Tennis 2011 Web

OBSERVER TENNIS SUMMER 2011
1
SWIMMING UPSTREAM
Mardy Fish, Americas New No. 1
ASHLEY FISHER
The Journeyman Bounces Back
THE 30 YEAR-OLD BALLBOY
A Lawyer Trades In Legal Briefs
for Court Time
TENNIS
WITH SPECIAL U.S. OPEN COVERAGE
WINNING
WILLIAMS
Once Synonymous, The Sisters
Try to Take Back the Court
&
FINAL COVER.indd 1 8/19/11 11:31:57 AM
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6
6 The Future of American Tennis
By David Leiter
7 U.S. Open Previews
By Rob York and
Natalie Narcisse
10 The Williams Sisters
Both Have One Thing in Mind
By Matt Cronin
12 Swimming Up Stream
Mardy Fish Arrives
By Sandra Harwitt
14 Young Guns
By Chris Skelton
18 In Search of A King
Ryan Harrison to Take Throne?
By Eric Cordova
20 Tennis is a Swamp Thing
Florida Gators Tennis
By Joe Morgan
24 McEnroe Tennis Academy
The Legends Namesake
By Brad Kurtzberg
28 Polanksys Strong Return
A Serve He Never Saw Coming
By Ryan Cowley
32 No Djok
The Serbs Dietary Change
By Daniel Friedman
34 Narrowing Your Focus
Tips for Fundamental Tactics
By Howie Burnett
36 Ashley Fishers Resilience
By Matt Fitzgerald
40 The Legacy of Arthur Ashe
By Jon Presser
42 The Other Brother
Mark McEnroe Takes a Swing
By Chris R. Vaccaro
50 A Grand Game
Old New Yorks New Facility
By Rosanna Boscawen
51 Order to the (Tennis) Court
By Dustin Stein
52 Taking the 7 Train
Stops Along the Way
By Dustin Stein
TENNIS
WITH SPEcIAL U.S. OPEN cOVERAGE
COVER PHOTO:
CHRIS TROTMAN; GETTY IMAGES
TABLE OF CONTENTS PHOTO:
NICK LAHAM; GETTY IMAGES
TOC.jpg 6 8/19/11 11:31:16 AM
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Sandra Harwitt has traveled
the globe covering tennis
for major media outlets
including ESPN.com, The
Miami Herald, The New
York Times, the Associated
Press, Reuters, and can be
heard commentating tennis
on BBC World Service
Radio. She has covered
all four of the Grand Slam
tournaments and Davis
Cup and Fed Cup. Her
travels have taken her from
New York to Russia, China,
Australia, France, Britain,
and points in-between.
A current problem of
late is managing to pack
worldwide purchases into
suitcases and still meet the
airline weight restrictions.
Matt Cronin is a colum-
nist for Tennis Channel, a
reporter for Tennis.com, a
senior writer for Inside Ten-
nis magazine, and the chief
writer for TennisReporters.
net. He contributes regularly
to Reuters and USTA.com
and appears frequently as a
tennis analyst on radio and
televisions stations through-
out the United States and
abroad. He is the author
of the recently published
book, EPIC: John McEnroe,
Bjrn Borg, and the Greatest
Tennis Season Ever.
Michael Paul Hirschbein
(a.k.a. MPH) is the Sports
Director of the FanvsFan
Network, heads business
development for Versus
Technology LLC and is the
co-founder of the FanvsFan
Radio Network. His notable
accomplishments in life are
co-inventing swagger while
at the University of Ten-
nessee in 1998, a founding
father of Casual Monday,
co-creator of Keep The NY
Islanders on Long Island
Group and coining the
phrase, In life you either
read the book or write the
book. When hes not work-
ing 8 days a week, him and
his beautiful wife Alexandra
are training the future of
tennis, Eli Scott Hirschbein.
Howie Burnett is the
Director of Tennis at the
prestigious and beautiful
Island Country Club on
Marco Island, Florida. He
was recognized as the New
England Pro Of the Year in
1989 by both the USTA and
The USPTA. He served as
the President of the New
England division of the
USPTA from 1989 until 1992.
In 1988 he was chosen as 1
of 8 head coaches for the
New England section of
the USTA to staf the newly
formed Player Development
Program, and continued to
serve in that capacity until
his move to Florida in 1998.
Howie is a Member of the
United States Tennis Writers
association.
OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP
PUBLISHER JARED KUSHNER
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ELIZABETH SPIERS
PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER BARNES
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT BARRY LEWIS
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SALES STEPHEN GOLDBERG
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SALES AND MARKETING DAVID GURSKY
DIRECTOR OF CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING KEN NEWMAN
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER
321 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036 212.755.2400, www.observer.com
PUBLISHER ROBYN WEISS
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES MITCH BEDELL, DAVID GURSKY, BETTY LEDERMAN,
MICHELLE MORGAN, ALEXANDER NUCKEL, KEN NEWMAN, JOHN TURCK,
DAVID WOLFF
JUNIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE KATHERINE DESPAGNI
CIRCULATION PETER PARRIS, CARLOS RODRIGUEZ, ALEXANDRA ENDERLE
EDITOR
MICHAEL WOODSMALL
DEPUTY EDITORS
MICHAEL PAUL HIRSCHBEIN
DUSTIN ADAM STEIN
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
DAVID SCHATZ , EMILIA FERRARA, BRIAN DANIEL GALLOF, ALEXANDER TUCCIARONE,
MICHAEL GIBBONS, JOEL A. BARKER
WRITERS
MATT CRONIN, SANDRA HARWITT, HOWIE BURNETT, BRAD KURTZBERG, JON PRESSER, ERIC
CORDOVA, MATT FITZGERALD, ROB YORK, DANIEL FRIEDMAN, RYAN COWLEY, JOE MORGAN,
NATALIE NARCISSE, CHRIS SKELTON, MATT FITZGERALD, DAVID LEITER, CHRIS R. VACCARO, ROSA-
NNA BOSCAWEN, SONIA SAMUEL, PRITHA DASGUPTA, SAMANTHA BUNTEN, GREGORY LANZENBERG,
PATTI RODISCH, SEAN GRIMM, CHRIS ODDO, OREN SHIRI, SCOTT GYURINA
PRODUCTION AND DESIGN TYLER RUSH, LAUREN DRAPER
ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR LISA MEDCHILL
TENNIS
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6
Mens Preview
By Rob York
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic
and Rafael Nadal are all poised
to lift the trophy.
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ts becoming a familiar story: The worlds No.
1 tennis player goes into the years fnal major
looking to cap a dominant season. Everyone
else, including the No. 2 and 3 players, hopes to use
the US Open to prove that theyre still relevant.
But now the all-time Grand Slam king, Roger
Federer, and defending champ, Rafael Nadal, are
the ones hoping to fnd a faw in the crown of the
ATP Tours new monarch, Novak Djokovic. The
Serbian sensation seeks to win his third major of
the year, making him the third to do so in less than
a decade, after Federer and Nadal.
Heres how the Open feld breaks down for those
luminaries, as well as the rest of the top 5.
Novak Djokovic
The Good News: In many ways, Djokovic still
looks like the same player from last year, with
a solid all-court game banking heavily on a big
backhand. Unlike last year, the serve no longer
breaks down, he can penetrate the court with his
forehand, and his body no longer betrays him with
allergies or injuries.
Couple that with the best return of serve in ten-
nis and you get a guy whos lost once all year. Its
the best start to a season since 1984, and Djokovic
may yet have a better year than John McEnroe
did then. No one can outlast him, and no one (save
Federer on a charmed afternoon in Paris) has over-
powered him.
The Bad News: He is a regular presence in the
fnal weekend, yes, but he has yet to actually win
the USO. And the one player to have beaten him in
2011, Federer, has a not half-bad record with that.
Rafael Nadal
The Good News: This year the Majorcan Mauler
tied Bjorn Borgs record for Roland Garros titles,
padding his case as the best clay court player of all
time. Last year, he proved that hes a player who
cant just be defned by one surfacewinning the
RG, Wimbledon and the US Open in succession.
In doing so, he erased whatever doubts there
might be about his serve, his ability to withstand
injury, and his ability to adapt to fast hard courts.
The Bad News: Hes still No. 2, but his stature is
falling faster than the US credit rating. Nadal once
baffed Federer with a heavy topspin forehand that
could fnd the great Swiss weaker one-handed
backhand. But Djokovics two-hander fres the ball
back at Nadal even harder than it arrives. Hes 0-5
against Djokovic this year, and will be hard-pressed
to change that trend on slick concrete.
Roger Federer
The Good News: Hes still the Greatest Player
of the Open Era. Hes still won the US Open fve
times. Factor in his win over Djokovic at the RG in
June and youve got a player who can never, ever be
counted out.
The Bad News: Paris had to have been great for
Federers confdence, but the result made him 1-3
against Djokovic at that point in the season. His
subsequent loss to Nadal in the fnals made him
0-3 against the Spaniard in 2011. Furthermore, as
astounding as his track record may be, to win the
Open will still require this 30-year-old to win 21
sets over two weeks, something he hasnt done in a
year and a half.
Andy Murray
The Good News: The Scot returns to the site of his
frst major fnal in 08, a surface that should cater
to his counterpunching style. Also, while Murrays
exploits have been overshadowed by Djokovics, he
has reached at least the semis of every major so far
this year.
Also, the epic third-set tiebreak Djokovic needed
to beat Murray in Rome suggests that this Scot
doesnt mind trading backhands with that Serb.
The Bad News: No one should doubt the poten-
tial of Murray, but so many of his losses on the big
stage suggest a talented young man who just isnt
up for the fght: plus, since his 08 breakthrough,
hes been out before the USO quarters the last two
years.
Robin Soderling
The Good News: Still probably the hardest hitter
on tour, the big Swede has quietly won four titles
in 2011his highest total for a single season yet.
The US Opens slick surface should also reward his
heavy serve and destructive forehand, a combina-
tion that has produced victories over every name
on this list.
The Bad News: Soderling made his name known
through big wins over Nadal at the 09 RG and
Federer the following year at the same venue. This
year, though, he has disappointed in the majors.
Surprising early losses at Wimbledon and the AO,
plus Nadals comfortable win over him in Paris,
suggest Soderling is not the threat he used to be.
Other NAMeS
tO WAtCh:
Although Juan Martin del Potro,
the 09 USO champion, is climb-
ing back from an injury, he has
a game no one relishes facing.
There are none streakier than the
Latvian, Ernests Gulbis, but his
recent win in Los Angeles may
point to brighter days ahead. And
Bernard Tomic, only eighteen,
announced his presence with
a blowout win over Soderling
at Wimbledon, a move likely to
reveal a rapid rise in the years
ahead.
USOpen Men's Preview.indd 6 8/19/11 10:01:08 AM
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8
U
sually, its lonely at the top;
but thats not Serena Wil-
liams problem. The much-
anticipated winner of this years US
Open actually has some major com-
petition. From the Russians to the
Danes, Williams is getting a female
invasion on the court she knows and
loves.
And while we hear you love to
watch her and Venus grunt and spit
at each other in a match, lets just say:
Serena may have ninety-nine prob-
lems this season, but a sister isnt one.
Serena Williams
The Good News: Williams perfor-
mance in Stanford demonstrates that
shes still in mint condition, quite
dependable, and rises to the occasion
of big tournaments. She has been in a
quasi-Zen state recently, a foreboding
sign for her rivals. From this vantage
point, its hard to fathom any one beat-
ing reliable Williams at the Open.
The Bad News: In July 2010, a piece
of glass cut Williams right foot lead-
ing to a sequence of events which
sidelined her until June. Initially
regarded as benign, days later, the cut
was re-diagnosed as a tendon lacera-
tion and Williams was operated on.
This March, Williams came perilous-
ly close to dying from a pulmonary
embolus, a blood clot in the artery of
the lung. Scares like these is enough
to push any champion over the edge.
Kim Clijsters
The Good News: With three U.S.
Open titles, Clijsters is on the hunt
for her fourth. The last player to
successfully grab three in a row
was Christ Evert, with four succes-
sive wins from 1975-1978. Clijsters
has prevailed at three of the last
fve majors shes entered including
the 2011 Australian Open.
The Bad News: Since lifting her
self-imposed retirement, injuries
have been a problem. This year
alone, there was a niggling right
shoulder and wrist problem from
March until May. Following a right
ankle injury while dancing at a
cousins wedding in April,
Clijsters sustained a right
foot injury at a warm-up
grass tournament in June
forcing her withdrawal
from Wimbledon. To say
the least, her game is a
little shaken up.
Maria Sharapova
The Good News:
Under the tutelage
of a new coach
this season,
Sharapova has
posted her best
results since
her hiatus. In April,
she was a fnalist at
the Sony Ericsson
Open. In May, Sharapova banked
her frst clay court premier title. At
the French Open, she was a semif-
nalist for the frst time since 2007
and terminated her fnals drought
at Wimbledon, the prior was 2004
upending Williams. After fnishing
2010 at 18, Sharapova is now world
number fve.
The Bad News: In July of 2008, a
right shoulder issue unresponsive
to rehabilitation was
surgically repaired.
When Sharapova
rejoined the tour in
May 2009, her serve,
previously her
strength, became a
colossal liability.
Petra
Kvitova
The Good
News: The
21 year-old lefty
has a game for
all surfaces. She has
amassed four titles this
season, stunning qual-
ity players in fnals
such as Clijsters on
hardcourt in Paris
and Sharapova at
Wimbledon. Since
turning pro, Kvitova
has fast-tracked her
way through the rankings: from
thirty-fourth to seventh.
The Bad News: Kvitova and Wil-
liams have clashed twice, with the
latter prevailing both times. Their
ultimate encounter was in the 2010
Wimbledon semifnals. Despite
Kvitovas recent triumph, Williams
may be a hurdle this Czech cannot
overcome.
Caroline Wozniacki
The Good News: As world num-
ber one, a deferential nod goes
to Wozniacki. The affable Dane
accepted the runner-up trophy at
the 2009 U.S. Open, and she prob-
ably believed it was just a prelude
to future success. In her six years,
Wozniacki has played 27 fnals and
grabbed 17 titles, while Sharapova
(with a decade on tour) only has 23
trophies.
The Bad News: While Wozniackis
defensive style is a winning formu-
la against most players outside the
top 10, she is thus far 0-2 versus
Williams. Until Wozniacki fnds
the correct balance between de-
fense and offense, Williams wealth
of experience gives her a leg up.
Until Wozniacki fnds
the correct balance
between defense and
ofense, Williams
wealth of experience
gives her a leg up.
Maria Sharapova
Caroline
Wozniacki
Kim Clijsters Petra Kvitova
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Womens
Preview
By Natalie Narcisse
Women's Storylines.indd 8 8/19/11 9:58:34 AM
UNI QLO.indd 1 8/19/11 7:05:48 AM
UNI QLO.indd 1 8/19/11 7:05:48 AM
10
A
common axiom in tennis is that it doesnt
matter if you win or lose; its how you play
the game.
For Serena Williams, it does matter. A lot of
people say that. I lie when I say that, just to lie.
Serena is not the type to focus on process; shes a
results kind of a girl who has the letter W, however
guratively, tattooed to her forehead.
Perhaps no player in Open Era history
(1968-present) has been a more polarizing gure
than the younger of the two Williams sisters. Be-
loved by many and despised by some, it is Serena
who rst led her family to triumph at the 1999 US
Open when she was only 17. She buried the reign-
ing No. 1 Martina Hingis in a nal, hours after the
Swiss had exhausted her older sister, Venus, in a
marathon three-set seminal.
Despite her youth, Serena was willing to take
a massive challenge on then. And shes willing to
do so now, attempting to win her fourth title with
a glaring mark the vocally violent meltdown di-
rected towards bewildered lineswoman Shino Tsu-
rubuchi at the 2009 US Open on her otherwise
stellar resume.
