Laver Cup Tennis Experience at the O2

Back in September many children from Year 5 and Year 6 travelled to the O2 Arena to watch the practice session of the Laver Cup Tennis Competition.

On Thursday 22nd September 2022, 31 children from Year 5 and 6 took up the opportunity to visit the O2 Arena and attend the practice day of the Laver Cup. This is an annual international tennis completion where the best male players in Europe compete against their counterparts from the rest of the world. This year’s Laver Cup was extra special as it was the first time that the ‘BIG four’ would be participating and the last event of tennis legend Roger Federer’s illustrious career before his retirement.

After a train and tube journey, we took our seats inside the arena and to our surprise we had some of the best seats in the house: 2nd-4th row before the service line. Team World took the first hour’s practice training with players such as Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock showcasing their excellent doubles’ skills.

Unlike competitive tennis matches, energetic music was being played throughout and cheers from the crowd were encouraged. The atmosphere was wonderful; however, it certainly picked up many decibels when Team Europe were introduced. Federer partnered up with Rafa Nada l and came up against Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic as they exchanged exhibition style exchanges which was wonderful to see.

Our school even started a ‘ROGER’ chant, which caught on around the arena and was even acknowledged by the players. During the final stages, due to our close proximity to the court, many of our pupils were fortunate enough to catch balls, as well as getting signatures from the 21-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic.

The children behaved wonderfully throughout the day and were a real credit to the values that we hold as a school. It really was amazing to be part of such an historic moment, with our pupils clearly enjoying every moment, shown by some of the quotes seen below:

· ‘It was inspiring because some of the best players were there.’ (Ella E, 5 Swans).

· ‘The tennis was really fun and exciting. I had a great day.’ (Micah, 5 Eagles).

· ‘It was fun and I was amazed when I caught a ball from Felix Auger-Aliassime’s shot!’ (Reggie, 5 Swans)

· ‘Going to the O2 was amazing! After lots of clambering, we even got Novak Djokovic to come and sign things and hand balls out.’ (Alanah, 6 Albatross)

· ‘I really liked watching it because it was nice to watch with my friends and classmates.’ (Ben, 6 Albatross)

· ‘Today was a great day!! I really enjoyed watching all the great tennis players- they were all amazing.’(Robyn, 6 Flamingos)

I would like to offer my thanks to Mrs Barclay, Mr Burn and Mrs Habibi for their support on the day of the event; this was very much appreciated. Finally, please view the school website and social media for a wide range of photographs from the day.