HYDERABAD: The atmosphere was brimming with excitement at the curtain raiser of the soon to-be-launched SVM Fun Central at Forum Sujana Mall on Monday.
With just a few hours left for the first match of the Champions Tennis League (CTL) in the city, International and National players like Martina Hingis, Mikhail Youzhny, Mark Philippoussis, Nidhi Chilumula and SK Mukund made a quick trip to the mall for a brief interaction with fans.
The players who entered the gaming zone to the beats of the drums were all pleasantly surprised with the warm welcome they received.
Speaking on the occasion, tennis player Martina Hingis said, “It’s a beautiful center and the welcome is amazing. I’m very pleased to a part of Hyderabad Aces and I’m very excited to play our first match tonight with Mikhail Youzhny, Mark and all our supporters. We practiced really hard for the match and hope to play a good game.”
Echoing her thoughts was Mark Philippoussis who said, “The welcome has been incredible and we hope to make Hyderabad proud and play some good tennis tonight and thank you for making us feel incredibly comfortable and your culture is truly beautiful.”
Speaking about her preparation for the match, Nidhi Chilumula said, “I’m very excited to be a part of Hyderabad’s team which also happens to be my home team. It is a great learning experience and these players have been guiding us during all our practice matches. With players like Philippoussis, Youzhny, Martina, Jeevan we have a fair chance of winning the game tonight.”
The Hyderabad Aces team played their first match against Bangalore Raptors on Monday night.