Last year, Serena missed the tournament due to a
bizarre foot injury she suffered just after she won
her 13th Grand Slam title at 2010 Wimbledon. This
year, she will sit for her rst press conference in
New York since 2009, and will be undoubtedly
reminded of what happened that fateful night in
2009. Down 6-4, 6-5 to eventual champion Kim
Clijsters, Serena was called for her second foot
fault of the match. And this one would prove to be
costly, making the score 15-40, or match point. And
thats when Serena lost it. Big time.
She immediately walked toward Tsurubuchi and
ripped into her, yelling at her and, while holding a
ball in her left hand and shaking her racket at her
with the other, screamed, I swear to God Im (ex-
pletive) going to take this (expletive) ball and shove
it down your (expletive) throat, you hear that? I
swear to God. You better be...You dont know me
The chair umpire, Louise Engzell, then rightly
gave Williams a point penalty on match point,
which, in effect, handed Clijsters the match 6-4,
7-5.
Later in her press conference, Serena refused to
apologize, although she eventually did days later.
Sadly, her outburst overshadowed what had been a
tremendous comeback from Clijsters, who became
the rst mother since Evonne Goolagong at Wim-
bledon in 1980 to win a major. Its okay to make a
mistake and learn from it and move on, she would
say few months later.
Serena has had plenty of great moments too, like,
back in 1999, when she heard the cheeky Hingis
say, Im better than [the Williams sisters] so far.
Im the No. 1, not them. Serena went right back at
her, saying she had no fear of anyone but God and
proceeded to shut her down in the nal.
Back then, Serena was very raw talent, however
powerful and once-in-a-lifetime those talents were.
She was a remarkably self-condent for a player so
unproven, full of bravado on the court and off, mix-
ing nuclear serves towards opponents with power-
ful statements to the press.
Some 13 years later, Serena still displays some
of the same qualities that she did then: a fearless,
go-for-broke attitude on the court and a boastful
demeanor off it. She is admittedly a moody person.
At times, she is the most charming person in the
room, drawing all eyes towards her dynamic per-
sonality. At others, especially after losses, she can
be confrontational and boorish. And, unlike Venus,
The
Williams
Sisters
Both Have, and Have Always Had, One Thing in Mind:
WINNING
By Matt Cronin
Serena Williams
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A
common axiom in tennis is that it doesnt matter if you win or lose; its how you play the game.
For Serena Williams, it does matter. A lot of people say that. I lie when I say that, just to lie.
Serena is not the type to focus on process; shes a results kind of a girl who has the letter W, however guratively, tattooed to her
forehead.
Perhaps no player in Open Era history (1968-present) has been a more polarizing gure than the younger of the two Williams sisters. Be-
loved by many and despised by some, it is Serena who rst led her family to triumph at the 1999 US Open when she was only 17. She buried the
reigning No. 1 Martina Hingis in a nal, hours after the Swiss had exhausted her older sister, Venus, in a marathon three-set seminal.
Despite her youth, Serena was willing to take a massive challenge on then. And shes willing to do so now, attempting to win her fourth title
with a glaring mark the vocally violent meltdown directed towards bewildered lineswoman Shino Tsurubuchi at the 2009 US Open on her
otherwise stellar resume.
Last year, Serena missed the tournament due to a bizarre foot injury she suffered just after she won her 13th Grand Slam title at 2010 Wimble-
don. This year, she will sit for her rst press conference in New York since 2009, and will be undoubtedly reminded of what happened that
fateful night in 2009. Down 6-4, 6-5 to eventual champion Kim Clijsters, Serena was called for her second foot fault of the match. And this one
would prove to be costly, making the score 15-40, or match point. And thats when Serena lost it. Big time.
She immediately walked toward Tsurubuchi and ripped into her, yelling at her and, while holding a ball in her left hand and shaking her
racket at her with the other, screamed, I swear to God Im (expletive) going to take this (expletive) ball and shove it down your (expletive)
throat, you hear that? I swear to God. You better be...You dont know me
The chair umpire, Louise Engzell, then rightly gave Williams a point penalty on match point, which, in effect, handed Clijsters the match
6-4, 7-5.
Later in her press conference, Serena refused to apologize, although she eventually did days later. Sadly, her outburst overshadowed what
had been a tremendous comeback from Clijsters, who became the rst mother since Evonne Goolagong awt Wimbledon in 1980 to win a ma-
jor. Its okay to make a mistake and learn from it and move on, she would say few months later.
Serena has had plenty of great moments too, like, back in 1999, when she heard the cheeky Hingis say, Im better than [the Williams sisters]
so far. Im the No. 1, not them. Serena went right back at her, saying she had no fear of anyone but God and proceeded to shut her down in
the nal.
Back then, Serena was very raw talent, however powerful and once-in-a-lifetime those talents were. She was a remarkably self-condent
for a player so unproven, full of bravado on the court and off, mixing nuclear serves towards opponents with powerful statements to the press.
Some 13 years later, Serena still displays some of the same qualities that she did then: a fearless, go-for-broke attitude on the court and a
boastful demeanor off it. She is admittedly a moody person. At times, she is the most charming person in the room, drawing all eyes towards
her dynamic personality. At others, especially after losses, she can be confrontational and boorish. And, unlike Venus, who is more soft-spoken
and careful with her choices, Serena loves walking the red carpet both in New York and Los Angeles. She counts among her friends the Kar-
dashians, rapper Common (with whom she has had as on-again off-again courtship) and singers Brandy and Rihanna.
Venus is not without charisma, but she has more of an older sisters personality. She has become the World Tennis Associations go-to per-
son when it comes to speaking out about prize money inequality and is an advocate for the victimized when players are discriminated against
by tournaments, like in 2009 when Israeli national Shahar Peer was denied a visa from the United Arab Emirates and wasnt allowed a slot in
the Dubai Open. Former WTA CEO Larry Scott once said that any time he had a major political issue to deal with, the rst player he would
call was Venus.
The elder Williams has come a long way from the towering, skinny girl with red, white and blue beads in her hair. When she broke out at
the 1997 US Open by reaching the nal, she had to survive a physical confrontation in the seminal with the more muscular Romanian Irina
Spirlea. Spirlea purposely bumped into her during a changeover in an incident that would earn the nickname the Bump. Venus went on to
win that match, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(7), but later lost in the nal to Hingis. Though able to laugh at the Bump in the later years, it was much hard-
er to look back at the losses to Hingis in the nal, eventual champion Lindsay Davenport in 1998, and to Hingis yet again in 1999.
But by the age of 20, Venus had matured. She won her rst US Open title by nally overcoming Hingis, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the semis, and then
taking out Davenport for the title. In 2001, Venus went back-to-back by hitting through her younger sister for the crown.
Although seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus has not managed to win another US Open since 2001, she and Serena were largely re-
sponsible for lifting the womens event to new heights. In 2001, the United States Tennis Association, which owns the tournament, convinced
CBS to hold the womens nal in primetime on Saturday night for the rst time in its history. It was a rousing success in front of a packed
house that included celebrities Spike Lee and Mary Tyler Moore. Venus took out Serena 6-2, 6-4. But Serena would go on to get revenge the
next year, turning the table on Venus 6-4, 6-2 in the nal.
Dominant for four straight years, the Williams sisters title run in New York would end there. In 2003, Serena was unable to defend her title
due to a knee injury and Venus was unable to take it back due to an ailment.
The now-retired Justine Henin won the 2003 title, and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova took the crown in 2004, the same year that Serena
went down to Jennifer Capriati 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarternals. Serena was subject to four questionable calls in the nal set, a match which
eventually led to the use of the line calling system Hawk-eye.
Im very angry and bitter right now. I felt cheated. I just feel robbed, Serena said at the time.
Clijsters reigned supreme in 2005. Sharapova won in 2006. And Henin won another crown in 2007. Serena played spectacularly well in
2008, winning the title without a dropping a set, but her title defense at the 2009 Friday Night at the Fights was successfully overcome by
Clijsters.
Venus is now 31-years-old, and has had a heck of a time staying healthy over the past 14 months. She has only been able to compete in ve
tournaments. One of those was the 2010 US Open, in which she managed to push eventual champion Clijsters hard in a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 defeat.
But it is only going to be harder for her this year as she has lost a little foot speed and can no longer blow the young and talented players off the
court from the baseline.
Serena is yet another matter. Earlier this year, while preparing for a comeback, she suffered a pulmonary embolism and a subsequent he-
matoma, which set her timetable back until a week before Wimbledon. Some analysts didnt believe her when she claimed that she was more
motivated than ever, but she has more than backed up her claim.
Since returning in mid-June, she has won signicant hard court titles at Stanford and Canada, beating the likes of Sharapova, Wimbledon
seminalist Sabine Lisicki, No. 8 Marion Bartoli, No. 4 Victoria Azarenka and No. 9 Samantha Stosur.
US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez talks about how well Serena is managing her matches. Sharapova noted that what really makes
her dangerous is her ability to hit serves 120 mph and do that consistently. Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic believes that some
players are coming on court already intimidated by her. Bartoli who upset her at Wimbledon was already calling Serena the US Open fa-
vorite six weeks before the event.
Serena will turn 30 September 26, a little less than two weeks after the Us Open closes it gates. She says shes insatiable. Whether the New
York crowds give her a standing ovation upon her return or rain boos instead is unknown, but what is clear is that shell enter the tournament
with one thing on her mind winning.
The hunger is a lot but its different, Williams said. I like to do the impossible.
WILLIAMS SISTERS.indd 10 8/19/11 9:44:25 AM
11
who is more soft-spoken and careful
with her choices, Serena loves walk-
ing the red carpet both in New York
and Los Angeles. She counts among
her friends the Kardashians, rapper
Common (with whom she has had
as on-again off-again courtship) and
singers Brandy and Rihanna.
Venus is not without charisma,
but she has more of an older sisters
personality. She has become the
World Tennis Associations go-to
person when it comes to speaking out
about prize money inequality and is
an advocate for the victimized when
players are discriminated against
by tournaments, like in 2009 when
Israeli national Shahar Peer was
denied a visa from the United Arab
Emirates and wasnt allowed a slot in
the Dubai Open. Former WTA CEO
Larry Scott once said that any time
he had a major political issue to deal
with, the frst player he would call
was Venus.
The elder Williams has come a
long way from the towering, skinny
girl with red, white and blue beads
in her hair. When she broke out at
the 1997 US Open by reaching the
fnal, she had to survive a physical
confrontation in the semifnal with
the more muscular Romanian Irina
Spirlea. Spirlea purposely bumped
into her during a changeover in an
incident that would earn the nick-
name the Bump. Venus went on to
win that match, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(7),
but later lost in the fnal to Hingis.
Though able to laugh at the Bump
in the later years, it was much harder
to look back at the losses to Hingis in
the fnal, eventual champion Lindsay
Davenport in 1998, and to Hingis yet
again in 1999.
But by the age of 20, Venus had
matured. She won her frst US Open
title by fnally overcoming Hingis,
4-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the semis, and then
taking out Davenport for the title. In
2001, Venus went back-to-back by
hitting through her younger sister for
the crown.
Although seven-time Grand Slam
champion Venus has not managed to
win another US Open since 2001, she
and Serena were largely responsible
for lifting the womens event to new
heights. In 2001, the United States
Tennis Association, which owns the
tournament, convinced CBS to hold
the womens fnal in primetime on
Saturday night for the frst time in its
history. It was a rousing success in
front of a packed house that included
celebrities Spike Lee and Mary Tyler
Moore. Venus took out Serena 6-2,
6-4. But Serena would go on to get re-
venge the next year, turning the table
on Venus 6-4, 6-2 in the fnal.
Dominant for four straight years,
the Williams sisters title run in New
York would end there. In 2003, Sere-
na was unable to defend her title due
to a knee injury and Venus was un-
able to take it back due to an ailment.
The now-retired Justine Henin
won the 2003 title, and Russian Svet-
lana Kuznetsova took the crown in
2004, the same year that Serena went
down to Jennifer Capriati 2-6, 6-3,
6-4 in the quarterfnals. Serena was
subject to four questionable calls in
the fnal set, a match which eventu-
ally led to the use of the line calling
system Hawk-eye.
Im very angry and bitter right
now. I felt cheated. I just feel robbed,
Serena said at the time.
Clijsters reigned supreme in 2005.
Sharapova won in 2006. And Henin
won another crown in 2007. Serena
played spectacularly well in 2008,
winning the title without a dropping
a set, but her title defense at the 2009
Friday Night at the Fights was suc-
cessfully overcome by Clijsters.
Venus is now 31-years-old, and has
had a heck of a time staying healthy
over the past 14 months. She has only
been able to compete in fve tourna-
ments. One of those was the 2010 US
Open, in which she managed to push
eventual champion Clijsters hard in
a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 defeat. But it is only
going to be harder for her this year as
she has lost a little foot speed and
can no longer blow the young and
talented players off the court from
the baseline.
Serena is yet another matter. Ear-
lier this year, while preparing for a
comeback, she suffered a pulmonary
embolism and a subsequent hemato-
ma, which set her timetable back un-
til a week before Wimbledon. Some
analysts didnt believe her when she
claimed that she was more motivated
than ever, but she has more than
backed up her claim.
Since returning in mid-June, she
has won signifcant hard court titles
at Stanford and Canada, beating the
likes of Sharapova, Wimbledon semi-
fnalist Sabine Lisicki, No. 8 Marion
Bartoli, No. 4 Victoria Azarenka and
No. 9 Samantha Stosur.
US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fer-
nandez talks about how well Serena
is managing her matches. Sharapova
noted that what really makes her
dangerous is her ability to hit serves
120 mph and do that consistently.
Former French Open champion Ana
Ivanovic believes that some players
are coming on court already intimi-
dated by her. Bartoli who upset her
at Wimbledon was already call-
ing Serena the US Open favorite six
weeks before the event.
Serena will turn 30 September 26,
a little less than two weeks after the
Us Open closes it gates. She says shes
insatiable. Whether the New York
crowds give her a standing ovation
upon her return or rain boos instead
is unknown, but what is clear is that
shell enter the tournament with one
thing on her mind winning.
The hunger is a lot but its differ-
ent, Williams said. I like to do the
impossible.
U
sually, its lonely at the top;
but thats not Serena Wil-
liams problem. The much-
anticipated winner of this years
US Open actually has some major
competition. From the Russians to
the Danes, Miss Williams is getting
a female invasion on the court she
knows and loves.
And while we hear you love to
watch her and Venus grunt and spit
at each other in a match, lets just say:
Serena may have ninety-nine prob-
lems this season, but a sister isnt one.
Serena Williams
The Good News: Williams perfor-
mance in Stanford demonstrates that
shes still in mint condition, quite
dependable, and rises to the occasion
of big tournaments. She has been in a
quasi-Zen state recently, a foreboding
sign for her rivals. From this vantage
point, its hard to fathom any one
beating reliable Williams at the
Open.
The Bad News: In July 2010, a piece
of glass cut Williams right foot lead-
ing to a sequence of events which
sidelined her until June. Initially
regarded as benign, days later, the cut
was re-diagnosed as a tendon lacera-
tion and Williams was operated on.
This March, Williams came perilous-
ly close to dying from a pul monary
embolus, a blood clot in the artery of
the lung. Scares like these is enough
to push any champion over the edge.
Womens Prewview
By Xxxxw
The hunger is a lot but its diferent, I like to do
the impossible.
The hunger is a lot
but its diferent,
I like to do
the impossible.
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WILLIAMS SISTERS.indd 11 8/19/11 9:45:08 AM
12
F
or anyone who has
ever believed that
it is too hard to re-
invent yourself, Mardy Fish
will make you a believer. The
29-year-old tennis player
could very well be the poster
child for getting your act to-
gether.
It wasnt that Fish had
never established himself. In
2004, at the age of 22, he brief-
ly journeyed into the Top 20
rankings. He then continued
to show fashes of excellence,
claiming some big scalps,
including upsetting then No.
