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Arthur Ashe Retractable Roof – And Equally Spectacular New Field Courts – Unveiled Publicly

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

The United States Tennis Association invited the media to “Watch Spectacular” Tuesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center as the stadium’s new retractable roof was officially unveiled in public.

Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe’s widow Jeanne Ashe were in attendances along with USTA President Katrina Adams and USTA COO Gordon Smith and National Tennis Center Facilities Director Danny Zausner, who all participated in the ceremony.

“Uh-oh. Did I just feel rain?” quipped Adams to kick off the ceremony over threatening skies. The roof was closed set to the theme of the music chosen was the riders on the storm by the doors, as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEX-ysly7js Ironically, The Doors where one of the last music acts to play on the grounds of the current USTA National Tennis Center in the old Singer Bowl, which is now the current-day Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Here’s video of the roof closing after its journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPj0xbpnq_Q

In its official press release, the USTA stated “The retractable roof, featuring two panels sitting atop a 6,500 ton steel superstructure, is covered with a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) fabric that is stretched over the framing system, and which allows the sun to reflect off of the panels, making the stadium more energy efficient.  Moving at a top speed of 25 feet per minute, the roof will be able to be closed or opened in under seven minutes.”

While fans, especially those watching on television, will certainly enjoy the benefits that roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium will provide, fans in attendance will perhaps be even more overjoyed with the newly designed and renovated grounds of the facility, highlighted by the new 8,125-seat Grandstand Court in the southwest corner of the grounds as you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBCFOjVYp6g

The new Grandstand will seat more than 2,000 seats from the previous old Grandstand, which was used for the final year in 2015, as you can read about here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/12255

The entire southern campus of the grounds have been completely overhauled to ease congestion, provide expanded fan amenities, and enhance visitors’ overall US Open experience, as seen in videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJl64rkQWkE and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXH6HdaC2rw and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOq4_FWSf4I and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ufi8MZcxVY

Smith said that 19 field courts were moved and refurbished as part of the facility upgrade. He called the new Grandstand court “as fine a place to watch Grand Slam tennis as anywhere in the world.”

 

Arthur Ashe Roof Ceremony
Arthur Ashe Roof Ceremony

 

 

Samantha Stosur shocks Serena Williams to win women’s singles

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NEW YORK – Playing perfect tennis and powered by a ferocious forehand, Samantha Stosur crushed crowd favorite Serena Williams 6-2 6-3 Sunday night to capture the US Open women’s singles title.

The victory made Stosur only the second Australian woman to win the US Open, the first since Hall of Famer Margaret Smith Court in 1973. The last Australian woman to win any Grand Slam tournament was Evonne Goolagong at Wimbledon in 1980.

Samantha Stosur

Williams, seeking her fourth US Open crown and 14th Grand Slam tournament

title, was simply no match for the Australian right-hander on the hard courts at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Stosur had the answer to every problem presented by Williams, and usually it was a stinging forehand.

And, in what seems to be normal for Williams in a big match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the American was in the midst of yet another controversy with officials.

Serving at 30-40 to begin the second set, Williams slammed an inside-out forehand deep into the corner, then screamed “Come on!” Her shout came just before Stosur, streaking across the baseline, stuck out her racquet, only to have the ball tick off the frame.

Williams was assessed a point penalty for “intentional interference,” and that gave Stosur the service break and a 1-0 lead in the second set. It was a close repeat of what happened to the American on the same court two years ago.

That was when, during her semifinal, she argued a foot fault call so vehemently she was given a point penalty. It just so happened that the penalty came at match point for her opponent, eventual US Open champion Kim Clijsters.

Against Stosur, Williams committed a bundle of unforced errors throughout the match. Then, after she had staved off two match points, Williams netted a forehand. When she had to come up with a second serve on the third match point, Stosur moved quickly to her left and rifled a forehand cross court that Williams could only watch sail past.

One hour, 13 minutes after they began, Stosur was US Open champion, only her first tournament win of 2011 and third of her career. She also was USD $1.8 million richer.

“I’m very fortunate to do it on this stage in New York,” Stosur said immediately after the match.

She then turned to her rival and said: “Serena, you are a fantastic player and champion and you’ve done wonders for our sport.”

It wasn’t only on the final Sunday of the year’s last Grand Slam tournament that Stosur rewrote the record book.

She played the longest women’s match in the tournament’s recorded history when she beat Nadia Petrova 7-6 (5) 6-7 (5) 7-5 in the third round. Then, in the fourth round, she played the longest tiebreak in the history of women’s Grand Slam tennis, losing the second-set breaker to Maria Kirilenko 17-15, but rebounding to win the match 6-2 6-7 (15) 6-3.

At 73 minutes, the final was her second quickest match of the fortnight. She needed only 62 minutes to best Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson in the opening round. But the Aussie spent 11 hour, 28 minutes on court to earn her berth in the final, by far more time than any other woman.

In the title match, the points were quick, usually ended by a surgically precise Stosur forehand. Time and again Williams went to her opponent’s forehand. Time and again it was Stosur coming away with the point.

It wasn’t the same dominant performance that Williams had shown in her first six matches. Instead, it was the Australian who was dominant, who forced her game on Williams, who dictated how the points were played. And it was Stosur who won the points that counted

“She was cracking them today,” Williams said of Stosur. “She definitely hit hard and just went for broke. I think sometimes a lot of people were putting me as the favorite, and I definitely was trying not to put myself as the favorite.

“It’s anyone’s game, as you can see as a result today. So I think that she definitely hit really, really hard.”

Stosur finished with 20 winners, only one more than Williams. But she had only 12 unforced errors, compared to her opponent’s 25. On several occasions on second serves she ran around her backhand and rocketed flat forehands cross-court, almost all of them for outright winners.

Williams won the US Open Series Bonus Challenge leading up to the US Open, earning an additional USD $500,000 to go along with her USD $900,000 runner-up purse.

In a repeat of last year’s men’s singles final, defending champion Rafael Nadal will face top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Monday.

Memory bank

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By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net

The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center sits on land once occupied by state pavilions during the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Until I arrived yesterday, I had always thought it was in the old transportation section, replacing General Motors’ city of the future and Ford’s dinosaurs (an exhibit that, in the ‘60s, ran no risk of seeming ironic – or prophetic). Last night, riding the escalator at Arthur Ashe Stadium, I was thrilled to see what looked like the old heliport, where, as a boy, I imagined the city’s elite – Roger Maris, Dorothy Kilgallen, Tony Bennett – dining under modernistic chandeliers. The Unisphere still stands (a popular subject for TV cameras), as do the two disk-topped towers of the old New York State pavilion. The Illinois pavilion was somewhere around here, with its talking Abraham Lincoln, one of the world’s first glimpses of Disney’s audioanimatrons. For a seventh-grader, this was magical, hallowed ground.

