WHOA! Look @ this photo!

[Placebo]

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,441185,00.jpg

Andre Agassi and Roger Federer having a game on the helicopter pad of one of Dubai's super-luxury hotels.

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,grossbild-441185-344335,00.html

:wow:

[Beaverhausen]

1. Just looking at that makes me dizzy

is that real???

[Placebo]

8. It's from the AFP...

and I found it on Der Spiegel in an article about Dubai, so it must be!

[Call me Deacon Blues]

16. Is it real?

Yep. I sure wouldn't do it! Terrified of heights.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/photo_galleries/4289977.stm

[radwriter0555]

45. Can't be real unless the umpire can levitate... (off to the right, in thin

air, that fellow....)

[redqueen]

2. Nothing like pumping money straight outta the ground.

[mopinko]

15. and giving it to bechtel nt

[madison2000]

3. No ball boys and girls!

[Richardo]

4. I don't think so...

...but a nice P'shop.

[fleabert]

10. I thought so too...see my post below...looks real, nt

[Kellanved]

11. actually it is real

:hi:

[Xithras]

18. It's very real

Google the Burj Al Arab hotel. The photos of the hotel clearly show the helicopter pads at the top. This tennis match is a big publicity stunt for them.

[donheld]

48. Link

http://www.burj-al-arab.com/tennis/

[maxsolomon]

5. nope.

they can do amazing things with digital effects these days.

[fleabert]

29. Pretty sure it's real...see more pics in posts below, and more links

[China_cat]

46. Good Morning America

had video of it. It's real.

They even joked about the lack of ball boys.

[progmom]

6. holy crap

:scared:

[ffm172]

7. I hope they have enough extra balls

in case they hit on out :)

[Ravenseye]

22. You've gotta have alot of balls....

...to play up there...

get it?

[giant_robot]

24. Dammit Ravenseye!

You just barely beat me to that one! :)

on edit: see post #20

[ffm172]

26. got it!

you need balls and balls

[fleabert]

9. I was going to call 'photoshop', until I googled it...OMG!

http://www.burj-al-arab.com/tennis/

Holy Crapoly! That makes my stomach do flips!

[Placebo]

12. Whoa!

Those pics are even crazier! :wow:

[Midlodemocrat]

14. There is not enough money on the planet to get me to do that.

[Richardo]

13. I'm not buying it.

No wind screen? Can you imagine what the wind would be like that high? No vertical fences?

The base line is right at the edge of the pad - ever see a professional match? They overrun the edge of the court all the time to get corner shots. How can you go back for a lob?

I don't buy it. No way. It's a hoax.

[fleabert]

21. My bullshit meter went off too, then I googled 'agassi dubai tennis'

[Richardo]

25. I see - a publicity stunt, OK

I thought they were saying it was a legit 'tennis court' :eyes:

[DS1]

27. The Photoshopper, IMO forgot to blur the background

-- it would be more believable.

[Placebo]

28. Not everything is Photoshopped!

:D

[DS1]

30. You're right, it was

probably GiMP :D

[fleabert]

33. multiple sources, legit sites, publicity stunt, not fake.

prove to me that it's fake please.

[DS1]

37. What legit sites?

And no, I don't have time to prove anything is fake, nor the interest.

[arcos]

41. The hotel's website maybe?

http://www.burj-al-arab.com/tennis/

or Reuters?
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?ei=ISO-8859-1&c=news_photos&p=agassi+burj+al+arab

[DS1]

42. Ahh, it's a one-off setup for a photoshoot. That's more believable

than just a regular leisurely practice. It'd make no sense at all to be playing up there.