1 ranked Roger Federer in the
2008 Indian Wells semifnal.
But that left insiders scratch-
ing their heads as to where
that Fish had disappeared. His
reliance on athleticism with-
out an effective training regi-
men left him short on ftness
and consistency.
I took what I did and the
gift I was given for granted,
Fish said. Look, I wasnt a
wild child. It wasnt that I was
a crappy player. I just didnt
have the results, instantly, that
you need to get to the top 10.
And that was when Fish
got his break.
It was 2009 and the then
27 year-old player was side-
lined with a left-knee injury,
which turned into a blessing
in disguise. Instead of play-
ing the U.S. Open, Fish got
arthroscopic surgery, and
emerged a more mature man.
He told his wife, his coach
David Nainkin, and his ftness
trainer Christian LoCascio
that he planned to improve
his regimen on all levels.
Most importantly, he was
determined to shed at least 30
pounds.
For three months, the cou-
ple never went out to eat. A
cook came to their Los Ange-
les home and prepared nutri-
tional, low-fat meals, meaning
there was none of his favorite
pizza and beer. And while he
occasionally cheats, he contin-
ues to stick to a strict diet.
It was a sort of check-
yourself type moment,
Fish said. I knew if I didnt
change some things, or at least
didnt go out knowing I tried
everything, Id really regret
it. It wasnt like I was walk-
ing around and couldnt look
myself in the mirror because
I thought I wasnt working
hard enough. I thought I was
doing the right things. It just
took took me a while to real-
ize I wasnt.
Fishs father, Tom, a teach-
ing pro from Vero Beach,
Florida, believes his son had
become complacent with his
progress before revamping his
career.
I think you can get com-
fortable where you are and
kind of lower your expecta-
tions a little bit, the elder
Fish said. It might sound
like bragging but Mardy is an
incredible person and its been
fun to watch him change. It
totally blows my mind hes
top 10.
The new Fish way of life
even survived a recent health
test. In the fall of 2010, Fish
was diagnosed with an over-
active thyroid, which was
successfully treated with
radioactive iodine to bring his
thyroid levels back to normal.
During that period he experi-
enced bouts with fatigue and
struggled on the court. Fish
quickly rebounded. By the
beginning of August with the
U.S. Open only weeks away,
Fish defended his Atlanta title,
and reached the fnal at the
Los Angeles tournament.
Winning is so contagious
because once youve had suc-
cess you dont want to give it
up, Fish says. I saw results
from every angle; physically
in the mirror and, mentally, I
saw results on the court.
In the early years, it was
a good friend of Fishs from
South Florida who possessed
the right traits dedication
and a solid work ethic to
inspire his tennis dreams and
chase the results. That friend
was Andy Roddick. When
Fish lived with Roddicks fam-
ily in Boca Raton for a year
during high school, Roddicks
sense of urgency to one day be
among the best players in the
world just didnt seem to rub
off on Fish. At least at frst.
He defnitely had more
drive, hes a special guy in that
sense, Fish said of Roddick.
You dont get to No. 1 in the
world at something without
that unique belief, hard work,
the dedication and sacrifce,
and the wanting something
so badly. I was always kind of
trying to play catch up a little
bit.
As a child, Fish played
competitive golf, baseball, and
basketball. Fishs father, Tom,
said he could be a scouting
prospect in baseball, a talent
he displayed during the 2004
U.S. Open when he visited
Shea Stadium, and hit a 370-
foot home run over the right-
feld wall.
We werent planning on
making Mardy a professional
tennis player, we just wanted
to have a happy child, said
his father, who along with
his wife, have always avoided
becoming the dreaded, in-
your-face tennis parents.
But then a strange thing
happened in early April. After
all these years, Fish surpassed
Roddick in rankings. At the
start of August, the No. 8 Fish
was still ahead of the No. 12
Roddick, who was sidelined
with an injury for much of the
summer.
The reality is that Fish is
currently the premiere Ameri-
can player. But the other
reality is that its a role Fish
never sought or expected, and
hes showing some reluctance
accepting it.
Im not extremely com-
fortable with people saying,
Youre the best player in
America right now just be-
cause I havent been for pretty
close to 11 years, Fish admit-
ted. It just seems strange
and Im not sold on it, maybe.
Look, Im confdent I belong
in the top 10. I want to stay as
long as I can. It was never a
goal of mine to be No. 1 Amer-
ican because of Andys career
and how long and how well
he played, and how well hes
handled the spotlight.
Tom Fish understands his
sons thinking. He likes Andy
and he doesnt want to disre-
spect him. I admire what hes
saying and think its unusual
what hes saying. I think hes
starting to be more comfort-
able with it now.
Fishs higher ranking came
to the forefront during the
recent Davis Cup quarterfnal
round played in Roddicks
current hometown, Austin,
Texas. By virtue of his better
ranking, Fish played the No. 1
spot on the team. But he spent
most of the weekend explain-
ing that Roddick was still the
true head honcho of the squad
Fish was barely beaten in
both matches he played. Rod-
dick lost the one match hedid.
That left doubles partners Bob
and Mike Bryan to win the
only point of the rather dis-
appointing weekend for the
United States.
Davis Cup Captain Jim
Courier, a former four-time
Grand Slam Champion known
for his relentless training
methods, was not surprised
Fish deferred to Roddick.
Mardy has seen frsthand
Andys leadership on the team
and I think its very natural
for Andy to be the leader, no
matter what the rankings are,
Courier said. I dont think
any thought of Im the Alpha
dog on this team would have
changed the tennis on-court
for us. Mardy laid it on the
line, which made us all proud,
and we came up short. Thats
sport.
While respecting Fishs
awareness of Roddicks lead-
ership, Courier is quick to
praise Fishs newfound on-
the-court presence.
Mardys discipline and
dedication have been very
impressive, Courier said. He
was making a good living and
living a good life, but he fnally
realized he wasnt maximiz-
ing his abilities. Deciding to
commit to be as good as he
could be on all levels was bet-
ter late than never and, fortu-
nately, the results came very
quickly for Fish. Its exciting
to see him turn the corner.
Roger Federer believes
Fishs top-worthy skills were
always waiting to be tapped.
I just think hes always been
a very talented player, Feder-
er said. I think what was
lackingby maybe not being
physically in the best shape
he could have been for a few
years, that maybe took him
down mentally, too.
Fish has now won six ca-
reer titles and is hoping more
is to come. He even scored
Olympic silver at the 2004
Athens Games. For Fish, it
conjures up bittersweet mem-
ories. I kind of feel you dont
win the silver medal, you lose
the gold medal.
As a player who has spent
much of his career swimming
upstream, Fish has started
getting used to going with the
current, a path thats led him
to the top of the game.
Swimming Up Stream:
Mardy Fish Rises
in American Tennis
By Sandra Harwitt
Mardy Fish.
M
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Mardy Fish.indd 12 8/19/11 9:42:36 AM
Uninhibited warmth
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14
I
f Graumans Chinese Theater
expanded beyond Tinsle Town,
we all know what Tennis names
would be there: Novaks, Rafa,
Sharapova. But now a host of young
stars aim to leave their footprint on
the seasons fnal Slam. We picked
four rising men and four rising wom-
en to watch in the frst week of the
US Openor perhaps longer if their
stardom grows into legends.
MEN
Ryan Harrison: The precocious
19-year-old captured the imagina-
tions of all New Yorkers when he
upset Ivan Ljubicic at last years
Open. Despite his youth, Harrison has
developed a more balanced arsenal
of weapons than many of his compa-
triots. Willing to fnish points in the
forecourt, he has honed reliable foot-
work that allows him to outmaneuver
his opponents in rallies. With those
foundational elements consolidated,
Harrison must now refne his shot
selection as he accumulates experi-
ence. A startling degree of self-belief
has already crystallized within this
brash teenager, who battled Federer
at Indian Wells without the deference
often displayed by ATP novices. The
youngster must temper his perfec-
tionist streak with the realism that
allows champions to forget minor
setbacks and go for the gold.
Grigor Dimitrov: Often likened to
Federer, hence the nickname Baby
Federer and the playful G-Force,
this mercurial Bulgarian shares the
Swiss legends elegant one-handed
backhand, while his similarly wiry
frame allows him to transition
smoothly from defense to offense.
Like Harrison, Dimitrov shined at
Wimbledon in a creditable defeat
against an experienced veteran,
Tsonga. Unlike the American, he did
not capitalize on the momentum of
that mini-breakthrough but instead
fell meekly to two players outside
the top two hundred. These erratic
periods have caused observers to
question whether he will exploit his
talents to the fullest, despite a ranking
already near the top 50. Neverthe-
less, Federer required several years
to mature and harness his genius, so
patience seems prudent regarding a
20-year-old with such fuid technique
and keen court sense.
Bernard Tomic: If Dimitrov repre-
sents the new Federer, Tomic inspires
references to both Murray and Del
Potro. Unexpectedly charging to the
Wimbledon quarterfnals, the Aussie
teen owns every shot and covers the
court with an ease surprising for his
height, a full 64. His deceptively
casual strokes mask the power he can
unleash without warning, disrupting
the rhythm of opponents who have
settled into his leisurely pace. Requir-
ing exceptional timing and racket
control, Tomics groundstrokes skim
across the net with almost no spin or
margin for error, which robs his rivals
of reaction time. Only 19 years-old,
he is the youngest male in the top one
hundred. Tomic likely need to im-
prove his serve. Had he earned more
free points from that stroke, he might
have maintained his lead over Djok-
ovic at Wimbledon and derailed that
tournaments trajectory. Perhaps the
greatest challenge before him lies in
shedding the legacy of his controver-
sial father, whose arrogance alienated
many fans and unjustly overshadows
his sons promise.
Milos Raonic: Canadians make
more than great bacon (and hockey
players). Less multifaceted than the
other players in this group, Raconic
centers his game around a booming
serve that leads the ATP in aces. This
shot carried him to the second week
of the Australian Open and through
a sensational February, when he won
San Jose over Verdasco and severely
tested Roddick in the Memphis fnal.
As with other gifted servers, Raonics
ability to hold with regularity puts
his opponents under unrelenting
pressure on their own service games,
made aware that they cannot afford
a misstep. After a Wimbledon injury,
he endured a hip surgery that endan-
gered his preparation for the Open
but may have improved his move-
ment. Even if it did, however, Raonic
will continue to win matches not
with his defense but with that serve,
inside-out forehand, and opportunis-
tic approaches to the forecourt.
WOMEN
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: Already
frmly entrenched among the top 20,
the former junior #1 has become the
most accomplished, experienced teen-
ager on either Tour. A quarterfnalist
at Roland Garros this year, this teen-
ager follows the model of many other
Russians in striking brutal two-handed
backhands and occasionally stunning
forehands. Less encouraging is Pavly-
uchenkovas equally Russian serving
frailty, which culminated in July with
a three-match stretch during which
she served more than 50 double faults.
If she controls that unruly shot her
penetrating groundstrokes should pin
opponents behind the baseline as they
have during victories over opponents
as notable as Zvonareva, Kvitova, and
Bartoli this year.
Sabine Lisicki: The chronically,
often dramatically, injured German
became the most heartwarming
story of the season by reaching the
Wimbledon semifnal. Always known
for an avalanche of aces, Lisicki previ-
ously struggled to consistently fnd
the range with her groundstrokes.
But her summer resurgence dem-
onstrated her improved accuracy on
both wings, enabling her to lean less
heavily on her serve alone. Capable
of striking winners from well behind
the baseline, Lisicki relies more upon
raw weight of shot than upon con-
structing clever angles or varying her
placement. Nevertheless, her doubles
experience has broadened her arsenal
by enhancing her net skills.
Rebecca Marino: Enthusiastic
about the Canadians promise, Venus
compared playing her at last years
US Open to playing herself. Traces
of a resemblance in fact do emerge
between their overwhelming serves
and fat, sweeping groundstrokes.
Marino can pinpoint all corners of
the box with her serve, even the
wide serve into the advantage court
that most often frustrates right-
handers. Although her elongated
swing can disrupt her timing on a
fast surface, the Canadian rarely
spurns an opportunity to take the
initiative in a rally.
Christina McHale: Two years ago,
the New Jersey resident looked
thoroughly overmatched against
Sharapova on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Although McHale has endured and
will continue to endure more growing
pains, she has signifcantly upgraded
her offense since then to a degree that
diminutive 2009 sensation Melanie
Oudin could not. The 19-year-old bol-
stered her confdence against WTA
veterans this year with wins over
second-tier threats like Hantuchova
and Peng. Not a talent as great as the
others on the list, McHale is ready
from threatening the elite to conquer-
ing them.
Harrison Dimitrov
Tomic Raonic
Pavlyuchenkova
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Harrison Dimitrov tomic raonic PavlyucHenkova lisicki marino mcHale
Young Guns.indd 14 8/19/11 9:41:40 AM
Pilates.indd 1 8/19/11 7:15:46 AM
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18
Will Ryan Harrison Take the Seat
Upon the Empty Throne?
In Search
of A King
By Eric Cordova
I
f we were to apply the profound metaphor that
life is a series of peaks and valleys to dene the
landscape of tennis, the last few years have
found Americans uncomfortably close to sea level.
Over the past decade, decent players have come
along, but the United States hasnt had a true star
since the 1990s. But there just might be a savior
waiting down in the valley of the Bayou.
Modern American tennis hit its peak in the early
80s. Two stars with vastly different styles rose to
the forefront of the sport forming a rivalry that
invigorated the American fan base. Whether they
were supporting the maverick Jimmy Connors or
the brash, rule-breaking John McEnroe, Americans
were supporting tennis and in a big way. As both
men aged though, their stars began to fade, and
American tennis hit a valley. Luckily for American
tennis fans, there was another rivalry on the hori-
zon.
Almost as if it was written by Hollywood screen-
writers, two young players emerged as the preemi-
nent American tennis players of the early 90s. One
was a staunch professional, focused solely on per-
fecting his game. His name was Pete Sampras. On
the other side of the net was a young kid from Las
Vegas with wild outts, big hair, and a air for the
dramatic. His name was Andre Agassi. These two
would pick up where Connors and McEnroe left
off and take the American tennis rivalry to another
stratosphere.
Again, nothing can last forever, and both men
faded away from the game, leaving Americans
without the rivalry that they so needed and yearned
for. Desperate for at least one hero, and a villain if
possible, the country turned their attention to Andy
Roddick and James Blake, two young and talented
players they hoped would become the new Sampras
and Agassi. But these two have produced a grand
total of one major championship and have left
Americans still searching for it a star to call its own.
Enter Ryan Harrison.
Harrison rst gained celebrity for a match vic-
tory in 2008. Though in the rst round, it came be-
fore his 16th birthday. Only two other players have
accomplished this feat, one of them being 10-time
major winner Rafael Nadal. When you join that
type of company, people begin paying attention.
Still just 19 years old, Harrison has been a part of
the tennis world for most of those years. Born to Pat
Harrison, a former professional tennis player him-
self (albeit briey), it was all but a given that Ryan
would be playing the game by the time he could
walk. He did, and the game has been an integral
part of his life ever since he picked up a racket.
This isnt a unique story in the world of tennis
though. In fact, his life is essentially a mirror im-
age of tennis great Andre Agassi. Both were born
to tennis playing fathers. Both were given rackets
when they could walk. Both were coached by their
fathers throughout most of their childhood. Both
were sent off to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Acad-
emy in Bradenton, Florida to focus fully on their
tennis. And both turned pro while still of high-
school age. Perhaps these similarities are telling, as
the Bollettieri Academy has been a factory for ten-
nis stars over the years. Mens and womens stars
were cultivated there, creating expectations for the
cultivation of prodigies, though they have been few
and far in between.
But Harrison could very well be that elusive
prodigy.
He may be exactly what American tennis needs:
a young, handsome, athletic player to take the sport
back from the Europeans that dominate the game
today. The problem is that it would be unfair to
expect him to take it back tomorrow, which the
impatient American audience wants. Still, every
day brings Harrison closer to potential success, and
this years US Open might just might be one big step
closer to carrying American tennis back to the peak.
