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Inside Tennis : April 2008

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RadioTennis.com will offer LIVE coverage of one of the most unique and enjoyable tennis events in the world, the PAC 10 Conference Championships.

The web cast will take place from historic Libby Park in beautiful Ojai, CA.

The web cast schedule is as follows:

Saturday: April 26: 10:00 AM: USA Pacific Time
Sunday: April 27: 10:00 AM USA Pacific Time

Although there are numerous divisions being played at Ojai over the week, RadioTennis.com's coverage will focus on the PAC 10 Conference Men's and Women's Championships. The PAC 10 Conference consists of the following Universities:

University of Arizona
Arizona State University
University of California - Berkeley
University of Oregon
Oregon State University
Stanford University
University of California - Los Angeles
University of Southern California
University of Washington
Washington State University

"It's difficult to explain the true essence of this tournament in a simple press release," states Ken Thomas "but there are a couple of factors that make this tournament very special. One factor is the tournaments' history. It's origins date back to 1887 (keep in mind that California didn't become a State until 1850). It is one of the oldest tennis events in the United States. There are actual photo's of players arriving by horse and wagon to play tennis in Ojai."

"The list of former players that have participated at Ojai is astonishing. It includes Bill Tilden, Tony Trabert, Bobby Riggs, Jack Kramer, Arthur Ashe, Billy Jean King, Pancho Gonzales, Alex Olmedo, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, Tracy Austin, Michael Chang, Lindsay Davenport, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and the Bryan brothers. The "Wall of Champions" at the grandstand in Libbey Park names over 80 players who competed at Ojai, and won one or more "Grand Slam" titles as professionals."

"However, what I enjoy the most about Ojai is the atmosphere. It is played in a small agricultural/artist community that is tucked into a lush valley between the Pacific Ocean and the Southern California mountains. The venue is a public park. Those in attendance understand competitive tennis and appreciate the history of the event. The place will be packed with spectators, the sun always seems to shine, the tennis is first-class, the orange juice is sweet and life is just about as good as it gets when your at the Ojai."

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According to a press release on ATPTennis.com, fifteen-year-old Texan Ryan Harrison became the third youngest player (since 1990) to notch an ATP match win when he defeated Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 6-3 on Monday at the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston, Texas.

Harrison is one of four men's singles who gained entry to the main draws via the qualifying round.

Next up, the teen could face James Blake or Kei Nishikori, who are scheduled to play later today.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: ryan_harrison, atp, houston, clay, championships
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With the Texas A&M Tennis Club looking to become a six-time winner of the college club tennis Campus Championship, we caught up with Tennis Club President David Hoover to get his take on the secrets behind the club's success, thoughts on the Tennis on Campus program and the difference between club and varsity tennis.

Can you give me a little back story on the history of the A&M Tennis Club?
Our club was founded in 1992, and our practice times are still the same as then. Our dues are $40 for the year.. one of the cheapest in the country. I have heard dues ranging up to $320 per year, which is kinda ridiculous.

Your club is a five-time Campus Champion. What's your secret to success?
We keep practices fun and social, players get to know each other really well. Each year, it really turns into one big group of friends that hang out on and off the court. That keeps people coming back.

Also, we do a pretty good job of mixing experienced players with the new guys. Whether it's for nationals or just normal club stuff, we do a pretty good job of passing along information and guidance from the veterans so that, as years go on, the fun and success continues. At nationals, rarely do the younguns play a key role, but they're there and gain some experience and see how things are done. When it's their turn a year or two down the road, they're ready.

We've been lucky to have some pretty great officers that are committed to club and make it great for everyone else. It's hard work, but our club appreciates it.

Can you give me a profile of one of the players in your club?
Matt Sumrall: president 04-06, on the nationals team for the 5th time this year, volunteer asst. coach for women's varsity team.

In your opinion, what are the benefits of the Tennis on Campus program? How has it helped your leadership/organization skills?
The ToC program is great! Tennis clubs existed before, but everything was much less organized and left entirely up to college students to organize and run. ToC has really helped grow club tennis across the country, made it easier to start a new club and keep an old one going, and provided us with a great, organized tournament schedule.

How do you like the WTT format?
We love WTT. This co-ed format keeps both the guys and the girls coming back.

How do you rate club tennis vs. intramural? How about vs. college varsity?
Our tennis intramurals are tournament brackets with a round played once a week. While they are competitive with us in numbers, there is no social aspect at all. Intramural players just show up, play and leave.

A few of our players in the club have played varsity tennis somewhere, and lots more could have played somewhere but just decided instead to go to TAMU and focus on school. Unlike varsity teams, our club has no meetings, no required practices and definitely no conditioning. All the fun without nearly the time commitment!

Have you ever played your school's varsity team?
Two years ago, the women's varsity team used some of our best players as practice partners. The club has always been very supportive of the varsity tennis programs; we always have a good number out there cheering for the Aggies at home matches. The varsity coaches and players have been very supportive of the club over the years as well, often lending us the use of our varsity tennis courts and even coming to support us at some of our home matches!

