The Tempodrom has quickly become one of snooker’s most iconic venues.
Hosting the annual edition of the German Masters in Berlin next week, this fantastic venue is one of the best around when it comes to creating a fantastic atmosphere.
And with only 32 of the tour’s 128 professional players qualifying to play here each year, it is usually an event high on the players’ list of season targets.
Eurosport’s Rolf Kalb is Germany’s most famous snooker media man and has played a key role at the German Masters every year since its launch back in 2011.
He knows exactly what it is that makes The Tempodrom such a special calling point on the sport’s calendar.
“It’s like a circus, you can sit around the tables and that fits very well for a snooker event,” Rolf told The Sportsman.
“The fans can follow different tables and, during the early rounds, they can sit down at the table featuring their favourite match.
“It’s also a very recognisable venue. When you see pictures from any other event – maybe with the exception of the World Championship and The Masters – you might have to think for a while until you realise what event that is. When you see pictures from the Tempodrom, you know at once that it is Berlin. It’s simply unique.”
The German Masters has seen seven different winners in its seven years so far at The Tempodrom. The defending champion Anthony Hamilton enjoyed his first taste of ranking event success here 12 months ago after 26 years as a professional.
Rolf believes this is arguably one of the finest moments in the venue’s snooker history. He said: “When Hamilton won in Berlin I was so proud of the German fans. It was not one of the usual suspects or one of the big boys clinching the title, but the fans sensed what special moment it was for him.
“Celebrations couldn’t have been bigger if Ronnie O’Sullivan would have clinched the title. That shows that they are not only fans of a certain player but that they are true fans of the game itself.”
Rolf told The Sportsman that it is probably the fans which help to make the event such so special too.
He said: “They’re counting down the days, they are posting pictures of their tickets on social media.
“Ronnie O’Sullivan once said to me: ‘we should have to pay for an audience like that’. Of course the players love to play in such an atmosphere, and that drives them to try even harder.”
