Preparing for the US Open

It was all smiles for my dad and I today as we marched into The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with our grounds passes for Day 2 of the US Open! He let out a few childish giggles as he relished in what truly is his favorite holiday.

That’s right. Christmas is to small children as the US Open is to my father.

A lot of that rubbed off on me, I have to say. It was fantastic getting an up close and personal look at what I’ve been writing about for two months now. And let me just say – we got a LOT of good looks out of those grounds passes.

As I’ve said before, (“You Don’t Have $350 For a Seat at Arthur Ashe??”) you don’t need those fancy, shmancy tickets to see some of your favorite players on the court and off, (as was the case today – I’ll get to that in a minute).

We saw two fantastic matches at The Grandstand. The first was twelfth-seeded Ana Ivonovic versus 17 year old  Ukrainian qualifier, Elina Svitolina. Svitolina put up a good fight and was exciting to watch, but Ivonovic and her powerful, two-handed grip took the match at 6-3, 6-2.

Check out our awesome seats!

It was GREAT because moments later all of those empties were filled for the next match, which was Jo Wilfried Tsonga, fifth seeded, (who I listed as someone to keep a close eye on in “What Will Rafa’s Withdrawal Mean?“) versus Slovakian qualifier, Karol Beck. It was an exciting match. Tsonga took the first two pretty easily at 6-3, 6-1, but the their set got pretty thrilling when it went into a tiebreak at 6-6, Tsonga eventually taking it 7-6 (2), (when he did the “Jo Willie” signature victory dance).

Beck had a bad habit throughout the match of letting game after game after game get to deuce and have the advantage bounced back forth before letting it go to Tsonga. It seemed like it was always slipping through his hands – which it did entirely in the third set tiebreak.

Tsonga on the other hand was on fire, with one serve that clocked 137 mph. The most fantastic thing about his serve, however, is the fact that he throws it up so high and so far behind him, that you almost think he might collapse backwards at any moment while trying to strike the ball. Instead he does the opposite and manages to slam it with incredible force.

After the match, we strolled around the food court and eventually made  our way over to the practice courts. For those of you who have never been, there are five practice courts way in the back corner of Billie Jean, behind Arthur Ashe. Three sides are lined with incredibly tall shrubbery making it impossible to see through, the other has a small opening with a few bleachers set up. If you get to that opening at just the right time, you can see all the biggest names of the tourney practice only feet from you.

Well. This is where I must disclose some personal information. I do not mind admitting that I have developed quite the crush on Novak Djokovic over the course of this blog journey, (See my profile on him at “Djokovic the Djoker“).

Here’s some proof of my crush.

It is love.

Okay, not literally. BUT I had absolutely no expectation of seeing him in person, (hence this photo) even though I knew he was playing at Ashe at 7PM. However, fate, (which is trying to force us together) led me straight to the practice courts just half an hour before he was scheduled to arrive. The word hadn’t quite gotten out yet, so I got a great spot up against the fence, and watched at 4:45 as he entered the court. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Unfortunately, the players practicing at the time were running late, so he didn’t stay long. But he did take the time to stand behind Caroline Wozniacki and act as her ball boy. I don’t mean he just threw some balls back to her hitter – he fully took on ball boy mode, with the straight back, open palms, then hands behind his back. He winked, (right at me) the crowd let out a hearty laugh, and I sighed thinking, “What a Djoker”.

We got to see Andy Murray come by the practice courts as well, (his hair is WAY redder in person). Serena was set to come on at 4:45 but by 5:45 when we left, she still hadn’t appeared. Bummer.

Practice courts are definitely the way to go after you’ve seen the best matches of the day, (if you only have a grounds pass). I’m not sure everyone would agree with this, but it’s really thrilling to see the big names so close! I loved it.

Anyway – I had a fantastic time. For those of you headed out to Flushing in the next two weeks, have a blast. For those of you watching at home – get ready, because I’m betting that the men’s singles will be a fight to the death this year.

Signing off for now. Thank you to everyone who read, commented and shared this blog. It’s been an honor to “Prepare” you for this great tourney.

image@tennis.isport.com

Consistently, we hear tell of under-funded stadiums closing, teams being transferred to more profitable states, and the “bankruptcy” word being thrown around the offices of team owners.

One sporting event consistently delivers in profit, sponsorship, prize money and city revenue. That event is the US Open.

But why? As New Yorkers, we put teams like the Yankees and the Knicks on a pedestal. If you asked a random person on the street which NY sport brought the most money into the city, I doubt very many would say tennis. Yet, it’s true. VERY true.

Year after year, the attendance at the Open tends to grow. It averages 98 percent capacity, around 700,000 attendees per tourney. Last year it battled an impending hurricane Irene and still managed to bring in 650,000 spectators, sell out 11 sessions, and set a record for a final match, (Novak vs. Nadal) with 24,713 people in Arthur Ashe Stadium, (meant to hold an average of 23,200).

