Reno

Response To Silly Reno Davis Cup Criticism

April 17, 2022 by Admin

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

So a fellow named Rich Neher runs a newsletter called “Tennis Club Business” that lands in my inbox every few weeks or so. A recent edition discussed critically the U.S. Tennis Association’s decision to host the USA vs. Colombia Davis Cup series in Reno, Nevada, which attracted my attention not only because of my fondness for Davis Cup, but because I was there! The Tennis Club Business content veers heavily toward a glass half empty approach to the USTA and this story – which you can read here https://www.tennisclubbusiness.com/feature-rn-0422?utm_campaign=23fd5cbf-c4f8-480c-988d-043d13b95d01&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=8a134d2b-bffb-49d1-b6e5-6a970f4e7c90 was no different. The article was a wee-bit off base and a wee-bit illogical, so I decided to respond to the article and have posted the letter below

Rich,

I just read your article about Davis Cup in Reno and I feel compelled to respond. When I saw that the USA vs. Colombia Davis Cup tie was in Reno, I was so excited that I booked a plane ticket and went!

I had not been to a U.S. Davis Cup match in 10 years and had never been to the Reno-Lake Tahoe area. One of the great aspects of Davis Cup, I have always felt, is that it takes you to places that you otherwise might not visit! Of course, for background, I was the U.S. Davis Cup team press officer for the USTA from 1997 to 2005 and now run Vero Beach, Florida $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures event that benefits the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation.

The top objective for the USTA in a Davis Cup match is… TO WIN! (You play to win the game! Hello!) A fast indoor court provides for a good environment to beat Colombia and advance, which is what they did by a 4-0 margin. You suggest for a site Miami, which would be presumably slower conditions outdoors which would give Colombia more of a chance. You said Colombians would come and wave their flags in Miami, but it is a USA HOME TIE. Team USA wants to play in front of a pro-American crowd, not a pro-Colombia crowd. You say “Tens of thousands” of Colombians would attend in Miami? When you say “TENS” of thousands, you mean at least 20,000 fans, which would be the minimum plural amount of 10,000 fans. There are not even 20,000 fans going daily to the stadium court at the Miami Open, featuring the world’s top men’s and women’s players, let alone a two-day match featuring not even one top 10 player and one team whose highest ranked player is No. 250 in the world. A Davis Cup match in Colombia wouldn’t attract tens of thousands of Colombians. Davis Cup has only attracted more than 20,000 daily fans a handful of times in its over 100-year history. When the teams next play and it is in Colombia, they can bring out the flags in Bogota.

The atmosphere in Reno was great in the arena with USA Cheerleaders, the U.S. Davis Cup team mascot “Ace” the bald eagle, the University of Nevada band and the famed “Netheads” U.S. Davis Cup cheer squad. The American players loved it and it had the feel of the “old” Davis Cup again.

The next objectives for the USTA with home Davis Cup matches is not lose money (and/or make money) and use the matches to further promote tennis and Davis Cup. You mention the “site bid fees” that cities put up to host the match and I’m sure Reno put in an attractive bid. Reno has not been shy that they want to attract more sporting events to its city for economic and promotional reasons so Davis Cup fit the bill. Hotel rooms were likely part of the deal and an attractive arena deal (rental). Everything was relatively inexpensive in Reno (except gas) but the hotel was a short walk to the arena! Super easy! I went out for a walk around downtown and saw Rajeev Ram walking down the street to the arena.

You say “Miami” blindly but do you also know how much hotel room nights are in Miami? Well, $400 a night is a bargain this time of year! Not fan friendly! (Great hotels in Reno were barely $100 a night) Is the venue for free? Is there a bid fee? Who gets the parking revenue and food and beverage revenue? What is the venue in Miami? Crandon Park? (A lot of politics to get tennis there, apparently and has it been properly maintained for a world class event since the Miami Open left in 2018? I’m not so sure.) What other venue is there in Miami? Hard Rock Stadium certainly don’t want to “spoil their party” before the Miami Open starts two weeks later. It’s not so easy as just saying “Let’s play it in Miami!” Also, is it really good for the game to oversaturate a market (Miami) with so much tennis in a short period of time? Not smart!

