Lady Gaga seems to have sealed her creative talent by becoming Polaroid’s Creative Director. We have seen some amazing sets and costumes, including mirrors, leather, perspex pianos filled with baubles, and more recently a giant bathtub. Lady Gaga comes to The O2 on 26 & 27 February. Don’t miss out!
In the final London Calling diary, we chat to Managing Director, Chris Kermode, about the success of the inaugural Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
What has been the most pleasing aspect of the event for you?
I think the most pleasing aspect of the tournament is that we started this two, three years ago and everyone kept telling us that it wouldn’t work at this time of the year and that tennis interest in this country was just based on Queen’s and Wimbledon. I think we demonstrated quite clearly that there was a huge demand for top-level tennis in this country.
What has feedback been like from players and fans?
I’ve had quite a few players say that it’s the best-staged tennis event they’ve ever seen. I think everyone’s blown away by The O2 arena and I think just the presentation of the event and the fact that, even in doubles, it’s been played in front of 17,500 people.
The court looks so good, with the lighting looking like it’s a boxing ring. The fans that I’ve spoken to have all said it’s one of the best entertainment evenings they’ve had, as opposed to just a sporting evening.
How have the players enjoyed travelling by boat to The O2?
Everyone kept telling me that players will not travel on boats, they’re used to the cars. I think the boats have been a huge success. I’ve gone on the boats with all the players this week and they all look totally relaxed on it. I think they didn’t really understand that it was a river, and not the sea! I think they had thoughts of bobbing about all over the place! It’s very calm and also you know that it takes 30 minutes from the hotel to the arena, as opposed to the traffic that is so unpredictable in London.
What has kept you awake at night?
I think two things.
Firstly, just staging an event for the first time, you just hope the show production works smoothly and you hope that the lighting does work from when you’ve started drawing it on a piece of paper to actually seeing it built.
There was also the big risk we took with two sessions. Again, most people just wanted the one session; it takes the risk factor out if there’s either a match that is over with very quickly or someone injures themselves. So, I was just hoping that we didn’t have a withdrawal in the middle of a match after 10 minutes.
What has been the most unusual player request you’ve had this week?
I tell you what, they’ve all been so relaxed here. I actually have had more bizarre requests at Queen’s than I’ve had here. It just went so smoothly. Players appreciated the hotel and the boats and how they were all looked after. The backstage bar area, overlooking the court, in their player lounge worked really well.
Did the players enjoy getting close to the fans on the public practice court?
I think that’s been one of the most successful parts of this event. At indoor tennis arenas around the world normally you only experience the tennis when you go into the actual bowl with your physical ticket. What we tried to do was engage a new audience. At any given time in this arena, there’s probably 5,000 people here, who aren’t here for the event that’s on. So they’re at the restaurant and at the cinema or the nightclubs.
I watched Nadal practise in front of probably about 2,000 people who, quite clearly, had never ever seen live tennis before. You could hear the enthusiasm and engage them into watching the game.
What’s been your personal highlight from the tennis this week?
For me, I’ve just been amazed at seeing Nikolay Davydenko close up and just seeing the quality of the tennis he played this week, which was breathtaking. To see his footwork and balance, I mean the guy did not stop running and retrieving. I think the highlight for me was him playing late on Friday night, then having to come back on the Saturday lunchtime and he beat the World No. 1!
What improvements or changes would you like to implement next year?
It’s year one, we’re here for five years. We will review the event and we will always look to improve it year on year. We sold 260,000 seats out of 265,000 over 15 sessions, which makes it the biggest indoor tennis event ever. It’s the third most highly attended sporting event in this country, behind Wimbledon over two weeks and the British Grand Prix. But we will always look to make the player and fan experience better year on year.
Star Spotting
From the red carpet to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals: Bafta-nominated Dev Patel, star of Slumdog Millionaire, is one of many star names to have graced The O2 arena this week during the year-end championships.
Harry Potter stars Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Jamie Campbell Bower (Gellert Grindelwald) and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) have all been guests of tournament sponsors Lacoste throughout the week.
Premiership footballers have been out in force to watch the world’s best tennis players this week. Thursday evening saw Tottenham Hotspur’s Robbie Keane, Michael Dawson, Jermaine Defoe and Luka Modric, Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin and Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel all take their seats in the stands to watch Juan Martin del Potro beat Roger Federer. Meanwhile, Argentine and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was courtside to watch his good friend, del Potro light up The O2 in a three-set win over Federer.
ATP supervisor Gerry Armstrong, an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan and current leader in the ATP London’s Fantasy Football mini-league, even managed to get his photo taken with Spurs stars Dawson and Keane.
WBA World Heavyweight Champion David Haye is the latest celebrity to check out the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and received a rapturous reception Saturday evening when he was introduced to the crowd at the semi-final between del Potro and Robin Soderling.