Victoria Azarenka

It still is. Yesterday evening a crowd gathered near the media center (the door sometimes doubling as the players’ entrance) and, after a few minutes, a boy came running over to his father. “I got Federer’s autograph!” he cried, proudly showing the scribble on his souvenir fan. It didn’t matter that it looked more like initials than a signature. Then, with the dreamy look of a budding Wall Street trader – and the same self-delusion – the boy announced: “I’ll sell this for a million bucks.”

This morning, near the very same spot, Paul Hunsader, a retired tomato farmer from Bradenton, Florida, complained about the section that had been built at the far end of the practice courts – just for media. He had been coming to the U.S. Open every year since ’85, and it wasn’t, he said, “fan friendly anymore.”

I asked if he had any other complaints.

“Sharapova’s got to stop her squealing.”

Paul always attended the first week. “We want to see the new players.” A distant cry from the practice courts broke his concentration.

“That’s Sharapova,” he said. “I know that squeal.”

I wished him a good week and wandered over to the practice courts. Victoria Azarenka was on Court 4, erupting after every methodical forehand. A tennis audioanimatron.

A tall tanned man was practicing on one of the play courts.

“Who’s that?” I asked a female spectator.

“I don’t know,” she said.

Her name was Tiffany and, I soon learned, she had trained at the Bollettieri Academy during the glory years. (Bradenton again.) “I was there when Monica Seles, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier were there,” she said. “It was hard to get noticed. Which was good.” She was still involved in tennis, and here liked to wander the outside courts. “I also like to play the games,” she said, explaining that there are lots of games, not just tennis, set up for fans. “I don’t like to sit still.”

I made my way to the Court of Champions and read the tablets. Ken Rosewall (“one of the game’s greatest champions and grandest gentlemen”), John McEnroe (“his swooping left-handed serve deceptively oppressive”), Chris Evert (“unflappable, usually unstoppable”), Bill Tilden (“a majestic Philadelphian”), Jimmy Connors (“two-handed backhand and two-fisted attitude”).

“These are quite well written,” I said to the man who was one tablet behind me. He seemed to be reading not really with awe, but rather a sense of verification, to make sure the writer had got it right. His name was Jerry Rush, and he had been a coach: Vincent Van Patten, Vitas Gerulaitis, Tony Bennett.

“I flew in with Tony Bennett,” he said. “We came straight from the airport. I’ve given him lessons over the years. He’s in great shape. He’s 85.”

Jerry was 81. He took out his wallet and searched through a pile of cards, eventually pulling out a small photograph taken of a portrait of himself in white tennis cap, the lines of a tennis court in the background.

“Tony painted this for me,” he said, “for my 80th birthday.”

US Open Base Pay Reaches Record $23.7 Million; $1.8 Million for Singles Champions: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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US Open singles champions to earn record $1.8 million plus potential $1 million bonus prize money

The USTA announced that the prize money purse for the 2011 US Open has reached a record $23.7 million, a $1 million increase from last year. Additionally, the top three men’s and women’s finishers in the Olympus US Open Series may earn up to an extra $2.6 million in bonus prize money at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, which could potentially provide a payout of $26.3 million. Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will collect a record $1.8 million by winning the final Grand Slam title of the year, as well as an additional $1 million if they finish first place in the Olympus US Open Series standings. This year’s US Open will be held from August 29-September 11. Tickets for the 2011 US Open are on sale now and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX, visiting the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office in Flushing Meadows or by visiting the official US Open website at www.USOpen.org.

The US Open

Eighth season of the Olympus US Open Series kicks off this week at Atlanta Tennis Championships

The eighth season of the Olympus US Open Series got underway on Monday at the Atlanta Tennis Championships at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, as veteran American James Blake knocked out Ernests Gulbis in a nail-bitter on Stadium Court, launching the six-week North American summer tennis season that links 10 ATP World Tour and WTA summer tournaments to the US Open in New York. The USTA announced that throughout the U.S. summer hard-court season, nearly 200 live television hours of tennis will be featured on ESPN2, Tennis Channel and CBS Sports, highlighted by back-to-back men’s and women’s finals on Sundays on ESPN2 and select finals on CBS. The Olympus US Open Series season will be supported once again by a multi-million dollar national marketing campaign, the OlympusUSOpenSeries.com website, and sponsor creation on both the national and local levels.  In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Evian, Esurance and Gatorade. Earlier this summer, the USTA launched the “Follow Me to the US Open” contest – designed to allow fans to actively engage and follow tennis all summer long, through the Olympus US Open Series and the US Open. Fans will accumulate points by engaging with the Olympus US Open Series and the US Open, and the fan who accumulates the most points at the conclusion of the 2011 US Open will receive a trip to the 2012 US Open and a one-hour hitting session in Arthur Ashe Stadium.  The contest, developed in partnership with Omnigon Communications, will engage tennis fans via social media, online media, traditional media, on-site assets at all Olympus US Open Series events as well as in-broadcast assets to better show fans the connection between the Olympus US Open Series and the US Open. 

Tennis Channel to air about 100 hours of live and same-day coverage during Olympus US Open Series

Tennis Channel announced that they will broadcast close to 100 high-definition hours of live or same-day match play during the upcoming Olympus US Open Series leading up to the US Open in Flushing Meadows. The network will cover singles semifinal, quarterfinal and early round matches during the yearly North American hard-court summer circuit, in addition to prime-time Sunday doubles finals.  Matches from the six-week series will first appear on the channel Friday, July 22, and conclude Friday, August 26, on the eve of the network’s US Open telecast that begins two days later. Tennis Channel will broadcast nine of the 10 tournaments that consist of the Olympus US Open Series, with exception being the WTA New Haven Open at Yale, which will be played the week before the US Open. In Tennis Channel’s 2011 Olympus US Open Series lineup: ATP – Atlanta Tennis Championships (Atlanta),Farmers Classic (Los Angeles), Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Washington, D.C.), Rogers Masters (Montreal) and the new Winston-Salem Open (Winston-Salem, N.C.); WTA – Bank of the West Classic (Stanford, Calif.), Mercury Insurance Open (San Diego) and Rogers Cup (Toronto). The network will also cover the combined men’s and women’s Western and Southern Open (Cincinnati).

