I was walking our Hall of Champions today and stopped at Patrick Rafter's picture.  Back when we were the RCA Championships, Patrick was a mainstay in our lineup. 

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.... 

 I noticed that Carmel's own Rajeev Ram is making a tour through the ATP Challenger Series in Waco, Texas this week.  Ram, seeded eigth, lost a tough three set match to Nicholas Monroe.   

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!

So who is this young American, Sam Querrey, that is set to face Rafael Nadel in the opening round of the Davis Cup today? 

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!

Men's professional tennis has now hit the big time with the release of the 2009 ATP World Tour 2009 Calendar.  Even if you aren't a fan of these type of things, you have to admit that it is good publicity for men''s tennis. 

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! 

Now that the US Open is finished, all tennis eyes will focus on the upcoming Davis Cup matches.  The Davis Cup is to men's professional tennis what the Ryder Cup is to golf.  The only exception being that the Davis Cup goes on all year long.

Blake is physically and mentally exhausted from the summer.  He played a full schedule (including participating at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships), the Olympics and the US Open.  Blake's replacement is Sam Querrey, another Indy Tennis favorite. 

Querrey has practiced with the US Davis Cup team and has had a strong showing on clay.  He was a quarterfinalists in Monte Carlo (clay) and reached the round of 16 at the US Open.  The American's will face a strong team from Spain on outdoor clay September 16-21 in Madrid. 

Our man Sam Querrey will make his debut for the U.S. Davis Cup team against Spain next week, replacing James Blake, who had played in every Davis Cup tie for the United States since 2005 and helped the team to its first title in 12 years last December. US Davis Cup Captain, Patrick McEnroe, said James was tired and mentally exhausted from the season and needed a break, so they met his request and replaced him with Querrey.

What an awesome opportunity for Querrey, first he got to represent the US at the Olympics and now for the Davis Cup Team.

Querrey is having a breakthrough season in just his second full year as a pro.  He won his first ATP title in March and defeated then No. 9 Richard Gasquet and former French Open champion Carlos Moya on red clay en route to the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo.  This summer, Querrey made his Olympic debut in Beijing and had his best finish at a major, reaching the Round of 16 at the US Open. 

Querrey will be  the first rookie on the U.S. team since Robby Ginepri made his debut in the 2004 First Round.  Congrats Sam!

Not much to comment on this morning, so have at it! Leave your caption in the comment section below. I'll even get it started for you.



"Santoro warned me about this"
"See, man..I told you I could use the force!"
"Dude, are you seeing this? It's like a little, tiny sun just floating there...aww, man I'm freaking out." 

...well guess what? you were wrong.

    I'm supposed to win every slam, every year..right? Well, I didn't. Apparently there ARE other talented players out there who, on occasion, win tournaments.
Does that make me old, irrelevant..finished?

    Apparently the throngs of tennisfolk that were waiting to pen my eulogy will have to wait a little longer. I'm not done yet. And I won't be for awhile.

    Yeah, Australia was a letdown...try going to work with Mono sometime.I've had better times, but I did it anyway.

    Roland Garros was disappointing, but I was good enough to make the final. Rafa's pretty good on dirt, if you haven't noticed.

    Remember that Wimbledon final? Greatest match ever? I played in it.That could have gone either way on any given day, but that day was Rafa's....

    
    But I'm the King of New York. Have been for five straight years.Traffic stops when I cross the street and even Donald Trump asks for my autograph. It's an A-List affair anytime I step into Arthur Ashe Stadium. Quick..think of a celebrity..yeah, they've seen me play. They may not have paid for the ticket, but they weren't asked to attend either.

I'm probably not done yet this year. Madrid, Paris, Shanghai? It's on.

 

The Olympus US Open Series bus made its final stop of the year at the US Open in Fleshing Meadows, N.Y. Congratulations to Rafael Nadal for becoming the 2008 Olympus US Open Series Champion. It wasn’t long ago that the Olympus US Open Series kicked off in Indianapolis when the Olympus bus made its first official stop at the 2008 Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly July 14 – 20. Just a few months back Gilles Simon captured the Indy crown and went on to defeat then ranked #1 in the world Roger Federer a  week later.Hats off to all the athletes who competed in this year’s US Open Series and I look forward to catching you at the 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly which will take place July 18 – 26.

I know I should be writing about men's tennis and the Indianapolis Tennis Championships but I feel I should devote some space to Serena Williams.  It seems you either love her or hate her.  How can any sports fan or general fan not be able to applaud her performance at the US Open?

After five years and one month, Serena is now the number 1 ranked women's professional tennis player in the world.  She beat Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 to take the US Open crown.  What an achievement.  Not only did she win a major, the major tennis tournament in the world but she moved into the number 1 ranking.

She has gone the longest period between the top ranking by any player since the early 70s.  I don't care if you aren't a tennis fan, you have to applaud her unbelievable effort and perservance to comeback and take the US Open crown and ascend to the #1 ranking.

Go Serena!!!

Since I'm still in the dumps about my recent US Open picks, I not going to recount last night's tennis match.  Roddick was not mentally prepared.  Hats off to the Williams sisters, though.  That has to be a tough stage to be playing your sister on the national stage for a semi-final spot at the US Open.  The greatest tennis event in the world!

I want to grip about the Indianapolis Star's coverage of the US Open.  I am a faithful reading of the Sports page every morning before work.  This morning, I was excited to read about last night's mens tennis match, todays matches and other general comments from the US Open.  Yes, the largest standalone sporting event in the world!  I expected the Colts to get the front page and the US Open to be on the inside of the front page.

I read through the Colts, high school football, NFL, baseball, transactions/AP info and then finally found the US Open information.  How can this huge event on the sports calendar be regulated to the back page - especially when the Indianapolis Tennis Championships feeds into the US Open.  There is a men's professional tennis tournament in Indianapolis - there are fans of tennis in Indianapolis.  How can the US Open, generating $200 million in revenue, be slammed to the bag page?

In further investigation, I decided to check out www.indystar.com for the lastest US Open news.  After much searching, I found a blurb about US Open highlights under the National News section-at the bottom and fifth on the list.  It even appears after a story about Marion Jones being released from prison early.  Game, Set and Match - how can tennis compete with a convict being released from prison early.

Sorry for the delay in the updating, I am just recovering from my very first visit to the US Open! After playing tennis for 10 years, it was a dream come true to see the greatest event in tennis! It will be a memory I will never forget, stepping foot on the grounds that have shaped tennis to what is today and seeing the future of tennis firsthand. It is a priviledge to be part of the Olympus US Open Series, and to see history made...40 years of US Open Era!

Sidenote from last night's match: I am glad to see Djokovic stand up for himself. I don't think it was intentional to toast the crowd, but rather he was caught up in the press and trying to balance the pressure! I vote him to win the whole tournament regardless of what poeple are staying!

Congrats Bryan Brothers on another great victory!

    In case you didn't see the Novak Djokovic's post-match tirade..er,interview last night..here it is in it's entirety.

    I've always liked Novak quite a lot, not only for his obvious skill on the court, but also for his charisma and unique personality. However, last night was disappointing. There's a good read on it over on Fanhouse (a favorite of The Juice). Novak later backed off his original comments, but unfortunately you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. I'm not sure what kind of reaction Novak was expecting from the crowd, but I'll bet it wasn't this.

    Last night's match was shaping up to be one of those magic events that have taken place so many times at the open..until the fourth set with Roddick up 5-3. All the pieces were there..Djokovic dominating the first two sets, going a perfect 4 for 4 in break chances. Roddick battling back in a brilliant third set that had Novak on the ropes and looking for some quick answers.That was until late in the afore mentioned fourth set when the wheels fell off for Roddick. Djokovic seized the chance to work his way back onto the set, eventually winning the tiebreak.

    I'll give Novak his due credit, albeit for a shaky third set, he was confident in his game plan and was precise in his shot selection while forcing Roddick to play out of his comfort zone.

For Djokovic, it's on to the semis for a rematch of last year's final versus Roger Federer. The winner gets either Rafa Nadal or Andy Murray in the final.

Professional Tennis On Tap today at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center:

The Brothers Bryan vs. Dlouhy/Paes for the Men's Tennis Doubles Championships- Currently 4 all in the second set with the Bryans taking the first set 7-6

Women's Semifinals

Dementieva vs. Jankovic- Soon after the doubles match

Followed by

S. Williams vs. Safina

p.s.- There's rain in the forecast all weekend in NY, tomorrow may be interesting. I don't know about you, but having to play both finals on sunday wouldn't be so bad.
 

As of week ending Sunday, August 31, Yankee Stadium has been removed from the number one position after a 10 week stent. Over the weekend the Arthur Ashe Stadium home to the U.S. Open became the top among exclusive venues. The rankings are developed by TicketNews.com.  Important factors that determine the power score for these rankings include: total ticket sales for a venue, and total ticket sales within the category. Below are the most recent ranks of venues.

Top Venues
Week Ending 08/31/2008
    Venue                                   Score
1 Arthur Ashe Stadium Tickets     4.59
2 Madison Square Garden Tickets    2.71
3 Yankee Stadium Tickets     2.63
4 Texas Stadium Tickets     2.54
5 Gershwin Theatre Tickets     1.93
6 Caesars Palace Colosseum Tickets    1.89
7 Giants Stadium Tickets     1.86
8 Wrigley Field Tickets     1.58
9 Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center Tickets  1.43
10 Fenway Park Tickets      1.42
11 Virginia/August Wilson Theatre, New York Tickets  1.37
12 Heinz Field Tickets      1.31
13 Dolphin Stadium Tickets    1.14
14 Ohio Stadium Tickets     1.06
15 Lincoln Financial Field Tickets    1.02
16 Qwest Field Tickets      0.84
17 Ralph Wilson Stadium Tickets    0.83
18 Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium Tickets  0.83
19 Gillette Stadium Tickets     0.83
20 Lucas Oil Stadium Tickets    0.81

I'm amazed by the simplicity of this game.....bring me a tray of your finest meats and cheeses!




    Well..what I thought yesterday would be a great match really wasn't much of a match at all, now was it? 

     Last night in New York, Andy Roddick needed a paltry 87 minutes to dispatch of 11th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez. You really don't have to work your way down the stat sheet very far to figure this one out- Roddick only committed 8 unforced errors compared to Gonzalez' 33. Gonzalez complemented this with 6 double faults. Roddick compiled an impressive 1st serve winning percentage of 93% compared to Fernando's 60%.  
 
    For most of the match it looked as though Gonzalez was completely confused by and uncomfortable with the pace of the match, particularly when Andy was on serve. If fatigue was a factor, and it looked like it was, Roddick certainly capitalized on it as he got out in front of his opponent early and never let up. Roddick also did a nice job of going to the net on several occassions to come up with some brilliant passing shots. Gonzalez was slow to counteract Roddick's superior quickness.
 
I think Andy has a very realistic chance to win the whole thing and my reasons are these:

- Roddick is obviouly intent on leaving it all on the court and while that often leads a player to play wreckless and sloppy, Andy has looked crisp, polished, and very focused on the match in front of him

- He faces Djokovic in the quartefinals and Federer most likely in the Semis if all goes well. Both have appeared exhausted at times and have struggled throughout the draw. Call it fatigue, tough opponents, or lack of focus but while they've both just come off of brutal 5-set matches, Andy's getting through his business in 90 minutes. Roddick has yet to have a match go five sets and has been pushed to a fourth set only once. Getting through your opponents quickly and getting adequate rest are critical at this point in a tournament.

- provided Andy gets through the next two rounds and into the finals, Nadal is his most likely opponent, although either Murray or Del Potro will present a serious challenge. In theory if he's made it this far, then why can't he win it all? Roddick's 2-for-5 head to head with Rafa, which isn't exactly astounding, but put this in baseball terms and Roddick's batting .400 (which is astounding).

I still think Andy's corner of the draw is the most difficult, as his has proven to be so far, but it might be time to think realistically about seeing Andy hoist the hardware this sunday.

Anyway, on to the rest of it...

Professional Tennis Matches On tap for today:

Dinara Safina vs. Flavia Pennetta-just underway

Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Andy Murray- should be a great match between two great players. Apparently these two are not fond of each other.

Tonight's Primetime Action:

War of the Williams' (my term)- Venus vs. Serena in what can only be desribed as the most important sporting event in the history professional tennis....and maybe  the world.

Followed by:

Rafael Nadal vs. Mardy Fish- on a side note, the Fish Tank is still riding high after the pounding they inflicted on the J-Block. Hopefully tonight they're focused, energized, and not drowned out by the 20,000 people that showed up to root for Nadal.
That's it for now..you've been great.

 

September 4th is George Foreman Day at the U.S Open

The US Open and George Foreman team up during the second week of the championship tournament to promote healthy food choices. You can check out Foreman's monthly Web show (www.KnockOuttheFat.com) to learn about how to live healthy.

Jeremy Piven of HBO Series Entourage hangs out at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday Evening and interacts with fans.