Best of the Best

Kantarian was the CEO of USTA for the past nine years. As much as I follow the tennis industry I was not in the know, or lame, on the information on who the CEO was for the USTA. In fact, I knew of the executive director in Florida but did not think twice of anyone higher than that. In August of 2007 I had the privilege of travelling from Jacksonville to Cincinnati to attend the Cincinnati Masters Series representing Tennis Life Magazine based out of Tampa, Florida. I must say, I have had some issues with Tennis Life Magazine before this trip and after but I was treated reasonably well during. Besides the fact of not being shipped first class and staying in a two star hotel, the rest was great. Let me tell you one crazy thing about the Cincy Master Series. The Cincinnati airport is in Kentucky. The Cincinnati tournament is in Mason, Ohio. So, after figuring out the geographic cure I began to show up to the venue everyday early. I mean, very early so I could watch the players train when no one was there. Anywho, I wandered into this area restricted for only professional tennis players, campers, coaches, and select others. I literally walked into Guillermo Vilas and several other old time pros. I end up chatting with the "TENNIS GURU" for about an hour who keeps pointing into the bleachers saying, "that's Arlen Kantarian." Truth be told, I pretended to know what he was talking about and he mentioned this several times. The Tennis Guru was one of the directors to a fantasy camp taking place during the Cincinnati Master Series tournament at the same venue with its own restricted playing area. Fortunately, I had a badge that basically gave me access to everything, press conferences, players lounge, like I said I got hooked up in that regard. So this guy Kantarian, I locked eyes on who he was and then forgot about it and continued to chat with the tennis guru. About 15 minutes later I noticed a lot of other people around him, I believe it was his family. He walked by me, smiled, shook my hand and asked me how I was doing. He didn't introduce himself, but did stop to say hello and neglected to give any attention to the tennis guru, which I liked. I still didnt know who this guy was and I didnt care, he was old and friendly. Months later I recognized the name in the press and this guy was the CEO of USTA, cool. If I had only known, I would have picked his brain and built in a connection. Lesson learned. Anywho, according to the press we are losing a leader who made the USTA a ton of money, and helped promote the sport to all new levels. It seems that another tennis CEO is following suit and retiring onto bigger and better things, whatever they may be...If anyone is interested I would be interested in the CEO position at the ATP or USTA, I don't discriminate, so either would be great. ATP preferred because of PVB in Florida. Would be happy to furnish a resume if necessary.

Welch Tennis

Over the past weekend I was in Jacksonville, Florida for a clay court maintenance seminar. It had a ton of GOOD INFORMATION to say the least with a cast of tennis characters from all over the state of Florida including Tennessee (because Welch does not leave Florida for seminars). The seminar gave detailed information on how to maintain clay courts and since I am interested in this stuff I went. It was $159.00 to get myself a seat and even before I got there the one of the directors had rubbed me the wrong way by calling me way to many times and misplacing my check and my registration information. It was very disappointing and almost ruined the entire experience before I even went. I was so frustrated that I thought that if this is how they run their organization I don't want to go at all. After several phone calls later and tracking down my payment and registration information I arrived on time. I was told it would start at 8:30, but it did not really start until 9:00 (sigh). I was disappointed once again so I stuffed myself with the food there which was a decent breakfast and perfect for a fat man. I was given a folder with some information but it was mostly stuffed with sales information which I was not there for. I was there to further my education and make it official as opposed to shop for new tennis court toys. The morning was rough but extremely informative and did make it worth the trip with valuable information to the die-hard tennis person. I only wish I had taken more notes. For example the only place in the US to get har-tru is up in Virginia and essentially WELCH is a middle man in the clay game. The whole session was a little quirky, let me rephrase that. The whole session was very quirky. The people who worked for Welch were all quirky and a little odd and just seemed sheltered like they had never met people before. My questions seemed to annoy some of them and several were ducked or the answers were just unknown and I had to ask several employees before I got what I wanted. I had to consult other maintenance people to get some more answers that I wanted. The afternoon was rough with terrible weather. We were only able to go outdoors for maybe an hour in the rain and could not use all the tools because the courts we were too soggy and the demonstrations were tragic because of this. The club in its entirety was not the best selection, and due to the lack of outdoor demonstrations I gave the whole seminar a fair rating. After complaining through a survey with my name on it, I was offered attendance to another seminar for free due to inclement weather, so at least their customer service had good quality. There were a lot of strange people there, it was like your typical maintenance guy, not 28 year old cool guys. It was mostly old fat men, out of shape and just kind of gross. All in all Welch does do great tennis work and their construction is supposed to be some of the best in the world http://www.welchtennis.com/ and this served true in many of their final photos. The classroom education was solid, the food was great (breakfast & lunch), they hooked up a lot of people with mugs and hats and a number of other souvenirs through trivia questions. I am looking forward to attending the outdoor session of the seminar in the future to learn more. Here is a fun fact, clay is not really clay. Clay is basalt granite mixed with gypsum and that giant rock weighs 17,400 pounds and was brought down from Virginia to place in front of the Welch offices.

