Amateurs pull an all-nighter

– Thirty amateur tennis players were invited to play through the night on Wednesday to test the Davis Cup final claycourt constructed inside Lille’s huge Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Last weekend’s rugby international between France and Argentina at the same venue meant organisers faced a quick turnaround to lay down the clay surface in time for this weekend’s historic final against Croatia.

The French and Croatian teams have practiced on another site while the court was constructed, but they will get their feet on the match surface on Thursday after its overnight test carried out by players from a local club.

Players took turns to hit on the court until 4am in a bid to bed down the surface for the tie which starts today. – Reuters

Lille