For an American player, the US Open is prob-
ably the grandest stage to display your talents. Set
in the backdrop of New York City, the event gives
American fans the biggest and best opportunity
to see the top players and up and comers in action
right before their eyes. Young Ryan Harrisons rst
rendezvous with the event was just last year.
Appearing in last years tournament as a quali-
er, Harrison immediately made waves in New York
by upsetting Ivan Ljubicic, the 15 seed in the tour-
nament. This was Harrisons rst win in any major
tournament, albeit one that was totally unexpected.
Unfortunately, he would drop a hard fought contest
in the second round to Sergey Stakhovsky in ve
sets, a match where Harrison had three chances to
win but could not prevail. It was a tough loss, but
Harrison had already made his mark.
While last years run was made as a wildcard,
the situation is quite different this year. Harrison
is now ranked in the top 100 in the world (#82 as
of this article). And after last years performance,
expectations are a lot higher. Though his perfor-
mances in majors have yet to be fruitful, American
fans are hopeful that the 2011 US Open will prove to
be his coming out party.
It is possible that a solid performance in the
Open will bring further fame to the Louisiana na-
tive, but American fans should be hesitant to crown
a new king, at least this quickly. Just 8 years ago,
Andy Roddick ended the calendar year ranked #1
in the world. He was thought to be the savior for
American tennis, but the inability to win majors
hindered his chances.
With his whole career in front of him, Ryan Har-
rison has a chance to be what Andy Roddick could
not, the next great American tennis star. He has the
dirtiest word in the English Languagepotential
attached to him at this point, but now it is about
performance. So as we prepare for the 2011 US Open
we must ask, is this the year that we say Ryan Har-
rison has arrived?
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Ryan Harrison Article.indd 18 8/19/11 9:27:26 AM
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20
T
he University of Florida
may be considered a football
school, but their pigskin
prowess is far from the only thing
that defnes their athletics.
All Gator athletic teams combined,
Florida has twenty-six national
championships and 202 conference
crowns. The sport with the most
hardware? Tenniswomens tennis,
to be exact.
The Lady Gators have brought
more team national titles back to
Gainesville than any other sport,
trailing only mens swimming and
diving in the Southeastern Confer-
ence championship department, as
they boast 25 regular season crowns.
Mens tennis has yet to fnish a sea-
son at No. 1, but they do have nine
conference titles to boot. With a pro-
gram like this, its no wonder several
former Gators have made an impact
on the professional level.
Perhaps the most successful of the
former Gators is Lisa Raymond, who
has won nine Grand Slam events,
four coming from the US Open. Two-
time ITA National Assistant Coach
of the Year Dave Balogh, who played
tennis at Florida from 1993 to 1996,
has always marveled at his former
teammates skill set. Not only was
she a phenomenal player [at UF],
but she had more tools in the tool-
box then anyone else, Balogh said.
There are a lot of great players out
there who can do one, two, or three
things, but Lisa could do just about
anything.
In particular, Balogh praised
Raymonds net game as absolutely
incredible, citing the profciency of
her returns and her ability to transi-
tion quickly and effectively. Going
toe-to-toe with the likes of Venus
and Serena Williams, Raymond
achieved a No. 1 worldwide ranking
in doubles in June 2000, making her
the only Gator to ever accomplish
such a feat. What shes done for our
program is priceless, Balogh said.
We wouldnt be where we are today
without Lisa Raymond. And while
Raymond may have gone the farthest
since leaving the Swamp, shes far
from the only success on the profes-
sional level.
Jill Craybas is another U.S. Open
veteran who formerly donned the
orange and blue. Like Raymond,
Craybas spent signifcant time play-
ing singles and doubles at the profes-
sional level, winning one WTA title
in the former and four in the latter
during her career.
Jill is one of the toughest, most
competitive players Ive seen on the
womens side, Balogh said of his for-
mer teammate. She doesnt give you
anything, so youve got to hit through
her and youve got to the play great.
Craybas intensity and tenacity has
helped her achieve a singles ranking
as high as No. 39 worldwide.
Those two girls are amazing
at [communicating], Balogh said.
They both know how to motivate
their partners and how to make their
partners better. I think thats a good
sign of a doubles player when you
can make others around you better
and those two do that.
Meanwhile, on the mens side, two
green former Gators are looking to
make their mark. The mens tennis
program has seen signifcant suc-
cess since head coach Andy Jackson
took over in 2001, much due to Ryan
Sweeting and Jesse Levine.
Sweeting experienced success
early with the U.S. Open winning the
boys title in 2005 right before turn-
ing professional. Since then, Sweet-
ing, currently ranked No. 66 in mens
singles, made strides that led up to
his most recent victory in the U.S.
Mens Clay Court Championships.
Hes done a really good job of ma-
turing and being more disciplined,
Jackson said of his star pupil.
Theres not many jobs [in profes-
sional tennis] available in the world
and to be in the Top 100, you have to
really pay your dues.
Levine, who has partnered with
Sweeting on occasion at the profes-
sional level, is also a former Gator
who has paid his dues profession-
ally. He trained privately with Roger
Federer and served as a practice
partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team
in 2008, rubbing elbows with the
likes of Andy Roddick.
Jesse is a small guy that has the
capability to have big weapons be-
cause he is extremely fast and he
can play transition tennis in an age
when there isnt a lot of guys that can
play coming forward, Jackson said.
Levines one-year stint in Gainesville
also saw him achieve a lot as he won
his frst 24 matches and was named
an All-American twice.
Professional tennis is all about
the Grand Slams, Jackson said. The
U.S. Open is so much bigger than any
other event and I think if you ask any
American tennis player where their
dream is to play in America, they
want to play a night match at the U.S.
Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium. And
in order to get that match under the
lights in front of millions, you need
to have good legs under you from the
get-go, and thats the way athletic
director Jeremy Foley and company
want it.
The University of Florida has
the best resources for an athlete to
achieve the highest of goals, Balogh
said. If you want to be a professional
athlete, [UF] absolutely gives you ev-
erything you need to be successful.
By Joe Morgan
Lisa Raymond, Jesse Levine and
Ryan Sweeting represent the Gators
on the court.
Tennis is a
Swamp
Thing
The Gators Tennis Team is Taking a Bite Out of Its Competition
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Florida Tennis.indd 20 8/19/11 9:36:12 AM
21
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vandy ad.indd 21 8/19/11 7:24:24 AM
22
The FuTure oF
Ameri cAn Tenni s
By David Leiter
S
ome would argue that we are entering the
Dark Ages of American tennis. Almost all
would agree that compared to the days of
John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors; Pete Sampras,
Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Todd Martin and Mi-
chael Chang; and Chris Evert and Billie Jean King;
(with the exception of Serena and Venus Williams,
who are nearing the end of their careers), todays
top American tennis players pale in comparison.
But what has caused this and how can it be rem-
edied?
On the mens side, it was only a few years ago,
around the close of the 2007 tennis season, that
Andy Roddick was fipping back and forth between
5th and 6th in ATP ranking points and James Blake
was a steady 4th in the world. While America was
still experiencing a Grand Slam drought, not hav-
ing a mens champion since the 2003 US Open, it
still seemed like there was hope for an American
to win a big title. Now, we are entering the second
half of 2011 and that hope is dwindling. Roddick,
who without question, has been the top American
tennis player for the past 10 years, took a step back
out of the top 10 a few months ago. It seems more
and more likely that his lone US Open title will
remain his only Grand Slam win. Sam Querrey has
dropped out of the top 50 and while James Blake
is making a good comeback, hes still just a shell
of the player he once was. Mardy Fish has made
great strides with his ftness and variation of shot,
which has helped him attain his career high 8th
ATP world ranking, but he is the only American in
the top 10, and has yet to make a strong showing at
a Grand Slam. Also, looking at the depth of todays
top American tennis players, there are only nine
American men in the top 100 (with six being 26
or older), which is historically an extremely low
amount when you consider that in 1985, America
was represented by 35 of the top 100 players in
the world. And in the 30 years leading up to 2000,
there was an average of close to four American
men in the year-end top 10. Since then, no year has
there been more than two.
While ranking points and statistics only tell
part of the story, who really believes an American
has a chance to make a Grand Slam fnal, let alone
win one? Although Americans should take pride
in their 29-year-old journeyman, Mardy Fish, who
is having a career year, its hard to imagine him
being able to get through Roger Federer, Rafael
Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or even Andy Murray in
a best-of-5 sets. Fish was able to hang tough this
past Sunday in the Rogers Cup Final against Djok-
ovic and push the match to a fairly tight 3rd set,
but down the stretch, Djokovics consistency and
mental toughness was just too much. It seems like
an insurmountable task to expect Fish or Roddick
at this point in their careers to win 3 sets against
arguably the two best players in tennis history in
Federer and Nadal, and a player having potentially
the best year in the history of sports in Djokovic.
On the womens side, with Venus turning 31
years old, and Serena entering her 30s this Septem-
ber, the Williams sisters will not be able to keep
US womens tennis on the map much longer. And
while American womens tennis has not been as
good as the mens in a long time, its hard to argue
that it was ever worse than it is now without a
single American woman in the top 30, only two in
the top 50, and merely fve in the top 100 (with the
very American sounding Varvara Lepchenko slip-
ping into the last spot). Russia, on the other hand,
has 36 of the top 100 spots.
A good example of the impact that struggles in
American tennis has had on domestic interest in
the sport can be seen in a company like Reeboks
involvement in it. Though Reebok still endorses
top tennis players in the mens and womens
games, like foreign-born Shahar Peer and Nico-
las Almagro, the days of sponsoring the marquis
American names like the Williams sisters and
Andy Roddick seem to be behind the company. In
a recent interview with the 23rd ranked Peer, the
Israeli national expressed her deepest affections
and loyalty to her sponsor stating that, I love all
the people at Reebok. So its certainly not a matter
of Reebok failing to fulfll the needs of its endorsed
players or the brand not having a strong tennis
departmentafter all, the Michael Chang pumps
are many peoples favorite tennis shoes of all time,
myself included.
It appears that Reebok is concentrating its ef-
forts in other areas of the tennis game: like ftness
and exercise; and providing top level tennis train-
ing for underprivileged, inner-city youth.
In a recent interview with Reebok tennis point
person Dianne Hayes, it became evident that the
company is focusing its attention in these two very
important directions that could help our countrys
place in the sport, immensely, as well as provide
the disadvantaged with an outlet. With respect to
ftness and exercise, Reebok has spent a signifcant
amount of marketing and resources on footwear
designed to optimize the behind-the-scenes prepa-
ration for matches, and not so much the matches
themselves. It is clear that the ftter tennis players
rule the game today and good defense and superior
footwork around the baseline often prevail over a
big serve and a hard forehand. Fish experienced
frsthand what a difference a stronger physical
presence can have on a tennis players game.
In regards to the training of Americas youth,
there is a wonderful Reebok-sponsored institution
called the Reebok Urban Youth Academy, which
was established in 1986 and is located in New York
City. The Academy assists in fnancing the high
cost of tennis training by offering scholarships,
which include free equipment and coaching. Kids
between the ages of 8 to 18 are eligible for the
scholarship and to compete in open tryouts that
take place annually at the USTA National Tennis
Center for the 50 available spots. Over the years,
the Academy has helped hundreds of children re-
ceive USTA rankings and collegiate athletic schol-
arships. This program has also been established
in other cities like Washington, D.C. and Denver,
Colorado.
While tennis programs like Reeboks have been
successful in providing an outlet for underprivi-
leged kids in this country and perhaps a profes-
sional tennis future, there are far too few programs
like this and tennis still remains a sport for the
affuent. For the US to regain its position at the
top of the tennis world, more companies need to
follow in Reeboks footsteps and provide sponsor-
ship and funding for the potential great American
tennis players of the future. Hopefully, with a good
showing of American tennis at this years US Open,
nationwide interest in the sport will increase and
assist in this effort.
How Reebok is Preparing to
Pull American Tennis Out
of the Dark Ages.
How Reebok is Preparing to Pull American
Tennis Out of the Dark Ages
22
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Future of Tennis.indd 22 8/19/11 9:34:27 AM
AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE IMAOE OF ]. EDMOND BARRE.
THE OREATE$T NINETEENTHCENTLRY COLRT TENNI$ PLAYER
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This Print is An Exceptional Recreation ot a Mezzotint
Enravin by William Bromley (176918+2) ot ]. E. Barre,
Representin him enaed in the Orand Match played in
the Tennis Court Lords Cricket Oround ]uly 3rd 18+9
London. ]. H. Dark, 18+9
The Frenchman, ]. Edmond Barre is considered to be the
reatest nineteenthcentury player ot the ame ot 'court
tennis.' The son ot a tennis protessional in Orenoble and
Paris, he tirst came to notice as a tennis player in the late
1820's, when the restored French royal court revived the
ame. Barre was so talented that he was the World
Champion trom 1829 to 1862 when he tinally succumbed,
at the ae ot 60, to the 36 year old Enlishman Edmund
Tomkins. The present enravin shows him playin at the
court at Lord's Cricket Oround in 18+9 at which time he
remained undeteated. In 1855, Barre tamously reopened
the Versailles court atter he bacame royal paumier (tennis
protessional) to the Emperor Napoleon III. It was here that
the renowned Tiers Etat met on ]une 20, 1789, and took the
celebrated 'Oath ot the tenniscourt,' essentially startin
the French Revolution.
Arader Tennis.indd 1 8/19/11 7:03:25 AM
24
By Brad Kurtzberg
J
ohn McEnroe is a big part of tennis past.
He has won four U.S. Open titles and been
crowned champion at Wimbledon three
times. His epic wars with Bjorn Borg provided
some of the nest moments in the history of the
sport. But now, with the recent opening of the
John McEnroe Tennis Academy, McEnroe and
his team of pros seek to make an even bigger
imprint on the game, this time focusing on the
future of it.
Located on Randalls Island, just a stones
throw across the East River from Manhattan, the
John McEnroe Tennis Academy provides oppor-
tunities for talented youngsters to develop while
seeking to excite young New Yorkers about the
game of tennis. The center, which is afliated
with Sportime and opened in 2010, has been cre-
ating a strong buzz in the tennis community here
in New York.
McEnroe lends more than his name to the
facility. When he is in town, he is there on the
court every other day and he and his staff provide
individual attention for each of their students.
As a native New Yorker, McEnroe wanted to give
something back to the community and envisioned
a special place that would t his unique ideas as
to how to best develop young tennis players.
The job of translating McEnroes vision into
reality belongs to former ATP pro Gilad Bloom.
The Israeli native played 13 years on the tour and
had a solid career that included victories over
Jimmy Connors, Brad Gilbert and Mark Philip-
poussis. Bloom ran his own academy nearby
for 10 years before joining McEnroes academy.
Bloom recalled his unique interview with the
legend. You play one set and hell tell you if you
got the job.
Though many would consider the set with
McEnroe challenge enough, the greater one lay
ahead.
You know that movie, Being John Mak-
lovich? Bloom asked. Thats more or less what
its like working with John. Ive known him for
30 years, Ive played with him on the tour, I prac-
ticed with him, and Ive hung out with him. The
rst few months it was me trying to get inside his
head. Hed come and say, OK, tell me what my
academy is going to look like? Id tell him and
hed be like, Tweak this, tweak that. Its chal-
lenging because he has high demands. Hes very
impulsive, very emotional and very passionate
about the game. Its great in another way because
hes a genius. He has a very strong mental brain
for tennis.
But Bloom was able to nd a way to translate
McEnroes vision and high demands into a suc-
cessful program that now features some of the
best young talent in the country.
Hell show up and yell and he stirs things,
Bloom said. He yells and I say, OK, its your
academy. Then I have to start thinking what he
meant. So Im trying to think like Johnny Mac.
The strengths of the academy are very evident
The facility is great. Its two
minutes from Manhattan.
Its the Johnny Mac Academy:
that name draws people.