More than $300,000 raised for the Johnny Mac Tennis Project during McEnroe-Borg WTT Match

On Tuesday, The John McEnroe Tennis Academy announced that more than $300,000 was raised in last Thursday’s highly publicized World TeamTennis match at SPORTIME Randall’s Island in Manhattan between the New York Sportimes and Philadelphia Freedoms. The match featured Sportimes’ John McEnroe defeating Bjorn Borg of the Freedoms 5-4 in front of a packed house. The funds raised from the match will benefit the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, which provides scholarships, coaching, tournament travel and introductory programs for area youth who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend the Academy or to participate in recreational tennis programs. “We are very pleased that the fundraising night in connection with an exciting World TeamTennis match was able to both bring in critical dollars and to show so many people our facility for the first time,” said Mark McEnroe, Academy Director. “The Academy’s first year of operation has gone very well, and we are confident that these funds will help us increase our reach to many kids who have the interest but not the wherewithal to join our mission of bringing well-rounded, athletic kids from all walks of life into the game of tennis.”

James Blake hoping to build indoor tennis facility in Connecticut

Last week, James Blake’s lawyer, Raymond Rizio presented a proposal to the Bridgeport Board of Parks Commissioners to build a $4 million, privately funded indoor tennis facility at Veteran’s Park on Park Avenue next to the newly developed Discovery Magnet School in Bridgeport, Conn. Blake, who spent his childhood days in nearby Fairfield, would like to see seven indoor courts, as well as four platform tennis courts built, since no indoor tennis courts are currently in Bridgeport. The proposed tennis facility would bring in top tennis teaching professionals to the area to grow the game to the city youths through the USTA’s Quick Start program, as well as scholarship programs. If all went according to plan, the new tennis facility would be ready to open its doors in September 2012. Other possible cities that Blake would consider building a tennis facility include Fairfield, Trumbull and Tampa, Fla., where he owns a home.

Regions Financial and Morgan Keegan staying put as title sponsor for ATP event in Memphis

Officials from Regions Financial and Morgan Keegan & Company announced last Friday that they will be extending their agreement to continue as the title sponsor of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, one of just 11 ATP World Tour 500-level men’s tournaments throughout the world. The tournament, which was won this year by Andy Roddick over Canadian Milos Raonic, has served as the title sponsor for the last eight years. The tournament also announced last week that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the recipient of one of 12 $10,000 ATP ACES for Charity grants. The grant program was launched earlier this year and is a global initiative aimed at giving back to communities where ATP World Tour events are played. St. Jude Children’s Hospital has been the tournament’s designated beneficiary since 1993.

Former USC Trojans star Maria Sanchez signs with Las Vegas-based Agent Atleta

Maria Sanchez, former University of Southern California All-American and Intercollegiate Tennis Association top-ranked player, has signed an agency agreement with Las Vegas-based Agent Atleta Ltd. “I am honored and thrilled to represent Maria as she embarks on her promising pro career,” said Agent Atleta’s Jordan J. Butler, who will represent Sanchez. “She is a proven winner and has a very high ceiling due to her superior athletic ability and competitive nature. Maria is also a well-rounded individual and a great person off the court.” Sanchez, who graduated from USC with a degree in real estate and a minor in business, currently trains at the USTA Training Center – West in Carson, Calif. She was recently selected by the St. Louis Aces to replace the pregnant Lindsay Davenport in World TeamTennis. The Northern California native speaks fluent Spanish, having spent time in Mexico as a child where she was introduced to tennis at the age of 10.

Ivanovic rehires Byrnes as fitness trainer

According to a recently released statement by Ana Ivanovic, the former world No. 1 and 2008 French Open champion has re-hired fitness trainer Scott Byrnes, just weeks after announcing at Wimbledon the hiring of Nigel Sears as her new coach. Byrnes, who was Ivanovic’s trainer from July 2006 – July 2009, which included when she was the top-ranked player in the world in 2008, has also trained Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka. “With the appointment of Nigel as my coach, and now Scott as my fitness trainer, I feel that I have a very good structure in place and I am feeling optimistic about the future,” said Ivanovic.

Bryan Brothers commit to Legg Mason Tennis Classic

Top-ranked doubles duo and three-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan announced that they will compete in the 2011 Legg Mason Tennis Classic presented by GEICO, which will be played from July 30-August 7 at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C. The Bryan Brothers, who played in the nation’s capital for the first time as teenagers, were crowned champions in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The former Stanford All-Americans were finalists in 2001 and 2002. “The addition of the Bryans, considered by most as the greatest doubles team of all-time, to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic is great news for Washington tennis fans,” said Jeff Newman, Tournament Director. “They are without question two of the most charismatic players on the ATP World Tour, both on and off the court, and we are thrilled to have them competing. We also look forward to the return of Wayne Bryan, who will once again bring his entertaining personality to the court and tournament events.” Ticket packages to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic are on sale now. Call (202) 721-9500 or visit www.leggmasontennisclassic.com to purchase your tickets for this year’s tournament, which includes players such as world No. 7 Gael Monfils, No. 9 Mardy Fish, No. 10 Andy Roddick, No. 12 Jurgen Melzer, No. 13 Viktor Troicki, No. 22 Fernando Verdasco, as well as defending champion David Nalbandian. Marcos Baghdatis, James Blake, Lleyton Hewitt and John Isner are also slated to compete in Washington in late July.

$300 Million Facelift Approved for US Open: This Week in Tennis Business

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By Justin Cohen

$300 Million Facelift at US Open

The USTA has approved a $300 million renovation project at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which includes the demolition and reconstruction of Louis Armstrong Stadium as well as the addition of two smaller stadiums around the grounds, according to Dan Kaplan with Sports Business Journal. The process of knocking down Armstrong, the main center court at the US Open from 1978 to 1996, won’t begin for a few years. However, construction on one of the two mini stadiums will begin immediately. The replacement stadium for Louis Armstrong would hold 12,000-14,000 fans. Currently, Armstrong holds 10,200 fans. The new stadium will be roof ready in case a roof is needed in the future. Construction will begin immediately on a 3,000-seat mini stadium, which will be built adjacent to the hospitality building on the property’s less busy southeast corner. That mini-stadium may or may not be ready for the 2011 U.S. Open, but will be ready for 2012. For now the USTA will spend $30 million on the first portion of the overhaul project.

WTT Smash Hits event raises more than $500,000

On Monday night at the Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C., many big name tennis players rallied for charity at the WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO to help raise more than $500,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundations and the Washington AIDS Partnership. Team Billie Jean defeated Team Elton 19-15 to tie their overall series at 9-9.  In its 18-year history, WTT Smash Hits has raised more than $10 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local charities throughout the United States. Before the matches started, a live auction took place, which raised $267,000 of the evening’s total. The top items which sold during the auction were the two popular Billie Jean King Wimbledon Packages, which each sold for $32,000.

