With Rafia's win in Shanghai, some are already talking about his place in history. Is he the best men's tennis player of our time? No, No, No!
He had a great year on the ATP tennis circuit. I'll even go so far as to say he had an awesome year. He won just about every men's tennis event out there. He also has charisma, good look and is a great ambassador for his sport.
BUT....
It was one awesome year. I personally think that he needs to have a couple of great years to be considered in elite company.
He also needs to play not necessarily more events but a variety of events. Tennis seems to be nationalized. It is a given each and every year that the foreign players are going to stay in Europe and play 'at home'. They will come to the US to play those events that they are required to play. To be considered on my list of 'best men's players of our time' - he owes it to the fans of Indianapolis to play the Indy Tennis Championships at least once. Not every year, just once. In fact, the fans in Los Angeles, Delray Beach or San Jose deserve to see the world's greatest player (if he is that) at least once every 3-4 years.
So, Rafia - congratulations on an awesome year - please come play tennis in Indianapolis this summer! Our wonderful tennis fans should have the opportunity to see you play!
Big Dog - Gillis Simon will be competing in the Tennis Masters Cup semi-finals match this Saturday against Novak Djokovic. Simon who jump started his year with an unprecedented victory in Indianapolis this past July, also defeated the four-time Masters Cup champ Roger Federer earlier in the week. This is Simon’s second victory over the former #1 in the world and currently #2, Federer, since winning the Indy crown. This guy is on fire!!! Good luck this weekend Gillis, everyone here at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly is pulling for you.
The Indianapolis Colts play the Green Bay Packers up at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field about once every 8-10 years. The moment I found out that the Colts would be playing in Green Bay this year I told myself that I would make the trip. So, I did and I was not disappointed by my decision to make the 7 hour trip north.
Before the game we were lucky enough to meet up with my friend’s co-worker who had rented an RV for the trip. Surrounded by Packers fans I thought we wouldn’t last very long and if you thought that they only made cheese heads than you would be wrong. There were actually women that wore cheese bras, but that’s another story. As we began to get comfortable at our tail-gate we were soon called upon by Packer fans across the way. We hadn’t been tail-gating very long so we didn’t know what to expect. Once at the adjacent lot we were greeted by a local bar owner and his lovely waitress’ “Welcome to Lambeau!” they all shouted. Then they tossed us ice cold PBR’s and offered shrimp&stake kabobs. From that moment on I realized why just a week prior that Lambeau Field was ranked #1 on SI’s top NFL stadiums.
Big up’s to the Packer fans. The people of Green Bay know how to do things right. Funny thing about it is - they even seemed to get nicer as the game went on. Maybe it had to do with the outcome of the game, who knows? But, I believe that the Packer fans would have been just as friendly no matter what team won that day.
Gilles Simon, fresh from a run to the finals of the Madrid Masters Event, has earned himself a career-high ranking of #10 in the ATP's men's tennis rankings. Gilles is the 2008 Indianapolis Champion, where he was ranked #22 this summer.Simon also took home titles this year in Casablanca and Bucharest.
Simon lost to Andy Murray in the Madrid final, but not before defeating World #1 Rafael Nadal in the semis and notching winds over Ivo Karlovic, Robby Ginepri, James Blake, and Igor Andreev.
I've been a big fan of Simon this year and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I had the chance to speak briefly with him in July here in Indy and he was a class act. He's young and energetic, but humble and aware of his place in the game right now.The sky truly is the limit for him and I look for him to contest for a top five spot very soon.
The rest of the top ten looks like this:
1. Nadal- Duh..
2. Federer
3. Djokovic
4. A. Murray
5. Ferrer
6. Davydenko
7. Roddick
8. Nalbandian
9. Del Potro
10. Simon
First of all-my apologies to all the Tampa Bay Rays fans out there. The twelve of you will have to wait a little longer(maybe) for the maiden voyage to the World Series. The 34 inning batting practice finally came to an end last night as the Red Sox came back from down 7 runs to win the game in the bottom of the ninth on a J.D. Drew single. The following professionally made video montage sums it up best:
Cheer up, though...the odds are still in your team's favor with a 3-2 advantage going back home and with Shields going tomorrow night against the suddenly-not-so-good Josh Beckett, but if the Sox do happen to get back in this thing, you can look back at a few things last night, namely David Ortiz' 2-run homer that may have shifted momentum back Boston's way. Anyway, if things don't work out, don't feel too bad- YOU LIVE ON THE OCEAN!! Things can't be that rough, can they? 
