Sweet Sixteen and Mile High Tennis

Jelina wants to slap her brother, Andy upset his mum, Grigor confirmed that his name is, in fact, Grigor, (I knew it) Maria finally admitted she isn't a bobsledding expert and now Caroline just doesn't care any more. And somewhere in amongst all that some tennis was played, I think.

Thus Darren Saligari begins his report on Friday's events at the Australian Open. I have not had time to follow such detailed accounts this time around. His summary makes me feel badly about that, I think.

On the men's side, Sam Querry met his match (pun intended) against Fabio Foginini (15) from Italy. Of the top-seeded players, five have advanced to the "sweet sixteen" round: Nadal (1), Djokovic (2), Murray (4), Federer (6), and Berdych (7). Four of the top sixteen are unseeded.

If you have the opportrunity to go to a tennis tournament, and if you are not independently wealthy or surrounded by rich and generous friends, I recommend attending prior to the sweet sixteen. This, I believe, would hold true both in the normal, week-long events and in the two-week Grand Slam marathons.


My observation at the US Open has been that Thursday or Friday of the first week is best. The hecticity level is lower. The schedule is not as crowded, and many matches featuring upper echelon seeded players are still scheduled for the outer courts. This is significant because it gives you the opportunity to watch those players up close. This picture of Gasquet which I took a few years back was NOT taken with a zoom lens. I stood close enough to shake his hand had he wanted to.(I don't know if he did, of course, since I didn't offer.)

Tickets to the US Open (I cannot speak for the other Grand Slams) give you full access to the grounds where these outer court events are played. They also give you your own personal seat in the main stadium (Arthur Ashe), which will likely provide a view of the game comparable to watching traffic from an airplane a mile overhead. Thankfully, big screens are provided so you can see the action much the same as you would at home but without the ambience.

No ticket can guarantee the chance to see your favorite player. Week long events offer a better chance than the Opens. However, there is a strategy which may work barring weather complications or your player's early departure. If you know which half of the draft he will occupy, and if you can calculate whether that half will be begun the first or the second day, you can count every other day and make a reasonable guess for what day to request for your ticket. This, however, means you won't order your ticket until close to the event.

Even if you are not a tennis enthusiast, I recommend attending at least one tournament for this kind of up close and personal exposure.