Silly question, but can a tennis tournament move house? I read the HLN piece (a Flemish daily) on the 7:32 train, and the answer is yes. The European Open in Brussels left Expo 12 for Paleis 5 on the night of 22 to 23 October. Right in the middle of the tournament. HLN calls it a first in the world of tennis.
I looked for the reason. It’s simple: the ING Arena had another booking this weekend. And Paleis 5 was taken the weekend before by trade fairs and Heroes World. So tennis was played in one hall up to and including Thursday, and finishes in another. When I change kot (student room), I give three months’ notice.
The tournament director, Mr Norman, gave the numbers: about a hundred people on the operation, 25 to 30 big semi-trailers into Paleis 5, around fifty people who barely slept. The dismantling started after Zizou Bergs’s match on Wednesday evening. They took the fan zone, the restaurants, the ATP offices and the signage. The signage. The signs that tell you where to go moved too. I find that very honest.
The centre court, with all its stands, wouldn’t fit into a single night. So they started building the tennis arena in Paleis 5 on Monday. I’m told it’s logistics, fine, but what does that mean?
There are no changing rooms in the Expo halls. The players rest and shower in camper vans. I checked, and actually it’s true.
The tournament director told HLN it was exactly like a Madonna concert. Zizou Bergs, the only Belgian still in the draw, plays his quarter-final on Friday evening against Jan-Lennard Struff. He told HLN it will take a little getting used to the new hall. Me too. I still don’t know where the buvette (the club bar) is.
A hundred people, and fifty of them barely slept. The semi-trailer gentleman surely has a mother, and she is proud.
Anyway, I still have a lot to learn.
It’s true, we checked: HLN.
