HALLE/WESTPHALIA, June 18, 2024

From Hong Kong, via stopovers in Doha and Berlin, straight into the tennis spectacle of Halle: Zoe Bai has probably had the longest and most arduous journey of all TERRA WORTMANN OPEN fans to attend the 31st edition of the tournament. “It was exhausting. But I am thrilled with Halle, the atmosphere here, the uniqueness of the tournament away from the big metropolises,” says Bai, who spent 14 hours on a plane before taking a train from the German capital to the ATP 500 grass-court event.

One player, however, has nearly all the admiration of this young, friendly woman from Hong Kong in men’s tennis – World No. 6 Andrey Rublev. “He is such a nice, friendly, inspiring guy. A wonderful person,” says Bai, who also showed up at the venue wearing a “Rublev Foundation” T-shirt. The 26-year-old’s foundation – with the motto “Play for the Kids” – supports children in need worldwide.

To the great disappointment of the visitor from Asia, Rublev’s stint at the 31st TERRA WORTMANN OPEN ended on Tuesday afternoon with an opening-round loss to US-American Marcos Giron. On Monday, Rublev also lost in doubles alongside Alexander Zverev, with Bai watching from the player’s box on Court 1. “I have met him at many tournaments, including an exhibition event in Hong Kong and the Masters in Shanghai.”

The next stop for the adventurous superfan is London, for the season highlight at Wimbledon. Bai hopes to secure tickets somehow but is also prepared to queue for hours in the famous “Queue” at SW19. “It would be a dream to see Andrey play at Wimbledon, too.”