Plus, I think Wilfred Brimley is throwing out the first pitch saturday night, but most of the Tampa Residents will be in bed by then.
Also, since I'm talking playoffs- Hey, TBS- enough already with the promos for "Frank TV". At first, I thought "Hey,this guy could be kind of funny" but 6 months and 3000 commercials later, I pretty much would rather watch "The Hills". Over and over and over and over again.
And now for some tennis:
THIS JUST IN: Andy Murray shaves, beats Monfils in Madrid. Job well done on both.
Also in Madrid- Gilles Simon rallied from down match point to defeat a determined Robby Ginepri and Ivo karlovic suprised Novak Djokovic. He was hiding around a corner waiting for Novak to walk around it and then jumped out and was like "waaarrhh!!! ha ha I really got you that time, Novak" and Djokovic was all like " aw, man...whatever, no you didn't!." Then Karlovic beat him 7-6 7-6.
In other Madrid news, Roger Federer defeated Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals and will face the now clean shaven Murray in the semis. Now let's see what can be done about Nadal's underwear problem as the ATP's "Brave New World of Hygiene" continues its mission to clean up the game.
zzzzing!
All for now. It's friday-know what time it is?
Mr. Simon, what are you doing to our Americans in Madrid?
Indianapolis Tennis Championship winner, Gilles Simon, just beat one of our favorite sons, James Blake, in Madrid, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Simon is 12th in the world now (I think he was about #18 when he played in Indy) and took care of the ninth seed, Blake in the second round.
Gilles now faces another Indy Champion, Robby Ginepri in the third round. I'm certainly in a quandry over who to root for in this tennis matchup. Both are past champions in Indianapolis and both are great guys. If I asked either one to sign an autograph for a fan, they would do it. If I asked either one to take a break from training and shake a sponsors hand, they would do it. Great guys and great champions. Men's professional tennis need more players like Simon and Ginepri.
So, I'm going to go out on a limb and not choose. Both are playing great tennis and the best man (on Thursday) will win!
Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly winner Gilles Simon continues to fight through the season with another hard fought win over Igor Andreev 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, (9-7) in the ATP Masters Series Madrid. At 24 years old Simon is taking the tour on by surprise with 3 tournament wins under his belt already this season. The 5-11, 143 lbs. Frenchman also defeated another familiar face to the Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly 2006 Champion, James Blake in the second round at Madrid. Simon is currently ranked 12th on the ATP tour and is marching up the ladder at full speed. Best of luck in round 3, Gilles! Check below for some outstanding play by Simon while playing in Indy.
Dmitry Tursunov the sometimes animated Russian who breaks opponents down with his hard hitting serve won the Open de Moselle over the weekend by defeating Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-4. A great win for Tursunov who was the 2007 Indianapolis Tennis Championships winner as well as runner-up in this year’s Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly. Congratulations Dmitry!
Andy Roddick was victorious over the weekend in Beijing at the 2008 China Open beating Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. Not only was this a great win for Roddick it was a true showing of the American tennis stars character.
After the contest Roddick announced that he will be donating $25,000 of his winnings to the China Tennis Association. The donated money will be used towards helping those still in need after the devastating earthquake that happened in Sichuan Province, China.
Congratulations Andy on a spectacular week of tennis and good luck throughout the rest of the year.
Having had a chance to reflect on the loss to Spain, I honestly don't think that this was a winneable tie anyway, but I do think, and perhaps more importantly, it was pivotal in the advancement of our Davis Cup team for the forseeable future. If Sam Querrey is the next star in the U.S. stable, which I believe he is, then it was time to get him in the fold and let him gain valuable experience. Injuries to James Blake and Bob Bryan forced the United States team out of its gameplan, but the time was now to take inventory of what we had and what we may need.
I'm not an expert on the Davis Cup, but as a professional tennis fan, I will say that I was extremely impressed with Sam's efforts against Nadal in the first rubber. He brought his usual composure into a match in Rafa's backyard and on his favored surface and with a rowdy crowd that was in his corner the whole way and still managed to steal a set from him in the meantime.
Sam can walk away from the experience with a great amount of confidence and Pat McEnroe can breathe easy knowing he has a guy that can play.That has to count for something.
This reminds me of Nike's great commercial in the streets of New York City with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Men's tennis needs more companies like Nike spending money to advertise the stars, rivarlies and personalities of tennis. I'm thinking the Indianapolis Tennis Championships needs to 'steal' some of these ideas to help expose some of the mini-rivalaries in the game today.
Thanks to Mike for sending this great creative my way and thanks to Nike too!
