In 2011, Dad and I travelled to the Royal Sydney Golf Club for one of the most exhilarating events of my life so far. There, we watched World Famous tennis players Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Bernard Tomic and Stanislas Wawrinka go head to head in the 2011 Australia v Switzerland Davis Cup Qualifiers.

The matches lasted around 4 hours, and I remember cheering after every point, I was so excited that I finally got to watch two of my favourite players play live for the first time. the only negative of the day was the large crowd which threatened to swallow up little 10-year old me, their loud cheering drowning out all other sound.

From this experience, I witnessed just how influential and powerful an audience can truly be, as fans roared and cheered, jumping up at every opportunity. One highlight was seeing 10-ish men jump up and rip their shirts off, revealing their painted chests, which spelt out something along the lines of “Go Lleyton!”, obviously very excited to see the Australian star play live. The crowd were forced to quieten down by the umpire during the match on multiple occasions, their wild screaming drowning out everything else. Secondly, I also saw how much these athletes meant to this audience, and how despite not knowing them personally, they still influenced and were a large part of the audience’s life. These people stampeded in, the crowd forcing their way through the gates, then, on breaks, forced their way back out towards the multiple food stalls stationed around the stadium, queuing for what felt like hours in the hopes of getting food and drinks before the matches resumed play. Despite the matches lasting close to four hours, the audience never lost its energy.

The day consisted of 2 matches, with 8 sets played in total, and, by the end of the tournament, Australia had lost 2-3 to Switzerland. Once the day was over, the audience charged back out of the gates, eagerly awaiting the next day, when the matches would resume. Dad and I only watched the one day, and by the end of it we were exhausted, so much so that I slept during the whole drive back. The match was a loss but the crowd continued to cheer during every point despite their feelings of defeat.