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.

I kid, I kid. Who has that kinda change lying around?

Oh, right – The thousands of incoming travelers cashing in Euros like lottery tickets.

But, seriously – ticket prices for the most anticipated matches can be extremely intimidating to the more modest spender. You can easily get disheartened and tell yourself there is no chance you’ll get to see your favorite players in action.

Luckily, that’s not totally true. Yes, the Nadal or Sharapova matches might be out of your wallet’s league, but you just might be able to catch these 2012 favorites practicing on Sunday, August 26th.

Practice Day is a US Open standard and it’s TOTALLY FREE. The Tennis Center opens to the public at 11AM. Seated players spread out onto all of the courts, (except Arthur Ashe) to loosen up with their hitting partners. The hitting partners play a major roll, prepping their pro for the opponents to come by mimicking their styles. In many cases, watching these extremely intimate moments up close can be more thrilling than an actual match.

As long as you arrive at The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center early, (9AM is sufficient) you can get fantastic seats in the courts. It is never publicized in advance which player will be on which court, but if you are an all-around fan, you will undoubtedly be pleased by what you’re able to see.

It doesn’t stop there – Practice Day is universally regarded as the best opportunity for fans to actually meet the players, get autographs, snap a photo, etc.. Unlike Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day, which can be a bit of a mob scene, Practice Day is historically a much quieter day – The “hidden gem” of the Open, if ever there was one.

So if you, like me, are semi-broke or just don’t have what it takes for the big Slam seats, head over to Flushing on Sunday, August 26th for what could very well be a day to remember.

On Saturday, August 25th, The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will host “Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day,” where the countries youngest fans gather in hopes of practicing with the personal rackets of some of the highest-ranking players, checking the speed of their serve in “The Speedzone”, and even hitting the ball around with one of their idols.

It is the man for whom this event is entitled, however, who should truly be an idol to us all.

But why is ‘Kid’s Day’ named after Arthur Ashe? My return question: Why aren’t more days named after Arthur Ashe? 

Ashe was an American Hero in the truest sense. Not only was he the first African-American to play professionally AND win a Grand Slam title, but he won that title in 1968 – a year of historical significance, (The start of the “Open Era” – when professional players were allowed to compete for the first time) and personal. It was the same year Ashe completed his duty as a US Lieutenant. He’d go on to win two other Grand Slams, one apiece in Australia and Wimbledon.

I guess you may still be asking yourself: Sure, but why Kid’s Day?

Because Ashe impacted the lives of children on a GLOBAL scale. I first read about Arthur in a memoir of a South African child in the midst of Apartheid, entitled, Kaffir Boy. There, Ashe was described as an inspiration to every South African child – not only because he visited the country himself, hitting with some of its youngest Black players, or that he fought famously against apartheid in DC, but also because he spread hope for civil rights in a hopeless country – not just by competing in a sport with white Americans, but by beating all of them.

His devotion to American children can be seen in Philadelphia’s ‘Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center,’ and Richmond, Virginia’s ‘Arthur Ashe Athletic Center’ – both aimed specifically at promoting dedication and passion for a sport in underprivileged youth.

Still wondering why it’s called ‘Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day’?

Hopefully not! So this year, when your screaming kids pull you by the arm, begging you to take them to “Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day” on August 25th, TAKE THEM! But – be sure to explain the significance of the incredibly inspirational man for who the event is named.