Vera Zvonareva

Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs

The USTA recently announced the participants for the upcoming 2010 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, sponsored by VocalCloud, which will be held for a second straight year at the Racquet Club of the South, a USTA Certified Regional Training Center in Atlanta, from December 17-19.  Eight men and eight women will compete in the wild card playoffs. The USTA secured the opportunity through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia where the two national tennis federations exchange wild cards for the 2010 US Open and the 2011 Australian Open. On the men’s side, Ryan Harrison, Jordan Cox, Denis Kudla, Tim Smyczek, Jack Sock and Donald Young have been invited to compete. On the women’s side, Jamie Hampton, Christina McHale, Alison Riske and Coco Vandeweghe have been invited to compete. The final fields will be set in the coming weeks. “Our philosophy is based on having our top emerging players improve through competition, and the wild card playoffs allow these players to earn the opportunity to compete at the highest levels of the sport,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager of USTA Player Development. “We are also very excited to return to the Racquet Club of the South and the city of Atlanta. The support for the event last year was tremendous.”


Tennis Channel Academy Returns

On Sunday, November 14, Tennis Channel Academy, hosted by Tracy Austin, returned to television sets around the country with a special feature on Roger Federer’s coach, Paul Annacone. The third season of the show brings viewers along the ride for a tennis lesson with one of the world’s top instructors each week. The season will conclude December 26 with a Best of Tennis Channel Academy episode with highlights from the six weekly lessons. The following instructors will be featured: Lynne Rolley (November 20), Rick Macci (November 28), Brad Stine (December 5), Gigi Fernandez (December 12), Brian Teacher (December 19), Eliot Teltscher (December 26).

Bryan Bros. returning to Houston in 2011

World No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan, who are a perfect 11-0 in ATP World Tour finals in 2010, have committed to participate in the 2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championships at the River Oaks Country Club from April 4-10, 2011 in Houston, Texas. The twins from Camarillo, Calif., will be looking to win their third straight title in Houston. “The Bryans have enjoyed a tremendous season, and we’re thrilled to have been a part of it when they won here at River Oaks earlier this year,” said Van Barry, Tournament Director. “The twins are champions on and off the court, and we are very excited that they will return to Houston in April for the US Men’s Clay Court Championship.” Season tickets for the 2011 tournament are on sale now. Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com or by calling 713-874-6294.

Russian Players of the Year

Wimbledon and US Open singles finalist Vera Zvonareva and Mikhail Youzhny were named by the Russian Tennis Federation as the Female and Male Russian Tennis Players of the Year.

Goodbye Bondarenko Sisters

The Ukrainian Fed Cup team will compete without sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko after the duo announced that they have made a “mutual decision” to not participate for their country, allowing younger players to take part in the yearly competition. However, Kateryna said a return to the team remains a possibility.

London Pairings

Round robin groups for the ATP World Tour Finals in London:

Group A
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic)
Andy Roddick (United States)

Group B

Roger Federer (Switzerland)
Robin Soderling (Sweden)

Andy Murray (Great Britain)

David Ferrer (Spain)

Hanging Up the Racquets

Former World No. 1 and 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya is expected to announce his retirement for the ATP World Tour in a press conference on Wednesday. Throughout his career, the Spaniard won 573 singles matches, 20 singles titles and more than $13 million in tournament prize money. He currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland with his girlfriend and their three-month-old daughter, Carla.

2010 US Open One of the Most Successful Tournaments in History: This Week in Tennis Business

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By Justin Cohen

  • On Tuesday, the USTA announced that the 2010 US Open was one of the most successful tournaments in history, as Rafael Nadal became the seventh male player in history to capture the career Grand Slam after beating Novak Djokovic in four sets to win the singles title on Monday. Just a couple days earlier, Kim Clijsters extended her winning streak in New York to 21-matches after capturing her third US Open title by defeating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets. Clijsters, who has won the US Open crown the last three years she has competed, earned $2.2 million in total prize money, which is tied for the biggest purse in women’s sports history, the same total she earned in 2005 after winning her first title at the US Open. For the fourth consecutive year, attendance topped 700,000 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, with an overall total of 712, 976 watching the final grand slam tournament of the year. USOpen.org, the official website of the tournament, exceeded 12.4 million unique visitors, which is the second highest in history, while total visits to the website reached more than 40 million for just the second time in tournament history. Throughout the tournament, the official Facebook fan page grew by 33 percent and since the conclusion of the 2009 tournament, it has grown 312 percent. The US Open official Twitter page grew by 51 percent over the two week tournament and by 158 percent since the conclusion of the 2009 tournament.
  • Mary Joe Fernandez’s contract as U.S. Fed Cup Captain has been extended through the 2012 season. In her first two seasons as captain, Fernandez has lead the team to the Fed Cup finals in back-to-back years for the first time since the United States won the titles in consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. Last season, the Americans lost on the road on clay to Italy but can get revenge in November when they host the same Italian team in San Diego on an indoor hardcourt. “For the first time in ten years, the U.S. has reached the finals of the Fed Cup in two consecutive years,” said Lucy S. Garvin, the USTA President and Chairman of the Board. “We are incredibly proud of Mary Joe Fernandez and what she has accomplished as the captain of the Fed Cup. She has the respect and the admiration of her team as well as the USTA. And I am very pleased to announce that the USTA is extending Mary Joe’s contract for 2011 and 2012. We are delighted that she is staying on board with us.”