Patrick played in Indy three times. In 1993, he was a semi-finalist losing to Boris Becker. In 1995, he was a quarterfinalist. Near the end of his career, he captured the Indy title in 2001. He beat another crowd favorite, Gustavo Kuerten. I have found memories of that victory. I remember walking out of the transportation office soon after the final to find Patrick sitting on the curb. He was still in his sweaty clothes and was on his cellphone, obviously talking about his victory. He quickly hung up when he saw us and thanked us for a great week. Yes, he thanked us for a great week. So that got me to thinking - where is he now?
Patrick continues to support charitable efforts, primarily in his native Australia. In 2006 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He continues to play World Team Tennis.
Little known fact - Patrick's last championship before retiring came right here at the RCA Championships (now the Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly).
Please come out of retirement Patrick....
The ATP Challenger Series is set up as a great developmental opportunity for young players. The Series is to men's professional tennis what AAA baseball is to the major leagues. If you look through the draw in Waco, you will notice many familar faces. I counted ten guys who have played in Indianapolis at one point, including Bobby Reynolds and John Isner.
Ram is definitely an Indy favorite. He first competed in the RCA Championships (now the Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly) in 2002. His best results were in 2005 and 2008 when he reached the round of 16.
Not only is Ram loved by the crowds here but he is loved by the volunteers and staff. He is a true gentleman and always willing to sign autographs, talk with sponsors and meet with the press.
The next stop on Ram's Texas tour is probably the Lubbock Challenge. Go Rajeev!
Sam is 21 years old and hails from California. He is one of the tallest players on the ATP Tour at 6'6". Sam started playing tennis at the age of four. He turned pro in 2006, loves playing basketball, tennis and golf.
Currently ranked 39th in the world, he has had a great run this year. He won the Las Vegas event, was a semi-finalist in Delray Beach and here at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships. He first played in Indy in 2006 where he reached the round of 32. In 2007, he was a semi-finalist losing to eventual champion, Dmitry Tursunov.
Good luck today Sam!
2007 Indianapolis Tennis Champion, Dmitry Tursunov is one of the players showcased. Also within the calendar pages are Paradorn Srichaphan, another Indy Tennis favorite as is Tommy Hass. The number one doubles team in the world, Mike and Bob Bryan represent the United States.
Each region of the world is represented and in total players from 12 countries are showcased. To check out the calendar, 2009 ATP World Calendar.
My hats off to the ATP for showcasing some of the lesser known players and a different 'side' to men's professional tennis
The reigning US Open Doubles Champs and current World #1 Doubles team will have a slightly different look two days from now as Bob Bryan will sit out this weekend's Davis Cup tie with Spain due to a shoulder injury. US Open quarterfinalist and all-around awesome guy Mardy Fish will step in in Bob's absence. Mardy was not on the original U.S. team, but has been serving as a hitting partner with the singles players.When reached for comment, Mike Bryan was quoted as saying " It'll be nice playing with Mardy for a change. I mean, sure, I love Bob and everything, but we're around each other like 20 hours a day or something. We live together, too."
Mardy Fish offered the following regarding the new pairing: " Yeah....which one are you again?Oh, right, Mike! Gotta remember that. Mike, Mike, Mike."
This weekend's tilt will be a challenge for Team USA, already working Sam Querrey into the mix after James Blake withdrew from the competition. USA faces off with Spain in Madrid, on clay, and featuring a young upstart named Rafael Nadal. This weekend's contest, along with Argentina vs. Russia should provide us Racquetheads with some outstanding professional tennis matches.
Complete information regarding both Davis Cup Semis available here
As the summer tennis leagues come to an end and the fall leagues get started. Check out these tennis tips to improve your game. I welcome anyone to provide there own tips as we all could use some every now and then. Best of luck!
Over the weekend, Gilles Simon, beat Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-4 to take the BCR Open Romania title. What is significant about Simon's victory? Well, Gilles is the reigning Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly champion and has significantly boosted his chances of qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai event.
Simon was virtually unknown when he arrived in Indianapolis. He was Indy's number two seed but to be honest, I even had no idea who he was. Since his victory in Indy's men's professional tennis tournament, Simon has had an impressive run. The 23 year old went on to defeat Roger Federer in Toronto and advanced to the semi-finals. This has undoubtably been his best year - with three titles so far.
Simon moved up three spots and is now number 12 in the ATP race. Gilles has played more tournaments than the 11 players ranked ahead of him. There are two Masters Series event left before Shanghai so let's cheer for Indy Tennis Championships' Gilles Simon!
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