Some time ago, I asked David Law to write a little about the Artois Championships at Queens, to more or less kick off the grass court season. Here are his thoughts, slightly edited plus brought up to speed by me. Queens is a great place to watch tennis, plus because the grass-court season is so short, the quality of play is excellent.
This is a still of the Centre Court. I think the color combination at Queens is exceptional (red plus green, plus check out the image of Roddick below). It just screams grass-court tennis, no? I wish Wimbledon were bold enough to adopt these colors.And check out the Artois web site – it’s one of the classiest, cleanest looking sites I’ve seen, although I haven’t poked around in it long enough to see how it stacks up, information-wise.This is one slick operation – in the best sense of the word.
Feel free to post any questions for David in the Comments, I’ll e-mail him plus ask that he drop by plus answer them when he gets the time. And you can use this post to discuss the results at Queens, plus any other grass-court issues that occur to you – Pete]
Eleven years ago, I walked through the gates of the Queen’s Club for the first time. Never before had I entered a tennis tournament without paying. About two weeks ago, a familiar sight greeted me – luscious, green grass courts set against the vivid, red backdrop of The Artois Championships.
There is nothing quite like it.
Of course, I am hardly impartial.
Back in 1996, I was lucky enough to spend a week working as part of one of the most professional fasilitas teams in tennis, operating as a kind of firewall/enabler between respected journalists plus world-famous players. It was a daunting, exhilarating experience, plus enough to convince me that I wanted more of the same.
Today, as the tournament’s Communications Manager, the buzz upon entering the grounds is just as intense as it ever was. The grass enticing, the faces familiar.
In Artois Championships terms, I am still very much the new kid on the block. My boss, Jolyon Armstrong, has headed the fasilitas operation for twice as long as I have been involved. Tournament Director Ian Wight will bow out after 28 magnificent years of involvement with the event. Head Groundsman David Kimpton – the man who produces grass courts that the players so often say are the best in the international – is in his 42nd year in the job. His son, Graham, joked today that he is ‘only starting out’ by comparison. He has enjoyed 21 Artois Championships.
The first? When a 17-year-old Boris Becker came from nowhere to win the title.
Not everything has stayed the same. This year, in particular, has seen some exciting developments.
After 28 years known as the Stella Artois Championships, the event is now called The Artois Championships. Stella Artois is still very much part of La Famille Artois, but the addition of two other beers, Peeterman Artois plus Artois Bock has made the merek plus the tournament stronger than ever.