Even during the height of the recession in 2009, the US Open actually continued to set records for ticket sales.

But don’t think those tickets represent the money coming in to the city. The ticket money goes to the United States Tennis Association and the organizers of the United States Open. The sponsored money is usually flipped over to prize money. It’s the hospitality costs that cause a great surge for NYC’s revenue.

Many of the Open’s attendees are coming from overseas specifically for the tournament, which lasts two weeks long during prime vacation time that coincides with Labor Day weekend. The average Open-goer has a median income of $150,000 according to the USTA, so it’s safe to say they aren’t always staying in a Comfort Inn. They fill the high end, luxury hotels in the the surrounding areas and tend to stake them out for the entirety of the tourney. The best hotels are often filled up months in advance.

Between the hotels, restaurants, rentals and everything in between, New York City makes an average profit of 250 million dollars off of the US Open. That number grows every year.  That’s a lot of green.

Twelve days before the beginning of the season’s fourth and final Grand Slam tourney, the tennis world was shocked by Rafael Nadal’s decision not to play.

The former ATP number one and current number three has watched his season decline since winning at Rolland Garros in June. Consistently, it became clear that Rafael was not in proper form, and fans and players alike began to wonder what his US Open fate would be. (Read more @ “This Just In: Rafa May be Out.”)

The question has been answered. Many believe we will not see Rafa again until the Australian Open in 2013. He told Sports Illustrated, “I will compete when my knee says I am ready to compete. I don’t want to go on court with bad feeling because then it is terrible.”

Now, no one can say for sure that Rafael, (had he been in good condition) would have even made it past the first round. Upsets happen. You just never know. Still, it is more likely to assume that he would have made it pretty far when you look at his track record. Perhaps he would have faced Federer in the finals, or his rival Djokovic. Would anyone be particularly surprised? The top three players are a bit of a trio, rotating around, constantly winding up across the net from one another.

No one can be expected to fill the triad right away, but the question on everyone’s mind has become: If Rafa did “free up a spot,” so to speak, then who will fill it? Let’s look through my top-three most likely candidates.

Andy Murray:

The Brit doesn’t have a single Slam title under his belt, and yet he was able to come out victorious in showdowns with both Djokovic AND Federer at the Olympics this month, taking it all and walking away with gold on his home turf. The ATP number four has a great chance of making the finals. Throughout his career, he has defeated Federer in nine matches, and Djokovic in six. Who’s to say he couldn’t finally succeed at a Grand Slam?

Juan Martin del Porto:

The 23 year old Argentinian has been commanding a lot of attention lately. At the 2012 Olympics, he defeated Novak Djokovic in the battle for bronze. At the beginning of 2010 he got as high as number four in the ranking, now number nine – nothing to sneeze at. In 2009, he defeated Rafael at the US Open to make it to the finals with Federer, where he ultimately walked away with the trophy. It was his first and only Slam title, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t take it all this month.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga:

The 27 year old Frenchman is number six in the world but hasn’t yet had his moment to really shine. Like Andy Murray, he has never received a Grand Slam title, but was a quarter-finalist in the 2012 French Open and 2011 US Open, and a semi-finalist at Wimbledon 2012. He’s done well in the past on the hard courts at the Australian Open, (finalist ’08, quarter-finalist ’09, semi-finalist ’10). He’s known for the same “electric” style of play attributed to Nadal, with a powerful serve and impressive agility for his 6’2″ frame. He is without a doubt the underdog, but is certainly a player to watch this month.

It truly is anyone’s guess when it comes to the US Open and who would ever take Nadal’s place. Rafael is a player unlike any other and his ferocity and entertaining play will doubtlessly be missed. Regardless of the tourney’s outcome sans Nadal, our fingers should be crossed for him to return in 2013. The great Roger Federer, 31, has his seasons numbered at this point in his career. It would be incredbily sad to see a young, potential “greatest” such as Rafa out for good so soon, especially when we may not be seeing Roger Federer for too much longer.

Either way, the show must go on. Take you picks and tune in August 27th to see it all begin.

image@tennis.si.com

(Please note the UPDATES at the bottom.) 

Rafael Nadal has been keeping quiet about whether or not his knee injury, (continuing tendinitis) will keep him out of the US Open in two weeks. But it’s not looking great.

Nadal’s season started out just fine. He breezed through the Australian Open before falling to Novak Djokovic in the final – not without a fight, however. The match lasted five hours and 53 minutes, making it the longest final match in Grand Slam history.