The Legend Lends His Name, as Well as His Past, to the Future
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Mcenroe-Randalls.indd 24 8/19/11 9:24:32 AM
EAST SIDE MANHATTAN BROKERAGE | www.sothebyshomes.com/nyc
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Operated by Sothebys International Realty, Inc. Sothebys International Realty is a registered trademark. Fair Housing Opportunity. Downs Farm used with permission.
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MODERN MASTERPIECE: This palatial 14-room
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SOTHEBYS 1.indd 1 8/19/11 7:07:46 AM
26
to Bloom. The facility is great. Its
two minutes from Manhattan. Its
the Johnny Mac Academy: that
name draws people, he said. I
have a pretty decent name in the
city. Ive been here 11 years and I
ran my own camp across the street
for 10 yearsWe give quality ses-
sions in the sense that we dont
stack up the courts.
We have a great staff, Bloom
continued. I have 37 coaches, and
theyre all rst division college play-
ers and pros and the ones that are
fresh out of college, the ones that
have zero experience, those are
the ones that I love the most. They
come and they just want to learn.
They are ambitious, young and have
energy and within a year I turn
them into good coaches.
As ever, McEnroe remains a
hands-on owner. Hell drill with
the kids, go to the best kid on the
rst court and every 10-15 minutes,
hell drill with another, Bloom
explained. We have 107 kids. Hell
play for an hour and a half, hell
sweat like a pig and after hell give
the kids a 10 minute lecture on what
they need to do. The next day hell
show up in civilian clothes because
he doesnt play every day, he plays
every other day. Hell come and
work out in the gym and he walks
around and he roams the court and
he tells the kids what they need to
do.
Ironically, many of the kids are
too young to know what the name
John McEnroe means to the sport
of tennis. They dont know how
good he was, Bloom said, laughing.
To them hes just some old fart.
Yeah, he won Wimbledon 30 years
ago. To them hes an old man that
built an academy and sometimes
he throws rackets. A few minutes
with McEnroe on the court, how-
ever, usually changes that and earns
the two respect from their young
charges.
The young players and their par-
ents also see the results they get af-
ter working at the Academy. It is no
coincidence that Bloom and his staff
have several young players who are
highly ranked in their respective
age groups. When asked about the
philosophy of the Academy, Bloom
was succinct. Better quality than
quantity.
Bloom added, What we try to
do is get a pool of talent together
and have the talent feed off of each
other. Talent breeds talent. Talent
brings more talent. Talent chal-
lenges the other talent. In the end,
we might have a Johnny Mac or an
Agassi or someone like that.
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For over 30 years,
weve been helping
new yorkers
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in the worlds
greatest city.
212-744-3330
Betina Equities
Rental Office
227 East 85th Street,
New York, NY 10028
Monday - Friday: 9am - 7pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 6pm
BettinaEquities.com

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Mcenroe-Randalls.indd 26 8/19/11 9:25:25 AM
Operated by Sothebys International Realty, Inc. Sothebys International Realty is a registered trademark. Fair Housing Opportunity. Poppies and Farm used with permission.
225 EAST 24TH ST, GRAMERCY LOFT:
Spectacular 3,600+/- sq ft loft was designed by
published architect Faruk Yorgancioglu. Features 3
bedrooms, 3 baths, open kitchen. $4,495,000. WEB:
NYO0017729. Austin Schuster, 212.606.7797
575 PARK AVENUE: Magnifcent loft-like 3
bedrooms, 3 baths prewar co-op with high ceilings.
Maintenance includes hotel amenities. Pied-a-
terre and subletting allowed. $3,995,000. WEB:
NYO0017656. Kate Meckler, 212.606.7655
CHIC RIVERFRONT: Recently renovated 3
bedrooms, 4 baths residence with spectacular
panoramic southern views of Manhattan and the
East River from every room. $2,995,000. WEB:
NYO0017673. Nikki Field, 212.606.7669
HAMPSHIRE HOUSE GLAMOUR: This sun-
fooded, 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath apartment is in
triple mint condition with sweeping city views.
$3,590,000. WEB: NYO0016917. Juliette Janssens,
212.606.7670, Allison Koffman, 212.606.7688
1 WEST 67TH ST DUPLEX: Dramatic 5 room
Atelier in the famed Hotel des Artistes with
soaring 19 ceilings, 14 windows, sunny city views,
2 south facing bedrooms, offce. $2,350,000. WEB:
NYO0017738. Cherly Daly, 212.606.7758
HIGH FLOOR AT THE SOVEREIGN: Classic
6 with 2 bedrooms (possible 3rd), 3 baths,
windowed kitchen, formal dining room, balcony and
staff room. Sponsor apartment. $1,950,000. WEB:
NYO0017647. Olga Neulist, 212.606.7707
40 EAST 61ST STREET: This spectacularly
renovated prewar condo has a luxurious terrace
1,360+/- sq ft, 1 bedroom plus offce, and 2 baths.
$2,395,000. WEB: NYO0017617. Randall Gianopulos,
212.606.7622, Stan Ponte, 212.606.4109
MINT & INCREDIBLE VALUE: Newly
renovated 3 bedroom in one of Sutton Places
most desirable co-ops. Loft-like, huge master
suite, terrace and River views. $3,250,000. WEB:
NYO0017695. Roger Erickson, 212.606.7612
THE CALEDONIA: Spectacular Hudson River
and skyline views from every room in this high
foor, triple mint, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, open kitchen
condo. $3,950,000. WEB: NYO0017506. Gabriele
Devlin, 212.606.7729, Debra Peltz, 212.606.7635
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Polanskys
Strong Return
W
hen we think of
Canadian sports, we
think of ice hockey:
Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretsky,
Mario Lemiuexlegends who
skated the rink. But when we
think of Canadian tennis, well,
fewer names come to mind. We
might think of Milos Raonic or
Grant Connell. But the relative
obscurity of Canadas presence
in tennis is certainly not deter-
ring Peter Polansky. Considering
what hes accomplished over
twenty-three years, Polansky has
not only made a mark on Canada,
but one on the world at large.
Polansky is in preparation for
the upcoming US Open, which
will begin August 29 in New
York City. He is in the fnal stag-
es of nursing a groin injury back
to health, but Polansky is in high
spirits and has every intention of
winning in Flushingand why
not? He was ranked Canadas top
singles player from June 21, 2010
to January 17, 2011, according to
the Association of Tennis Profes-
sionals.
Were playing for ourselves,
Polansky nevertheless admitted,
and not too much for our coun-
try. But he still has Canadian
pride. Well, sort of.
If I played for the US or
France or Spain with my ranking,
I wouldnt even be Top 10 in the
country, he continued. So, its
good to be Canadas top ranked
player.
But the course of tennis star-
dom never did run smooth. Four
years ago, Polansky was sleep-
walking in a hotel in Mexico
when he thought he saw a knife-
wielding man and, attempting
tp escape, crashed through the
glass door of his hotel room
balcony. I mean, it was a tough
situation, Polansky explained.
I thought someone was in my
room trying to hurt me. It was
kind of a weird situation, like a
dream, where I kind of woke up
and I was on the ground.
Although he suffered serious
How the Canadian Responded
to a Serve He Never Saw Coming
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Polansky.indd 28 8/19/11 9:29:44 AM
Operated by Sothebys International Realty, Inc. Sothebys International Realty is a registered trademark. Fair Housing Opportunity. The Yellow House used with permission.
DUPLEX CHIC AT THE PYTHIAN: Historic,
full service 1,400+/- sq ft duplex prewar condo
with fexible layout, 16 ceilings, sun-flled
rooms, terrace, open views. $1,995,000. WEB:
NYO0017619. Kathy Hoffman, 212.606.7791
30 EAST 65TH STREET: Designer-owner
2 bedrooms, 2 baths with tree-line views.
Oversized windowed kitchen with stainless steel
appliances, large gallery. Must be seen. $1,950,000.
WEB: NYO0017642. Stan Ponte, 212.606.4109
525 EAST 80TH STREET: Grand scaled 4 room
condo apartment features sunken living room,
dining space, redesigned kitchen with eat in area,
10 ceilings, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. $1,595,000. WEB:
NYO0017631. Margaret Juvelier, 212.606.7668
125 WEST 21ST STREET: Excellent Chelsea
location offers its residence an unparalleled lifestyle.
Spacious 2 bedrooms, 2 baths condo with foor-to-
ceiling windows. $1,375,000. WEB: NYO0017613.
Eric Malley, 212.606.7625
HUDSON RIVER & RIVERSIDE PARK VIEWS:
Design your own dream home in this prewar condo.
1,300+/- sq ft with endless possibilities. $1,295,000.
WEB: NYO0017703. Cord Stahl, 212.606.7621, Agnes
Beaugendre, 212.606.7629
470 PARK AVENUE: Elegant Classic 6-into-
5-room with 10 ceilings, hardwood foors,
2 bedrooms, 2 baths, abundant closet space,
windowed kitchen. Ideal pied-a-terre. $1,050,000.
WEB: NYO0017700. Helne Warrick, 212.606.7701
351 EAST 51ST STREET: Rarely available, this is
an opportunity to own a mint condition, spacious 1
bedroom, 1 bath in the Beekman Regent Condo.
$1,125,000. WEB: NYO0017634. Chris Leavitt,
212.606.7720, Tierney Model, 212.606.7740
255 HUDSON STREET: Excellent investment
opportunity. Magnifcent west facing 1 bedroom,
11/2 bath luxury home with dramatic glass walls,
high ceilings, mahogany foors. $1,395,000. WEB:
NYO0017616. Eric Malley, 212.606.7625
71 NASSAU STREET: Located in the Financial
Districts prestigious Croft Building. Full service 2
bedrooms, 2 baths condo with oversized windows,
excellent light. $1,650,000. WEB: NYO0017713. Lois
Nasser, 212.606.7706, Chris Rounick, 212.606.7643
SOtheby's 3.indd 1 8/19/11 7:09:50 AM
30
injury, the incident, as any red-blooded, news-literate American would tell you,
was a catastrophe. While the rest of the world blinked in bewilderment as to
how it occured, serious medical reprocessing included a possible leg amputa-
tion.
Initially doctors said it would be six months before I would start walk-
ing again, but my rehab ended up going really well. My body healed fast. His
physical determination aside, it was Polanskys perseverance that allowed him
to come back from such a hit.
And that drive came early on. When I was younger, I always wanted to be
number one. When I was older, when I was sixteen, seventeen, I started to
notice that a lot of my friends who were playing had stopped playing. They had
different interests, started going to school or living different lifestyles. But I
always wanted to be a professional. I had a really good year at juniors, my last
year. When I made Finals at the US Open juniors and I made fnals at the Or-
ange Bowl, I think that gave me a lot of confdence for my future.
And perhaps one of those glowing childhood idols we all look up to is not
bad motivation for fghting the odds. Polansky loved Pistol Pete Sampras.
Defnitely hes my idol, even though our playing styles dont match that much.
But he was my idol just the way he competed and because of how great he was.
His admiration for current role models grow. Right now, I would say some-
body like Federer or Nadal. Theyre great competitors and so humble off the
court, too. I think that really impressed me.
Polansky opened up his own Twitter account, which he wasnt very keen on
at frst. However, once he had fun with it and people started following him, he
went ahead with the Twitter craze. His handle, @ppolansky, has provided him
with a way to connect with his fans like he never would have imagined.
Polanskys polite, humble demeanor is a sharp contrast to his passionate style
of playing. At eighteen, Polansky was faced with a life-altering trauma. Consid-
ering that challenge, no one would have blamed him if he wanted to throw in
the towel on tennis.
To face enormous odds and then stage a comeback upsetting the 15th-ranked
player in the world (also topping your countrys top-ranked player list for seven
months) is a feat not to be taken lightly. From his off-the-court personality, its
diffcult to see the fre in Polansky. But when hes on the court, you can feel that
hes out there to win.
With the US Open fast approaching, its only ftting to remember Hall-of-
Fame manager, the late Lou Durocher, who said, Nice guys fnish last. Wheth-
er he knows it or not, Polansky is out on a mission to make Durocher sorry for
ever coining that phrase.
Impressive Pre-War Classic 955 Lexington Avenue
Brilliant light, fabulous views
Classic 6-room beauty with freplace. Excellent condition. Prestigious pre-war cooperative
between 69th and 70th. Sun-flled home with superb open NYC views. Traditional archi-
tectural details, elegant understated dcor. Full service building with individual storage.
Exclusive $1.995 M
Untitled-10 1 3/29/11 9:59:25 AM
Mint Pre-War Gem East 70s off Park Avenue
Here comes the sun...
This elegant residence is bathed in splendid natural light. Designed and decorated by
renowned interior decorator, Robert Tartarini of Tartarini Wells. 4.5 rooms, pre-war ar-
chitectural details and 9.5 ceilings throughout. Wood-burnig freplace, hardwood foors,
custom cabinetry this one has it all. White-glove, fully serviced cooperative with garden
for shareholders. Exclusive $1.495M
Peerless Pre-War Park Avenue Two Bedroom
Low 80s
Perched on a high foor
Prestigious 1906 pre-war cooperative by Delano & Aldrich offers a magnifcent cityscape
and a large, bright, airy living room that exudes character and warmth. A spacious, open
bedroom has large, ftted closet and open views through oversized window and generously
proportioned windowed bath. Adjacent is a second bedroom; purchaser may add second
bath and washer & dryer. Home features double paned windows throughout, 10-foot ceil-
ings, hardwood foors and custom cabinetry. This pet friendly building is fully staffed with
24-hour doorman and resident manager. Separate storage included. $1.775M
Untitled-10 1 3/29/11 9:59:25 AM
Untitled-10 1 3/29/11 9:59:25 AM
To face enormous odds and then stage a comeback
upsetting the 15th-ranked player in the world
is a feat not to be taken lightly.
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2011. An independently owned and operated member of the Prudential Real Estate Afliates, Inc. is a service mark of Prudential Insurance Company of America. Equal Housing Opportunity. All material presented herein is intended for information
purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property outlines and square footage in property listings are approximate.
LONG ISLAND MANHATTAN BROOKLYN QUEENS THE HAMPTONS THE NORTH FORK RIVERDALE/BRONX WESTCHESTER/PUTNAM
CLASSICLOFTNEARFIFTHAVE
West 30s $1,350,000 Best buy at $750/sf. Classic style
loft with 1800 usable square feet in intimate co-op. Design
for your needs, 2-3 bedroom, or live/work combo. Ball is in
your court. Web# 1362537. Robin Gutterman 212.769.6518
Richard Mortimer 212.769.6562
LEGENDARYRITZTOWER
465 Park Avenue, 7A $2,150,000 This triple mint 2 bed-
room, 2 bath home is dramatic & elegant. The Ritz Tower
is a white glove building known for its full hotel services.
Pieds-a-terre & foreign buyers permitted. Web# 1349913.
Pat Slochower 646.505.2236
SPACIOUSCONDOMINIUMHOME
East 60s $979,000 Brand new in luxury building with
outdoor pool and gym. Large master bedroom. gourmet
chefs kitchen. Building has circular drive and garage.
Call to see today. Web# 1343274. Amy Gordon, VP
212.319.2339
HIGHFLOOR2BEDROOMCONDO
East 60s $1,500,000 Magnificent Home with airplane
views, luxe high rise doorman building with pool, gym and
roof deck. 2 full marble baths with Jacuzzi. Large wrap
balcony. Mint condition. Call to see today. Web# 1359627.
Amy Gordon, VP 212.319.2339

BESTPARKANDSKYLINEVIEWS
Central Park North $2,399,000 Built in 2007, this
3 bedroom, 3 bath condo is on the 15th floor. Floor-to-
ceiling windows, glass balcony, gourmet kitchen, massive
master suite, a washer/dryer, and parking space.