Bryans Upset “Governator” Schwarzenegger
Following their round-robin victory over Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach Friday, which secured their place in the semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, California natives Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were informed by the world’s media that they had upset Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Austrian born Schwarzenegger, star of The Terminator movies, hails from the same hometown as Marach – Graz, Austria.
“Hopefully he’s not going to raise our taxes,” joked Mike Bryan. “We apologize to Arnold. But we had to do what we had to do. We needed this one. So I apologize to the Austrians, but we needed it.”
BBC Five Live Tidbits
Commentators on BBC Five Live Extra, where you can listen live to the final tomorrow, have been scouting out some interesting tidbits from players taking part in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
According to the Five Live tennis team, Mark Knowles joined in his family’s Thanksgiving celebrations via skype, obviously unable to join them as he and partner Mahesh Bhupathi had advanced to the semi-finals of the season finale.
Meanwhile, had del Potro not advanced to the final of the year-end championships, he planned to travel to the north-west of England to attend the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool and cheer on friend and countryman, Javier Mascherano.
Tevez Shows Off His Fancy Footwork
Argentina and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was courtside at The O2 Thursday evening to watch his friend and countryman Juan Martin del Potro take down World No. 1 Roger Federer and book a spot in the semi-finals.
While del Potro, and the centre court crowd, eagerly waited for the announcement of who would qualify from Group A after the match, Tevez even took to the court to knock up with del Potro and showed off some off his keepy-uppy skills to entertain the fans.
“Maybe if I play Saturday night, he will be here,” said del Potro afterwards.
Cleaners Waste No Time
Just a couple of hours after his close defeat to Andy Murray, which saw Fernando Verdasco eliminated from the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the cleaners had already moved in to clean out the Spaniard’s locker room.
The players each have their own personal locker room in the bowels of The O2, identifiable by the larger-than-life photos that adorn the door.
Verdasco will be leaving London on Friday to fly to Barcelona to join up with the Spanish Davis Cup team preparing to take on the Czech Republic in the World Group final next weekend.
“Who Can Hit The Roof” To Decide Round-Robin Deadlock
Followers of the Five Live Tennis twitter feed have been sending in their suggestions on how they would decide the round-robin groups, should two or more players have the same number of games in a round-robin tie-break.
Take your pick from:
- “See who can hit the roof at The O2? Closest goes through.”
- “It’s got to be who has the most unique coloured shoes?”
- “who can say the alphabet the fastest backwards?”
- “take the net down and get them 2 race from 1 end to the other and back.”
Murray & Djokovic Rap For Bryans
After being turned down by Davis Cup buddy Andy Roddick to record a rap for their new album because he was “a little embarrassed to do it,” doubles stars Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan turned to Top 5 players Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to do a star turn on their album “Let It Rip”.
“We asked Murray, and he said yes. Djokovic said yes. They were the first two guys we asked. They said, Okay, anytime, guys,” explained Bob, who wrote the lyrics for Murray and Djokovic-themed raps. “We took the computer with a microphone to their rooms at the hotel. They did it. Andy Murray was actually getting a massage. He was like a little bit asleep. He was like, Okay, let’s go for it. Took him three times. He was a little off for the first couple times. He eventually started getting the rhythm and nailed it.
“He didn’t have time to practise. I don’t think anyone can critique Andy because, like I said, he was getting a massage. I gave him my iPhone with the lyrics. He’s like, All right, let’s give it a try. I want to thank the guy because not a lot of people would do that for us. We’re going to be fans of the guy for life, obviously friends for life for him doing that for us.
“Then Novak was loving it. Anytime he can kind of show off, he was dancing. He actually hasn’t heard the song yet, Novak. We’re looking forward to playing him the song. It turned out pretty good, I thought.”
The dynamic duo also revealed they are hoping to get Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on board and have already penned lyrics for their songs. “Federer, I don’t know,” said Bob. “He’s a great guy. He’s a good friend of ours. But we didn’t want to ask him… We actually wrote a verse for him and wrote one for Nadal. We got to make it past the agent.”
Roddick A Hit With The Kids
Andy Roddick was forced to withdraw from the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals due to a knee injury, but the American has been in town the past couple of days to soak up the fantastic atmosphere at The O2 and fulfill sponsor commitments.
On Tuesday, Roddick helped launch the Barclays Ball Kids Campaign – a nationwide search to find ball kids for the 2010 season finale. In excess of 600 children from the “Barclays Spaces For Sports” initiative came to watch the tennis on Tuesday – raucously cheering on their favourites – and 40 were invited to meet fan favourite Roddick at the launch.
