We look back at an image that has circulated online for a decade which shows a two men playing on a tennis court hundreds of feet in the air.
Skyscraper Tennis Court
The tennis court was temporarily assembled on the helipad of the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai, UAE. It was a publicity stunt in conjunction with the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open that year.
Andre Agassi and Roger Federer were on hand as part of the stunt to play on the court, although they did not play at full strength. The two men hit a tennis ball back and forth, and later hit balls into the ocean below. Both men are seen in the video above peering over the edge in amazement. The men observe that there is a net around the edge, but Agassi jokes, “This is not a good place to get into a fight.”
Agassi described the event to ATPtennis.com. “This was an absolutely amazing experience. When you first get over how high you are and start playing, it’s an absolute joy and it was a great time. I had no issues with the height as long as I didn’t have to bungee jump off the side.”
“To play tennis with Andre on top of such an amazing hotel and overlooking the whole of Dubai was absolutely spectacular,” Federer added.
The hotel’s helipad is situated about 690 feet in the air, and the tennis court measured 4,467 square feet. The event took place on February 22, 2005.
The Burj Al Arab refers to itself as a 7-Star hotel, and is the third tallest hotel in the world. It stands on an artificial island over 900 feet from the nearest beach.