Fools Gold

The first time ending the year as number one is Jelena Jankovic. Jelena debuted at number one in August between the French Open and the US Open. Jankovic did not win a major, she reached one major final, the US Open and won just four tournaments all year. Three of the tournament wins came in the post season when there is less money on the line. Jankovic is 23, has played a ton of matches this season, more than the average bear. This is the angle for coming in the backdoor through the rankings. On the other hand, Nadal had to overcome the Great Fed winning the French, and Wimbledon (Olympic Gold) and getting deep into the Australian and US Open. The two end the year at number one, yet come from completely different angles. Jankovics ranking is still the number one ranking but it does not feel real. Its like when I played juniors or even some of the kids who play the pro circuit in futures. The kids who play more and more tournaments tend to get better rankings but its only because they are playing more tournaments. I dont know if there is a flaw in the ranking system but I would sure like to interview the Ranking and Prize Money Coordinator for the ATP and WTA and ask where the system could be improved.

Murray Madness

Viva Espana. Andy Murray beat Gilles Simon in straight sets to win the Madrid Masters. The Brits finally have something to cheer about. The US Open finalist is the first Brit to win four titles in a season and the first Brit to finish the year at number four since Fred Perry in 1936. A couple of Brits have reached number four but never finished the year there. Murray won two Master Series Events, Cincinnati and Madrid and two other titles in Doha and Marseille. Murray beat Federer in the semifinals while Simon defeated Nadal and will be bumped up to number nine in the rankings.

Where Am I?

PICTURE OF THE DAY...WHERE IS THIS LOCATION?

ATP Doubles

Belarusian Max Mirnyi and Spaniard Tommy Robredo beat Agustin Calleri of Argentina and Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3, 6-4 in 63 minutes at the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid on Tuesday.

Feel The Speed of ATP Doubles...

DOUBLE THE INTENSITY

DOUBLE THE FEROCITY

DOUBLE THE SPEED

DOUBLE THE PASSION

ATP doubles has never been hotter! With a deep roster of world-class teams, a new promotional campaign and series of innovations being rolled out at tournaments, there's never been a better time to watch doubles. Capturing that momentum is the ATP Doubles Feel It campaign, which promotes and celebrates the intensity, ferocity, speed and passion that is inherent in the game.

Among the initiatives: Fastest Hands Challenge: Teams will go head-to-head in volleying exchanges with a winner-take-all cash prize. Fans will get the chance to play against a winning team immediately after matches. Doubles-only courts - including show courts - at selected events. Production of a doubles book to celebrate the game and promote the marquee teams. Free live web streaming of ATP Masters Series doubles finals on ATP Masters Series TV. Doubles brochures given away at ATP Masters Series events to promote the top 12 teams at each event. New Doubles Feel It merchandise including t-shirts, caps and wristbands
Make sure you follow the world's best doubles teams on ATPtennis.com and get to a tournament to watch live doubles!

http://www.atptennis.com/

Ace Authentic

Bascially there is now an EBAY for TENNIS. This site could be used for gifts for tennis enthusiasts or for collecters. There are several categories to choose from on the site such as experiences, framed memorabilia, match used shirts, dresses, memorabilia, trading cards, and more. It is an interesting little website at http://www.tennisaceauctions.com/. Ace Authentic is a sports card manufacturing company based in Duluth, GA. It is the only company that produces tennis cards and has rights to over MOST of the tennis players. It is also the larget tennis memorabilia company in the world, having exclusive agreements with all the Grand Slams and Davis Cup teams. Ace Authentic entered the card market in 2005. Check it out.