    Rafael Nadal
  • Patrick McEnroe resigned as U.S. Davis Cup Captain after 10 seasons during a news conference at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, site of the US Open. McEnroe said that he was stepping down because he needed to focus his attention on his current position as General Manager of the Player Development Program at the USTA. McEnroe, who has a 16-9 record as Captain, will retain his captaincy through the upcoming tie between the U.S. and Colombia in Bogota from September 17-19. “It’s mixed emotions for me because of what Davis Cup has meant to me for 10 years, to the players that have supported it,” said McEnroe. “But I feel now is a good time for a transition. I can focus on my professional energies, player development and will obviously still be involved with the team, who plays, and supporting guys that are part of the team.”
  • FedEx Corporation, the world’s largest air-cargo carrier, has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the ATP World Tour, becoming a platinum sponsor. FedEx will sponsor 17 tournaments throughout 12 countries. The Memphis, Tenn., based company will get marketing rights and become the official carrier of the ATP World Tour.
  • Martina Hingis, who is possibly considering coming out of retirement to play doubles only on the WTA Tour, has signed a new multi-year deal with Yonex racquets.
  • The USTA announced that Wilson Racquet Sports has extended its support of the USTA and will continue as the official ball of the US Open in a new long-term deal. Throughout the world’s largest annual sporting event, more than 90,000 Wilson tennis balls are used. Under the terms of the new agreement, Wilson will provide a wide range of support for the USTA’s professional tennis and player development programs. “Wilson has been a tremendous partner of the USTA for more than thirty years, and this new agreement exemplifies their continued commitment to tennis,” said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA.  “Throughout our long partnership, the purchase of Wilson US Open products has directly funded—through its licensing royalties—the USTA’s mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis.”
  • The city of Charleston, S.C., was named the winner of the USTA’s “Best Tennis Town” for the year 2010 and was awarded with a check of $100,000 to be used towards community tennis programming or facility enhancements. After an online voting period from July 16 to July 26, Charleston beat out Atlanta, Ga., and Richmond, Va., to earn the title in the USTA’s second nationwide search for the best tennis community. Atlanta finished as first runner-up and won a $50,000 check from the USTA, while Richmond finished as second runner-up and earned a $25,000 check.
  • On September 7, new rules had been passed for 10-and-under tournaments in USTA sanctioned events and will take effect on January 1, 2012. The new rules will require that 10-and-under tournaments be played using slower-moving and lower-balls, on smaller courts and players must play with shorter, lighter racquets. “We’re very excited about what this change means to the future of tennis in the United States,” said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA, and Chairman of the US Open. “Competition is an important element of learning and growing the game, and now all children 10 and under will have the proper platform with which to compete.” The specifications for the revised rule says that all tournaments for those aged 9-10 be played on 60-foot courts using orange low compression tennis balls and regulation nets (3 feet at the center) or, for those more experienced and more skilled players, on 78-foot courts with green lower-compression balls. Tournaments for those 8 and under are to be played on 36-foot courts using red foam balls and nets at a height of 2 feet, 9 inches. “Competition is at the very heart of our sport,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, USTA Player Development. “And learning how to play tennis the right way, with the right strokes and the proper technique, is beneficial for kids both now and into the future, whether they pursue the game recreationally or at the very highest levels.”
  • Seven tennis facilities throughout the United States were honored during the 29th annual USTA Facility Awards Program, which recognizes excellence in construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. Libbey Park Tennis Complex in Ojai, Calif., and Palm Coast Tennis Center in Palm Coast, Fla., was the winners for the small public tennis centers (2-10 courts). Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education in Philadelphia was the winner in the large public tennis center (11 courts or more). Lakes Tennis Academy in Frisco, Texas and Courtside Club (USTA Featured Facility) in Los Gatos, Calif., was the winners for the private facilities. Gable Tennis Complex in Culver, Ind., and Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif., were the winners for the Educational Institutions. “These facilities have gone above and beyond to create a superior tennis experience for their patrons and community at large,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive of Community Tennis of the USTA.  “We are proud to honor each of their achievements and applaud their devotion to the sport.” Each facility was honored on September 5 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City at the USTA semiannual meeting during the meeting of the Technical Committee.
  • Paul Annacone, who was recently hired as Roger Federer’s full-time coach, has resigned from his position as head of men’s tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association effective immediately.
  • Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been re-elected as the President and Vice President of the ATP Player Council after a vote at the ATP players’ meeting at the US Open. The player council is made up of the following: Federer (President), Nadal (Vice President), Yves Allegro, Eric Butorac, Ashley Fisher, Fernando Gonzalez, Peter Luczak, Jarkko Nieminen, Sam Querrey, Nenad Zimonjic, Claudio Pistolesi (Coach), and Ignacio Hirigoyen (Alumni).
  • Serena Williams, who has not played since winning Wimbledon due to injury, told the Associated Press on Monday that she is back practicing again. The World No. 1 and 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, who missed the recent US Open in New York, hopes to return before the end of the season in time to play the Fed Cup final against Italy in November. “Hopefully sooner rather than later,” said Williams. “I really can’t wait to get back more than ever.”
  • Australian legend Ken Rosewall was honored at the US Open in the Court of Champions at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sunday when a plaque was unveiled paying tribute to his accomplishments to his US Open achievements. Rosewall won the US Championships in 1956 as an amateur and the US Open 14 years later in 1970 as a professional.
  • Aleskandra Wozniak will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an ongoing wrist injury. Wozniak lost in the opening round at the US Open to qualifier Sally Peers.

Rain Pushes Men’s Final to Monday

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NEW YORK – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will have to wait one more day to find out who wins their first US Open men’s singles title.

After two weeks of sunshine bathed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, rain arrived at Flushing Meadows Sunday, forcing several matches to be pushed to Monday.

It is the third consecutive year the US Open has concluded on a Monday. Last year, Juan Martin del Potro beat Roger Federer, while Federer defeated Andy Murray for the title in 2008.

Besides the men’s singles championship battle, the women’s doubles final will be completed on Monday. Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova were leading Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-2 4-6 5-4 0-15 when rain halted play. The four sat under umbrellas on court for several minutes, hoping the drizzle would stop, before they were sent to the locker room. They never returned to the court.

Also postponed to Monday was the men’s wheelchair singles final between Shingo Kunieda of Japan and Nicolas Peifer of France.

Three titles were decided on Sunday before the rain arrived.

Jack Sock defeated 10th-seeded Denis Kudla 3-6 6-2 6-2 in an all-American battle for the Boys’ singles championship; top-seeded Daria Gavrilova downed fellow Russian Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-2 in the Girls’ singles final, and Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands won the women’s wheelchair singles, crushing Australia’s Daniela Di Toro 6-0 6-0.

Doubles Final Ends With Everyone a Winner

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NEW YORK – American twins Bob and Mike Bryan walked away from Arthur Ashe Stadium with the biggest trophy and largest check. But they weren’t the only winners.

Aisam-Ul-Haq Quereshi of Pakistan and India’s Rohan Bopanna finished with the smaller numbers of the 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) score, but they were far from being losers.

“We would have been rooting for them” if he wasn’t playing on the other side of the net, Bob Bryan said. “Great guys.”

“Obviously we would love to win the match, you know,” Qureshi said. “But to me, winning and losing is a different matter. I know I gave 100 percent and Rohan gave 100 percent also. So we can easily have pleasant dreams tonight.”

