by A fleet of Rolls-Royces saws the drive. Spectators in heels and hats go under grids of roses, past the Polo Club, which is only the polo club of members, and admire the goods of a handful of luxury sponsors. A peacock grazes freely along perfectly confused lawns. This is the Hurlingham Club, the home of Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic, the most glamorous sporting event in summer.
Hurlingham hidden in a leafy corner of the Southwest London and is the last stop for many elite players before driving a little further along the district line to find the highlight of the grass court swings. As an exhibition event, the participants offered the participants last weekend with half serious competition against players, whom they may be faced in the next two weeks, albeit with much higher operations.
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The classic comes so close to Wimbledon that the classic does not really feel the feeling of an exhibition, the rosé sipping audience is not spoiled with many trick shots or tweers. Instead, it feels like a valuable game practice, a test run by Wimbledon itself, complete with purely white kit and completely flawless grass.
This is carried into action by the names; Novak Djokovic headlines play on Friday, while the top ten Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune and Ben Shelton all occur (Musetti withdraws later).
The star on Thursday is World No. 4 Jack Draper, who is playing in Hurlingham for the first time. It is only a few miles from his house in Putney, but it takes a while to acclimatize and surprise him from a blister start of Rune. The dane in the same width as sinner and Alcaraz, a heat-headed, bad boy character in a potential new “big three” breaks in the first game and remains drape in the first set to just look a bit sharper to seal it 6-4.
Jack Draper in action against Holger Rune (Timothy Edwards)
An unforgettable first three points starts the second set for Draper when he goes down 0-40 before he wakes up and some thundering services have been produced only a few and far apart to get out of trouble.
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But a biased but very polite amount has his wish when the 23-year-old turns the set before taking the crucial fracture of ties. It is a good run-around for the largest Star Great Britain against a fit, aggressive young player and a former quarter-finalist at SW19 before starting his campaign on Monday.
The Brit recovered from a slow start (Timothy Edwards)
On Friday afternoon, Stefanos Tsitsipas – now up to the world No. 26 – understand the letter much better. The Greek showman throws his racket in a unsuccessful attempt to achieve a drop shot from Tomas Martin Etcheverry and reacts to a particularly brilliant winner in the area of the line with a mock. The crowd murmurs appreciatively about the grace and explosiveness of his one -handed backhand; Tsitsipas makes it possible to occasionally marvel at it. He loses the tie -break, but does not seem to be too excited about it.
The headline act on Friday is Djokovic and enjoys the perfect grass dish against the poisonous surcharge of 6’6 ” Karen Khachanov. The Serb does a routine overhead, but even the leading perfectionist of the game can laugh about himself. 7-6 (4), 6-4, but says it itself: “[Djokovic] Feels at home on grass, the ball always goes in. He doesn’t have to play this [warm-up] Tournaments – he is always ready. “
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For the first time since the French Open, Djokovic shows only a few signs of rust. He misses a few shots that he shouldn’t – but none of the man plays flat, so it is difficult to attribute this to a bad form. “Obviously it is good for me to be in an environment in which it is similar to the official game-I have not played any lead-up tournaments,” he adds. “I still thrive to be on tour, enjoy the competition.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas wants to find a form in the grass after a difficult season (Timothy Edwards)
It is not all whispering fishing and sacrificial hijinks: above the much smaller, intimate farm, the juniors play their games under the watchful eye of some white members and keep an eye on potential stars of the future.
There are some options for the Hurlingham classic to feel a relic from a past era. The wrought -iron gates, beautifully kept rose bea and dolphin -shaped fountain have a reference to the old country house.
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But it is a feeling to feel the most in the presence of line judges, two at each end of the courtyard, in ties and shirts, but it was allowed to remove their jackets in the heat. Even Wimbledon, this bastion of tradition, has withdrawn in favor of electronic line calls and retained 80 in the form of “match assistant” to the shepherders.
And while Queen’s one has opened its doors to female players this summer, the tennis classic remains a matter for the first time in more than half a century.
Djokovics serve and volleying delighted the crowd (Timothy Edwards)
At least for the professionals. Girls can play in the relatively new junior Invitational and go the same holy corridors as former participants such as Carlos Alcaraz, undoubtedly the favorite for the Real Deal of the next week, a few miles southwest. Djokovic himself, which was interviewed in court, finds his attention there.
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“It is a great honor to take part in another Wimbledon who is still going with the young people, a new generation that is exciting. This finale of the French Open was one of the best that we have seen for decades. Tennis is in good hands.”
The rosé is ready, the Ballkid’s snaps selfies with the players, and the last well-heeled Punters are led to their Rolls-Royces. The clothes samples are over: it is show time.
