Hurlingham Tennis

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your own, private Queen's Club tennis grounds, right on your doorstep? Look no further! As we have one right in Putney, within the grounds of Hurlingham; where every summer amazing tennis stars converge on the courts to practice in the run up to the main event at Wimbledon.

I have to admit that I have never been much of a tennis fan (gasps of horror erupt from my many readers!) I know this is a terrible shock for you all, and one you may not recover from, but have no fear; for Hurlingham tennis converted me to the spectacular sport once and for all. It is a event like no other!

Hurlingham is my heaven; my oasis within this huge city that we call London and in my eyes it has always been perfect. However, last summer it was elevated in my esteem by hosting this marvellous event. Of course, the tennis itself captivated me, but even more than this was the joy of meeting the tennis stars themselves (a vainglorious goal, but that also should come as no surprise to those who know me well enough!)

There is a huge build up of media and people flocking towards the changing rooms to watch Nadal stretch or to see Federar warm-up. I remember one year casually bumping into Andy Murray on my way to the gym, which was interesting.

I love celebrities and especially those with good humour. Fortunately, this tournament brought me together with a master of this genre and a legend on the tennis circuit; Master Brahami. What an excellent gentlemen! He plays tennis with a touch of humour and therefore is a consummate entertainer.

The Queens club think they are the best at hosting tennis events of this ilk, however I beg to disagree. As in Hurlingham we have Rolls-Royces to drive the stars from the courts to the club!

Have any of you been lucky enough to be in a Rolls-Royce by chance? I seem to always have the luck of the gods on my side as on this occasion one of the Rolls-Royce drivers agreed to drive me back home! I couldn't believe my good fortune! I remember everyone looking at me in envy as I climbed into the back of the black, sleek Rolls-Royce. I wished my home was not so close to the club so that we could have spent longer in the luxury car

However, back to to the tennis. It was excellent. I wish I could say more but my mind was also wafting back to the car, and to the stars. Maybe I should have taken up the sport, I think I could have at least proved a successor to Master Brahami; a fair bit of talent but more of the comedy variety!