String King

Stringing Tip 101: DO NOT leave your racquets in the trunk of your car when there are extremes in temperature! This will significantly degrade the life of your strings. (RSI)

I have been recently studying for certifications through the USRSA (United States Racquet Stringers Association) located on 330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084, http://www.usrsa.com/. You can find local certified stringers on this website. There are two certifications available within the professional organization. MRT (Master Racquet Technician) which is apparently quite difficult and requires studying from a 22 page supplement that can be found on their website and a school-like textbook, 2008 Stringer's Digest, and an RSI (Racquet Sports Industry) magazine which is really intriguing and has really detailed and informative articles. I am officially a member which does have its benefits besides the prestige, it allows me access expensive tennis websites (instructional, classified, business, etc). The rumor is that the CS exam is easy and the MRT exam is very difficult. The rumor is that the MRT requires extensive studying and memorization of several topics i.e. frame technologies, string lengths, and a bunch of other things I never thought of as important. I believe the knowledge gives myself an edge over uncertified stringers, so goes as they say "knowledge is power."

Today I spoke with Dave Bone, Executive Director, CEO of the USRSA and was slightly shocked how easily I was able to obtain his cell phone number. This may sound odd, but over the years I have read many many articles with his name attached to it through TENNIS MAGAZINE and TENNIS.com and this guy is sort of famous in the tennis industry. It was like meeting one of my favorite pro tennis players now I have his cell number in my phone, cool. Anways, he reinforced my thoughts on the USRSA and I look forward to further studying and becoming a part of the organization. I suggest any tennis enthusiast interested in stringing skills to do the same.

Factory Floor

TV program to show how a tennis ball is made. It will air on National Geographic on Thursday, October 9th, at 4pm. It will take the viewer on a tour through a tennis ball factory showing how a tennis ball is made. Host Marshall Brain will explore how a pressurized tennis ball is designed, manufactured and tested.

For further information check out their website:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/tv-schedule#200810022100

If you find out or know the local listing or what channel National Geographic is on in Gainesville, 32606 please let me know.

List of Demands

This is the one of the sickest videos I have ever seen, so I thought I should share it with you. It gets me so amped up to want to go work out, smash tennis balls, or just to be or do better. In case you have not seen it before here it is. Nike used it as theirs for a while to promote their products. The song is by Saul Williams and it is called List of Demands in case you are interested in downloading it. The true video is a little odd, and ruined the song for me. The Nike Video does it true justice. The intro is with Ladanian Tomlinson in case you were curious. The video is sharp, arrogant, and competitive. I enjoyed the video so much I looked up the lyrics. Here is 60 seconds of the lyrics...

I want my money back. I'm down here drowning in your fat. You got me on my knees praying for everything you lack. I ain't afraid of you. I'm just a victim of your fears. You cower in your tower praying that I'll disappear, I got another plan, one that requires me to stand. On the stage or in the street, don't need no microphone or beat. And when you hear this song, if you ain't dead then sing along. Bang and strum to these here drums til you get where you belong. I got a list of demands written on the palm of my hands. I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand. We're living hand to mouth! You wanna be somebody? See somebody? Try and free somebody? I gotta list of demands written on the palm of my hands. I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand. We're living hand to mouth! Hand to mouth!

World Famous

Tennis players are world famous. They are not just well known in the United States or their home countries. The top players are known all over the face of the Earth. Although the sport of soccer aka futbol is known to be the most popular sport across the world, people forget how unpopular it is here in the US. Names like Kaka don't ring a bell to the average joe here in the states. Rafael Nadal on the other hand is world famous.

Player Profile: Rafa was born June 3, 1986. His birthday is during the French Open. Nadal has won five Grand Slam titles and an Olympic Gold Medal. Nadal's record against Roger Federer is 12-6 and 4-2 in Grand Slam finals. He also owns the longest single surface winning streak in the open era, having won 81 consecutive matches on clay. His uncle taught him how to play left handed even though he is naturally right handed. His girlfriend is hot. The damage this kid has done on the tour is unforgivable.

The Russians, Serbians, and Spaniards have taken over men's and women's tennis and the sport of American tennis has been lagging, always and forever resting on Roddicks shoulders for how many years now. We will always miss the Capriati's and Seles', Hingis' of the past where our lessons have been learned in that regard of how tragic drug use can be.