Top tennis players Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal faced off for the tournament's \"Walk on Water\" contest at the Gansevoort South.
Courtesy of the Sony Ericcson Open 2008
From last year's inaugural night tennis to the first-ever match on water, played on Monday, the creative minds behind the Sony Ericsson Open never fail to surprise attendees and fans. To lead into the tournament, which started Tuesday, top tennis players Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal faced off for the tournament's "Walk on Water" contest.
Played on a custom-built court submerged just below the water's surface in the new Gansevoort South hotel's rooftop pool, the event was designed to showcase the game to new audiences and create excitement around the world ahead of the tournament, said Dee Dutta, corporate vice president and head of marketing at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications. The water-covered court-which took a week to construct-consisted of two platforms at either end of the pool, where the players stood, made using a combination of bespoke acrylic sheets and supported with bonded acrylic tubes.
Played on a custom-built court submerged just below the water's surface in the new Gansevoort South hotel's rooftop pool, the event was designed to showcase the game to new audiences and create excitement around the world ahead of the tournament, said Dee Dutta, corporate vice president and head of marketing at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications. The water-covered court-which took a week to construct-consisted of two platforms at either end of the pool, where the players stood, made using a combination of bespoke acrylic sheets and supported with bonded acrylic tubes.
