The USTA has announced that two-time U.S. Open quarterfinalist James Blake (Tampa, Fla.) and a talented group of Americans, consisting of Bradley Klahn (Poway, Calif.), Jack Sock (Lincoln, Neb.), Ryan Sweeting (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)and Donald Young (Atlanta), along with two international players—Australian Carsten Ball and Guillaume Rufin of France—have been awarded men’s singles main draw…
The USTA has announced a series of expanded fan enhancements and programming for the 2010 U.S. Open. This year’s Opening Night ceremony will celebrate those who “Dream, Succeed and Inspire,” with appearances by Martina Navratilova, James Blake and other notable celebrities, as well as a special performance by Gloria Estefan. Other on-court celebrations during the tournament will include a demonstration featuring…
The USTA has announced that it will host a new U.S. Open Wild Card Playoff to award a men’s and women’s main draw singles wild card into the 2010 U.S. Open. Eight men and eight women will be invited to compete for the wild cards, Wednesday-Friday, Aug. 18-20 at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in…
World number four-ranked Andy Murray won his first ATP World Tour title of the season and defended his Rogers Cup crown Sunday with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Roger Federer in Toronto. On the women’s pro side, Belgian fourth seed Kim Clijsters saved three match points just before a 74 min. rain break and rallied…
In a major development, Beach Tennis USA (BTUSA) has established a strategic partnership with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to expand the global development of the sport of beach tennis. The ITF, based in the United Kingdom, is the world governing body of tennis and has 205 member national associations worldwide. Under the new agreement,…
In last month’s issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine, I discussed the importance of building a sound physical base before rushing into plyometric training. This time out, rather than just offer up some generalized guidelines, I thought I’d lay out the actual progression I use with the athletes that I train. In doing so, I…
The USTA and U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez have announced that world number one-ranked and 13-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams and world number four-ranked and five-time Wimbledon singles champion Venus Williams have committed to representing the U.S. in the 2010 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Final against Italy on…
The final leg of the Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge was the most successful of all, as the tournament, the magazine and the sport of beach tennis continues to grow. Thirty pro beach tennis teams, between the men’s and women’s draws, competed on Saturday, Aug. 7 and another 20 amateur teams competed on Sunday, Aug….
Eleanor Dwight’s story of the life of Jimmy Van Alen, the man who gave tennis the tie-breaker, presents a much more versatile and accomplished figure than I’d expected to encounter. I’m a hardcore tennis fan, sure, but if the only interesting thing Jimmy Van Alen did in his life was to invent the tie-breaker, I…
Watching tennis players sign their name to oversized tennis balls, hats, ticket stubs and various other items after each match at the U.S. Open, I am often asked, “What’s it worth?” by those who know about my autograph business. I hate such a loaded question as there are too many variables to consider, but it’s…