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

Today was supposed to be one of those great sports days for me. You know the kind that I'm talking about..you favorite teams win big games over the weekend and you come to work monday with the feeling that finally, and perhaps only for a day, things are going your way. This was supposed to be my day today, but NO!!! And do you know why? Because I am a fan of the following three franchises:

Colts
Cowboys
Redsox

Man, today was going to really be a jolly affair. I was looking forward to it. Really was. The Sox overcame a 1-3 deficit to take the Rays to a seventh and deciding game in the ALCS, The Colts had a very realistic chance of leaving Green Bay with a win, and the Cowboys faced the lowly and happless St. Louis Rams.
 What happened, you ask? Well, let's start by saying that if you are asking this, did you spend your Sunday in a craft store or something?

 
First, My Dallas Cowboys were completely manhandled in St. Louis by a Rams team that has suddenly won two in a row but is still ter.ri.ble..I'll spare you the recital of statistics to support my argument. Trust me, this was ugly early. I love the excuses that are thrown around for why the Cowboys can't win all of a sudden: Adam Jones (Jerry Jones got what he deserved for that one and I REFUSE to call him "Pacman"), Tony Romo's pinky, the banged-up secondary,Felix Jones, blah blah blah. You know why they aren't winning? They have no heart. They have no killer instinct. That team is a rudderless ship, just out there turning in circles. There are 7 or 8 Pro Bowlers on that team and you'd never know it by their play. They can't protect the quarterback on offense and they can't stop the run on defense. This is one of the greatest compilations of natural talent I've ever seen
with one of the most lackluster coaching staffs in the league. Wade Phillips and his "Aw-shucks" outlook on everything, coupled with Jason Garrett's completely inept offensive game planning are more than my blood pressure can take. 
 
Jerry- Do your fans a favor. Pay Bill Cowher whatever he wants, no matter the price. Name the new stadium after him if that's what it takes. Just hire him. Then let him clean house.  

 And then the Colts took the field 3 hours later.They should have stayed on the bus.The Colts continued this season's trend of inconsistent and sloppy play, and this time it cost them big. Twelve penalties for 100 yards, 75 yards rushing, 229 yards passing, 5-for 15 on third down, and 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns. The stupid penalties for basic lack of execution were aggravating eneough, especially for this team that has been SO disciplined over the span of the Dungy regime. Green Bay had an almost identical offensive day in terms of stats (302 yards of offense, 2 offensive touchdowns), but The Packers defense stepped on the Colts' neck early and didn't let up. 

 Last week's mangling of the Ravens was heralded as The Colts triumphant return to form, but it's clear to me that it was just an average team beating a below average team. The loss drops Indy to 3-3 on the year and a full 3 games behind the Titans, who they face next week on monday night, followed by New England and Pittsburgh.This season might get a lot worse before it gets a little better.
 
  
And now for baseball...

 let's not deny the fact that Matt Garza pitched a fantastic game for the Rays last night. He dominated the Red Sox in every sense of the word after hanging that fastball up and in for Pedroia in the first inning. Jon Lester pitched well for the sox, scattering 6 hits and allowing 3 runs, which on most days for Boston is good enough for the win. Unfortunately, when a team leaves 8 men on base and the bottom third of their lineup just can't hit the ball, they lose.  The top of the batting order,minus David Ortiz, could not continue to make up for the lack of hitting from the bottom of the order. Ellsbury, Kotsay, Lowrie, Ortiz, and Varitek all struggled over the series. It's a little sad to say (at least for me), but I believe Jason Varitek has played his last game in a Red Sox uniform. But I give credit to the Rays for playing to their strengths- good pitching and great defense. The offensive explosion in the middle of the series was a nice touch,too.

 But, I'm moving on..considering the injury problems, the Manny problem, and the level of competition from a SOLID American League, coming within one game of the World Series aint so bad.I think the Red Sox nation will move on as well...to boo-hooing over the stinking Patiots!!Man, I love it!!!

 Oh yeah..and Andy Murray won the Madrid Masters Seried event yesterday, defeating 2008 Indy Champion Gilles Simon in straight sets. Murray played very well, defeating the Rog on his way to the championship. Simon knocked of Rafa Nadal on saturday to earn his spot in the final. I like this kid more and more each time I see him play. He has an enormous future ahead of him.

 See? Something good did happen this weekend!

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?

Robby Ginepri sent 5th seeded Nikolay Davydenko packing with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win in the second round of play in Madrid last night. Davydenko ranked No. 5 in the ATP 2008 Race was stunned by the hard hitting right-hander. Ginepri is a great friend to the Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly. Not only is Ginepri a former Champion of the Indy tournament. The young American star has also contributed to the tournaments charity HAL (Healthy Active Lifestyles).  Good luck in round 3 Robby!