Web# 1363506. Michael Rosenblum 212.769.6541
Sandy Gansberg 917.733.6337
LOFT-LIKERIVERFRONTLUXURY
Perry Street/West Village $2,195,000 Sleek 2 bed-
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park views from every window in full-service boutique
co-op. Split bedrooms, open kitchen, wood burning
fireplace & 2 balconies. Web# 1347302. Harry G. Kendrick
212.769.6536 I Susan Wexford 212.627.0610
RARELUXURYPENTHOUSE
Tribeca $3,473,800 Sun flooded 2,297 sf penthouse
with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. 1,000 sf rooftop terrace, wood
burning fireplace, high ceilings, washer/dryer, and floor-
to-ceiling windows. Web# 1368622. Avi Voda 917.414.1963
SAGAPONACKNEWCONSTRUCTION
376 Daniels Lane $21,900,000 Daniels Lane ocean
view. 7 bedroom, 11 baths, Christopher Peacock cabinetry,
formal dining room, great room, family room, finished
lower level with media room & gym. 60 ft salt pool & spa.
Sunken tennis court. Web# H32606. Peter Chervin, SVP
917.863.1110 | Melissa Osborne, VP 631.255.8878
IMMACULATEANDSPACIOUS
Park Avenue/East 60s $4,995,000 Exceptional prewar
condo centrally located. Beautiful architecture. Stunning
2 bedroom, 3 bath with top-of-the-line features, separate
enclosed kitchen & large laundry with W/D. Web# 1366517.
Elena Del Valle 212.891.7613 | 646.247.5558
PDE 1.indd 1 8/19/11 7:16:22 AM
32
I
f you havent heard of Novak
Djokavic, which is highly unlikely
if you follow tennis at any capacity,
you probably will soon.
The 24 year-old from Belgrade, Ser-
bia, emerged as the No. 1 mens player
in the most recent world rankings,
largely because of recent a life and atti-
tude adjustment. While the Dow Jones
continues to nosedive, Djokavics stock
has had a meteoric rise.
Djoker, as he has been nicknamed on
tour and by the media, is the youngest
to ever win a Mens Championship. He
the youngest to reach the semis of each
Grand Slam tournaments, of which
there are four. And he did that in direct
succession. The Serb even reached
the Miami Masters when he was but a
teenager at the ripe, young age of 19.
Although 2011 has been a landmark
year for Djokavicclaiming titles at
Wimbledon and the Australian Open
as he went 48-1 in his last 49 matches
the talent has always been there. For
the Rogers Cup in 2007, he defeated
Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Roger
Federer. Only Attila the Hun could have
conquered more delicately.
While its one thing to have skill, its
quite another to demonstrate it on a reg-
ular basis, and consistency wasnt neces-
sarily a hallmark of his game early on.
Health issues forced him to retire from a
handful of tournaments, as Djokavic suf-
fered from a series of back injuries and
muscle cramps, exhaustion and dehy-
dration. Until recently, he had a 43-win
streak going, stretching from the 2010
Davis Cup to this years French Open.
But in a world where improbable suc-
cess is viewed with skepticism, much to
the tarnished legacies of athletes such
as Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds,
Djokavics story is a heart-warmer.
Last year, he discovered that he suf-
fered from celiac disease, or, broken
down, that he was allergic to gluten,
which is found in all wheat, barley and
rye products. Sufferers are often mal-
nourished, because the carbohydrate
energy one would normally obtain from
HOW A DI ETARY CHANGE
HAS THE SERBI AN
TAKI NG CENTER COURT
NO DJOK:
By Daniel Friedman
DIET Burnett.indd 32 8/19/11 9:32:33 AM
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gluten products goes straight through the
body without being absorbed, damaging the
small intestine, which may be a possible cause
Djokavics health woes.
Since hearing the news, he has taken steps
to alter his diet. While these dietary changes
have certainly left him healthier, this new
way of life has had a far greater impact on the
mental aspect of Djokavics game.
In tennis, and frankly, all sports, confdence
is everything. Its relatively easy to gain mo-
mentum after a win, but its how you bounce
back from a loss that shows your true colors.
Novak Djokavic is one confdent tennis
player these days. Who wouldnt be after
rattling off 43 consecutive victories? But its
not the wins that have played the largest role
here. It all goes back to the diet. Conceding
to the boundaries of a gluten-free lifestyle
requires tremendous discipline. And after
overcoming such an obstacle, feelings of pride
and self-confdence developdeeper than
any satisfactory high walking off the court
after yet another win.
In a sentence, I lost my fear, said Djokavic
following his victory at Wimbledon. I be-
lieved in my abilities more than ever.
And that belief translated into an enor-
mous amount of success. His serve, once a
weaker part of his game, is now one of the
strongest. His backhand, down the line, is
equally devastating. And now critics consider
him among the best serve returners in all
tennis history.
Dietary problems behind him, Mr. Djokavic
said, I try not to change anything in particu-
lar, Ive tried to keep the things very simple
the way I have practiced and the way I have
approached my tennis career in general up to
the moment where I was No. 1.
They say imitation is the strongest form of
fatterysome of Djokavics peers, like Andy
Murray, are actually going gluten-free in an
attempt to revitalize their game.
These types of adjustments are more than
welcome in the athletic social arena. Instead
of taking steroids, the modern athletes deci-
sion to focuses on self-improvement through
nutrition, hard work, and health is a cel-
ebrated one.
The question of whether or not gluten-
free becomes the next big thing in sports
nutrition is one only time can answer. But for
Djokavic, the skys the limit.
I want to win more Grand Slams, he said.
I will defnitely not stop here.
I
f you played Division One college tennis, dont
even bother with this article.
If you have just returned from a two year
stint at a top-notch tennis academy, there is no need
to go on reading this piece.
If, however, you are competing on an USTA adult
club team at the 2.5 to 4.0 level, or, perhaps, are
signed up for your club or city championship and
would like to win more often, then clip this out,
carry it with you, and look at it once or twice a week
to keep you on track.
Improving your results as an adult tennis com-
petitor requires an understanding of your needs
in the real world of match play. The cold, hard
fact is that you havent played in any of the Grand
Slam events. And, in all likelihood, you never will.
Why then waste your precious time working on
the tools and tactics that you see the worlds top
players employ to compete in those events?
It may be called tennis, but, rest assured, it isnt
the same tennis that you need to play to win at
your club or public park.
The full-swinging-western-grip-midcourt
volley isnt the functional reality for everyday
players. Neither is the twist serve that bounces
explosively over the opponents outstretched
racket, like the second serve of ATP Tour big
man John Isner.
The folks you are looking to beat all have a
weakness, and, adhering to a few fundamental
tactics, will wilt under pressurethe pressure
you and your solid game puts on them.
Part of what is learned from having spent the
past 41 years coaching is to not waste time on
non-productive tactics or techniques, those that
dont apply to your level and/or intensity of play.
You most likely have everyday commitments that
swallow up most of your time, so your time spent
practicing must be tailored to your specifc needs
. Keep a narrow focus on the following four ideas
and I guarantee it will lift your game to a higher
level, and up the club ladder.
Narrowing Your Focus
Your adult teNNis plaYers sYllabus:
1 Practice your serve until you can hit a wash cloth placed in diferent areas of the service box at least 6
times out of 10. Once you are there, use that new-found skill to begin every single one of your service
points by placing it to their weak side. Speed isnt important. An ounce of placement is worth a pound
of power, as Harvard Coach Jack Barnaby used to say.
2 The return of serve is the second most important shot in tennis. That being said, it needs to be prac-
ticed the most because you only get one, ONE, chance to get it in, unlike the most important shotthe
servethat, by rule, gives you 2 chances.
Note: Hitting groundstrokes from the baseline is rally practice. Do not count that as serve return prac-
tice. You must set aside some time to have a friend or coach to hit serves to you, and at game speed, to
get that job done.
3 Fall in love with midcourtmidcourt volleys and overheads are where club tennis is won and lost, but
most players never spend time there because they have been told it is no mans land. By avoiding this
area of the court, you are ignoring the importance of building the necessary transition skills that will
allow you to attack or defend as the point unfolds and the rally lengthens.
4 Work on timing your split stepIf you dont know what a split step is, get a coach and put some time
into learning what one is and implementing it into your game. Luis Mederos, one of the top Spanish
coaches, always says, You tell your students, No split step, you go play golf!
NODJOK
Novak Djokavic is one confdent
tennis player these days.
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By Howie Burnett
The Gators Tennis Team is Taking a Bite Out of the Competition
w
Tips for Fundamental Tactics from a Club Pro
DIET Burnett.indd 34 8/19/11 9:33:09 AM
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PDE 3.indd 1 8/19/11 7:17:58 AM
36
T
here have been several
comeback stories in the ATP
World Tour in 2011. But per-
haps the most compelling comeback
chronicle is from 35-year-old doubles
veteran, Ashley Fisher.
Fisher reinjured his knee at the
start of the 2010 season in Brisbane.
He opted to take the entire year off,
giving himself one fnal shot on play-
ing a full season on the mens tour.
The Australian frst encountered
knee struggles in 2006 during a
qualifying singles match in Chennai,
India, leading to four surgeries, with
his age becoming more and more of
an impediment to recovery. Having
a knee injury is very debilitating as
I am constantly reminded of it, he
explained. Things I used to take for
granted like walking up a staircase
pain free and going for a morning
jog are no longer possible. My injury
involves cartilage degeneration, so
I feel like I am gradually chipping
away at my knees.
Fishers ambitions were
always with tennis,
and the opportu-
nity to study in the
United States on
scholarship moti-
vated the Australian
to develop his tech-
nique. His work ethic paid off, and
he was recruited by Texas Christian
University, where he made the 1996
NCAA Doubles Final.
Tennis was a much bigger sport
in Australia, and watching players
like Pat Cash winning Wimbledon
convinced me to pursue the larger
of the two courts, recalled Fisher. I
was never an overly confdent tennis
player as a junior or throughout col-
lege, as I didnt have a lot of people
believing in me saying that I could
make it on the pro tour.
At thirty-three, Fisher soared to
new heights. Partnering with good
friend Stephen Huss in 2009, the
Australians defeated World No. 1
doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan.
Fisher attained his career-high rank-
ing of 19 in June of 09 and was look-
ing forward to building on his best
season to date.
But his knee had other ideas.
Prior to playing in the Indianapolis
fnal with Jordan Kerr, Fishers knee
fared up again. After losing in the
championships match, Fisher played
just two more events that year, bow-
ing out in the frst round of the US
Open and Beijing. There was, how-
ever, a silver lining to the injury.
Tennis Channel gave Fisher an
opportunity to work as a sideline
reporter for their broadcast team
during the Indianapolis singles f-
nal. After undergoing surgery, Fisher
few to Los Angeles the following
day and provided commentary at
the Farmers Classic. He was well
received by his peers. He said the
experience proved to be invalu-
able. And it provided Fisher with a
number of opportunities the fol-
lowing year.
Partnering with Huss once again,
Fisher hurt his knee in January of
2010 in Brisbane. Knowing the re-
quired surgery would be his fourth,
the Australian made the diffcult
decision to stay off the court for the
rest of the season. He wanted to stay
involved with the sport he loved, so
Fisher put on two hats: working as a
commentator for the Tennis Channel
and coaching accomplished doubles
players Simon Aspelin and Paul
Hanley.
Aspelin and Hanley reached
three quarter-fnals under Fishers
tutelage, including the US Open. If
you cant practice and win matches
yourself, the next best thing is to do
it vicariously through someone
ideally with guys you respect and are
friendly with. Paul and Simon ft that
bill, and I am grateful to them for that
opportunity.
As the 2010 season came to a close,
Fisher made his preparations for the
upcoming year. However, being out
of action for eighteen months doused
him in red fags, though his former
partner continued to put his conf-
dence in him. Ashley, as a tennis
player, is way more talented than a
lot of people give him credit for, said
Stephen Huss. His hand-eye coor-
dination is amazing, which is evi-
denced by his returns that he makes
as early as anyone in the world.
Huss had already committed to
play the Australian Open with Johan
Brunstrom, but he made plans to
partner with Fisher on a regular basis
for the rest of the season. Naturally,
I was very rusty and the game was
initially too fast for me, Fisher as-
sessed after his frst match back. In
all honesty I had a lot of self doubt. I
have seen plenty of players struggle
to make an impact after an injury
and being less physical than ever the
prospect of stinking it up crossed
my mind on numerous occasions.
It didnt bother me though as all I
wanted to do was get out and com-
pete again.
But competing alongside Huss re-
invigorated Fisher, and the two have
done well. They reached the quarter-
fnals in Delray Beach and won the
Sarasota Challenger in April.
I know the tennis he is capable of
playing and know that his standard
can hold up to anyone in the world.
Ultimately, Ashley is a very close
friend, which is who you are meant
to be able to rely on when you are in a
tough spot.
In May, a defning moment
emerged in Paris. After winning their
frst round match in the French Open
at Roland Garros, Fisher and Huss
knocked out third seeded and former
French Open champions Mahesh
Bhupathi and Leander Paes in a
second round shocker. I had never
beaten Bhupathi or Paes, and I actu-
ally broke down in tears in the locker
room afterwards, admitted Fisher.
My wife was eight months pregnant,
so I felt like I was playing for my un-
born child and I was proud of myself.
Beating Bhupathi and Paes in Paris
will stand out as one of the best wins
of my life.
They followed up their third-
round result at Roland Garros by
advancing to the third round of Wim-
bledon, upsetting ninth seeds Eric
Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer in the
round of 32, a team Fisher had lost to
three times earlier that year. I know
it was more emotional for Ashley, as
his road back from injury has been a
long one. It is hugely satisfying to be
a part of the confdence and joy that
Ashley is getting by returning to the
Top 100 where he belongs.
Now Fisher has come full circle
in New York, from challenger to
commentator, from commentator to
coach, and now back to competitor.
He and wife Kirsten welcomed their
frst child, Holden Wallace Fisher, on
July 29th, and it has given the Aus-
tralian new motivation to succeed.
As much as I love playing tennis and
winning matches, having a child that
depends on you for everything in life
really puts my career in perspective.
I am looking forward to competing
at a Grand Slam for the frst time as a
father, knowing that I am playing for
my wife and son.
By Matt Fitzgerald
If this goes on one page it needs cut by 800 words
Ashley Fisher
The Resilience of
Ashley
Fi sheR
Until Wozniacki fnds the
correct balance between
defense and ofense,
Williams wealth of experience gives her a leg up.
Tennis is a
Swamp Th
ing
I know the tennis he is capable of playing
and know that his standard can hold
up to anyone in the world.
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Fisher-_fitzgerald.indd 36 8/19/11 9:23:07 AM
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TENNIS STORES
Icebreaker
Icebreaker, a manufacturer of fnely spun
merino wool garments now located in
the chic SoHo district, is the smart and
fashionable choice for athletes.
102 Wooster Street
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 646 861 2523
www.icebreaker.com
GraND ceNTraL racQUeT
Grand Central Racquet specializes in
Tennis, Racquetball, Squash, Paddle Tennis
and Table Tennis equipment. They also sell
the US open merchandize. NYC Racquet
Sports is one of the largest stores in the
city and was named the 2010 retailer
of the year by Racquet sports industry
magazine.
NYc racquet Sports (Main)
157A West 35th Street
(Between Broadway & 7th Ave.)
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212.695.5353
341 Madison avenue
44th St. between Madison & Vanderbilt
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 292-8851
www.grandcentralracquet.com
MaSONS TeNNIS NYc
Masons tennis is a full-service tennis store
located in the heart of the city. It has been
serving tennis players and fans since 1975.
56 east 53rd Street
Located between Park and Madison
Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-755-5805
Toll free: 888-755-5805
Fax: 212-755-5807
www.masonstennis.com
rPNY TeNNIS
With over 3 decades of experience, RPNY
tennis not only ofers tennis equipment but
are known for their specialized services in
Racquet stringing and particularly Racquet
customizing. They provide stringing services
for the US open, Australian Open, US Davis
Cup team and US Fed cup team and privately
for Andy Roddick and others. RPNY tennis at
the Wagner Tournament training center is the
biggest training facility in Long Island.
rPNY Tennis (MaIN)
228 East 51st Street
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212 980-1555, fax 212 980-2555
rPNY Tennis at cityView (LIc)
racquet club
43-34 32nd Place
LIC, NY 11101
Phone: 718 389-6252
rPNY Tennis at robbie Wagner
Tournament Training center
60 Sea Clif Avenue
Glen Cove, NY 11542
Phone: 516 759-5200
www.rpnytennis.com
cITY SPOrTS
City Sports is a broad spectrum sport store
that sells tennis equipment, accessories
and US Open Merchandise. They also
provide stringing services.
390 5th avenue (at 36th)
New York, NY 10018-8104
Phone: 212-695-0171
64 West 48th Street
Between 5th and 6th Ave
New York, NY 10036
Phone: 212-730-2009
www.citysports.com
TeNNIS bOOM
This less commercialized store, hidden
in the sheepshead Bay area of Brooklyn
specializes in tennis equipment, racquet
stringing, customizing and also guarantees
the best prices to professionals.
Tennisboom, Inc.
1732 Sheepshead Bay Road,
Brooklyn, NY 11235
Phone: 1.800.336.8180
www.tennisboom.com
ParaGON SPOrTS
Paragon Sports guarantees the lowest
prices among all authorized dealers. They
sell a variety of tennis equipment, acces-
sories, provide stringing services and also
sell NYC tennis permits.
867 broadway
NY, NY 10003
Toll free: 1-800-961-3030
Phone: 212-255-8889
www.paragonsports.com
Tennis Unlimited (brooklyn)
Tennis Unlimited regrips, repairs and
modifes racquets to perfections. They also
customize racquets. With personalized
services from the owner himself, CRAIG
BARNABY, a Master racquet technician
and tester for the US Racquet stringers as-
sociation this store is hard to miss.
9000 Bay Parkway
New York, NY 11214
Phone: (718) 266-3610
TENNIS CLUBS
Manhattan Plaza racquet club
This tennis club houses 5 Championship
Tennis Hard Courts, a Luxurious Club-
house, New Bubble, Private and Group
Lessons, various Tennis Programs, Tennis
Clinics, Pro Shop and Stringing Services.
450 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
212-594-0554
Phone: (212) 594-0554
manhattanplazaracquetclub.com
Midtown Tennis club
The Indoor tennis club turns into an out-
door club in the summer, when its bubble
is taken of. Their tennis courts are located
on the rooftop that directly overlooks the
empire state building. With a no member-
ship policy, the club features 8 har-tru
courts and clubhouse facilities.
341 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10001-4807
Phone: (212) 989-8572
www.midtowntennis.com
Sutton Tennis east clubs
This non membership club ofers indoor
tennis court facilities. Conveniently located
right under the Queensboro bridge, the
club ofers 8 clay courts, lessons, clinics,
leagues, tournaments and other programs
for every age and level.
488 East 60th Street
Phone: 212-751-3452.
www.suttoneasttennis.com
Sport time randalls Island
This full- fedged tennis club is home to
the famous John McEnroe Tennis Acad-
emy. It was voted the best indoor facility
2010 by the American Sports Builders As-
sociation (ASBA). 20 tennis courts, a 3000
sq ft health club and a full basketball court
are some of its many features.
1 Randalls Island
New York, NY 10035
Phone: 212-427-6150
www.sportimeny.com/manhattan
USTa National Tennis center
Besides hosting the US Open annually,
the National Tennis ofers state of the art
Tennis courts 12 indoor and 22 outdoor
-deco turf, and 4 clay courts inside an air-
conditioned bubble. Located in fushing
meadows, the tennis center focuses on
providing specialized lessons and training
programs for all ages and abilities year
round. It also features special courts for 10
years and under players called the quick
start deck zone.
Flushing Meadow - Corona Park
Flushing, N.Y. 11368
Phone: 718-760-6200
www.usta.com
For ticket information, call
Ticketmaster at 866-OPeN-TIX
New York Tennis club
Tucked away in the residential corner of
the city surrounded by greenery, the club
features 6 har-tru courts and a club house.
So if youre looking for a less commercial
space to play, this is it.
3081 Harding Avenue
Bronx, NY, 10465
Phone: 718-239-7916
www.newyorktennisclub.com
roosevelt Island racquet club
Provides a year round indoor facility
consisting of 12 Lee green clay courts with
shadowless, non-glare lighting and are
heated or air-conditioned for comfortable
year-round play. They also have a ftness
center for those who want to warm up
before a big game.
281 Main Street
Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
Phone: (212) 935- 0250
www.rictennis.com
Stadium Tennis center at Mill Pond
This latest state of the art Tennis center
situated just south of the Yankees stadium
features 16 tennis courts, excellent lighting,
professional staf, lessons and various
programs. Its a great in the summer and
in the winter.
725 Gateway Center Boulevard
(formerly Exterior Street)
At E152nd Street and the Harlem River
Bronx, NY 10451
Phone: 718-665-4684
info@stadiumtennisnyc.com
Vanderbilt Tennis club
Above the hallowed terminal of Grand
Central Station, a state-of-the-art tennis
court is opening up this Summer, ofer-
ing New Yorkers and tourists alike an
opportunity to play in one of the most
recognizable and celebrated landmarks in
this great city.
Grand Central Terminal
15 Vanderbilt Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 917 523 4486
www.vanderbilttennisclub.com
West Side Tennis club
A summer haven for tennis enthusiasts
featuring 38 courts on grass, har-tru, red
clay and hard surfaces. In the winter a 10
court facility is open to non-members. It
also features an Olympic style pool, and a
Tudor -style club house.
West Side Tennis club
1 Tennis Place
Forest Hills, NY 11375
Phone: 718-268-2300
Fax: 718-268-2230
www.foresthillstennis.com
R E S O U R C E G U I D E
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A
rthur Robert Ashe, Jr. is one of the all-
time greats in mens tennis history. He
won three Grand Slam titles, including
the inaugural 1968 U.S. Open Championship, the
frst major tournament of the Open era to take place
in the United States. The 22,547-seat Arthur Ashe
Stadium, the primary venue for the U.S. Open and
the worlds largest outdoor tennis stadium, is even
named after the International Tennis Hall of Famer.
Ashe is, in fact, the only African-American man to
win a singles titles at the U.S. Open, the Australian
Open or Wimbledon
However, as successful as he was with a tennis
racket in his hand, Ashes legacy extends far past his
accomplishments on the court he was a civil rights
activist, using his fame and infuence to fght for so-
cial justice worldwide. He was a true humanitarian,
selfessly putting the needs of many before his own.
While selfessly putting the needs of many before
his own, he tragically contracted the AIDS virus
from a blood transfusion during a routine heart sur-
gery in 1983, something he would not discover for
another fve years. Rather than feel sorry for himself,
though, he used his infuence to found the Arthur
Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. And before
his untimely death in 1993, he went on to also found
the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to raise
awareness to combat inadequate health care. For all
of these humanitarian efforts as well as his coura-
geous fght against the debilitating illness, he was
named Sports Illustrateds Sportsman of the Year in
1992.
Each year at the ESPY awards, (the Excellence
in Sports Performance Yearly award, presented by
ESPN) one of the major awards is the Arthur Ashe
Award for Courage, given annually to a member
of the sports world who best exhibits courage in
the face of adversity. Since its inception in 1993,
the award has been a staple at the event, legendary
sportsmen Jim Valvano, Howard Cosell, Muham-
mad Ali, and Pat Tillman being among those who
have received the prestigious award.
Although Ashes legacy extends worldwide, on
and off the tennis court, perhaps its fair to say that
nowhere is he more celebrated and memorialized
than at the U.S. Open in Queens. His history on that
court is unmistakable and distinctive. While one
would be hard pressed to fnd someone to argue
against the court being named after Ashe, the name-
sake himself would be humbled if he were here to
see it today.
Beginning in 1993, a brand new event was intro-
duced at the U.S. Open. Since then, Arthur Ashe
Kids Day, a festival of tennis and music, has become
a signature event at one of tenniss most prestigious
venues, the USTA Billie Jean King National Ten-
nis Center, commemorating the beginning of the
tournament. The popular event brings together the
world of tennis with the world of entertainment,
allowing fans of all ages to get a unique experience
prior to the beginning of the U.S. Opens actual tour-
nament.
In past years, pop stars such as the Jonas Broth-
ers, Sean Kingston, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber
have performed in concert for their young fans as
part of the festivities. But, of course, that is only a
small part of what makes Arthur Ashe Kids Day
so special. Fans of all ages and abilities get the op-
portunity to meet and greet with some of tenniss
greatest and most popular players of the past and
present. The list of attendees includes superstars
such as Serena and Venus Williams, Andre Agassi,
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Roddick.
These budding young players also have the oppor-
tunity during the day to work on their tennis skills,
with various workshops and interactive stations for
players of all ages and abilities, from beginners to
the more advanced players.
The 16th annual Kids Day will take place this
August 27, with a variety of big names already an-
nounced to be participating. Reigning U.S. Open
men and womens champions Rafael Nadal and Kim
Clijsters will be there, as well as world No. 1 Novak
Djokovic. Former U.S. Open champion and fan fa-
vorite Andy Roddick will also make an appearance,
as will New York Knicks basketball star Carmelo
Anthony and actor Bradley Cooper.
All of it is for a good cause, as it benefts the
National Junior Tennis and Learning network, or
NJTL. Arthur Ashe himself, among others, estab-
lished the NJTL in 1969 with the goal of developing
character in the youth of our nation, on and off the
tennis court. There are now over 500 chapters of
the NJTL, which serves hundreds of thousands
of children each year. The United States Tennis
Association (USTA) supports the NJTL, and the
two organizations bring the Arthur Ashe Kids Day
events to realization each year, ensuring that the
next generation of tennis fans has a chance to em-
brace the game.
Arthur Ashe was a pioneer. He was a man far
ahead of his time. The tennis community as well as
the greater community lost a point when a man with
such class and grace on the tennis court, and bravery
and determination off of it, had his life cut so tragi-
cally short.
But as his life ended, his legacy began.
It is because of Arthur Ashe that hundreds of
thousands of peoples lives are changed for the bet-
ter. Whether its through his humanitarian efforts,
his youth events, or his campaign for urban health,
his legacy will shine on forever.
He was, and is, a true American hero.
By Jon Presser
The Unforgettable Legacy
Of Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe Kids
Day at the USTA
Billie Jean King
National Tennis
Center.
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Arthur Ashe.indd 40 8/19/11 9:52:27 AM
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By Chris R. Vaccaro
S
itting on the second level of Sportime on
Randalls Island, where he serves as man-
ager, Mark McEnroe looks at home. Wear-
ing fip fops and khakis, Mark watches the tennis
action below him on the 20 courts that surround
the structure.
Its a far cry from being a lawyer, his previous
full-time profession, although he still represents
his older brother John, once king of American ten-
nis. And since the McEnroe name is synonymous
with tennis royalty, its only right that Mark would
step into the family business. I was open for a new
opportunity and a chance to work with John in a
non-traditional job setting, he said.
John, Americas favorite bad boy tennis prod-
uct, opened the John McEnroe Tennis Academy
(JMTA) in September 2010. Mark was tabbed as the
managing director of the academy and the Sportime
facility on Randalls Island, a piece of land between
Manhattan and Queens that also houses the FDNY
training center and Icahn Stadium. The companys
website lists him as the Chief Corporate Develop-
ment Offce. But, simply put, he runs the place.
Ive done different things, but more main-
stream, Mark said. This is a lot different. The
ability to be around day-to-day tennis, which is
something Ive always enjoyed, and to run a facility
and a business.
Sportime has over 2,000 adult members at the
Randalls Island location, they host United States
Tennis Association leagues, and have a diverse
selection of tennis afcionados at any given time
on their indoor, outdoor or clay courts, from older
ladies that play midday to Wall Street suits who
swing their racquets in the early morning. And like
any other business, Mark has a task of creating rev-
enue and making a proft.
The jewel of the club, however, has quickly
become the JMTA. Already with a year under its
belt, Mark and his staff talk about its progress with
focus, hitting all the questions about its quest to
become a Mecca of tennis in the New York metro-
politan area in stride.
Mark, although never at the level of his broth-
ers, has loved the game of tennis for just as long. All
three, including the youngest in Patrick, grew up in
Douglaston, Queens, played at the Port Washington
Tennis Academy on Long Island, graduated from
Trinity School on the Upper Westside of Manhattan
and played at Stanford.
Mark walked on the team for a year, but has
since taken the sport on more recreationally. He
considers himself an athlete and can hang with
John on the court for a little while. But the occa-
sional game is the extent of his involvement in ten-
nis. That is until now.
His corporate background has provided the extra
umph as he takes on the task in creating JMTA.
Going from the corporate world as a lawyer, this
is probably less stressful, I hope, said Fritz Buehn-
ing, an assistant JMTA director and master tennis
professional, who has played with John since they
were 10 years old. Hes always been heavily in-
volved in tennis with the McEnroe family. Its good
because there is a certain energy [the brothers]
bring.
The $18 million tennis complex is one thing, but
when it comes to branding John McEnroes name
on an academy, John wanted people he could trust
close by. And Mark said that he has been very
pleased working with his brother. Hes been very
supportive of me, he said. Ive never run a facility,
so its been a challenge, but hes been great. That
part has been a lot of fun.
John is a results now kind of person and since
the major task of JMTA is to eventually hatch the
next top American tennis player, things are moving
fast. Johns view is understanding that you have to
be serious and play regularly, but to put sort of that
Johnny Mac spin on it, time is money in New York,
Mark said.
Instead of playing six hours a day or six days a
week, the folks at JMTA would rather you play
in concentrated sessions for two hours and spend
other time in the gym, doing homework or relaxing,
all of which you can do at the club. According to
Mark, John never had interest in running a private
club. The sole interest is manufacturing a tennis
factory in the northeast that will start to push out
the big names of the game. And Mark agrees.
The rest of the world caught up to the U.S.,
Mark said. The U.S. isnt bad. If youre Eastern
European, if youre a kid, youre going to play soccer
or tennis. Here tennis is what, ffth, sixth, seventh
on any kids list. When John starts to bring the buzz
back to tennis you would hope you get a little more
to it and make it be cooler or show people that it is
an unbelievably tough sport.
Though a New Yorker at heart, Mark is currently
a resident of Stamford, Conn. But he has been out of
touch with New Yorks culture, aside from working
there again since 2010. I miss it, he said. Im sort
of divorced from it. I need to drive to get here, so I
tend to spin around and go home most of the time.
Occasionally hell stop off in City Island with his
kids15, 14 and 12and he roots for the Knicks,
Rangers, Jets and Yankees. His family summers in
Rhode Island, where he pitches softball to little kids
from the area and he plays bad golf, amidst tennis
leagues in Westchester and Connecticut and a game
called platform tennis in the winter.
Tennis being the key to his life right now from a
working angle, two McEnroes involved with help-
ing shape the image of the game in the Big Apple
is always better then one. And if they have any say,
the king and his court will produce a prince in due
time.
The Other Brother
As John and Pat Continue
Their On-Court Presence,
Mark McEnroe Takes a Swing
Mark McEnroe.indd 42 8/19/11 3:51:00 PM
43
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A NEW TITLE BY INSIDE TENNIS
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Like the subjects he so
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Thirty years later, John and
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Ted Robinson, NBC
CRONIN BOOK FINAL.indd 44 8/19/11 8:17:37 AM
FAN v FAN.indd 1 8/19/11 8:19:21 AM
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48
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INDEX.indd 48 8/19/11 8:24:43 AM
49
Igor BaBaIlov
special dinner pairing
oct 13th 14th & 15th 2011
365 West 46th St., New York, New York 10036
Phone: 212-586-0244 Fax: 212-957-2983
www.frebirdrestaurant.com
Meet the world renowned artist,
Maestro igor Babailov
Living Master and Vatican Artist,
and his genius artistic creation of
Journey of Hope Ice Wine.
