Quantcast
nodot nodot
Pro Tennis Showcase
August 30, 2011

Subscribe to Match Reports

Pro Tennis Showcase Archive

Player Profile Index (Men)
Player Profile Index (Women)

Contact Tennis Server

Tennis Server
HOME PAGE

Do You Want To Be A Better Tennis Player?

Then Sign Up For A Free Subscription to the Tennis Server INTERACTIVE
E-mail Newsletter!

Tom Veneziano You will join 13,000 other subscribers in receiving news of updates to the Tennis Server along with monthly tennis tips from tennis pro Tom Veneziano.
 
Best of all, it is free!

Tennis Features Icon TENNIS FEATURES:

TENNIS ANYONE? - USPTA Pro John Mills' quick player tip.
 
TENNIS WARRIOR - Tom Veneziano's Tennis Warrior archive.
 
TURBO TENNIS - Ron Waite turbocharges your tennis game with tennis tips, strategic considerations, training and practice regimens, and mental mindsets and exercises.
 
WILD CARDS - Each month a guest column by a new writer.
 
BETWEEN THE LINES - Ray Bowers takes an analytical and sometimes controversial look at the ATP/WTA professional tour.
 
PRO TENNIS SHOWCASE - Tennis match reports and photography from around the world.
 
TENNIS SET - Jani Macari Pallis, Ph.D. looks at tennis science, engineering and technology.
 
MORTAL TENNIS - Greg Moran's tennis archive on how regular humans can play better tennis.
 
HARDSCRABBLE SCRAMBLE - USPTA pro Mike Whittington's player tip archive.
 
TENNIS EQUIPMENT TIPS.

Tennis Community Icon TENNIS COMMUNITY:


Tennis Book, DVD, and Video Index
 
Tennis Server Match Reports
 
Editor's Letter
 
Become a Tennis Server Sponsor

Explore The Tennis Net Icon EXPLORE THE TENNIS NET:

Tennis News and Live Tennis Scores
 
Tennis Links on the Web
 
nodot
Pro Tennis Showcase Banner
 
Green Dot
 
Tennis Warehouse Logo
 
Green Dot

 
nodot
US Open 2011, Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
August 30, 2011
Editorial by Jane Voigt.


 

Jane Voigt Photo
Jane Voigt

A Kid In a Candy Store
 
August 30, 2011 -- The U. S. Open bills itself as the biggest tennis event in the world. In the whole wide world. Fireworks. Twenty-three thousand roaring fans on their feet in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Celebrities galore. Politicians. Plus the little ole public ... the folks that re-string their racquets 3 times a year and buy Ground Passes instead of box seats over the first week of the final Grand Slam of the year.
 
These folks are kids in a veritable candy store of sweet matches. And today the matches that spread over the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center could have thrown anyone into a tizzy -- which one should we pick? Answer -- any match except ones played on Arthur Ashe.
 
For $68/person, you can walk (and walk) to 16 different field courts throughout the day, which includes two show courts: Louis Armstrong Stadium and Grandstand. Aside from a couple sections in Louis Armstrong, all seats are first-come first-serve. Not a bad way to go to a Grand Slam in, of course, the biggest city in America -- New York City!
 
Just how big is the U. S. Open? Attendance records for 2010 show the U. S. Open topped the charts at the gates with nearly 713,000 people. In contrast The Australian Open welcomed 654,000 fans, Roland Garros watched 458,000 come and go, and Wimbledon clocked 490,000 loyal fans in 2010. If big is measured by number of seats filled and emptied over a two week span, then New York wins.
 
If compared by celebrities in attendance, the Open has to win because Americans, in general, don't have a huge global perspective when it comes to recognizing French celebrities or English politicians or Australian rugby heroes. If we could watch Sky Sports, or some other nationally know broadcaster more readily, and view what locals view during a Grand Slam in Paris or any of the other three global capitals, then the famous faces might match up in number.
 
But let's face it ... Alec Baldwin, Mayor Dinkins, Donald Trump, Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani, Derek Jetter, Cameron Diaz, Jay-Z and Beyonce -- soon to be parents, are major sightings that grab lots of network attention, make fans sigh, and send them to their favorite social websites to brag.
 
After the star search, there's food. Eating at the Open can be anything from a humongous hassle to a charming culinary delight. Right across from Louis Armstrong Stadium is a row of eateries that offer everything from breakfast treats sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar to full-scale dinners, plus the usual grilled burgers, fries, wraps, smoothies, gyros, and salads for those that demand healthy choices even at a sporting event. You can buy fresh fruit and trail mix, beer, wine, fizzy everything and mixed drinks at a bar. While you sip your frosty margarita, you can catch action on the Jumbo-tron screens. Here's the place ticket price means nothing. Relax alongside box ticket holders, catch a few minutes of what's happening on Ashe before picking another hot match on an outer court.
 
Arthur Ashe Stadium houses 90 restaurants, too, and isn't off limits for Ground Passes. Paris might offer quaint cafes for croissants, and Wimbledon the traditional strawberries and cream, but Arthur Ashe stretches the imagination when the question of food is on the table.
 
