U.S. Open Notebook: Experiencing Flushing Meadows in Person

This past Friday I had the privilege of attending the US Open day session featuring Men's Second Round and Women's Third Round matches. I just want to share with you some of my thoughts and experiences of experiencing the open in person! 

U.S. Open Notebook: Winner's, Sleeper's, and Toughest Road

The 2013 US Open officially kicks off today in Flushing Meadows, New York. At the Billie Jean King Tennis Center over the next two weeks, the best tennis players in the world will compete for the final grand slam championship. On the women’s side, Serena Williams looks to defend her 2012 US Open Championship as Andy Murray will be looking to do the same on the men’s side. This will be the first time Murray will ever have the role of defending his crown. With all the top seeds healthy on the men’s side, and the fierce new rivalry between Serena and Victoria Azarenka, the next two weeks should be full of surprises and wonderful play.

U.S. Open Notebook: Plans to Renovate Flushing Meadows

For five consecutive years, the final grand slam of the tennis season, the US Open, has terminated on the non-traditional Monday due to rain delays. These delays, along with safety issues facing the players if the courts are still wet, has called uproar amongst the players over the past couple years. The USTA has fallen behind the other major grand slam events in terms of updating their facilities. (Australian Open and Wimbledon both have roofs on their main courts.) This past week, the USTA announced their plan for renovating their facilities.

U.S. Open Notebook: A New Queen on The Rise?

In my last post, I discussed the state of male tennis in the United States, focusing on the lack of prospects and national coverage. Now in general, male sports are more famous and receive more coverage than female sports, however, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has made multiple strides in gaining popularity not only in the U.S. but throughout the whole world. Tennis is really the only sport where male and female competitions are televised together, receive equal prize money, and analyzed with equitable media coverage. A great deal of this is due to big names like Serena Williams (She also has a clothing line.) and Maria Sharapova (She also models). Needless to say, the WTA has found a way to gain more media attention, and it is through using individual players for not only their skills on the court, but their appearance as well.

U.S. Open Notebook: Is There a Male U.S. Tennis Star in the Making?

If you were to stop someone on the street and ask the question, ”Who is the best American tennis player?” what would be the most common response? Many people would say Andy Roddick (He retired last year). Others would say Andre Agassi (Has been retired for over 5 years). And even others would say that Roger Federer guy (He is from Switzerland). The point is, with start of the decline of the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) and last year’s surprise retirement from Roddick, the US does not have a face of tennis and the U.S. Open is right around the corner.

The Closer: London Style: Andy Murray: Wimbledon Champion, Sir?

As you may have seen here, I am currently spending the summer in London studying abroad. Being that I have been here since the 20th of June, I have had the great pleasure of experiencing the Championships Wimbledon in person. Obviously with Andy Murray winning there has been a huge amount of  media coverage of Murray and his family, but most of the attention has been put towards Murray's future.  A lot of the media attention has been focused on the possibility that Murray may be on his way to knighthood at the age of 26.

Drexel SMTSU - The Sports Biz Report - Wimbledon and NBA Free Agency

Summer in London: 5:00am Football discussions, Cricket?, Wimbledon

Hello from across the pond! Apologies for my small break from posts, but I have been in a transitional phase into my life in London! I am spending the whole summer studying abroad with a program called Foundation for International Education (FIE), information can be found here: http://www.fie.org.uk/london/. Throughout the summer I will write posts about my time here and how I have experienced sport. Below is my first post, recapping my first two weeks.

The Wimbledon Effect

Every summer, a phenomenon known as the "Wimbledon Effect" comes into effect as a result of the most historic grand slam tournament held in London. The tournament takes place on the legendary grass courts of the All England Tennis and Croquet Club. As imagined, Wimbledon has a booming effect on tourism in London during which the two-week tournament occurs. However, "the Wimbledon effect" is primarily associated with increased membership in athletic clubs as a direct result of the tournament.

Possibly No U.S. Open Tennis This Year?

The Australian Open final took place yesterday morning and it saw number 1 seed Novak Djokovic defeat number 3 seed Andy Murray to win his third Australian Open Final.  Murray had just come off an impressive five-set win against Roger Federer. It was simply an amazing match played by two of the top players in the world today. It is amazing that the level of tennis is so high and tennis still ranks low on the totem pole of sports. Especially when it comes to the Australian Open, because of the time zone differences. However, considering this is arguably the best era of tennis ever on the Men’s side, you would think more people would be interested.

The Return of the King

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, the final book The Return of the King sees Aragon the rightful air to become the king finally ascend to the throne after going through both personal and physical struggles. On Sunday, Roger Federer returned to his throne as both king of Wimbledon and the number one ranked tennis player in the world. The Swiss champion had not one a grand slam in 2 ½ years because of a combination of injuries and new challenges. Over the past two year Federer has battled back problems which have limited his physical abilities. As a result his high standard of performance declined. Combine his nagging back injuries and the rise of new challengers, Federer dropped to the number three ranked player in the world. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray all raised their game and were able to defeat Roger Federer consistently over the past two years. One of his toughest lost came last year when Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was able to come back from Federer two sets down in the Wimbledon semi-finals. That is a feat that would have been unheard of five years ago. Times were changing for Federer. Off the field Federer had to deal with the challenges of being a father for the first time with the birth of his twins. All theses challenges caused questions to be asked about the future of Roger Federer in tennis.