Bob & Mike Bryan win the US Open doubles title

It was the Bryans’ third US Open men’s doubles title, their ninth in Grand Slam tournaments and the 65th of their career, extending their own mark. It was the first Grand Slam tournament final for Bopanna and Qureshi, their best previous doubles result in a major being the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier this year.

Both teams played excellent tennis, standing nearly face-to-face at the net with rapid-fire volleying. The Bryans won 83 points in the match, only eight more than their opponents.

But tennis – as good as it was — was only part the action, and a small part at that, on the hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Accepting the runner-up trophy, Qureshi had a message for not only the stadium crowd but for the world.

“I feel there’s a very wrong perception of Pakistan as a terrorist country,” Qureshi told the crowd. “We are a friendly, caring and peace-loving country and we want peach as much as you all.”

The crowd responded with a standing ovation.

“It choked me up,” Bob Bryan said. “He was quivering a little bit. Just to give that message to everyone was very heartfelt.

“What they are doing is a lot more important than winning the US Open.”

Later, in the post-match interview, Quereshi expanded on his message.

“Since September 11, every time I come to the States or western countries, I feel people have wrong impression about Pakistan as a terrorist nation,” he said. “I just wanted to declare that we are very friendly, loving and caring people, and we want peace in this world as much as Americans want and the rest of the world wants. We all are on the same side.”

Qureshi said he hoped the success he and Bopanna had enjoyed in this, the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, would help Pakistanis forget momentarily the misery of the flooding that has rocked his homeland.

“For me, you know, this whole two weeks for the obvious reason, for the peace and spreading out the message. But being a Pakistani, we have very tough times.

“My only motivation behind all my wins and trying to fight out all of the matches were to give some good news back home.”

Then, wrapping his arm around Bopanna, Qureshi said: “I just can’t thank this guy right next to me for sticking with me these two weeks as well, to help me send some good news back home, which people really needed.

“I hope we were able to give them a reason to smile, you know, for the past two weeks.”

With the starting time for the men’s doubles final pushed back an hour until noon, fans packed the stadium.

“When we came out it (Arthur Ashe Stadium) was pretty full,” Mike Bryan said. “Usually they start filling in toward the end of the match, waiting for the next match. But they came out to see the doubles, which was really nice.”

The Bryans know their opponents also helped bring out the crowd.

“I could see a bunch of Indians and Pakistanis out there at 10:15 a.m. when we were warming up,” Bob Bryan said. “I was looking around and, I’m like, ‘We’re not going to have this whole crowd on our side for sure.’

Just as they had for the semifinals, United Nations ambassadors Hardeep Singh Puri of India and Abdullah Hussain Haroon of Pakistan sat together in the stands, cheering on the “Indo-Pak Express.”

“To have the ambassadors here, it shows it’s bigger than just a tennis match,” Mike Bryan said. “When it comes down to it, there are a lot of people in Pakistan who don’t have homes and are out on the street.

“What they’re doing to bring India and Pakistan together is pretty special.”

That’s one of their goals.

“You know, this is definitely a step forward for us, like the ambassadors of the UN both coming in. Obviously it’s going to help,” Bopanna said. “I think for us reaching here and doing well is definitely a positive message to send across.”

“Yesterday I got a phone call from the prime minister of Pakistan wishing both of us all the best and appreciate what we were doing, especially in these dark times where Pakistan is going through,” Qureshi said. “He really supported our cause as well.”

Venus Shining Brightly

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NEW YORK – Venus Williams, seeking her first US Open title in nine years, moved one step away from the title match Tuesday by defeating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (5) 6-4.

“I want to be in the final because then obviously it’s just one more step,” Williams said. “But I’m just focused on the semis, and I don’t get too excited unless the tournament is over. So at this point I’m focusing on the semifinals.

This is her first trip to the semifinals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center since 2007 and the first in a Grand Slam tournament since Wimbledon in 2009.

Venus Williams

“I just like seeing ‘major’ by my name,” Williams said when asked about the possibility of winning a third US Open singles crown and eighth Grand Slam tournament title. “That’s what we work for. That’s what we all work for.”

Williams jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first-set tie-break, only to have Schiavone capture the next four points. With a mini-break, Williams took a 5-4 lead and had the set on her racquet.

The French Open champion wasn’t ready to go away so quickly, however, and got the mini-break back, knotting the score at 5-5. It was to no avail and Williams won the next two points for the opening set. Going into the quarterfinal, Williams was 51-1 at the US Open when winning the first set.

Playing much more relaxed, Williams began to dominate in the second set, pounding her big ground strokes deep in the court, keeping Schiavone on the run and having to play defense. The American broke Schiavone early as she took a 4-1 lead.

Schiavone held to 4-2, then, using different spins, moving the ball around and getting a couple of breaks, took a 15-40 lead, double break point. Although Williams pulled to deuce, Schiavone gained another break point when she hit a backhand down the line that appeared to be going wide. Williams, who had been moving toward the net, stuck out her racquet and the ball ticked off the frame.

The Italian, fighting for every point, doing it with spins and placement instead of power, closed out the break and put the set back on serve when Williams drilled a ball into the net.

It made no difference. Williams broke right back, pounding her heavy ground strokes and controlling the points. An error or two from Schiavone helped as Williams moved one game away from victory.

Not so fast. A couple mistakes, capped by a double fault, gave Schiavone yet another break and the match continued.

“It wasn’t easy,” Williams said. “She played so well with a lot of spin and forehand slice. I had to wait for my opportunities.”

Schiavone netted a backhand to begin the 10th game. When Williams sailed a forehand long on the next point, it was 15-15. On the next point Williams raced in to get a short ball, then slammed a forehand right her opponent, the ball ricocheting off the Italian’s racquet and sailing wide. On match point, Williams slammed a forehand to Schiavone’s backhand at the baseline. Schiavone’s return sailed long and Williams was in the US Open semifinals for the seventh time.

The semifinals on the hard courts at Arthur Ashe Stadium was a regular stop for Williams at the beginning of her career. She reached the title match in her US Open debut in 1997, and reached at least the semifinals in each of her first six appearances.

“I’ve always played I think pretty well here,” Williams said. “Unfortunately I even missed a couple years here, so I’m sure that didn’t help my cause.

“Other than that I feel really comfortable here, and it’s great to come back to a place where I have won and a place where I’ve played well. Obviously in ’97, you know, my first big tournament.

“So all in all, I feel positive.”

While she hasn’t won a Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2008, the veteran has been one of the most consistent players in 2010 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Williams is one of only two women to reach the fourth round or better at all four majors this year, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, who is seeded number one, being the other. She also is the first 30-year-old to gain the US Open women’s singles semis since Mary Pierce in 2005.