Nadal faced Djokovic again at Rolland Garros in May, but this time Rafael came out victorious. He won his seventh French Open title, surpassing Bijorn Borg’s record of six. The 26 year old ATP number three in the world was playing at his best.

Then – things got a little weird. At Wimbledon, Rafa was knocked out in the second round by Lucas Rosol, ranked 100 in the world. Nadal hadn’t failed to advance past round two in a Grand Slam tourney since he was a teenager – and he had won Wimbledon only two years prior. But everyone has their bad days – Rosol even saying, “Nadal is only human.”

The world expected Rafael to rest up for the Olympics, as he was in line to bear Spain’s flag in the opening ceremony, but not two weeks after Wimbledon, he announced that he would not be able to participate. It was made clear that the tendinitis was to blame.

It was also the cause of his absence at the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the Cincinnati Masters last week. Not only do these tournaments help to secure a players ranking, they assist in keeping them agile and in shape for the Grand Slams – i.e. the US Open. When Rafa was nowhere to be found, many became anxious, including ATP number one, Roger Federer, that he would not be prepared. (Tennis.com)

“I can’t believe he’s been out that long. I thought the Olympics, okay, that’s fine. That’s a personal choice. I thought for sure we would see him in Toronto, but now he missed Toronto and Cincinnati. It’s very surprising…So I’m sad for him. I hope he’ll be back for the US Open.”

It doesn’t seem like anyone would be safe counting on Nadal’s participation at Arthur Ashe this month. No formal statement has been made by Nadal since the Olympics, but as opening day in Queens draws nearer, the world has been abuzz about whether or not the 2011 finalist will be strong enough to compete.

Nadal made headlines last year in Flushing Meadows by making strong statements about the conditions of its courts. Throughout the tourney, pros were told to continue play, even when many believed the courts were too damp to ensure safety. Nadal was quoted as saying, “It’s the same old story, all you think about is money,” suggesting that the organizers cared more about the schedule than the well-being of the players.

If Nadal were to sit out of any tournament to protect his knee, you could probably assume it would be the US Open, since he publicly questioned its security last August before his tendinitis even flared.

Regardless, a decision must be made soon. It is likely we will hear a yea or a nay from the Spaniard by the end of the week.

UPDATE:

On Wednesday morning, August 15th, Rafael Nadal announced that he will NOT participate in the US Open.

On his twitter, Nadal wrote: “I am very sad to announce that I am not ready to play the US Open in NY. Thanks to my fans for their support and especially, the New Yorkers.”

Wow, wow, wow. It must be worse than he is letting on. As previously noted in the blog entry, “You Have to Look Beneath the Surface, or Do You?” I went into detail about how hard courts are historically the worst on a players joints. Nadal dominates on clay, but even though he won at Ashe in 2010 and was a finalist last year, he is probably making the best decision by avoiding the DecoTurf.

Wishing the 26 year old lots of luck and a speedy recovery.

image courtesy of bloomberg.com

The 2o12 Olympics at Wimbledon were filled with performances both contrary and in line with how the pros have been playing throughout the year. A quick rundown:

Men’s Singles Gold (Best out of five): Brit, Andy Murray, (Gold) beats Swiss, Roger Federer, (Silver) 6-2, 6-1, 6-4

Men’s Singles Bronze (Best out of three): Argentinian, Juan Martin Del Porto, (Bronze) beats Serbian, Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4

Women’s Singles Gold (Best out of three): American, Serena Williams (Gold) beats Russian, Maria Sharapova (Silver) 6-0, 6,1

Women’s Singles Bronze (Best out of three): Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka beat Russian, Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-4

After a disastrous start to the Grand Slam season, the world watched as Serena Williams took it all at Wimbledon in July, as chronicled earlier in this blog. (July Archives: “It’s Anyone’s Guess for Serena Williams”) Therefore, it really was no surprise to see her win on Centre Court again just weeks later – but the sheer domination of Maria Sharapova, (only winning one game against Williams) surpassed many who expected a close match. Sports Illustrated noted that it was “the most lopsided women’s finals in Olympic history.”

The medal secured Williams the “Career Golden Slam,” meaning she has now won every Grand Slam tournament, (though not in one season) in addition to gold in an Olympic Game. (Only achieved once previously by a female, Steffi Graff in 1988.) Williams also received gold in doubles with sister, Venus.

It was a sad day for Roger Federer, however, who would have also secured the “Golden Slam” for the first time had he defeated Andy Murray in the Single’s Gold match. History showed that he could have, as he has won over Murray in three Grand Slam finals, including last month at Wimbledon – the same grass where Federer has stood seven times victorious. (Read more: “You Have to Look Beneath the Surface, or Do You?”) BleacherReport called it a fluke, but a potential rematch in Queens at the end of the month will be a better teller. That rematch seems all the more likely since news broke that Rafael Nadal backed out of a recent Toronto tourney due to a knee injury.

