Kids in London – Betfair Turbo Tennis at O2

We have been itching to get down to what was the dome since it reopened. We were huge fans in its previous guise and were regular visitors. So the first UK appearance of Turbo Tennis seemed like a good idea as it appealed to both my nine year old and my 15 year old. As well as his mate.

O2 as a venue

It’s just 15 minutes from Waterloo along the Jubilee Line to Greenwich North and it really is a fast and clean journey. This stretch of the Jubilee Line with its super-safe platforms and big, airy stations is a joy compared to the rest of London’s Underground.

So. We arrived at the O2 site and walked through the sunshine across pleasant paved areas passing large screens and some amusements. There was an area where you could test the speed of your tennis serve or place a bet on the afternoon’s tennis challenge. Athough Betfair were the sponsors, I am not sure how comfortable I feel about a family event being supported by such an overt gambling organisation. Anyway, we went inside and met our friend at the Starbucks who had picked up our tickets for us.

Then we started wandering around to get a feel for the place. Well, there sure are a lot of restaurants! Along Entertainment Boulevard we noticed all the favourites – Franky & Benny, Nandos, Wasabi, Zizzis, Thai Silk, Slug & Lettuce and Pizza Express as well as a host of new places – Las Iguanos, S & M Café, Inc Brasserie, Spur, Jimmy Monecos. As we were in a bit of a hurry we ended up paying £3 each for some hotdogs. And we were mildly irritated that having walked a significant distance towards gate H we were herded back to the main entrance to go through gate B. Not good planning.

Just near the elevators to the venues within the venue there were some cute palm trees. Then there was the absolutely enormous queue for the ladies loos – just five cubicles! The kindly police officer did explain that there were plenty of loos inside the arena but he didn’t realise that there was a massive queue to get into the arena too! Again, not good planning.

Anyway. It’s big. It’s new. It’s clean. But it’s soul-less. Both the security staff and the Police we met were super-friendly which was really nice but we all really still miss the old Dome and it’s innovative displays, exhibitions and amusements. But let’s talk about the tennis now..

Turbo Tennis

Well, what a fantastic event! My kids had air-filled sticks given to them on entry and were encouraged to make as much noise as possible in the arena. We were told to keep our phones on! This is tennis for toddlers with tantrums! We were told there were no rules!

Actually, there are rules. Each match lasts no more than 30 minutes and there are time limits to stop all that prima donna delaying and preening behaviour. Where else could you get to see six such star tennis players up close and personal in an afternoon? And with Jodie Kidd as a presenter and some energetic women acting as cheer leaders, what more could you want?

Tim Henman had cried off as his wife had given birth yesterday – but who had been called in at the last minute – Greg Rusedski! Yes! And the first match saw him playing – none other than Goran Ivanisevic! The players were in great form and in dress down informality (they are not allowed to wear more than 20% white in turbo tennis!). Despite loads of cheering from the audience, Goran won through.

Next up was Pat Cash (a personal favourite as he was chums with my late Mum) playing Jamie Murray – talk about the old and the young. It was a great match. My kids were cheering and shouting and clapping along with everyone else.

After the first two matches there was a bit of a break where we wandered around to get some drinks and bites to eat – all of which we were allowed to take back into the arena! And we discovered a fast food innovation – garlic and parmesan chips!

OK. On with the tennis where we saw the stunning James Blake (the star who broke his back a while back) play Goran – and sadly Goran won through on the Turbo Tennis sudden death rule. Amazing! Then we saw Andy Murray play his brother Jamie – what excellent fun, and no surprise really when Andy shone through. So the final – seen on Channel 4 – was Andy Murray playing Goran – who was generous in his defeat.

This was a really great event. I can't imagine trying to take young kids to Wimbeldon with me - you need to sit still and quietly way too long. But this event enabled young kids to get a real taste for some stunning tennis. We will be going again!

:bangin: :thumbsup: :angel: