U. S. Open Tennis Blog

The 2009 U.S. Open will be the second year tennis fans can look forward to the Hawk-Eye technology. The innovation was first used in 2007 and proved to be highly favored among fans and players, thus an embracing return of the technology in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The Hawk-Eye, a relatively new tool in tennis, provides an illustration of the path of the ball as a graphic image. Initially developed to give fans watching at home an ability to see the instant replay, the concept is now used as part of the judging process in many tennis events, including the U.S. Open.

Having passed the standards of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), players are permitted two challenges per set and along with the fans within the stadium and watching at home, the graphic instant replay is shown on the large screens. According to Gadgetopia.com, the technology is so popular with fans, that the 3D replay is delayed a few seconds in order to generate suspense.

Hawk-Eye’s Web site shows a popularity among tennis players themselves, including favorable quotes from such greats as John McEnroe, Jason Goodall and Andy Roddick. However, the technology is not without its doubters or its controversy.

During the 2007 Dubai Tennis Championships, Rafael Nadal’s ball was declared out by the umpire. His challenger, Mikhail Youzhny, called in the use of Hawk-Eye, which agreed with the umpire. Nadal insisted the replay would have clearly shown the ball to be in if Hawk-Eye had taken into consideration the type of ground on which the match was being played.

In another gaffe, Hawk-Eye did not accommodate a second bounce of the ball during a 2009 Indian Wells Masters quarterfinals match. The replay showed the ball landing on the center of the line, while regular camera replays showed the ball was out.

However, during the 2004 U.S. Open, Hawk-Eye’s use in the tournament led to the discharge of umpire Mariana Alves, who made numerous mistaken calls during the match between Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams.

Regardless of the controversies surrounding Hawk-Eye, it continues to be a staple of tennis matches. During ITF testing in 2006, 100 percent of the tests proved to be accurate. The margin of error (relative to the diameter of the ball, which is 65 to 68 millimeters) for the technology is .5 percent, and experts note the “fluff” on the tennis ball is also .5 percent of its diameter, making Hawk-Eye nearly perfect in its calls. Hawk-Eye is also designed to take into consideration such factors as wind, sunlight, court shadows, darkness and court floodlights.

Seemingly correct more often than not, Hawk-Eye is a majority-ruled favorite of both tennis fans and players alike. The giant screens of Arthur Ashe Stadium are sure to bring some trepidation and enthusiasm to all those watching while Hawk-Eye makes the ultimate call.

To get the best tickets to the Open at the best prices, visit us at www.usopentickets.org

As if the buzz in the U.S. surrounding professional tennis wasn’t loud enough during last months men’s and women’s championship matches at Wimbledon, now the eyes of the tennis world will shift focus to America as the U.S. Open gets underway August 31st. The last American to claim our National Championship, 2003 winner Andy Roddick, is still adjusting to the aftermath of losing Wimbledon to Roger Federer. In what can only be described as an epic display of tennis and emotion by both competitors, the last two men standing battled to a tiebreak eventually won by Federer, 16-14. Reaching the finals was a major accomplishment for Roddick, despite the heartbreaking loss, whose career since his ’03 Open win has been characterized by early grand-slam exits, multiple coaching changes, weight fluctuations and self-doubt. None of those issues were apparent at Wimbledon, though his best effort still fell short.

Now that the final grand slam event of the calendar is rapidly approaching, questions swirl around Roddick and the tournament that so far defines his professional career. Coming off a match in which his loss anointed Roger Federer as the undisputed greatest player in tennis history is a sobering event; especially considering, with Federer’s win, Roddick would need to win as many slams as Pete Sampras to equal Federer (Roddick has one major, Sampras had nine at his age). Compounding that feeling of inadequacy is that, in giving Federer his best effort, Roddick had injured his right hip flexor, severely restricting any opportunity for improvement before Augusts’ Open. While sidelined, however, there are plenty of reasons for Roddick and the American public to believe he is poised to steal a slam from Federer or Rafael Nadal. After all, Roddick not only forced Federer to play five exhausting sets and the tiebreak to win Wimbledon, it was the longest match played in tournament history. Also, before this year Roddick had never made it to the fourth round at the French Open. For a player like Roddick who relies so heavily on his serve, playing in the fourth round at Roland Garros signifies that his serve is as good as it ever has been. Bring that 135 mph serve to the fast hard-courts of Flushing Meadows in the waning New York summer heat and Roddick just may hoist the U.S. Open trophy come the evening of September 13th.

This year’s U.S. Open is obviously about more than just an American winning America’s tournament, as Roddick will likely be forced to face both Federer and Nadal since rarely are the winners of the last ten grand slam event on the same side of the draw. In this case, even if Andy fails to make the final, how he responds and to whom he falls (if at all) after his oh-so-close loss at the All England Club will be most intriguing.

For the best tickets to the US Open at the best prices, visit us at www.usopentickets.org

Green practices are not just a trendy movement of the 21st century; they are vital actions on which our environment depends. With impending climate changes and the lack of natural resources, Planet Earth needs its inhabitants to force change and educate others about saving valuable real estate. The 2009 US Open is doing just that.

Implementing several new green practices, the US Open will not only be a two-week spectacle of amazing professionalism in tennis, it is also an opportunity for fans and players alike to come together and reuse, renew and recycle. With over 700,000 fans visiting the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the US Open’s ability to educate and make a positive impact on the planet is immeasurable.