This rare gift was picked in the coldest
moment of the winter season, and like the
Journey of Hope it is an expression
of the metamorphosis of divine spirit and energy.
Exclusive world release of the exquisite new
ice Wine by igor Babailov
1317 First Avenue (Bet. 70th & 71st Sts.) New York City
212-249-6092
BRICK OVEN
PIZZERIA & WINE BAR
RESERVATIONS
212-221-0144
19 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
KELLARI
The perfect place for lunch,
business meetings and intimate
dinner events. Serving the
freshest Greek Mediterranean
Seafood in New York City.
183 West 10th St. (of of 7th Ave.)
for reservations please call 212-352-0050
fax 212-352-0051
email info@cafecondesa.com
An intimate restaurant in
the West Village serving
breakfast, lunch, and bistro
fare dinner featuring
exquisite New York style
dishes with Latin American
accents.
Caf
Condesa
MITCH PAGE.indd 49 8/19/11 8:06:49 AM
50
1640 Second Avenue, corner of 85th Street
New York, NY 10028
212.439.1580 www.midnightblue85.com
ItalIan amerIcan cuIsIne
Nestled in the Upper East Side of New York City amidst the
hustle and bustle, Midnight Blue Restaurant is an oasis of a
familiar yet new and relaxed atmosphere, where everyone
feels right at home. Our goal is to remind our patrons what a
good restaurant is all about.
S
T
E
P
H
E
N

D
U
N
N
/
G
E
T
T
Y

I
M
A
G
E
S
F
our stories above the vast
and glittering halls of Grand
Central Station, a tennis court
stands ready for play. Six layers of
rubber make up the state-of-the-art
oor. The material, DecoTurf, is the
same as that used on the US Open
courts, but here it is coated by an
acrylic paint called Nova, which is
superior to that used on the courts in
Queens.
There have been tennis facilities at
Grand Central since 1965, when the
Hungarian immigrant, Geza Gazdag,
took over CBSs recording studio
and created The Vanderbilt Athlet-
ics Club. In those days, the athletic
sports on offer included skiing on the
65 foot, astro-turf ski slope as well
as tennis.
The ski slope had disappeared by
the time Donald Trump took over
the lease of the courts in 1984.
MTA terminated Mr. Trumps
$90,000 per annum lease in May
2009 because it wanted to create
a new locker room for its staff, re-
placing their old rundown facilities
elsewhere in the building. However,
nding they still had space after the
renovations, they put it back on the
market.
Mr. Trumps was not an exclusive
club explained Eldadi Zvulun, the
General Manager and head profes-
sional at The Vanderbilt Tennis Club,
which has taken over the lease, now
$225,000. Anyone could pay to play
but the courts were not advertised;
and were not kept in good condition.
The new club is owned by Tony
Scolnick, long-time tennis coach and
something of a sporting legend. He
has two other clubs on the Upper
East Side, Sutton East Tennis Club
and Yorkville Tennis Club.
Construction of the completely
new court began at Grand Central
in early 2010. A little over eighteen
months later, the ofcial opening of
September 1 is imminent.
But John McEnroe has booked
the court for August 24, said Mr.
Zvulun, unfazed by the high prole
of his rst client, so it will be open
then.
As well as regular court time, the
club will offer lessons from over 40
tennis pros, video analysis technol-
ogy, and summer camp and Quick-
Start tennis for younger players.
As the onslaught of cars swept by
on the 2nd Street and Park Avenue
overpass, which the windows of the
court over look, Mr. Zvulun deli-
cately stepped along the paper path
protecting the court, and up to the
mezzanine oor created by Beyer
Blinder Belle Architects. He proudly
pointed out a conveyor belt contrap-
tion of Mr. Scolnicks devising, which
feeds dead tennis balls back into a
ball machine.
Youll be able to play so many
more shots and get much more actu-
al practice time in because you wont
have to spend ages picking up the
balls, Mr. Zvulun elaborated.
We are carrying on a legacy, he
said of the project.
With thirty hours of seasonal
court time already booked at up to
$200 an hour, it seems that legacy is
ying forward.
A GRAND GAME
A State-of-the-Art
Court Sits Above
Old New York By Rosanna Boscawen
NET
NOTES
Common Sense Ideas to
Lift Your Game
Burnetts NET NOTES provides a
great read! Not only does he give
you technical advise,he also stresses
tactical understand of the game of
Tennis--- Mike Kanan
Howie Burnett was my
tennis teacher and coach years
ago , and in a short period of time helped improve my
game dramatically(from 3.5 to 5.0 level). If you are serious
about your Tennis game and cant get to Howie in person, get
this book! --- Ari Alexenberg
I have been teaching Tennis for 20 years at all levels and I will
begin handing this book to all of my students immediately. This
book should be in the bag of every player who is still trying to
improve----- Barry Caron
Available for purchase at Amazon.com.
BALL BOY-Vanderbilt Tennis.indd 50 8/19/11 9:55:09 AM
51
I
visited the Arthur Ash Stadium
when I was 11-years-old, and I
have been in love with it ever
since. I was no die-hard tennis fan, but
my frst all-day pass made me one.
Upon moving to New York for Law
School in 2004, I promised myself I
would do whatever it took to attend
as many matches as possible, day or
night. Soon I was spending almost
every day of the Open in Flushing,
Queens, either on a grounds pass or as
an evening spectator.
By 2009, I realized playing tennis in
New York is a rather expensive hobby.
Adamant to hold onto every last cent
of my beer money, I made a play for
the net, and decided I wanted to be a
ball boy.
Packing up my briefcase, I took an
afternoon off work on a stifing hot
Wednesday in August to attend the
tryout. Although I arrived at 3:00 for a
3:30 tryout, almost every one got there
before me. Many of them were high
school kids going to tennis camp at
the USTA center. They knew my su-
pervisor, so I questioned whether this
could be a fair tryout. I grew paranoid
imagining they already picked out kids
and that from 700 applicants I could
never be among the 100 invited to a
second try out.
I had nothing in common with the
high school kids who were talking
about fnals, and it was hard to fnd
those over 18 that were trying out.
There are two types of ball boys,
back ball boys throw the ball to the
serving side after each point, and the
net boys run back and forth at the
net picking up each and every ball hit
into the it. As a swing, I was capable
of doing either. I was not accustomed
to throwing a tennis ball (who in their
adulthood is?) and my frst two throws
were not great, but then I settled into
a groove for the next 4 throws. I felt
fairly confdent that the 2-minute
tryout secured me a second chance,
and when the letter arrived notifying
me that I was being called back I was
happy.
The second tryout was more in-
volved, and I was able to demonstrate
my speed at net. After my turn of
retrieving 12 tennis balls, the director
called me aside and asked me what
I was doing there. I told him that I
loved tennis, could take the time off
from my work as a lawyer, and wanted
to be a ball boy.
Not sure that they heard me cor-
rectly, the director disbelievingly
asked, You are an attorney that wants
to spend his summer vacation with a
bunch of high school kids and chase
tennis balls?
I responded with a resounding
yes.
At qualifying, I met about six other
people over twenty-fve, including a
retired attorney that was in his early
sixties. The big difference between
them and me was that I was a swing
ball boy and they were all back.
Men rarely had net position in the
early rounds because they wanted
gender diversity on each tennis court
and very few women could throw
a tennis ball the
length of the court.
My wife took off
a day from her job
as an attorney to
watch me at quali-
fying. She sat with
most of the moth-
ers from Long Island who drove their
children to work at the US Open. She
always pointed to me and acknowl-
edged that I was her husband. Because
of my boyish looks and the fact that
she sat with the moms, other mothers
thought we were a May-December
relationship or that my wife was actu-
ally my mother.
Tennis players are very supersti-
tious. Most professionals will never
use a ball after it has just come off the
court. If you hand it to them, a feisty
player could hit it back at you or hit it
into the corner for you to chase down.
Some have more elaborate on-court
practices. One player in specifc want-
ed the frst ball from my left hand. I
would bounce it to him and he would
hit it back on a bounce to me then
insist on the ball in my right hand and
then the ball that he hit back to me.
We went through this same routine
for each of his serves, and if I broke
the routine he would call me moron
or something less ft for print. The
superstition ranged from the way
they lined up their tennis rackets off
the court, to the color Gatorade they
would drink, to how we should set up
the Evian bottles between sets.
The really superstitious players
were the young Russian women. If
you dared break their concentration
by offering the wrong tennis ball, they
would really hit the ball hard back to
you, scream at you in Russian, and just
generally make your life miserable.
Even after a win, they were diffcult.
During qualifcation, I established
myself as a reliable and attentive ball
boy. By the third day, I was a court cap-
tain. One of the younger kids, a high
schooler no doubt,
pointedly asked me
why I was made
captain when it was
only my frst year. I
replied in kind that
I was an attorney
and, thereby, more
responsible. They then bombarded me
with question: how I was an attorney?
Why was I an attorney? What college
and law school did I attend? What
type of law did I practice?
We were on the court with players
who hit with tremendous velocity and
moved with phenomenal quickness.
The televisions, and even the best
seats, do not accurately depict this
speed. I remember in warm-ups, men
players cranked out serves that burnt
your hands when you caught - and the
speed only increased during the match.
Though we shared the courts with
the professionals, they exhibited a
complete disregard for us. It was hard
not to reach to the especially mean
treatment, like being called idiot or
incompetent during qualifying, and I
often wanted to spit back, Hey, I saw
you win yesterday and you treated
me like crap then so I looked up your
ranking, career title and lifetime earn-
ings. You made approximately 1/3 of
what I did last year, I am older than
you and work on some important real
estate transactions, so I dont know
who you are calling moron. But I bit
my tonguefor the love of the game.
I was on the grand stage for Katery-
na Bondarenko versus Ana Ivanovic.
I was quickly spotted by many friends
on ESPN2 and after the match ended,
my cell phone inbox was full of mes-
sages and texts of my air time on
ESPN2.
As the lights illuminated the pris-
tine court, in front of me was a full
crowd, and the night session made me
feel some anxiety. What if I fell fat on
my face chasing a ball (one ball boy
had already done that during the day
match on ESPN)? What if I ran into a
player? What if I threw the ball to the
wrong side after retrieving it?
In the end, the US Open did some-
thing wonderful to me: even if we
were a short train ride away from the
skyline of the city that housed many of
my more real anxieties, I was allowed
a moment in which I gained what
seems allusive to so many New York-
ersa moment of perspective. A true
moment of clarity. While I never had
to answer any of these what ifs, look-
ing back, Im grateful for that brief,
personal match with anxiety.
From the high school fashbacks
to the sports photographers blinding
fashbulbs, it was a summer to remem-
ber. Every once in a while, perhaps
when I slip on that Polo warm-up to
go for a jog, I think of the days and
nights I spent at the Billie Jean King
tennis center in Flushing. The qualif-
ers. The early stages. The later rounds
during which I ran the same court
as Kim Clijster as she forearmed and
backhanded through the feld in her
return to the top as US Open Cham-
pion.
My wife and I recently welcomed
the newest addition to our familya
baby boy. I look forward to, some ff-
teen years from now, when the high
schooler and the (even) older man
are able to ball boy together. Or bet-
ter yet, when the older man is able to
ball boy for his son as he cranks out
the burning serves. And Ill be sure
that his manners are as solid as his
net game.
Order to the
(
Tennis
)
Court
You are an attorney
that wants to send his
summer vacation...
[to] chase balls..
S
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I
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By DustinStein
A State-of-the-Art
Court Sits Above
Old New York
BALL BOY-Vanderbilt Tennis.indd 51 8/19/11 9:55:30 AM
52
T
he end of August and begin-
ning of September is marked
by the reappearance of the
Manhattanite. And while they have
returned from summers abroad
(which for a New Yorker is out of
the ve boroughs) they are migrating
not into the city, but out to Flushing,
Queens. And many do so by pushing
their way onto seven subway train.
For anyone not from Queens,
the seven is symbolic of the lowly
Mets and the annual trek to the US
Open. But stops on the route offer a
plethora of entertainment, food and
culture.
Many sociologists say a greater
variety of languages are spoken in
Queens than any other county in the
world. After you leave Manhattan
and emerge from the tunnel into the
borough, you should look to your
right and left and take notice of Five
Points. Five Points is the Mecca for
grafti artists. With the recent rise
of grafti as a respected art form,
the spray paint on the buildings has
grown in notoriety and aesthetic.
They are sure to change every time
you pass by.
The rst stop on the seven worth
perusing is Court Square. Court
Square and the surrounding Long
Island City have blossomed. The city
just across the East River from Man-
hattan has become a place known for
beautiful buildings with great ameni-
ties and, of course, some of the best
views in Manhattan. The apartments
at L-Haus, Powerhouse Condos, Ar-
ris Lofts and View59 are bringing in
a new crowd of New Yorkers. And
along with the new crowd are great
restaurants.
After descending the subway
stairs, look left and there is a restau-
rant/bar called Brooks 1890. Yes,
thats right, Queens has a restaurant
that was opened in 1890. But despite
the 120-year run, it is now only on
owner number four. The newest
owners, 3 Italian brothers that know
their way around the kitchen, boast
a great selection of seafood. When
they purchased the restaurant in
December, they took three months
to restore most of the original detail-
ing that had been deteriorating for
decades. The ceiling, bar, oor and
ambiance retains a classic feeling
of an old school bar. The seafood
is fresh and the burgers are juicy,
as a bustling lunch and happy hour
clientele pour in from surrounding
businesses.
Hop back on the seven and the
entertainment picks up a notch. Be-
yond the Chinese women in hawking
the latest bootleg movie releases,
there is live entertainment. Enter
the breakdancers and dance troupes.
Mostly young men and usually with
an adorable little brother stealing the
show, these guys have moves. Their
agility and dancing while the train is
in motion is phenomenal.
Stay on the subway for a couple
more stops and you will arrive at
the restaurant holy land of 61 St-
Woodside. This is the stop where
Anthony Bourdain and the under-
ground foodie movement thrives.
Local taqueries and street carts com-
pete with Italian vendors and almost
every other ethnicity under the
sun. Start at the Tacos y Quesadillas
Mexicanos truck where you can have
some of the best quesadillas this side
of the Rio Grande. Or enjoy the slices
from Pepinos Pizza. But be sure to
save your appetite for further stops
down the line.
Within your next two stops on
the 7 line you should get a mariachi
band. Usually two guys with Mexi-
can guitars sing their Mexican hearts
out about loves lost and dogs killed.
They serenade pedestrians in tra-
ditional Mexican attire. If you are
truly lucky, you will get a four person
mariachi band complete with an ac-
cordion player and each person in a
bejeweled, button-worked outt.
The last and nal stop before
disembarking for Willets point
is Flushing-Main Street. This is
where the Far East meets Queens.
Chinatown isnt the only authentic
Chinese cuisine in New York. When
you arrive on Main Street, you will
see boxes and trays of fresh fruit and
seafood. Many of the crabs, shrimp
and lobster are still breathing. There
is delicious lo mien takeout win-
dow when you turn right on Main
Street off the subway. They also have
scallion pancakes and other hand
held Chinese foods. Xian Famous
Foods, most known for its handmade
noodles, has spills out of its original
basement spot.
As you arrive at your destination
to the hallowed grounds of Arthur
Ashe, remember that there are hid-
den jewels along the way.
The $1.25 for lo mien plus the
fare is still less than a soda at the US
Openand far more lling.
By Dustin Stein
The Stops Along the Way
Are Worth a Day
J
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Taking the 7 Train
7 subway line.indd 52 8/19/11 9:56:33 AM
STAHL AD.indd 1 8/19/11 8:04:28 AM
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B
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7
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i
n
T:8.875 in
S
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AD11452_Tennis_US Open Nat Ads_F11
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31814RL_NYObserverSupplement_v2.indd 1 8/9/11 5:14 PM
POLO.indd 1 8/19/11 8:08:56 AM

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