Also present at the photo call, held on the practice court, were four ball kids from this year’s tournament, who had just stepped off court where they had been working the del Potro-Verdasco match. Roddick was an instant hit with the youngsters, high-fiving, shaking hands and signing shirts for all concerned.
“I was a ball kid on numerous occasions,” said the 27-year-old Texan. “I don’t know if I ever made the cut to a pro tournament but I certainly did a couple of bigger junior tournaments and a couple of college tournaments. I always had a good time; it was a better option than heading for a ticket!
“I’m amazed with this event and also the fan support that it’s received,” he added. “Every time, from Queen’s to Wimbledon to now this event, it just seems like the London tennis community really reacts. I’m envious of the guys who are here playing because it’s such a good atmosphere just to see.”
Star Alliance
Following his victory over Fernando Verdasco, Tandil native Juan Martin del Potro revealed he is friends with Argentina and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez. “I spoke with Tevez last night. Maybe he [will] come tonight to watch Roger. [It] is more interesting than my match (laughter),” joked the US Open champion, who explained they have been friends for many years.
Roddick Plans “Neil Harman Fragrance”
Andy Roddick is well known for his rapport with tennis journalists and was in humorous mood as he sat down with Lacoste Chief Executive, Christophe Chenut to announce a renewal of his partnership with the French clothing company until 2013.
When asked by seasoned British tennis journalist, Neil Harman of The Times, about his input into a new Lacoste fragrance, Roddick quipped: “We’re actually thinking about calling it Neil Harman. We think it’s going to be a hit amongst the other tennis journalists around the world (smiling). That’s kind of what we were thinking, what we’re building towards. Fingers crossed there. We’re in it for you.”
Rafa’s Missing Trophy
Four years on from his triumph at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Rafael Nadal received a replica trophy from tournament director Raul Zurutuza Monday at The O2. The Spaniard dropped just one game as he defeated countryman Albert Montanes to win the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in February 2005 – one of a staggering 11 trophies he claimed that season – but then left the trophy behind in a taxi in Mexico City!
Upon receiving the trophy, Rafa joked: “I will make sure I won’t lose it this time!”
Can’t Have It All…
The O2 has been a huge hit with fans and players alike and the huge indoor venue has been one of the few places in England this week where fans have been able to stay dry in a wet November.
Bar the odd (or frequent!) rainy day, when they come to Wimbledon in June-July, players can expect sunshine and mild temperatures. Not so in November, and those brought up in a Mediterranean climate have taken some adjusting.
Rafael Nadal has been very impressed with The O2 and the support he receives from the British fans, whom he regards as some of the best in the world. “I think the atmosphere was unbelievable. The tournament is doing a good job. All the time the court is full, so that’s very nice for the tennis, that’s very nice for the players, very nice for everything. The conditions are good.”
There’s just one thing that could be improved upon, according to the Mallorcan: “Only the weather conditions can improve. Doesn’t affect the game (smiling).”
Writing in his blog for The Times, Rafa exclaimed “It is freezing!!! Today it was very windy and when we got out of the boat that takes us to and from the arena it was really, really cold!”
“Rap-Star Andy!”
Andy Murray has hidden talents it seems. Not content with reaching dizzy heights in tennis, the Scot is taking on the music industry after being persuaded by the Bryan Bros. Band to lend his vocals to a track on their debut album ‘Let It Rip’.
On the track ‘Autograph’, World No. 4 Murray raps: “During Wimbledon it really gets crazy. My hand cramps up and my mind gets hazy. I sign and sign but the line doesn’t end. Wake me up tomorrow and let’s do it again. Autograph.”
Murray tweeted: “Did some rapping on the bryan bros new song u can buy it on i tunes called autograph I’m awful haha.”
To download the track, click here.
Check out the Bryan Bros band web page here.
Ljubicic Stops By To Meet Fans
Ivan Ljubicic, the second alternate for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals eight-man field, stopped by the Enel stand on the first concourse on Monday evening to sign autographs for fans awaiting the singles match between Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko
Juan Martin “Nose” The Problem
US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro sat down for his press conference after an entertaining three-set tussle with Andy Murray, and the first question he faced concerned a nose bleed the Tandil native had been treated for during the first set. “My nose. I have a big nose, so that’s the problem,” joked the 21 year old.
Doubles Takes Centre Stage
More than 15,000 people took their seats on centre court to watch the doubles clash between Mahesh Bhupathi-Mark Knowles and Frantisek Cermak-Michal Mertinak – delighting the players who rarely get the chance to play in front of such a large crowd.
“It’s fantastic,” said Knowles. “I mean, Mahesh and I had remarked this afternoon we saw how crowded it was for the afternoon session. We were pretty pumped up going out there. It’s fantastic to be in London. It’s a great venue. With Wimbledon, the tennis tradition is very rich here. The O2 arena is pretty spectacular. I think there were 15,000 people or some out of the there. You really felt it out there. We really tried to play our best tennis, tried to put on a show. It’s really a pleasure to play in front of that many people because we don’t get that opportunity too often.”