You write, “Similar to the San Diego debacle a few years ago, where some braindead Poobah decided on bringing Italian clay into Petco Stadium, they had to build a court inside the Events Center and laid it out with carpet. Who does that?” Well, you know builds tennis courts where tennis courts are organically? Try Madison Square Garden in New York City for many events including the year-end men’s and women’s events for decades, the O2 Arena in London for the year-end championships and the upcoming Laver Cup, the Houston Astrodome for the “Battle of the Sexes,” I could go on and on because it is done ALL. THE. TIME. The Petco Park Davis Cup was also awesome, to host tennis in a non-traditional tennis environment (like the Houston Astrodome for the “Battle of the Sexes” again, for example.) The only bad element to that tie for the USTA was bad luck that Team USA’s top player John Isner was injured and didn’t play and the USA lost.

Davis Cup has never been played in Reno and there is no big time tennis there. So it was a good choice to introduce big-time pro tennis to that market. The Saturday crowd was about capacity and loud (The first day was Friday, by ITF Rules, so problematic for people to get off work or school to come out and it was a bit light that day, as was kind of expected.)The crowd was enthusiastic and diverse and many probably had never been to a big time tennis event before. Davis Cup (and the women’s equivalent Billie Jean King Cup) works best in small to medium-size cities. Until the U.S. has a team with multiple super-star Grand Slam tournament champions again, teams with players ranked No. 20 to 50 is not going to penetrate or make a big buzz in big market cities with NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL teams among other entertainment attractions to compete with, like Miami. Davis Cup over the last 15 years has flourished in cities like Winston-Salem, N.C. and Austin, Texas and Boise, Idaho and Portland, Oregon.

To boot, U.S. Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish wanted to find a venue that was also in the same time zone and near Indian Wells to make it easier for the U.S. players to travel and adapt there for the tournament the next week. And look what happened? U.S. team member Taylor Fritz, buoyed by his Davis Cup week in Reno, was the unexpected and much-celebrated singles winner in Indian Wells in what was the biggest tournament victory in singles by and American man in 15 years. That’s amazing news for American tennis!

So in my book, Davis Cup in Reno was a win-win!

-Randy Walker

“The Highlight Reel Was On Fire” As Sock and Ram Clinch U.S. Davis Cup Victory

March 5, 2022 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

In a Davis Cup doubles match that featured backwards and frontwards tweeners, an around-the-post shot, a Paul Haarhuis vs. Jimmy Connors-like overhead retrieval exchange, diving forehands and backhands and a self-described “hardest forehand I’ve hit in my life,” Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram clinched victory for the United States in its Davis Cup qualifier match against Colombia with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Juan Sebastian Cabal and Nicolas Barrientos at the Reno Events Center in Nevada.

This doubles match was supposed to the be the marquee match-up of all the Davis Cup matches played this weekend around the world, pairing up four players who have all won major doubles titles and been ranked in the top 4 in the world in doubles. However, Robert Farah, the normal doubles partner for Cabal with whom he has won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open with, was a late scratch for the match with a pinched nerve in his neck, necessitating Barrientos, a Davis Cup rookie ranked a paltry No. 134 in the world, to step in.

Despite his lack of results and Davis Cup experience, Barrientos contributed greatly to the excitement of the match, hitting two diving shots and three between-the-legs shots in just a few of the dazzling exchanges during the match. It was Cabal who had the chance at hitting an around-the-post shot off a sharply angled backhand, but on the very next point Sock hit what he said was the hardest forehand he had ever hit off a service return to curtail Cabal’s glory.

“The highlight reel was on fire today,” said Sock, who also dug out several overhead smashes along with Ram in another memorable exchange.

Said Ram, “There were quite a few house of highlight shots out there from them.”

After Team USA gained a 2-0 first day advantage after singles wins from Sebi Korda and Taylor Fritz, the doubles victory was all that was needed to secure the best-of-five match series. Tommy Paul’s 7-5, 7-6 (4) win over Nicolas Mejia in a dead-rubber singles match made the final tally of the series 4-0 for the United States. The win in this “qualifier” round moves the United States in the “next round” of the 2022 Davis Cup competition branded the “Group Stage,” which is a round-robin style event with four groups of four teams playing in four separate round-robin sites to be determined from September 14-18. This round will then be narrowed down to eight quarterfinalists (the winner and runner-up of each of the four round-robin groups) that will compete in a single knock-out quarterfinal, semifinal and final-round event November 23-27.

