By Elliott West
Introduction
The snooker tour is on its travels again and this time will land in a city that I fell in love with when I visited it several years to watch the German Masters. The city is of course Berlin and will be staging the event at the impressive Tempodrom from 26-30 January 2022. Sadly Covid-19 briefly stopped players from going to Germany last year and the event had to be staged at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, a tournament won by Judd Trump, where he defeated his good friend in the final, Jack Lisowski 9-2.
The Magic of Berlin
The irony of staging a tournament in Berlin is that it doesn’t really have a snooker base. There are very few snooker clubs in either the city or the country itself. The only German player currently on the main tour is Lucas Kleckers and aside from this, a snooker vacuum exists in Germany. Thankfully there is a massive snooker fan base, one that has grown thanks to German Eurosport televising tournaments on its channel. Under the watchful eye of the German Eurosport commentator, Rolf Kalb, fans have grown to know and love many of the familiar snooker players.
The Atmosphere
It’s very hard to explain what it is like watching snooker at the Tempdrom. The unique format of having multiple tables in play at the same time in the arena isn’t easy for concentration purposes. Your eye flits from table to table and you almost have to rein yourself in to instead watch the table in play closest to you. Rather like an amphitheatre, the circled seating plan gives you a panoramic view of the arena and literally fills the rafters as the days progress.
When I went, I was lucky enough to be able to access all areas of the building and I got to experience how hard people work to get this event right. The players are paraded into the venue to loud and uplifting pop music, being given an almost rock-star status and when you experience it, believe me, it’s like being at a concert at the O2, it just blows you away.
I have been to the Crucible and the Alexandra Palace, special places in their own right but I have to say the Tempodrom, for me is the best venue on the tour. The German snooker fans display, intelligence and passion for snooker that literally reverberates around the complex, producing applause and vocal interjection that brought tears to my eyes when I was lucky enough to experience it. It’s a place where snooker players love to come and are temporarily adopted as citizens of this magical city that blends architecture and culture in a perfect blend.
Berlin is accessible and easy to communicate in, the majority of the people of the city speak English and there are several hotels very close to the venue. The only downside is the weather, prepare for a cold blast and wrap up warm because Berlin at this time of the year is freezing and if unlike me, who got to go through the stage door, you have to queue at the from of the Tempodrom to gain access, there is a good chance that may be slightly on the colder side when get to enter the building.
Afterthought
It’s great to see snooker being played in Berlin again and like all tournaments, it is hard to predict the eventual victor. Anthony Hamilton, Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams have all won here in recent years and it does seem to inspire the player who is hungriest enough for glory. Judd won this title last year but doesn’t seem to be winning titles recently, playing well but not able to cross the winning line. It remains to be seen whether he can retain this time but this atmosphere definitely suits Judd.
