HALLE, Germany – Hop off the train here in this sleepy, off-the-map country town of 20,000 and stroll 10 minutes to the second-largest grass court arena in the world, Gerry Weber Stadion.
This is Halle, the Wimbledon tune-up event that – like The Championships – has been won seven times by Roger Federer, and is both at once the antithesis and the sister event to the biggest tennis tournament in the world.
What is much the same to Wimbledon here is the elegant intimacy that comes uniquely with grass court tennis: Fans stroll between courts and settle into matches inside the Stadion or on the adjacent Court 1, which is built alongside the main arena and plays its tennis in the sunny shadow of the bigger venue.
Here, its bratwurst and bier over strawberries and cream, but the world-class tennis and the engaging stars are much the same. Monday evening they packed into the stadium court to watch Federer, who slipped three times on the first-day-slick grass but escaped in a third-set tiebreak over Philipp Kohlschreiber, the home hope.
Halle is an event that Federer has excelled at, mostly in years where he walked onto the courts of the All England Club and won a few weeks later. Swiss flags are as common as German ones here, and in 2012 the tournament named an adjacent street after the 17-time major champion, Roger-Federer-Allee.
“It’s been a rock-solid tournament for a long time, aside from it missing the 100-year tradition,” said a smiling Federer between matches earlier this week. “I was the first to win Halle and go on to win Wimbledon, which I think for the tournament was really important for them to show all the other players around the world that Halle is the perfect preparation for Wimbledon.”
The tournament swirls in action around the Gerry Webber Stadion court: Fans bob from food stalls to bier stands, snacking on German goods as they make their way out to the open-plan courts of 2 and 3. It’s here that the courts are side-by-side, with risers on each end. As four Germans do battle in doubles on one court, Ernests Gulbis and Sergiy Stakhovsky play singles on the other. The energy is palpable, a small-time buzz ahead of a big-time thrill.
“The more matches you can play, the more practice you can have and the better it is,” Federer continued. “I like that we have a roof here. There’s always going to be something going on for TV, media and fans to see. I think it’s an ideal preparation. They’re making it a better and better grass-court event every year.”
Federer isn’t the only star to descend on Halle this year. Kei Nishikori came back for a third straight year, while 2007 winner Tomas Berdych made a return and fan favorite Gael Monfils also has been in action. On his comeback trail, Tommy Haas, as close to a national hero as German tennis can currently claim, played in the first round only to bow out to Andreas Seppi.
I think it’s an ideal preparation.
But earlier in the day, Haas did jogging laps around the grounds, chased only by a security guard who was trying to keep up with him. Fans strolled in relative obviousness, choosing between ice cream, crepes or build-your-own sundaes, with a live-music sound stage being set up for evening concerts, which are a nightly mainstay from the Tuesday.
From the train, it’s not unlike the journey from Southfields tube stop to the gates of the AELTC. Fans go through an open field, then alongside a long wall of player photos. Turning the bend onto Roger-Federer-Alle, it’s under a tunnel and onto the grounds, which swell to near-crowded on a daily basis, buzzing with anticipation.
It’s an event well-loved by locals, and by Federer, too.
“It’s very easy-going; it’s a family-style atmosphere,” he said. “The fan attendance is great, as they do all these special days. They have a great VIP area. It’s nice how they handle it all. I’ve been coming here since 2000. It’s a great tournament.”