In order to bring environmental awareness to the fans and tennis public, the USTA has put into place several green initiatives that aim to reduce waste and energy during the course of the events. In an effort to encourage fans and the general public to lower their carbon footprint on the environment, the USTA plans to introduce the following green practices:

Recycling over 500,000 plastic bottles and 20,000 aluminum cans in partnership with Evian© Natural Spring Water
Having over 80 Evian recycling receptacles on-site
In order to reduce energy consumption, the USOpen.org website, powered by IBM, will reduce its severs from nine to six
Tens of thousands of Wilson tennis ball containers used at the US Open will be immediately recycled after the event, and the tennis balls will be reused for NTC programming and donated to community and youth organizations
The “Official Vehicle of the US Open,” Lexus, will supply player hybrid vehicles in up to 20% of its overall fleet
The Billie Jean King National tennis Center’s electricity supplier, Constellation Energy, will match electricity consumption used during the 2008 US Open with Green e-card Certified wind certificates

Previous initiatives put into place in 2008 include distributing thousands of wallet-sized cards with Eco-tips on how to be more environmentally friendly, public service announcements from popular tennis stars, and a newly designed green logo that encourages the three R’s.

In further effort to showcase the importance of giving back to both the environment and the community, the US Open will celebrate athletes who give back at the opening night ceremony, with a special feature on Andre Agassi.

Tune in from August 31-Sept 13 to see the latest green initiatives and the most exciting competition in tennis today. And for tickets, get the best seats at the best prices at http://www.usopentickets.org

The U.S. Open is just over a month away, and the media appears to be gearing up. Stories about drug scandals and injury sagas are cropping up. The New York Times has begun labeling its tennis blog, Straight Sets, the U.S. Open Blog. Updates about the tournament can already be found on Twitter. All this bodes well for a sport that has been a slow track to recovery in America after a period of seriously lagging public interest in the mid-80s and 1990s.

In spite of recent growth in the sport’s popularity—the number of Americans who play tennis has grown 12 percent since 2003—there are still some troubling signs. Posts to Straight Sets are garnering only a handful of reader comments. A recent post about the top mixed doubles team from the World Team Tennis Pro League received no reader feedback. Compare that to a post from the same day on the Times’ parenting blog, Motherlode, which received 85 reader comments, or The Quad, which covers college sports and received 46 responses to posts that day.

The United States Tennis Association is taking action to combat this still-lagging popularity. The organization hopes to ramp up public interest in the sport through a series of television spots featuring American pros addressing audiences from off the courts. The campaign, which features the slogan “It must be love,” aims to generate not only more fans but also more players by targeting audiences’ emotions. “Our strategy is to use our professional assets to leverage more participation,” Harlan Stone, chief marketing officer at the U.S.T.A, told the New York Times. Whether images of Venus Williams cuddling her Havanese puppy will produce more players remains to be seen.

Some on the American tennis scene have advocated a more aggressive approach and loftier goals. Four-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe has lobbied the U.S.T.A. for a dozen years to open a tennis academy in New York for grooming the next generation of American pros. His dreams of a return to the heyday of New York tennis have not come to fruition, however; the U.S.T.A. has not moved on McEnroe’s proposal. The champion has some harsh words for the organization: “I haven’t figured out a way to walk through that brick wall, which is the U.S.T.A,” he said. “Maybe they feel they couldn’t control me the way they control other people.”

In spite of it all, this year’s U.S. Open promises to be quite a show, with performances by the likes of Jordin Sparks and Will Ferrell at Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day and an Opening Night Ceremony that will honor tennis pros who contribute to their communities. You can find out more about the tournament, including a full schedule of events, at www.USOPEN.org. But for tickets, get the best seats at the best prices at www.usopentickets.org

Let’s face it: When compared to NFL football, NASCAR racing, and the NBA, tennis in the United States doesn’t have quite the luster of other sports. Even though more than 12 million people say they play tennis in the nation, professional tennis lags the other big sports in terms of spectator popularity.

Until late summer. When the U.S. Open comes to the States each year, for a brief time, it draws in the nation’s imagination and gets them interested for a short time in a sport that is popular around the world. Indeed, considering how the sport lags during the rest of the year, the annual success of the U.S. Open in Flushing, NW is somewhat remarkable.

The U.S. Open is run by the U.S. tennis Association. It normally counts more than 20 sponsors. For instance, last year’s big sponsors were well known quantities such as Ralph Lauren, Polo, Grey Goose Vodka, Tiffany, and Heineken, among others. These tend to draw in an upscale clientele. It’s said that the annual event generates over $50 million from these sponsors

Ticket sales and luxury suites, which run between $10,000 and $60,000, will likely exceed $80 million at this year’s tournament. Plus the Tennis Channel and ESPN just signed contracts to broadcast the Open for $140 million.

All of this goes to show that financially speaking, the U.S. Open has been a huge success. In 2007 alone, it generated about $100 million in profit; it also brought in about $200 million in total revenue. Compare this to the 1999 amount of only about half that amount.

So just why does tennis suddenly get so popular during the 14 days of the U.S. Open, when 700,000 fans come to see it? There are several reasons:

1) Tickets are affordable compared to other big sports events. One day session runs as little as $48.

2) The event grounds hold premium restaurants and are quite consumer-friendly. So are stores like LCaoste, also on the grounds.

3) The location for the U.S. Open is the same every year; it’s also one of the few sporting events which always involves a holiday (Labor Day). This makes it easier for fans to plan their vacation around it.

The U.S. Open has had such an emphasis on marketing that it’s somewhat surprising they haven’t yet sold naming rights to the event as other sporting events do. In fact, the complex itself is named for Billie Jean King, while the stadium is named for Arthur Ashe.

The total number of tennis fans who will visit the tennis center throughout the Open is expected to be more than those who watch another tournament on television. And so, eveni though tennis remains unpopular throughout the rest of the year, for one shining month, it has its moment in the sun. Pro tennis night not have the national appeal of a sport that boasts LeBron James or Peyton Manning, but the U.S. Open is itself a celebrity which makes tennis a must-see sport.