Since Wednesday night’s dramatic World Cup play-off match between Ireland and France, when French striker Thierry Henry was shown to have clearly handled the ball in the lead-up to what would be the goal to end Ireland’s chances of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, the sporting world has been gripped in a debate about whether video technology should be introduced in football. Even the world’s leading tennis stars are weighing in, reports The Mirror.
“If it means video replays, that’s what they should do because they’re bringing it into every sport now,” commented Hibs fan Andy Murray. “No-one wants to watch something like that happen, especially in such a big game”. Added Novak Djokovic: “It’s up to FIFA to do something about it.”
The first question for Roger Federer at the media round tables on Friday even concerned “the topic of the moment”. “I guess to some degree I am surprised decisions like this can still have such an outcome,” responded Federer, who stars in the Gillette adverts with Henry. “Today, with the technology we have, they should maybe do something like what they have in hockey, maybe, because you can’t stop play all the time and analyse everything I guess. It happened in a split second, you can’t blame him (Henry) for playing on.”
Do you think video replays should be introduced for football?
In The O2’s prime location sits Union Square, the newest opening at The O2, and one of the latest additions to the highly successful Inc Group. Many visitors to The O2 will know the building as the old Raan site but after an amazing refurbishment the shutters are down and Union square is ready to shine in all its glory. Union Square has a large ground floor bar with a sumptuous outdoor seating area and a beautifully laid out dining area on the top floor. Upon entering you are struck by the feeling of decadence that is reverberated through the solid oak floor and heavy fabrics throughout. The more informal ground floor bar plays host to fireplaces teamed with leather chairs perfect for a nice bottle of wine from the extensive wine list.
The dining area is moodily lit and decorated with a range of artefacts, images and portraits including a fascinating array of animal heads which enhances the atmosphere of the place, really cementing the true American feel! The setting of Union Square works perfectly whether you are looking for a meal amongst the hustle and bustle of an event night, which turns the venue into a vibrant and energetic place, or if you are there on a quieter night then this venue can offer something a little more intimate. Either way Union Square creates the perfect atmosphere to accommodate the individual’s needs.
Upon being seated in the impressive dining room we were introduced to our sommelier who talked us through their extensive wine list. The wine list ranged from excellent and affordable house bins through to Cristal and extravagant ports. After consideration we opted to try a bottle of Lauquita Sauvignon Blanc (£16.50). This is the house wine and was fresh and fruity as well as having lovely floral and citrus aromas. Well balanced and medium bodied the wine had a lovely dry, crisp finish which would compliment most dishes on the menu. Union Square’s menu is definitely an enticing one with a mix of classic American staples and some international options. I chose the H.Foreman and Son Classic smoked salmon with lemon; pea shoots and chopped egg (£8.50). This was a delicious starter; it was light, fresh and matched the wine perfectly. My partner chose the Traditional Caesar Salad – romaine hearts, crutes Ovitz, anchovy and reggiano parmesan (£6.00) which was full of flavour and was crisp and fresh.
For the main course we tried the Angus Tournedos aged Fillet Steak (£22.00) cooked medium rare. Presented on an attractive chopping board plate, the
steak was beautifully tender and melted in the mouth. The Cumbrian Herdwick Lamb Chump Chop with Roast Vine Tomatoes (18.50) was superbly cooked. The meat was succulent, tasty and complemented with a rich mint sauce. To accompany the mains we chose the perfect side dishes for a meal like this; Triple Cooked Dipping Chips (3.50) presented in a quirky paper cone and Cauliflower Cheese Gratin (3.50) which was gorgeously creamy, served up in a mini Le Creuset dish. All were flavoursome and filling and made the dining experience feel more interactive allowing my dining partner and I to sample the array of treats presented to us. To finish off our meal we couldn’t resist the New York Baked Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote (£6.50). A crisp base with a smooth cheesecake filling was complemented by the tart yet sweet blueberry compote. The extremely fruity Apple Pie made with Caramelised Bramley Apples and Toffee Apple Ice Cream (6.50) was just as enjoyable and both of these desserts were the perfect end to our stateside supper.
Full of young and pretty London socialites, the lounge bar and restaurant are the perfect locations for a top-quality meal or few drinks, whether you’re heading to a show afterwards or simply meeting with friends. The atmosphere allows itself to every occasion so ladies and gentlemen, if you are after good quality food, a relaxing and interesting atmosphere and a wonderful selection of drinks Union Square really is one not to be missed.
Have you been to Union Square? Let us know what you think.
