Peer’s movements had been severely limited – she spent the entire week either in her hotel or the stadium. Bizarrely, though there was a security guard on court he stood behind Venus as the players rested before changing ends, not Peer. In fact there was no hostility towards Peer during the match, with spectators applauding when she won points.
The sight of Venus Williams, already a tennis all-time great, in the small arena was surreal. For more than 10 years the likes of Centre Court at Wimbledon and New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium had been her natural habitat. The court looked as if it belonged in a suburban tennis club, rather than at the venue of an international tournament with a star-studded line-up. Williams had probably not played in such basic surroundings since her early teens or before. In another strange touch, WTA chief executive Stacey Allaster watched the match through the side-netting from an adjoining court.
At the far end of the court the tennis writers and photographers were crammed into a tiny box next to the scoreboard, a TV camera and the coaches’ enclosure. The match was lively and entertaining. As we watched the players dart around the court we marvelled at the ability of professional tennis players to play with such energy under a burning sun.
Venus, wearing yellow, was always on top, but the outsider Peer, in pink, did not let herself down. Williams took the first set 6-1 in 23 minutes. The second set was more even as Peer got into her stride, but Venus prevailed 6-4 to bring the Israeli’s fine run in the tournament to an end. Peer summed things up by describing her week as “a different experience, but a nice one”. She added: “I’m sure I will remember this tournament for the rest of my life.”