Earlier Tuesday Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka advanced to the men’s quarterfinals when he outlasted American Sam Querrey 7-6 (9) 6-7 (5) 7-5 4-6 6-4.

“I play a good match,” Wawrinka said. “I think my serve was not really good today, but the rest was quite OK.”

Wawrinka’s victory kept alive the remote possibility of two Swiss players meeting for the men’s title. Wawrinka is in the top half of the draw, which is led by top-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain. Roger Federer, seeking his sixth US Open crown in seven years, is in the bottom half of the draw.

In the quarterfinals, Wawrinka will take on Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, a 7-5 6-2 4-6 6-4 winner over Spain’s Tommy Robredo.

Murray Bounced by “Other” Swiss Star

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NEW YORK – Andy Murray’s wait to become Britain’s first Grand Slam tournament champion since 1936 will have to wait a little longer.

The fourth-seeded Murray was hustled out of the US Open Sunday by Switzerland’s “other” star, Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-7 (3) 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-3. The only time Murray reached the final on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, that two years ago, he fell to Switzerland’s Roger Federer.

“I have no idea of whether I’ll win a Grand Slam or not,” Murray said. “You know, I want to.”

Andy Murray

This year Murray was one of the favorites, along with Federer, Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. Murray had come into the year’s final major having won the Rogers Masters in Toronto, Canada, and reaching the final at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California. He also reached the Australian Open in January and at Toronto beat both Nadal and Federer.

With such a strong summer showing, he clinched the 2010 US Open Series, which meant he would have pocketed a USD $1 million bonus if he had won the title. Instead, it was his earliest departure from a major since a third-round loss at the French Open in 2008.

“I’m very disappointed, obviously,” Murray said. “But, no I think I’ve been more disappointed, you know. In other Grand Slams, when you get closer to winning the tournament, I think it becomes a lot harder to take.”

Wawrinka, who teamed with Federer to win the men’s doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, raced out to a 5-2 lead in the first-set tiebreak before Murray rallied. The Scot then took a 3-0 lead in the second set and, after trading service breaks, led 5-3 and seemingly safely in control.

It wasn’t to be.

Murray was two points from a two-set lead at 5-4, 30-30 when Wawrinka stepped up and became more aggressive, breaking back. The set went into a tie-break, which Wawrinka won 7-4, knotting the match

“I think all my game was pretty good,” Wawrinka said. “One of my best matches, for sure. I was very aggressive. I was doing everything really good, so I’m very happy.”

Both players needed to call the trainer. Murray had tightness in his left thigh, then had problems with his right elbow.

“It was just part and parcel of playing that sort of length of match, I guess,” said Murray, who kept emphasizing that it was Wawrinka’s play, not his injuries, that determined the final outcome.

“He played better than me. There’s not a whole lot more to it,” Murray said. “He had a chance to win the first set, didn’t take it. I had a chance to win the second set, didn’t take it. I just struggled from then on.”

Murray again broke in the opening game of the third set. It was to no avail as Wawrinka broke right back, then again in the fourth game to grab a 4-1 lead. That was when Murray called out the trainer and had treatment on his left thigh.

In the next game, it was Wawrinka’s turn to call for the trainer. He had his right thigh strapped, but still managed to take the set.

After trading breaks to begin the fourth set, Wawrinka broke again in the fifth game. Murray saved one match point before he sailed a forehand long to give Wawrinka a berth in the fourth round where he will take on American Sam Querrey, a 6-3 6-4 6-4 winner over 14th-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain.

“He’s a very good player,” Wawrinka said of Querrey. “He’s a strong player. Big serve, big backhand. Is never easy to play him.”

Almagro was one of the rare Spaniards to lose Sunday as a record-tying six players from Spain reached the men’s fourth round. That’s the most from a foreign country since Australia had six players in the fourth round in 1969. It’s also the most players from one country in the fourth round since the United States had eight reach the round of 16 in 1995.

A Spaniard is guaranteed to reach the semifinals since all four players in the top quarter of the draw are from Spain: top-seeded Rafael Nadal, 23rd-seeded Feliciano Lopez, 10th-seeded David Ferrer and eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco.

“It’s always nice to see all the Spanish winning and being in the last rounds, no?” Verdasco said. “So if you need to lose, it’s better to lose against a Spanish player, then at least one guy is gonna be there one round more, no?”

Unseeded Tommy Robredo also won his third-round match Sunday, while 21st-seeded Albert Montanes grabbed a spot in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Nadal defeated Gilles Simon of France 6-4 6-4 6-2; Lopez advanced when Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine retired with a right toe infection while trailing 6-3 4-0; Ferrer stopped fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2; Verdasco defeated David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-2; Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny outlasted American John Isner 6-4 6-7 (7) 7-6 (5) 6-4; and Robredo moved on when Michael Llodra of France retired while trailing 3-6 7-6 (6) 6-4 2-1.
Defending women’s champion Kim Clijsters, French Open winner Francesca Schiavone and two-time US Open winner Venus Williams won berths in the quarterfinals.

Clijsters had no problems downing Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-1, while Schiavone beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-0 and Williams got by Israeli Shahar Peer 7-6 (3) 6-3.

A late match pitted fifth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia against 12th-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia.

With the victory, Clijsters increased her winning streak at the US Open to 18 straight matches. She won the title the last two times she has played here, but missed one year because of an injury and the next two during her two-year retirement from the sport.

“Not that I think about it, but I want to try and keep it going,” Clijsters said of her match winning streak. “I’ve always enjoyed playing here at the US Open.”

Wimbledon and French Open Champion Jan Kodes to Host Book Signings During 2010 US Open

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NEW YORK – – Former Wimbledon champion and two-time U.S. Open finalist Jan Kodes of the Czech Republic will host two additional signings for his new book “JAN KODES: A JOURNEY TO GLORY FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN” during the 2010 US Open.

Kodes will host a signing on Sunday, September 5 at 5 pm at the US Open Bookstore on site at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Kodes will also sign copies of his book at Café Prague, an authentic Czech coffee house in mid-town Manhattan at 2 West 19th Street at Fifth Avenue on Friday, September 10 at 3 pm. Kodes hosted his first book signing at the US Open bookstore on Thursday.