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.

    I haven't blogged in over a week, which leaves me bitter and dissapointed in myself. I try to stay on topic of tennis most of the time, but frankly, I couldn't get motivated to talk about the long march uphill for the U.S Davis Cup squad once my US Open hangover wore off. 
     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.

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!

    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

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! 

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!

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

    So the US Open quarterfinal matchups will be set by the end of the day, and the one question on everyone's mind is...where did Mardy Fish come from? You could answer that with "Edina, Minnesota", but that's not really what I'm asking.
 Seriously, and with no disrespect to Mardy himself, but did anyone think that he would make it to the US Open quarterfinals, considering he's never made it out of the second round in any of his previous seven attempts?
 I thought the loss in the New Haven final the previous week (which he was good enought to have won) would have slowed his momentum, but Mardy has played out of his mind. His win over Blake this weekend was one of the most lopsided men's tennis matches I've seen in awhile. He then easily defeated a surging Gael Monfils yesterday in straight sets.

 Up next? a young upstart by the name of Nadal. Gooood luck with that.

 On tap still for today at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center:

Novak Djokovic vs. Tommy Robredo- currently in progress. Robredo took the first set, but is down 0-3 in the second.

Followed by:

Roger Federer vs. Igor Andreev

Nikolay Davydenko squares off against Gilles Muller on Armstrong any time now.

Tonight's Primtime Entertainment:

Jelena Jankovic vs. Sybille Bammer

followed by:

Andy Roddick vs. Fernando Gonzalez

 Roddick's road to the finals from here out is brutal. Provided he wins tonight against Gonzalez (which he should) he still has to contend with either Robredo or Djokovic in the quarters, followed by presumably either Davydenko or Federer.Not easy by any means.Bringing Pat McEnroe on as a coach is looking like a really good move so far, which Pat's brother is doing a great job of pointing out each match...about every 6 minutes or so. Patty Mac has done an outstanding job coaching the U.S. Davis Cup Team and has built a tremendous relationship with Roddick, so we'll see where this goes.

More to come later...

 

    First off, if you didn't watch the Roddick/Santoro match last night, you really missed something special. Let's just say that both backwalls in Arthur Ashe Stadium took a beating.Roddick easily defeated The Magician in straight sets 6-2 6-2 6-2. Santoro is one of the craftiest professional tennis players around, but was unable to withstand a constant barrage of Roddick serves.

 Lindsay Davenport was also impressive as she defeated Alisa Kleybanova 7-5 6-3. Lindsay did a noce job in foiling Kleybanova's game stategy, which was to hit every..single..shot.. at Davenport as hard as possible. Linsday moves on to meet 12th seed Marion Bartoli in the third round.

 Other notable results from day 3

 Novak Djokovic advances to the third round with a win over Arnaud Clement in straight sets. Novak rolled his left ankle pretty good, but with the help of a professional tennis trainer and 90 feet of athletic tape, he was able to finish the match. Keep an eye on this as the week progresses.

Nikolay Davydenko won in straight sets over Israeli Dudi Sela 6-3 6-3 6-3.

Robby Ginepri beat fellow American Amer Delic. Wild Card Sam Warburg defeated Janko Tipsarevic, who retired in the 2nd set.Dmitri Tursonov beat Eduardo Schwank in 4 sets. This happened somewhere in the middle of them seeing who could smash the most racquets on court

Jelena Jankovic outlasted Sofia Arvidsson to advance to the third round. Jankovic looked shaky at best. Elena Dementieva advanced over Pauline Parmentier 6-2 6-1.

Patty Schnyder, Caroline Wozniaki, and 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova were also winners.

Complete men's and women's day 3 results here.

Notable matches on tap for today

Men

Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Thomaz Belluci
David Nalbandian vs.Andrey Golubev
Andy Murray vs. Michael Llodra
Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Wayne Odesnik (currently 5-5 2nd set with Wawrinka taking the first set)
Sam Querrey vs. Nicolas Devilder
Ivo Karlovic vs. Florent Serra
Gael Monfils vs. Evgeny Korolev

Women

Dinara Safina def. Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-3
Venus Williams vs. Rossana De Los Rios
Ana Ivanovic vs. Julie Coin

Tonight's primetime action-coming to you live from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

Serena Williams vs. Elena Vesnia

Rafa Nadal vs. Ryler De Heart

 

    Well, I had a hunch yesterday about both Sam Querrey and Tommy Haas pulling off upsets in day one and it's refreshing to see that something went right for me, especially after the fiasco that was my golf game yesterday afternoon.