[fleabert]

43. the hotels' site for one.

bah. whatever. just want to kvetch and run eh?

bbc
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/photo_galleries/4289977.stm

hospitality.net
http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000437/4022309.search?query=agassi+dubai+tennis+helipad

atp tennis
http://www.atptennis.com/en/newsandscores/news/2005/dubai_helipad.asp

the hotel
http://www.burj-al-arab.com/tennis/

and espn
http://www.espnstar.com/tennis/tennis_newsdetail_1444470.html

snip> Of course Agassi will be able to share things others would not. His visit to Dubai has included a viewing of the city from a 700-foot high helipad, where a tennis court was specially laid down for him, a meeting with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid, the Crown Prince, and a stay at the world's only seven-star hotel. That is the Burg Al Arab, in which every rooom is a duplex suite with a personal butler, and which boasts an underwater sea-food restaurant. It also claims to be the world's tallest hotel, and was evidently to Agassi's taste.

"Maybe I can play my semi-final on top of that next time," he said

[DS1]

44. see above

But you didn't expect me to take a Hotel's site seriously, did you? :eyes:

[fleabert]

49. yeah, I would. They had multiple pics, which make it easier to see that

they were not manipulated pics. :eyes:

[DS1]

50. *yawn*

Because multiple pics is something that's never done.

[fleabert]

51. makes it easier to compare and make an educated decision on real vs. fake

if one were manipulating pics, it would be exceptionally difficult to duplicate different perspectives, shadows, etc.. in the exact same way on different pictures.

why are we even discussing this? you were wrong. and why do I warrant the hotel question? i am not the only one who mentioned it to you, and your response to them was 'oh, okay.' It was good enough for you realize that it was a photo op, but not good enough for me to refer to it?

[DS1]

52. No, it was the Reuters link that convinced me of any sort of

credibility.

[fleabert]

54. whatever.

you were wrong.

[DS1]

55. Yay!

and I admitted so, which caused me to write "see above" about 10 useless replies to you ago

jesus

[fleabert]

56. you are being a sourpuss.

[DS1]

57. If that's what it takes for you to go away then I'm being a sourpuss

:boring:

[fleabert]

58. lol.

[fleabert]

31. no photoshop...real. check the thread.

[immoderate]

36. Small aperture, greater depth of field.

The background exhibits atmospheric haze. I think these are real.

--IMM

[DS1]

38. Yes, I'm familiar with the basics of photography.

Thanks :-)

[immoderate]

47. Never said you weren't.

--IMM

[fleabert]

17. checked the room rates...holy crap is right.

$1333.00 USD for one night in a King room, two adults. whoa.

[arcos]

39. yup... I once saw a tv program about the Burj Al Arab...

It is simply stunning. They call it "the only 7 star hotel in the world".

[fleabert]

53. hmmm. my birthday is in a few months, I'll save up and treat myself!

oh my god, that is crazy!

[Obviousman]

19. Prediction: This will not end well....

[giant_robot]

20. It must take a lotta balls to play up there.

And I mean that both ways! :evilgrin:

[underpants]

23. Federer hits a lob....it's a high lob...Agassi guages its flight....oh no

gauge

[da_chimperor]

32. Yup, the helipad of the Burj Al Arab

The place is fucking fantastic. A friend of mine has been there and he was stunned. It's supposedly the best hotel in the world. Awesome place to play tennis, but what about the balls falling into the ocean? With as much money as they two of them have I don't think they care.

[Rabrrrrrr]

34. So how many balls went groundward?

What a waste...

Pretty damned cool, though!

[HeyManThatsCool]

35. I just threw up a little bit in my mouth

ack

[AlCzervik]

59. me too!! Reminds me of that ride in Las Vegas on top of a hotel

no thnaks.

[sybylla]

40. Saw the video of Agassi and what's his name playing last week on NWI

It's real, all right. Agassi missed the ball at one point and as it flew over the side he jokingly asked the ball boy to fetch it.

It's a helicopter landing pad that was converted as a publicity stunt for the Dubai Tennis Open.

Scared the shit out of me just looking at it. I think Agassi was a little intimidated by the height, too. He never even got close to the edge and never dove for a ball.

[uppityperson]

60. That is so cool. I gotta get me a helicopter.

[AngryAmish]

61. What is the terminal velocity of a tennis ball?

That is insane. This last summer I was at a party on the 55th or 60th floor of a building. Could only get out on the balcony after about a bottle of wine. Then it was fun.