Heavy rain helps make Klagenfurt Center Court history

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The lights are on but nobody’s at home! Photocredit: Bernhard Horst

There was an eerie silence around the Center Court. All we could hear were the shouts and screams of the players. Where had all the beach fans gone? Had they had enough of beach volleyball?

Of course they hadn’t! But, for the first time in 21 years of beach volleyball drama at Klagenfurt, the Center Court was empty with not a soul allowed entry to watch a main draw match.

The reason? The weather! A monster rain storm stopped play at the A1 Major Klagenfurt and it wasn’t until 4.30pm that Argentina’s Ana Gallay and Georgina Klug and Austrian sisters Nadine and Teresa Strauss set foot on the sand with not a fan in sight sitting inside the stadium.

It was a unique, special match played behind-closed-doors for the first time ever in the long, rich history of beach volleyball in Klagenfurt and one which the Olympic-bound Argentines won in straight sets.

“It was a bit strange at first with no fans inside the stadium but we soon got used to it,” Klug exclusively told us afterwards. “The only noise that was being made came from the guys in the DJ tower and at one point we joined in as they clapped their hands!

“We knew that we could have been playing against a lot of fans who would support the Austrian girls but they still played a good game and we like playing whether the fans are for or against us.

“We hope to keep playing well this week because it means we can play on Center Court again and maybe there will be some fans inside the stadium this time!”

The massed ranks of fans who had sheltered from the storm in the Trade Village were soon allowed to return to Center Court but for these two teams they will never forget their historical ‘ghost game’ in Klagenfurt.

A sad but historical sight at the A1 Major Klagenfurt Major. Photocredit: Bernhard Horst.