Hong Kong tennis channels Andre Agassi in emotional plea to reopen courts in Covid-19 lockdown
- The Hong Kong tennis community has followed up efforts by the local governing body in creating a moving video to promote #tennisissafe
- The video quotes a famous line from the American former No 1, who says ‘any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It’s our choice’
“It’s no accident that tennis uses the language of life: advantage, service, fault, break, love. The basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence.”
Quoting American former world No 1 Andre Agassi, members of the local tennis community have produced an emotional video pleading with the government to reopen courts so coaches can make a living and Hongkongers can play again.
Hong Kong Tennis Association president Philip Mok Kwan-yat earlier this month wrote to the government on behalf of coaches and players urging authorities to reopen tennis courts because of the financial harm the coronavirus lockdown is causing to professionals who rely on the sport for their livelihood.
In the letter, Mok asked the government to limit the capacity to two people for each 2,800 sq ft tennis court, with the net separating players and coaches. They argue that shopping malls in which social distancing is hardly observed are more prone to the spread of Covid-19 than a tennis court with two people.
With the voices of Hong Kong’s tennis community reciting the words of Agassi, they are using the hashtag #tennisissafe to highlight the benefits of the sport.