     Querrey needed a mere 87 minutes to dispatch of Tomas Berdych in straight sets while Haas was taken the distance by 12th seed Richard Gasquet before emerging the victor. Querrey faces  Frenchman Nicolas Devilder in the second round while Haas will have to contend with Gilles Muller.

     In other upset news (upsetting news?) Women's 11 seed Daniela Hantuchova lost in straight sets to Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-4 6-2. The resurgent Nicolas Kiefer exits a bit early at the hands of Ivo Minar.

Other notable men's winners from day 2:

Marat Safin
Roger Federer
Mardy Fish
Tommy Robredo
Ivo Karlovic
Fernando Verdasco

And for the Ladies:

Ana Ivanovic
Serena Williams
Venus Williams
Dinara Safina
Amelie Mauresmo
Nadia Petrova
Nicole Vaidisova
 
Complete results available here

On tap for today:

Men

Novak Djokovic looks to finish just one day better than he did last year, but has to get through Arnaud Clement first.
Nikolay Davydenko takes on Dudi Sela at 11:00 while 2005 King of Indianapolis Tennis Robby Ginepri and Amer Delic take court a little later on today. Nicholas Amalgro faces off with 2006 Indy Championships Finalist Frank Dancevic on court six.

And once again for the Ladies:

5th seed Elena Dementieva squares off against Pauline Permentier. 2nd seeded Jelena Jankovic, Patty Schnyder, and Svetlana Kuznetzova all see action today as well.

Tonight's primetime entertainment:

Lindsay Davenport vs. Alisa Kleybanova- Hopefully Davenport's knee hold up as she begins what is likely her final run in new York.

Andy Roddick vs. Fabrice Santoro- Roddick begins his trek through a difficult quarter of the draw against The Magician, who will throw everything, including the kitchen sink, in Andy's direction in hopes of upsetting the 8 seed.

That's all for now..have a happy wednesday

 

The guys are in New Haven as we speak and are currently playing the final stop on the 2008 Olympus US Open Series to be capped off next week at the start of the 2008 US Open. The summer series has provided tennis fans with some of the best mens tennis I have had the opportunity to witness. Whether you look at Gilles Simon taking home the crown in Indy and defeating Roger Federer in Canada or Nadal climbing to the top to become the world #1 or watching Juan Martin Del Potro capture the countrywide classic in LA and following it up with the title in Washington at the Legg Mason Classic. Mens professional tennis has experienced incredible growth this summer it was broadcast on ESPN2 at every tournament stop. The USTA continues to promote the game of tennis at a grassroots level and will continue to be a driving force for the succeess of tennis within the states. We look forward to growing our partnership with the USTA through a number of tennis related activities most notably this fall at the Healthy Active Lifestyles convocation at a TBD location in Indiana.

                         TENNIS   .    COMMUNITY   .    CHARITY

An Olympic Gold Medal and a #1 ranking on the world...not a bad week at all.

Way to go Rafa...You're King of the World!

Final results from Beijing:

 Men's Tennis Singles
 
Gold Medal match
Nadal (ESP) def. Gonzalez (CHI) 6-3 7-6(2) 6-3

Bronze Medal match
Djokovic (SRB) def. Blake (USA) 6-3 7-6(4)

 Men's Tennis Doubles

Gold medal match
Federer/Wawrinka (SUI)   6 6 6(4) 6
Aspelin/Johannson(SWE) 3 4 7    3

Bronze medal match
Bryan/Bryan (USA)    3 6 6
Clement/Llodra (FRA) 6 3 4

 Women's Tennis Singles

Gold medal match
Dementieva (RUS) def. Safina (RUS) 3-9 7-5 6-3

Bronze medal match
Zvonareva (RUS) def. Na (CHN) 6-0 7-5

 Women's Tennis Doubles

Gold medal match
Williams/Williams (USA)  6 6
Garrigues/Virginia (ESP)  2 0

Bronze medal match
Zi/Jie (CHN)                              6 6
Bondarenko/Bondarenko (UKR)  2 2

And there you have it...Congratulations to the winners for doing their Countries proud.

In other tennis news:

 Juan Martin Del Potro makes it four for the year as he takes the title at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington DC. His win over Viktor Troicki gives him some serious momentum heading into New York.Del Potro also moved into the #15 spot in the ATP Men's rankings.

 Pilot Pen Tennis takes center stage in New Haven this week.The final stop before New York for the Olympus US Open Series always puts on a great show with some of the best in both Men's and Women's pro tennis.

 
And on deck....The US Open.We at The Juice are getting geared up for our favorite of all the Grand Slams as we speak.Can Federer make it five? Can Nadal or Djokovic make it one? Will Jerry Seinfeld be there? Man, I hope so...he's funny.