Gallery: Forget Grass: Tennis Pros Head to Open Water

  • Backdrop Like No Other
    01

    backdrop-like-no-other

    No, the most unlikely sporting event of the weekend wasn't a [hockey game played in a football stadium](http://espn.go.com/nhl/winterclassic11/). How about an exhibition tennis match played on water? On Sunday, the top two men's tennis players in the world, [Roger Federer](http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Roger-Federer.aspx) and [Rafael Nadal](http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Rafael-Nadal.aspx), battled each other on a tennis court constructed on the waters of Doha Bay in Qatar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otk0Ygo6ce4 __Above:__ A Backdrop Like No Other ------------------------ Unique feats of sport are no strangers to this part of the world, as Federer once battled Andre Agassi on a "skycourt" [several hundred feet off the ground](http://www.snopes.com/photos/sports/skytennis.asp), but this water-based court presented several unprecedented challenges. *Image: [ATP/Roger Federer](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488851884940&set=a.488851869940.273546.64760994940&pid=5743582&id=64760994940#!/album.php?fbid=488851869940&id=64760994940&aid=273546)*
  • Boating Out to the Court
    02

    boating-out-to-the-court

    Boating Out to the Court ------------------------ Normally, Federer and Rafa would only have to walk a few steps from the locker room to get courtside. Not so much in Qatar, where they needed a speedboat to transport them to their specially designated playing area. *Image: [ATP/Roger Federer](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488851884940&set=a.488851869940.273546.64760994940&pid=5743582&id=64760994940#!/album.php?fbid=488851869940&id=64760994940&aid=273546)*
  • Don't Forget Your Galoshes
    03

    dont-forget-your-galoshes

    Don't Forget Your Galoshes -------------------------- Look close enough and you can see this isn't strictly some flimsy court constructed on a dinky raft. The court is *even* with the water level of Doha Bay, so there's about an inch of water lapping onto the playing surface at all times. *Image: [ATP/Roger Federer](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488851884940&set=a.488851869940.273546.64760994940&pid=5743582&id=64760994940#!/album.php?fbid=488851869940&id=64760994940&aid=273546)*
  • Look Out Above
    04

    look-out-above

    Look Out Above -------------- Because it's not hard enough to play tennis out on the open water, there has to be a helicopter flying overhead. We're sure that didn't affect their game in *any* way whatsoever. *Image: [ATP/Roger Federer](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488851884940&set=a.488851869940.273546.64760994940&pid=5743582&id=64760994940#!/album.php?fbid=488851869940&id=64760994940&aid=273546)*
  • Prepping for the World Cup
    05

    prepping-for-the-world-cup

    Prepping for the World Cup -------------------------- A cynic would see this as not just a stunt to promote the kickoff of the 2011 ATP Tour, but also a way for Qatar to show that it's ready to make good on the fantastical architectural promises it made to secure the 2022 World Cup. A tennis court on water is one thing, but a series of [next-gen, eco-friendly soccer stadiums](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/playbook/2010/12/gallery-qatar-stadiums/) is a whole other challenge. *Image: [ATP/Roger Federer](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488851884940&set=a.488851869940.273546.64760994940&pid=5743582&id=64760994940#!/album.php?fbid=488851869940&id=64760994940&aid=273546)*
  • For Once a Friendly Affair
    06

    for-once-a-friendly-affair

    For Once, a Friendly Affair --------------------------- Score wasn't kept in any meaningful respect, but seeing as how Federer and Nadal once played each other in what has been regarded as the [greatest tennis match of all-time](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_wertheim/06/18/strokes.ofgenius/index.html), you know *someone* from either camp kept at least a rough final tally. *Image: [ATP/Roger Federer](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488851884940&set=a.488851869940.273546.64760994940&pid=5743582&id=64760994940#!/album.php?fbid=488851869940&id=64760994940&aid=273546)*
  • Setting the Bar for 2012
    07

    setting-the-bar-for-2012

    Setting the Bar for 2012 ------------------------ Two years ago, Federer and Nadal pulled a [similar stunt](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVcyClZ87DM), but the "match" took place on an elevated court atop a floating barge. Now that they've one-upped that feat, we can only imagine what the ATP has in store for 2012. *Image: [ATP/Roger Federer](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488851884940&set=a.488851869940.273546.64760994940&pid=5743582&id=64760994940#!/album.php?fbid=488851869940&id=64760994940&aid=273546)*
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