A world record crowd for the semi-final of the Davis Cup at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium

47,923 fans turned out over the weekend for the France v. Serbia semi-final of the Davis Cup, which took place on Friday 15, Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (Nord). The stadium saw a world record crowd turn out for the semi-final of the Davis Cup.
 
The stadium was converted into a tennis arena for the second time. A great performance! It took 16 hours to complete the transformation, which mobilised around sixty people: the retractable northern half of the pitch being slid underneath the southern half, thanks to an immense metal platform system. A huge curtain measuring 120 metres wide and 26 metres high was installed to section off the tennis arena. Creating the tennis court took 59 hours to complete and …120 tons of clay! The roof was left half open on Friday and Sunday and was closed on Saturday to keep off the rain, providing optimal conditions for the event.
 
The French team didn’t disappoint, beating their opponents and clearing their way to the final. Returning to play a final at the Villeneuve-d’Ascq stadium has been on Yannick Noah’s wish list. In November, three years after the France v. Switzerland final, the Pierre-Mauroy stadium will once again be hosting the final of the Davis Cup, only this time the contest will be between France and Belgium.
 
Watch the live & replay video:
http://www.stade-pierre-mauroy.com/stade-pierre-mauroy/live-replay/30-li...