Málaga
“Greatthat Finland has entered the ranks of civilized countries.”
Artist Mikko Alatalo smiles compete with the Spanish sun.
In his speech, he refers to what the Finnish tennis players have done during the fall: reaching the finals of the Davis Cup for the first time in their history – and finally the final stage in Málaga.
“I don’t know if the whole Davis Cup will say anything to the Finnish public. I would compare this to when Finland made it to the European football championships. Tennis is such a hugely competitive sport that it was necessary to witness this achievement on the spot”, he continues.
Lower house was certainly not the only one who seemed to understand the value of the achievement.
Thousands of Finns had arrived in Málaga after the national team. No one is sure of the real number.
The Tennis Association estimates the number to be between 5,000–6,000 pairs of eyes.
The multi-purpose arena of brisk 10,000 spectators seemed to be about half filled with blue and white colors.
“This has become a phenomenon. This is no longer just tennis, but something bigger. Phenomena are always interesting to people”, analyzes the rush of the crowd, who has supported the national team for years Tommi Siro.
“You couldn’t have imagined this to be true five years ago. Unfathomable numbers, thousands of people, travel the world after tennis.”
Slender sees the creation of the current phenomenon as two different factors.
First of all, Finland has won. Second, it has won after dramatic stages at home.
“The ball started rolling in the right direction when Emil Ruusuvuori won in Espoo Dominic Thiem 2019. That rumble in the Metro arena was unimaginable at the time.”
“That was the first time I got the feeling that the rest of Finland was starting to get interested in tennis. More and more often, Davis cup games were attended by people who do not play the sport.
Tennis has usually been a fun sport.
The majority population has not been interested in how Finland will fare in the Davis Cup.
The vast majority of the thousands of Finns in Málaga recognized themselves as tennis enthusiasts, but there were also those who have been absorbed by the current boom.
One such was, for example, a track winder Leo-Pekka Tähti.
“I’m certainly interested in tennis as a sport, but I’ve never been there to watch this level of tennis. It was absolutely necessary to get there when Finland found its way here,” says a resident of Pori, Spain, who was one of the thousands of Finnish reinforcements on the Sunshine Coast.
Finland’s current tennis boom was celebrated in Málaga in complete silence.
However, ecstasy has also had one downside. The courts of the tennis halls scream to be booked around the clock.
“At least in Oulu, the boom can be seen in the fact that you can’t always play tennis. He has had to play padelia, as dictated by necessity, but as long as it doesn’t just become a habit”, he joked Riku Kess.
Finns were sure that the tennis craze is not a temporary phenomenon.
The supporters reminded time and time again that the current Finnish team is young, and at least the best playing years of the top two players are only in the future.
After the Málaga trip, there are even more trips to come. Perhaps even bigger crowds.
“Finns are starting to understand how wonderful tennis is,” he says Marjaana Suutarinen.
However, one thing is missing.
There are, for example, Leijonat, Huuhkajat, Helmarit and Susigengi, but what is the name of the national men’s tennis team?
“Jarkko Nieminen, now moves are required”, long-time supporter Tommi Siro puts the responsibility on the country’s all-time tennis ace and captain of the national team.
