A great blue and white sporting achievement was celebrated in Malaga on Tuesday. The Finnish fans are watching in confusion.
The Davis Cup stand was filled with Finnish fans. EPA / AOP
The Finns were seen and heard on Tuesday in Malaga, Spain. The Finnish national tennis team played for the first time in the final tournament of the Davis Cup, which has been played since 1900.
The team received last year’s champion Canada. To the surprise of many, Finland rose from a 0–1 loss situation to a 2–1 victory. Thus, the blue and white group advanced to Friday’s semifinals.
The Finns’ favorite holiday destination had enough supporters. The number of fans surprised even an experienced tennis reporter by Matt Roberts. He tells in the fresh of The Tennis podcast in the episode, the carnival atmosphere created by the delighted Finns, which is never too much in a traditional, but also seen its best days, tournament.
Harri Heliövaara and Otto Virtanen decided the victory for Finland in the doubles. Jorge Zapata
– Sometimes it felt like we were in Helsinki, Espoo or another Finnish city. It felt really special, Roberts says.
The British journalist arrived at the venue an hour before the first game and got to know the mood of the Finnish fans.
– It brought the emotions to the surface. This is what the Davis Cup really needs when marketing itself as the world tennis championship. Thousands of fans from the same country gathered together and dressed in their team’s colors and flags.
– They took over the place.
Co-host of the podcast David Law your comp.
– That atmosphere was also conveyed on television, says Law.
The Finnish team has two days off before the semi-finals. The next opponent will be either Australia or the Czech Republic, who will start their match on Wednesday night.