Sebi Korda’s Davis Cup Debut Kick-Starts Team USA In Reno

March 4, 2022 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@Tennis Publisher

Making your U.S. Davis Cup debut is not an easy task.

Pete Sampras, the greatest ever American male tennis player, famously tripped out of the starting gate in his debut against France in 1991. Jim Courier, known as one of the greatest all-time U.S. Davis Cuppers had a false start earlier that year against Mexico.

Sebi Korda, of the famous sporting bloodline in tennis and golf and the latest American hope as the next Grand Slam tournament champion, got his first at-bat for Team USA in the Davis Cup qualifier against Colombia in Reno, Nevada.

Despite being matched up against a player ranked 225 spots lower than him, good friend Nico Mejia, Korda endured the rocky-road that Davis Cup can provide and opened the best-of-five match series with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory.

“It’s definitely different,” said the No. 40-ranked Korda of playing Davis Cup versus the regular ATP Tour, while saying the nerves felt the same. “Everybody has nerves every single match, but, yeah, I was just super comfortable. I don’t really get too nervous, but, it was epic seeing the crowd kind of fire you up, all the cow bells, the drums, everything going on. It was definitely a unique experience and hopefully I can use it and keep going the way I’m going.”

Since Andy Roddick retired from pro tennis and from Davis Cup play in 2012, the United States and the U.S. Davis Cup team has been without an alpha male tennis super star that has had mass appeal beyond the tennis world. Many focus on Korda as perhaps taking that role, not only because of his immense talent and potential, but his star-power family storyline with his father being former world No. 2 and former Australian Open champion Petr Korda and his sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda being two of the best women’s professional golfers in the world. (Not to be overlooked is Sebi’s mother Regina, who reached a career-high of No. 26 and reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open twice in 1989 and 1991).

Korda is 21 years old and has reached the round of 16 twice at major championships (the 2019 French and Wimbledon in 2021) but he has yet to even win a match at the U.S. Open. U.S. Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish selected Korda to not only be part of this team, but to start in singles for this series despite being the No. 6-ranked American player. It’s an indication of the confidence he has in Korda and his future potential as a U.S. Davis Cupper and a potential Grand Slam tournament champion.

“You can just see it,” said Mejia of Korda’s Grand Slam potential. “It’s not like my word matters too much, not like I have many experience. But he has the passion to work. He has unbelievable team around him. I mean, when your dad has won Grand Slam titles, countless of Masters and ATP Tour events, he must know a thing or two that he can teach his son. As long as he stays disciplined as he is, as long as he works really hard, anything is possible. To be a Grand Slam champion many things has to happen. Whoever puts in the work, whoever makes the sacrifice, whoever wants to get far, he can make it. But many things has to happen.”

Following Korda’s win, Taylor Fritz put the United States up 2-0 to close out the first of two days of play with an easy 6-1, 6-0 win in just 53 minutes.

Sebi Korda To Make U.S. Davis Cup Debut In Opener In Reno Against Colombia

March 3, 2022 by Admin

Sebastian Korda will make his Davis Cup debut as the 21-year-old rising star will kick off the U.S. vs. Colombia Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifying tie at 4 p.m. PST Friday at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.

The 40th-ranked Korda, the son of former Australian Open champion Petr Korda and the sister of LPGA superstar golfers Nelly and Jessica Korda, will take on Colombian No. 1 Nicolas Mejia, a 22-year old ranked No. 265, in the day’s first singles match. American No. 1 Taylor Fritz will then play Colombian No. 2 Alejandro Gonzalez, a 33-year old ranked No. 453, in the second singles.

“it’s really special, especially with the group of guys we got here,” said Korda. “(It’s) pretty special to be representing the United States, especially with this group of guys. We’re really good friends. Having a lot of fun. It’s going to be a really cool experience, one I’ll remember forever. Great to get the opportunity. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Tennis Channel will have live coverage in the U.S. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

The full order of play from Thursday’s draw ceremony:

Friday, March 4 (starting at 4 p.m. local time)

Sebastian Korda (USA) vs. Nicolas Mejia (COL)

Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. Alejandro Gonzalez (COL)

Saturday, March 5 (starting at 1 p.m. local time)

Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram (USA) vs. Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah (COL)

Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. Nicolas Mejia (COL)*

Sebastian Korda (USA) vs. Alejandro Gonzalez (COL)*

*If necessary. The first country to win three matches wins the tie. If one country clinches victory in the third or fourth match, Saturday’s schedule may be amended.