Before you ever sit down to watch a world-class tennis match, people meet up with friends and family at The Unisphere, the biggest world on Earth. The Unisphere was built and donated to the 1964 World's Fair by United States Steel. The stainless steel structure rises 12 stories above a circular pool and fountains, providing a dramatic backdrop and symbol of content and context as fans approach their day.
 
The Unisphere was dedicated to 'man's achievements on a shrinking globe in an expanding universe.' Not a bad compliment for the energy, grit and passion spilled on the blue courts of the National Tennis Center over the two weeks of competition.
 
No big event like the U. S. Open could go without the extras. The giveaways, fans to cool off in the hot sun, plus posh retail stores selling top-priced clothing and accessories: Rolex, Ralph Lauren, and Lacoste, to name a few. Why buy that Nike outfit at your local big box store when you could buy it at the Open and carry it around with the iconic Nike check printed on a bag, advertising to everyone that you're a fan who can afford the best at the biggest major in the world.
 
And when it comes to big there's no one's name that brings more raucous behavior than Andy Roddick at the Open, at night, in front of the world's biggest group of tennis fans. At eighteen, Andy broke on the scene and ramped up hopes of thousands. Here could be the next Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi. Andy Roddick turned 29 today. He hasn't had a great summer on the hard courts, due to injury, and he hasn't quite equaled the expectations of many. He's fallen out of the top ten, too, and is seeded 21 not four or five where he must yearn to be. But over the 11 years that he's thrilled us with his bullet serves and first-strike forehand, the U. S. Open has to admit his presence alone has expanded the big in the bigness of the biggest Grand Slam in the world -- The U. S. Open.
 

 

 
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) d Andrey Golubev (KAZ) {blue shirt} 63 76(1) 75
 
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Andrey Golubev 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Andrey Golubev 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Andrey Golubev 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Andrey Golubev 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Andrey Golubev 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Andrey Golubev 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Andrey Golubev 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Rafael Nadal 2011 US Open New York Tennis

 
 
James Blake (USA) {red shirt} d Jesse Huta Galung (NED) 64 62 46 64
 
Chair Umpire 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis
Jesse Huta Galung 2011 US Open New York Tennis
James Blake 2011 US Open New York Tennis

 
Earlier Columns from this Event:
 
August 29, 2011 US Open: The Youngsters, Plus One - Fish, Kamke, Dulgheru, Kvitova
August 28, 2011 US Open: Before It All Begins
 

Green DotGreen DotGreen Dot

Player Profile Index (Men) | Pro Tennis Showcase Archive | Player Profile Index (Women)

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TENNIS SERVER PHOTO FEED

join our mailing list
* indicates required

All Tennis Server photography is copyrighted by the photographer and/or the Tennis Server, and all rights are reserved. You may not copy these images without permission. While you are welcome to create hyperlinks to Tennis Server web pages, you may not embed these images into other web pages or blogs without permission. To request permission, please use this contact form. Please be sure to clearly indicate exactly which photograph(s) you are requesting permission to use, as terms and conditions will vary depending on the photographer and the photograph.


 

nodot
nodot
Google
Web tennisserver.com
nodot nodot
The Tennis Server
Ticket Exchange

Your Source for tickets to professional tennis & golf events.
 
Terra Wortmann Open - Halle, Germany Tickets
 
Wimbledon Tickets
 
Infosys Hall of Fame Open Tickets
 
Atlanta Open Tickets
 
Hamburg Open Tickets
 
Mubadala Citi Open Tennis Tournament Tickets
 
National Bank Open Women's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
National Bank Open Men's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
Cincinnati Open Tickets
 
Winston-Salem Open Tickets
 
Tennis In The Land Tickets
 
UTS - Tennis Like Never Before Tickets
 
US Open Tennis Championship Tickets
 
Laver Cup Berlin Tickets
 
Erste Bank Open - Vienna, Austria Tickets
 
Dallas Open Tickets
 
BNP Paribas Open Tickets
 
Miami Open Tickets
 
Laver Cup San Francisco Tickets
 

 

Popular Tennis books:
 
Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis-Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison
 
The Best Tennis of Your Life: 50 Mental Strategies for Fearless Performance by Jeff Greenwald
 
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
 
Most Recent Articles:
 
October 2022 Tennis Anyone: Patterns in Doubles by John Mills.
 
September 2022 Tennis Anyone: Short Court by John Mills.
 

 

 

 

"Tennis Server" is a registered trademark and "Tennis Server INTERACTIVE" is a trademark of Tennis Server. All original material and graphics on the Tennis Server are copyrighted 1994 - by Tennis Server and its sponsors and contributors. Please do not reproduce without permission.

The Tennis Server receives a commission on all items sold through links to Amazon.com.

 

Tennis Server
Cliff Kurtzman
Editor-in-chief
791 Price Street #144
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone: (281) 480-6300
Online Contact Form
How to support Tennis Server as a Sponsor/Advertiser
Tennis Server Privacy Policy