Hey Tennis Friends!
Evening/night tennis at the LA Tennis Center is special indeed. Not only does the temperature cool down, but there is a renewed life to the event:
I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!
- Marcus Tennis
Archive for the ‘2008 Countrywide Classic’ Category
2008 Countrywide Classic IV
Friday, August 8th, 20082008 Countrywide Classic III
Friday, August 8th, 2008Hey Tennis Friends!
Ever wonder how they create the computer simulation for the “Hawk-Eye” replay challenge system? One of the elements is the camera.
There are eight of them strategically positioned around the court. Through powerful computers and software, they are able to triangulate the ball’s position as it moves quickly around the court. Next time you come out to an event that uses the challenge system, look for something that looks like the photo above, then try to find all the other seven.
There is usually a lot of people standing in front of the draw board, but, for a brief moment in time between matches, I was able to capture a photo between passersby. It’s quarterfinal day today, so most of the grid is filled up.
Sometimes, you can even get your shot on national TV:
I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!
- Marcus Tennis
2008 Countrywide Classic II
Friday, August 8th, 2008Hey Tennis Friends!
Here’s today’s video clip:
One of the cool things about this year’s event is that the Tennis Legends Tour is being played here simultaneously. It’s a great chance to see the former pros compete, and many still at a high level. Yesterday evening there was an autograph signing for this guy:
Yep, that’s John McEnroe doing his best to be friendly! Last night, he took to the court against Mikael Pernfors of Sweden. For fans like me, who have discovered tennis after McEnroe’s era, it’s a real treat to get to see him play again.
Here’s a shot of his lefty serve. It looks quite different from the arching back severs that I have pointed out on other posts on this site. He played well, and there were a couple of outbursts that almost made it seem like professional wrestling. McEnroe beat Pernfors 6-3, 7-6.
Today I had an insightful conversation with one of the recognizable (from TV) linesmen. Unfortunately, they aren’t allowed to do “official” interviews, so I wasn’t able to get any of the comments on camera. Suffice to say, it seems like a pretty enjoyable job, and it involves world travel. The linespeople are independent contractors, and can choose to work with either the ATP or the WTA, or both.
I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!
- Marcus Tennis
2008 Countrywide Classic I
Thursday, August 7th, 2008Hey Tennis Friends!
It’s another beautiful day to get out and watch tennis! Here is my report from The Countrywide Classic, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, on the campus of UCLA:
And now for a few pictures . . .
The clubhouse level boxes at this venue have wonderful outdoor viewpoints. It’s also great to see the names and championship years of the past winners of this event surrounding the main stadium court.
That’s the Russian team of Igor Kunitsyn (wearing the hat) and Marat Safin, on the left, trying to receive a booming serve from John Isner, and his fellow American, James Cerretani. As in other tournaments, your regular ticket gets you right up next to the action on the outer court!
The Russian team of Kunitsyn/Safin won the match 7-5, 6-4.
Summer night tennis in LA is always a good time!
That blur in the forecourt is the quick-motion serve of Andy Roddick. Has was just 11 minutes into his match against Serbian Dusan Vemic. Most nights during this tournament, you don’t even need a jacket.
Roddick beat Vemic 6-2, 6-2.
Also on today’s draw was Amer Delic, Carlos Moya, and Juan Martin del Potro, to name a few.
Great weather and great tennis, . . . come on down and check it out!
I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!
- Marcus Tennis
