Experiencing the Paris Masters Tennis Thrill

On Friday, I flew to Paris for a couple of days to activate my Schengen visa!

While sipping a beer during my layover in Barcelona and finishing up watching Sasha Bublik's quarterfinal match, I suddenly realized I was actually watching the Paris Masters.

An hour later, Lisa and I had scored tickets—successfully purchased on resale for €90 each—and a few hours after that, we were seated in the stands with an amazing view!

This was my first time at a match of such magnitude—the semifinals on the main court with 17,000 spectators.

The closed roof, dark stands, and the light focused on the court created an unreal stage impression, almost like watching a gladiator battle. During the mini ceremony welcoming the players, I got chills!

Honestly, I was a bit shocked by how polite the tennis audience was (just not at Wimbledon with a bottle of champagne). There was complete silence before each serve, and not a single phone went off in four hours. In the second match, Sinner was the clear favorite, but the moment Zverev started losing badly, the crowd instantly switched their support to him.

It was such a shame that Bublik lost; both sets were very close. And although I’m not a fan of Zverev, I felt a bit sorry for him with such a crushing scoreline.

On Friday evening, Lisa knew almost nothing about tennis, but by yesterday, she was shaking her head with a hint of disapproval, fan-style, at Sinner: “Well, what a machine.”

I think I’ve planted the seeds for a new tennis fan!