The Best In Doubles To Be On Display In Reno For USA vs. Colombia Davis Cup Series

March 2, 2022 by Admin

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Davis Cup is one of the grandest stages in tennis for the discipline of doubles. The United States vs. Colombia Davis Cup series in Reno, Nevada will showcase the best of the best in doubles.

Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal, the Wimbledon and U.S. Open champions from 2019 and one of the top doubles teams in the world, are part of Team Colombia and anticipated to play against Americans Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock, who individually are two of the best doubles players in the world

Ram normally plays with Joe Salisbury of Great Britain and the pair is the reigning U.S. Open champions while also having the 2020 Australian Open on their resume.

While juggling a singles career – and injuries – Sock is regarded as one of the best current players on the doubles court, despite an ATP doubles ranking of No. 146. He won two Wimbledon titles – in 2014 and 2018 – and the U.S. Open in 2018 (the 2018 titles with Mike Bryan). “I sincerely think that Jack Sock is the best doubles player in the world,” said former U.S. No. 1 John Isner at last month’s Dallas Open, where the two paired together.

The presumed Farah/Cabal vs. Sock/Ram doubles match will undoubtedly be the marquee match-up for the USA-Colombia series. It will be the third match of the best-of-five match series to open play on Saturday, March 5.

“They’ve obviously had a phenomenal career so far, a lot of great results,” said Sock this week of Cabal and Farah.

Of his own doubles play and his pairing with Ram, Sock said, “I definitely trust myself on the doubles court a lot. I’ve only played with Raj once in Turin (Davis Cup in 2021.) I thought we clicked well, opposite styles. We both had a blast playing for our team. I thought we had good energy. I do think we combine well together. We obviously got to play great tennis to beat them because they are solid. I’ll back us most every time.”

With the United States as the heavy favorite to win the opening two singles matches featuring No. 20-ranked Taylor Fritz, No. 39 Tommy Paul or No. 40 Sebi Korda against Colombian players not even ranked in the top 250 in the ATP singles rankings, the doubles rubber will be vital for the visiting team. It will also likely be one of the finest displays of doubles perhaps of the year in pro tennis.

Sebi Korda Gets First Davis Cup Nod For Team USA Match With Colombia In Reno

February 2, 2022 by Admin

Sebi Korda, the 21-year-old son of former world No. 2 Petr Korda and brother of LPGA super star golfers Nelly and Jessica Korda, has been named to the U.S. Davis Cup team for the first time. The United States Tennis Association and United States Davis Cup Captain Mardy Fish announced that Korda would represent the USA along with American No. 1 Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram for its Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifying tie vs. Colombia March 4-5 in Reno, Nevada.

Korda, 21, is ranked No. 43 and will be making his Davis Cup debut. A former junior world No. 1 and one of the sport’s top young rising stars, Korda rose from outside the Top 300 to inside the Top 40 in a span of less than two years and won his first ATP singles title in 2021.

Fritz, 24, is the top-ranked American man at No. 20 and reached the final 16 at the Australian Open this year. The Californian has competed for the U.S. in Davis Cup since 2019, when, at 21 years old, he became the youngest American to debut in the Top 25 since Andy Roddick in 2004.

Paul, 24, is ranked No. 42 and will be making his second Davis Cup appearance. A former junior French Open champion and 2020 Tokyo Olympian, Paul earned his first career win over a Top 5-ranked opponent and won his first ATP singles title in 2021.

Sock, 29, has been ranked as high as No. 2 in doubles and No. 8 in singles and has been playing Davis Cup since 2015. A three-time Grand Slam doubles champion and 2016 Rio Olympic men’s doubles gold medalist, Sock is 9-4 overall in Davis Cup play with a 5-1 mark in doubles.

