By Sean Bradley
©QatarTennis.org
©Crosnier/QTF
(January 3, 2011)To promote the Doha Qatar Exxon Mobile Open, the number one and number two players in the world, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, hit a few balls on floating court in the Gulf of Doha. The players certainly looked amazing, as they floated, seemingly alone, on their catamaran of a court. Unfortunately, the court was so low that volleying was necessary and any ball that hit the ground was stopped by the water immediately.
Nadal, who recently beat Federer in the Abu Dhabi final over the weekend, said,
“It was a fantastic experience. For the past three years we have done a few different things, and this one was a very nice experience.” He goes on to talk about the upcoming year, saying, “It’s going to be a very exciting season for me, I think. I would love to play against Roger a few more times this year, because when we play each other it’s in the final.”
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Federer was equally excited, describing the event as “good fun. It was so different. You’re always excited and nervous to see how it will turn out. It is always nice promoting an event and an entire tour with Rafa. I am of course very excited about playing another season on tour. I’m playing some of my best tennis again. I am really enjoying it and have high goals for this year.”
The tournament, which starts today, has some of the world’s top players vying for the title of the first tournament of the year.
Stay tuned for updates regarding play.