ATP your finals

There are four slams in a year and the ATP tour ends with the final event which is called Tour finals. For past 2 years it has been taking place at London O2 arena. It is the culmination of the ATP season and the tournament is second only to slams. It is one of the prestigious events and the importance can be gauged from the fact that Rafael Nadal wants to add this to his selection of cups in his already overcrowded trophy cabinet.

Well luckily I happen to be  at the tour finals this year. It is an amazing experience and probably one of the best stadiums to watch a game of tennis. The atmosphere was electrifying and at times it feels that you are watching a giant screen television.

In the morning it seemed as if all the roads or rather trains were going to O2. At the arena Rafael Nadal was practising and there was no way to go in as the courts were surrounded by Rafa's female fans. It seems that Rafa is the only tennis player to have such a big female fan following.

Organisers have done a fantastic job inside the auditorium and even from the top, tennis seemed quite enjoyable. The first match was a doubles match although the quality of tennis was good but the climax and pleasure never reached to it s zenith.

It's all very dramatic inside and at times you get a feeling of watching a cinema with dolby digital sound. The much anticipated clash started with both players arriving on the courts and welcome to Rafa was deafening. It was good to see that kind of recption for any kind of player. There was not too much support for Berdych and it seemed I was amongst three of his supporters amongst the crowd of 17,500 spectators.

Berdych started well to my liking and showed few signs of upsetting the current world no. 1 but the hope faded into disappointment after the first set win for Rafa. Come on Rafa! was the shout coming on between all the points and sporadic ' come on Thomas' shouts from the seat where I was sitting.

Finally I must say that it is a fantastic experience for any tennis fan to be there and I will go there again and again.