy to Rotterdam Open Tickets at StubHub!
The Rotterdam Open – background and history
Held since the early 1970s and a regular fixture on the ATP Tour since 1990, the Rotterdam Open has been an established part of the international tennis calendar for generations of professionals. Since its inception, it has been hosted at the Ahoy Rotterdam arena, which boasts one of the largest capacities in world tennis – it’s bigger than the Rod Laver Arena or the Centre Court at Wimbledon.
The tournament will always be associated with the elegant and tactical matchplay of Arthur Ashe, who won three out of the first four championships. The late 1990s were a golden time for the local players, with Richard Krajicek and Jan Siemerink winning three titles between them. In more recent times, the tournament has attracted some of the most stylish and entertaining stroke-makers in world tennis. Those with Rotterdam Open Tickets for the final have witnessed the athleticism and improvisation of France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the pounding ground-strokes of Juan Martin del Potro and the all-round elegance of Roger Federer.
Great encounters
Federer has played a part in some of the tournament’s finest moments, not least in his title-winning year of 2012, when he comprehensively defeated the luckless Del Potro 6-1, 6-4. The dangerous Tomas Berdych is one of the few players to have won both singles and doubles titles, completing the pair with a devastating straight-sets win over the in-form Marian Cilic in 2014 – a memorable performance that took him to his highest world ranking.
In the doubles game, the Open has seen some fine exhibition tennis and some hard-fought matches. Few finals will ever equal the duel that pitted Michaël Llodra & Nenad Zimonji? against Robert Lindstedt & Horia Tec?u. A gruelling and nail-biting final set was finally settled 16-14 – the longest decider in the tournament’s history.
Similar tennis tournaments
If that has whetted your appetite for top-class tennis, take a look at what's on offer for Wimbledon? Or how about a trip to London for the end-of-season showcase, the ATP World Tour Finals?
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