Ram, 37, is ranked a career-high No. 4 in doubles and is making his second consecutive Davis Cup appearance. A two-time U.S. Olympian and 2016 Rio silver medalist in mixed doubles, Ram won his second Grand Slam and third ATP Masters 1000 doubles titles last summer at the US Open and Toronto, respectively, and owns 22 career ATP doubles titles.

Not named to this particular U.S. Davis Cup team are U.S. No. 2 Reilly Opelka (ranked No. 24), U.S. No. 3 John Isner (ranked No. 28) and U.S. No. 4 Frances Tiafoe (ranked No. 32).

This is the first time Davis Cup has been played in Northern Nevada. Davis Cup has only come to Nevada once before, a 1995 matchup between the U.S. and Sweden at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas that the U.S. won en route to winning the title that year. The United States owns an all-time record of 114-19 when playing at home and last won the title in 2007.

Davis Cup is the World Cup of Men’s Tennis and is the largest international team competition in world sport, with nearly 150 nations competing each year. The Qualifier vs. Colombia is a best-of-five match series played over two days, beginning with two singles matches on Friday, March 4. A doubles match and two reverse singles matches will follow on Saturday, March 5. The first to win three of those matches will advance to the 2022 Davis Cup Finals – a 16-nation, multi-city competition held later this year with dates and locations to be announced.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at usta.com/daviscup or via Ticketmaster.

The U.S. and Colombia have split their four Davis Cup meetings, with the Colombians winning the latest matchup in the group stages of the 2021 Finals last fall in Turin, Italy.

Deloitte is the official sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup Team. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.

For more information, including access to player and historical records, visit www.usta.com/daviscup or www.daviscup.com.

Reno, Nevada Selected As Site For USA vs. Colombia Davis Cup Matches

January 19, 2022 by Admin

The USTA announced that the United States Davis Cup Team will come to Reno, Nevada, for the first time as the U.S. takes on Colombia in a 2022 Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifier March 4-5 at the Reno Events Center.

Davis Cup is the World Cup of Men’s Tennis and is the largest international team competition in world sport, with nearly 150 nations competing each year. The Qualifier vs. Colombia is a best-of-five match series played over two days, beginning with two singles matches on Friday, March 4. A doubles match and two reverse singles matches will follow on Saturday, March 5, with the winner advancing to the 2022 Davis Cup Finals – a 16-nation, multi-city competition held later this year with dates and locations to be announced.

Tickets for the Qualifier will go on sale to the general public on Friday, January 21, and can be purchased at usta.com/daviscup or via Ticketmaster.

The United States was a founder of Davis Cup in 1900 and is its most successful nation, with 32 titles. Historically, the all-time U.S. Davis Cup roster reads like a veritable Hall of Fame of men’s tennis: Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick and many more have played Davis Cup for the United States.

The current U.S. team is captained by former world No. 7 Mardy Fish. The participating players for both the United States and Colombia will be announced no later than 28 days prior to the start of the competition.

Team events like Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, its women’s equivalent, have often been economic engines for the cities they visit. Two U.S. Billie Jean King Cup events played in Asheville, N.C., in 2018-19 cumulatively generated more than $8 million in economic impact for that region and also spurred significant increases in local tennis participation through a variety of grassroots outreach programs.

“Davis Cup events in the U.S. amount to weeklong celebrations of tennis, and we’re excited to bring that to Reno – a region with a rich tennis community and great USTA Section support,” said Megan Rose, Managing Director, Major Events, USTA.

“It’s a privilege to welcome the U.S. Tennis Association to Northern Nevada,” said Visit Reno Tahoe President and CEO Charles Harris. “This is a great opportunity for the Reno Tahoe community to experience professional tennis, and also a great honor for the athletes who work so hard to represent the USA at the very highest level. We’re all looking forward to an exciting tournament.”

“We at NorCal are excited to be a part of the historic tradition of the Davis Cup,” said USTA NorCal Executive Director Summer Verhoeven.

Davis Cup has only come to Nevada once before, a 1995 matchup between the U.S. and Sweden at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas that the U.S. won en route to winning the title that year. The United States owns an all-time record of 114-19 when playing at home and last won the title in 2007.

The U.S. and Colombia have split their four Davis Cup meetings, with the Colombians winning the latest matchup in the group stages of the 2021 Finals last fall in Turin, Italy.

Deloitte is the official sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup Team. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.