Congratulations on your recent win over the Longhorns. How do you feel going into the Campus Championships later this month?
UT has always been a great rival for our tennis club and matches don't get much closer than our final at the Texas Sectionals! The Campus Championships are getting bigger and tougher each year so I'm sure there will be several great teams this year, but A&M is ready to go and give it our all!

0 Comments Permalink Tags: tennis, usta, inside_tennis, david_hoover, campus_championship, tennis_on_campus
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With the upcoming 82nd Annual National Public Parks Tennis Championship, Inside Tennis spoke with USTA Texas Regional Executive Director Ken McAllister on the importance of tennis in public parks, the growth of the game and what it means be a part of this 82-year-old grass roots tradition in tennis.

Can you give me a little back story on the history of tennis in public parks? The first National Public Park Tennis Championships were held in St. Louis in 1923 at what is now the Dwight Davis Tennis Center, named after the founder of the Davis Cup and President of the USNLTA, who was from St. Louis. It was sponsored by the USTA, then called the United States National Lawn Tennis Association. It was men only until 1930, when a women's draw was introduced. For many years, the winners of those draws were automatically invited to play in the US Nationals until it became the US Open in 1968. In 1948, when the NPPTC was hosted in Los Angeles, junior draws were introduced. The first African American to win was in that same year and was the well-known Oscar Johnson, later recognized by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Age division events were added in 1959. Up until sometime in the 1990's, players qualified to play in the national event by winning their local events played at public parks. We are currently being assisted by Active.com to revive that tradition while keeping the event open to all who wish to play.

How does it feel to be part of such an historic event as the Public Parks National Championship? As a player who grew up playing only on public courts, it presents a good feeling of being part of a larger and historic picture of tennis for the average Joe. Of course, the truth that many of the greatest players - Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, etc. - also grew up on public courts adds to the credibility.

Can you capture in words the experience of being at the Championship? What is the atmosphere like? The atmosphere is more down home than dramatic. Although there are many nationally ranked players entered, all of us are in a public park setting, and it is frankly very relaxing.

What role do public parks play for young tennis players looking to learn the sport? Although affordability and open access are two obvious pluses for youngsters learning at public centers, the mix of skill levels, backgrounds, and athletes allow for an atmosphere of growth. The key here is whether the parks will hire professionals to bring in the programming and teachers such as our last venue, the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center in Fort Lauderdale, does. When that happens, the opportunity is greater than it is in the private sector.

What do public parks represent to the growth of tennis? The mere statistical fact that 80% of all tennis is played on public facilities points to the obvious decisions that all of us in the industry should focus efforts where the players are. Although our mindset is that this is the bastion of recreational tennis, we can't forget that this is where the great Australian players of the 50's and 60's were discovered. This is where the athletes, currently being skimmed away by soccer, baseball, or football, can also have a shot at trying tennis. I predict that Quick Start Tennis will find its home in public parks and school courts.

What kind of diversity among players does the Championship feature? This may be the greatest feature of the NPPTC. This is where the great players and contributors from the American Tennis Association (the black national tennis organization) came from. I suspect that the NPPTC has the greatest racial diversity of all national tournaments. This is not because other events are closed, but it is because of the very nature that folks using the public venues better reflect the color of America. We have also advocated for offering wheelchair tennis events when possible as these events are most often offered at public tennis facilities.

The number of unique entries into the event is growing. Care to guesstimate the reason for this? #1 - tennis itself is on a general surge throughout the country. We are the fastest growing traditional sport in the US over the past 5 years. Secondly, our Board has been working more closely with Tennis in the Parks, the USTA, and the Sections to get the publicity out over the past few years. Thirdly, it did not hurt to have the National Tennis Center host the event in 2006, which spotlighted the NPPTC to many who had not heard of it.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: inside_tennis, tennis, tips, public_parks, championships, ken_mcallister, usta
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The ATP is sponsoring a neat fantasy game for pro tennis the season. It's the ATP Bracket Challenge Circuit with the grand prize of a VIP trip for two to any ATP tournament worldwide.

Here's how it works: For each of eight games, select the best bracket and win cool stuff. 1st place is $1,000 worth of Penn Head products; 2nd place is $500 of Penn Head stuff; 3rd place is $250 worth of gear. And for each event, if you pick a perfect bracket win a VIP trip for two to any ATP tourney. Not bad, huh?

So they're giving away these prizes for each event, plus the best bracket at the end of the season wins the VIP vacation.

Problem is, with the ATP field all goosey this season (Federer in a slump; Nadal dropping the ball; Mardy Fish, Tsonga and Davydenko stepping up) it's a tough field to predict.

Visit the ATP site to learn more: http://www.atptennis.com/5/en/fantasy/bracket.asp

http://community.active.com/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/3890/landing_bg.jpg

0 Comments Permalink Tags: atp, inside_tennis, tennis, bracket, fantasy, challenge
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inside_tennis

 Member since: Jan 31, 2008

Inside Tennis is the place to share comments and insight into this amazing sport of tennis. Whether you are a fan of the pros or just love to play, check out my blog then go out and play ball!

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