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.