The critics wondered if we had seen the best of Roger Federer or if he would win another major. All those questions were put to rest this past Sunday as the tears flowed from his face after he dispatched a heart broken Andy Murray. It took a while but Federer has dispatched every challenge that has been put in his way to get back to the top. Every time he steps on the court he shows the heart of a champion. He has won everything that there is to win in the sport of tennis. Federer is the true and rightful heir to the throne as king of tennis for now and all time. 

By: Brian Palmer

Wimbledon 2012 Review

This past weekend’s schedule of Wimbledon finals was anything but short on storylines.  On the women’s side, you had Serena Williams who is always a big storyline on her own.  Even with taking breaks from the game of tennis, she still continues to dominate women’s tennis and to prove that rankings may not really matter too much.  Her opponent, Agnieszka Radwanska, would have taken over the number one ranking had she won her first ever Grand Slam title.  Serena Williams took home the title (Serena and Venus also won the women's doubles championship).

 

The buzz of Wimbledon happened to be on the men’s side this year.  The men’s final featured Roger Federer and Andy Murray.  Federer was going for Grand Slam title number 17 and record Wimbledon number 7.  Murray had much more pressure on his shoulders.  He was trying to become the first Brit to win Wimbledon in over 7 decades.  With historic implications on both sides, the finals were sure to be a huge draw.  To the dismay of all of Great Britain, Federer was able to edge out Murray in 4 sets.

 

Ticket sales for the men’s Wimbledon final were through the roof.  There were reports that tickets were reaching prices of over $20,000. Yes, $20,000.  That is how badly the entire country wanted to see a win for Andy Murray. 

An interesting point with Wimbledon is that the men’s and women’s prize money is equal throughout.  Prize money disparities have been a big point of contention in recent years in tennis.  At Wimbledon, prize money ranges from $14,500 for the first round losers all the way up to $1,150,000 for the winners.  All prize money levels saw an increase that was ahead of inflation from the 2011 tournament which would show that there has been growth in the tournament’s revenue. 

Just as I wrote last week, it’s time to take notice.  Especially in men’s tennis, we are in a golden age.  The top 3 or 4 players may be the best top 3 or 4 that we have seen in the game’s history.  There will be tennis in the upcoming London 2012 Olympics and the next Grand Slam is the US Open at the end of the summer.  Do yourself a favor and give tennis a chance.

The Golden Age of Tennis

We are in a golden age of men’s tennis, and not very many Americans seem to care.  I’ve written about the topic now a few times, but nothing has changed since the last time.  It seems like every year Wimbledon comes around, and I’m thinking the same exact thing.  This is one of the greatest athletic competitions in all of sports, yet why do so few Americans tune in?

Co-Op Confidential - Brian Palmer

Name: Brian Palmer

Year: Pre-Junior

Company: Philadelphia Freedoms

Location: Ambler, PA in the Offseason; Villanova –During the Season

Who are the Philadelphia Freedoms?

Co-founded by Billie Jean King, World Team Tennis is America 's only professional co-ed team sport. Tennis fans have the opportunity to watch world-class men and women professionals on the same team playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles in an exciting and unique format. This year we have James Blake, John McEnroe, Bryan Brothers and other outstanding tennis players coming to the Pavilion to showcase their talents.

What are my responsibilities?

I have a hand in most areas with the Freedoms, except for ticketing. I am working with the General Manager Barbara Perry, formerly Vice President of IMG, to gain corporate sponsors and sell corporate packages for the upcoming season. Also, I work with Jon Blitzer and Melissa Alpuche in operations in different aspects, from forming trade deals to working with our marketing agency. I have a hand in most things which only enhances my experience.

Do you like it so far?

I truly do enjoy my experience so far with the Freedoms. It has its ups and downs but I am gaining a valuable experience here. Working with Barbara Perry is truly a pleasure. She loves new and creative ideas and I try to find new ways of adding something to the company everyday. It is challenging and frustrating when someone does not return your call or email however, that’s part of the business. So far I enjoy my time here and I believe its only get better once the season begins.

Downsides?

The only downside for me is the cost of travel. Aside from that I really have no complaint because I am kept doing something at most points of the day.

What are you looking forward to?

I won’t lie and say that I am not looking forward to meeting tennis icons such as John McEnroe, Chris Evert, and James Blake. I’ve met Billie Jean King previously and it was a pleasure. It is not every day you get to meet someone who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America ’s highest civilian honor. So I can’t wait to see the many other stars that work through the Pavilion.