Jan Kodes

The coffee table book, originally published in Czech, provides a narrative and illustrated history of Czech tennis through the eyes of Kodes and author Peter Kolar. The book, filled with hundreds of unique and personal photographs, documents the successful journey of Kodes from political turmoil of the Cold War to international tennis fame, detailing the early days of darkness and family persecution in communist Czechoslovakia and the complexities of becoming a professional tennis player under a totalitarian regime. Entertaining anecdotes featuring Czech tennis legends Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova are also featured as well as the stories behind Kodes’ victories at Wimbledon and the French Open and his two runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open.

“I am very pleased that this book is now available in English so fans outside of the Czech Republic can learn about my story and some history of tennis in my country,” said Kodes. “I am happy to share stories of my triumphs and failures as well as stories about Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl and other Czech tennis greats.”

“JAN KODES: A JOURNEY TO GLORY FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN” is available for $49.95 in bookstores and retail outlets across the United States and Canada. It is a deluxe glossy photo and text hard cover that fills 548 pages.

Kodes is considered the most under-rated tennis champion of the Open Era, reaching five major singles finals, winning the French Open in 1970 and 1971 and the men’s singles title at Wimbledon in 1973. He also reached the U.S. Open final in both 1971 and 1973, losing to Stan Smith and John Newcombe, respectively. Kodes played Davis Cup for Czechoslovakia for 15 years, leading his country to the final in 1975, where it lost to Sweden in Stockholm. His Davis Cup finale came in representing the team in 1980 when it won the championship over Italy in the final. Kodes has served as his country’s Davis Cup captain, president of the Czech Tennis Association, and tournament director of ATP Czech Open tournament.

“I believe that, in his time, Jan was one of the best players in the world,” said five-time Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg. “He earned his place in tennis history as a great champion.”

Peter Kolar is a Czech writer, who has written for Basket, Sports Plus, and Xantypa. He is the author of several Czech books profiling the NBA, the Winter Olympics, and three-time world decathlon champion, Tomas Dvorak.

“JAN KODES: A JOURNEY TO GLORY FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN” is published by New Chapter Press – also the publisher of The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer, The Bud Collins History of Tennis by Bud Collins, The Education of a Tennis Player by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match, by Cliff Richey with Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, Tennis Made Easy by Kelly Gunterman, Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli, The Lennon Prophecy by Joe Niezgoda, Bone Appetit, Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog by Susan Anson, The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle by Stewart Wolpin, People’s Choice Cancun – Travel Survey Guidebook by Eric Rabinowitz and Weekend Warriors: The Men of Professional Lacrosse by Jack McDermott, among others. Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press is an independent publisher of books and part of the Independent Publishers Group. More information
can be found at www.NewChapterMedia.com.

US Open: Kim Clijsters Quietly Winning

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NEW YORK – For being the defending champion, Kim Clijsters certainly has been skirting the headlines at the US Open.

On Friday, the talk was all about Hurricane Earl’s impact on New York City, which at least during the day turned out to be all bluster and very few raindrops, but not enough to halt play for long on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

An 18-year-old American, Ryan Harrison, had his Flushing Meadows run ended, 6-3 5-7 3-6 6-3 7-6 (6) by Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine, while Britain’s Andy Murray, one of the pretenders for the men’s crown, easily dispatched Jamaica’s Dustin Brown 7-5 6-3 6-0.

Kim Clijsters

Meanwhile, the mom from New Jersey – that’s where Clijsters’s husband hails from – ran her winning streak in America’s premier tennis tournament to 17 straight matches. Clijsters lost the first three games before ripping through the next 12 to snare a spot in the fourth round of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.

“That’s tennis,” Clijsters said. “And, until the set is over, you can still always come back and win.

“That’s what I tried to do, tried to be a little more aggressive and just go for the angles a little bit more.”

It worked to perfection for the tournament’s second seed.

“If you start to focus on how you’re hitting or feeling the ball, you might start worrying,” she said. “I was just trying to give it my best each point.”

In other early women’s matches, fifth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia beat Sara Errani of Italy 6-2 6-3; sixth-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy, the French Open champion, downed Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine 6-1 7-5; 12th-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 7-5 6-2; 20th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia defeated Argentina’s Gisela Dulko 6-1 6-2; and Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic ousted Virginie Razzano of France 7-5 6-0..

Beating the rain and winning their men’s second-round matches were 10th-seeded David Ferrer of Spain, 12th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, 18th-seeded American John Isner, 23rd-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain, Tommy Robredo of Spain, Michael Llodra of France and Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain.

Robredo advanced to the third round when Julien Benneteau of France retired while trailing 6-4 6-6 (2-1). Ferrer beat Germany’s Benjamin Becker 6-3 6-4 6-4; Lopez outlasted Benoit Paire of France 6-4 6-7 (4) 5-7 7-6 (3) 6-2; Gimeno-Traver defeated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 4-6 6-2 6-0 7-6 (2); Youzhny beat Dudi Sela of Israel 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-3; Isner stopped Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7) 6-4; and Llodra downed Victor Hanescu of Romania 7-6 (2) 6-4 6-2.

Last year Clijsters ended her two-year retirement during which she married American professional basketball player Brian Lynch and gave birth to their daughter, Jada. In her third tournament back on the tour, she won her second US Open.

While Clijsters’ victory was big news, some were still talking about how her semifinal foe, Serena Williams, lost the match on a point penalty assessed when she went off on a profanity-laced tirade at an official who had called a foot fault on her.

Even after Clijsters won her third-round match Friday, she was asked about Serena pulling out of this year’s Open because of foot surgery.

“Look, my tournaments are not based on what Serena does,” Clijsters said testily, answering a question in her post-match interview. “Obviously I try to focus on what I have to do best, and that’s trying to play good tennis and trying to see how far I can go. Whether she’s here or not, my attitude is always the same.”

Clijsters also won the US Open in 2005. The following year she was injured and could not defend her title. Then came her retirement, marriage and family. She and her husband have homes in both her native Belgium and New Jersey, where he grew up.

“They’re both home,” Clijsters said. “I think you create that home atmosphere. You know, I even try to create it in our hotel room.

“It’s obviously nice to go to a place that you’re familiar with and you can cook yourself and do everything kind of yourself. But, obviously, my childhood memories are in Belgium. I still live on the same street as my parents used to live, where I grew up. My grandparents live next door. That’s obviously what I go back to when I go back after the US Open.”

Right now her sight is set on yet another US Open victory. She has won three hard court titles his year, including a US Open warm-up event in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. There, she beat Ivanovic when the Serb retired from the match while trailing 2-1. The two will battle in the fourth round.

“She had some injuries when I played her in Cincinnati in the semifinals,” Clijsters said. “The first three games we played I think were pretty good tennis. We can kind of have a rematch here.”