But, no one should be so quick to count out Novak Djokovic, (“Novak ‘the Djoker’ Djokovic – Not Your Average ATP Second in the World” – August Archives). He has had an incredibly impressive two years He even skipped out of the Closing Ceremonies last night to travel to Toronto (where Nadal dropped out), and won his 31st tourney title.

The Olympics gave fans a lot to look forward to at the US Open – but we just have to sit back on our couches and stare at a television to see it. You can be sure, however, that the players’ celebration was short. They now have to train vigorously for the hard courts coming in a couple weeks, prepare for the effect of travel, new opponents, and a new venue.

Wishing them luck.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Novak Djokovic grew up in Serbia with three goals: To become the number one ATP player in the world, to win Wimbledon, and to eat a chunk of the grass immediately afterwards.

He accomplished all three of those dreams last year, on July 1st 2011 when he defeated Rafael Nadal to win it all in London.

In regards to his now-famous Wimbledon victory-snack, Djokovic said to Jay Leno, “Listen – in my dreams the grass tasted much sweeter, [but] there, it had this flavor of the sweat – my sweat, the opponents sweat – so it didn’t really feel great, but it came naturally.”

Leno’s subsequent hearty laugh was typical of the soundtrack to Djokovic’s current life as a member of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, five-time Grand Slam title winner, and twenty-five year old class clown.

Novak “Djoker,” as he’s been nicknamed by the media, is a unique personality in the tennis world. We’ve seen pros get draped in endorsements, branch out into fashion, even star in music videos with their boyfriends, but we’ve never seen such a comedian.

Djokovic has famously impersonated other pros, on and off the court, such as Rafael Nadal, (who wasn’t particularly in on the joke) and Maria Sharapova, (Do yourself a favor and click this link).

In the spotlight, Novak is attractive, well-spoken, and funny – but we’re not just dealing with a great personality here. We’re talking about a man who was the youngest player to ever reach the semifinals in all four Grand Slams, (accomplished in 2008) the 6th player to ever win three Grand Slam titles in one calendar year, (2011) and the only Serbian to ever win a Major singles title.

Where did this kid come from, and what was his road to the top?

In 1991, four-year old Novak Djokovic was just a young Serbian kid hanging around the local tennis courts, absorbing everything he could from the sidelines, and idolizing Pete Sampras. Serbian coach, Jelena Gencic noticed the boy and invited him to hit around one day. Djokovic’s fate was sealed.

Djokovic said to 60 Minutes’ Bob Simon, “I was saying I want to be number one of the world, and I was seven, eight years old. Most people were laughing at me, because, you know, it seems I have a one percent chance to do that.”

Gencic ranked the percentage a little higher. She believed in Djokovic fiercely, and convinced his parents to allow him to split his time between Serbia and Germany at 13, where he was trained by Nikola Pilic at the Niki Pilis Tennis Academy.

That year he reached the finals of the Junior Davis Cup for players under 14 and won silver in the World Junior Championship’s team competition. By 17, he was ranked in the ATP, (albeit 606) and by 18, he was playing in all four Grand Slams.

At 19, impressive performances in the French Open and Wimbledon got him into the top 20, making him the youngest top 20 player of all time. Later that year, he defeated Federer, Nadal and Andy Roddick in the American tour, winning the Masters Series Rogers Cup in Motreal. Suddenly Djokovic was number three in the world.

His first Grand Slam title came the next year at the 2008 Australian Open. He’d win it again in 2011, along with Wimbledon, (elevating him to ATP number one) and the US Open. He opened the 2012 season by winning the Australian Open for the third time. At this point, he had defeated Rafael Nadal in the finals of three consecutive Grand Slam titles, but Nadal finally conquered Djokovic this May at Rolland Garros.

Djokovic was also defeated in July at Wimbledon in the finals by Roger Federer, pushing him to number two in the world. Nothing to scoff at.

Novak is currently back in Wimbledon playing in the Olympic Games. On August 3rd he was defeated by Brit Andy Murray, taking him out of the running for Gold, but will play for his second Bronze on August 5th against Argentinian Juan Martin Del Porto.

Through the ups and downs, Novak Djokovic remains upbeat, optimistic, and light-hearted. He utilizes social media to keep close contact with his fans. He wrote on his Facebook page August 2nd, “I really like coming here and sharing my thoughts with you. I know you are always around to hear me out and give your feedback and that really means a lot to me.”

Not to forget his roots, he follows every post with a Serbian translation.

The world will be watching DjokerNole, (as you can find him on twitter) closely this month at the US Open.

Regardless of whether the five-time Grand Slam pro and second in the world walks away on top, you can be sure he’ll at least give you something to smile at.