Amanda McDowell Interview

Hey guys, sorry it’s been a LONG time. School started a few weeks ago, so I have been gearing up and now starting that. Since I’ve posted, Kim Clijsters won her 2nd straight U.S. Open title and Caroline Wozniacki is number 1 (and will likely finish there).

However, throughout the summer, I have become great friends with Amanda McDowell, the 2007 Team and 2008 Singles NCAA Champion. I have known Amanda since right before her singles title run just 2 years ago, where I saw my first college match with GA Tech playing UGA (simply amazing stuff). She was injured and sat out that match, but I sat with her and the men’s team cheering for the Yellow Jackets. She then went and won NCAAs and had a nice summer on the pro tour (as an amateur) ending up at the U.S. Open (qualifying, although me and pretty much any college tennis fan, thought she deserved that main draw spot, but the USTA lives and learns, right?). She had a solid junior year, including a win at All Americans in doubles with Irina Falconi. Her senior year, she was dealt with a lingering back injury, barely playing at all that year. I made a 4 hour journey for her Senior Day and I knew I just had to show my support for her. She didn’t play that day and after a few month layoff, played doubles only at NCAAs. Now healthy, she has went professional at the $10k in Atlanta and has had a nice run, now ranked 765 in singles and cracked the doubles rankings today at 965. Her record is 16-6 in singles and 3-3 in doubles. Here is my interview I had with her at the end of last month:

Q: How old were you when you first started playing tennis? Did you have any inspiration growing up?
A: I started playing tennis when I was about 8 years old. I was a big tomboy growing up and played alot of different sports. I eventually quit all my other sports when I was around 12 to focus totally on tennis.

Q: How was the college recruiting process for you? What were you looking for? Did you take a lot of visits or did you know when you stepped on campus “this is it!”
A: I was determined to make sure I found the right fit for me. I took all 5 of my visits, just to make sure I could be 100% that I was going to make the right choice. I was looking for a mixture of a good academic school and a top tennis school that had a coach that I knew would improve my game and push me to the next level. I took visits to Georgia Tech, Alabama, Wake Forest, UNC, and Virginia.

Q: Your first 2 years at Georgia Tech were not the average first for tennis players. You won championships at ITA Team Indoors, NCAA Team and NCAA Singles and ACC team and tournament. What matches stand out in your mind and how does it feel to be a 2-time NCAA champion?
A: My time at Georgia Tech was really special, and I have some memories that I will never forget. By far my two favorite memories were winning the Team NCAA title as a freshman and winning the individual NCAA title as a sophomore. Winning a team title is something that is so incredible because it truly takes 8 girls giving everything they have. It was amazing to be able to share that victory with 7 other girls. We had amazing chemistry as a team, and every single player was part of that championship. We will always refer to ourselves as “Dream Team ’07!” Winning the individual title was really special because I accomplished it by myself, and that was something I could take pride in. It showed me how far I had come as a player, and gave me some incredible opportunities, such as playing the Qualifying of the US Open that summer.

Q: Your junior year, you won the All-American doubles title with Irina Falconi. She has turned pro and has had immediate success. Does that motivate you even more to do well and how are your guys’ relationship?
A: I always love playing doubles with Irina. She is such a talented player, and I am really happy for all the success she is having. It definitely inspires me to keep working hard to achieve my dreams. She is a good friend of mine, and I am always happy when we get to see each other at tournaments because she always makes my day better.

Q: Your senior year, you were limited by a back injury, what was it exactly and did it give you a better perspective on life on and off the court.
A: Yes, being out for most of my senior year was extremely difficult. I wanted to be able to step up for the team, and it was extremely frustrating not being able to play. Tennis is my passion, so not being able to play for that long was almost like torture. But I learned a lot from the process. I was able to put things into perspective, and now I will never take for granted being able to step on the court and compete, because I know what it feels like to be sidelined for so long.

Q: What matches over all of your 4 years stick out most, individually and as a team?
A: Watching my team win the ACC championship last year was very special. We had an up and down year, and we came into the tournament not even seeded in the top 4. We were all so motivated to prove people wrong and show that we could beat the top teams in the nation. And that is exactly what we did!

Q: Where do you see NCAA tennis right now? (Is it growing, the state of top american players,etc)
A: I think college tennis is a great thing, and I would encourage more top juniors to go to school (at least for a few years). I hope that the USTA continues to support college players that are trying to make it on the pro tour, because it will continue to show the younger girls that they will still get the opportunities they deserve if they go to college.

Q: For winning NCAAs, you were given a qualifying wildcard into the US Open. That was a different year than the rest, where the winner gets a main. There was a lot of debate about that and many think you were snubbed. What is your standpoint on 1. that years decision 2. NCAA winners and the US Open
A: I was really disappointed to not get the wildcard into the Maindraw, but it was still an amazing experience to play in the qualifying. I think that all NCAA winners should get a wildcard into the US Open.

Q: How was your US Open experience?
A: It was a motivating experience, because I got to see what it is like at the top level. I want to work extra hard so I can get back to the US Open.

Q: Although you are new on the professional tour, what friends or bonds have you made while traveling?
A: You quickly make new friends on the pro tour. Many of the same girls are traveling together every week, and we all practice together when we are on the road. The last few tournaments I have been traveling with Megan Falcon. Megan played at LSU and has been playing on the tour for about a year.

Q: What does the rest of 2010 hold for you, schedule-wise, or just in general? Do you have any goals?
A: My goals are to play 6 more tournaments before the end of they year. I am going to play tournaments in the states for as long as I can.

Q: Any advice to the readers?
A: I would say to follow your dreams no matter what, and to never let someone’s opinion determine what you believe you can accomplish.
*TB12 note: check out her blog at www.amandamcdowell.blogspot.com *

Myself with Amanda and Melanie at the Atlanta Slam in December 2008.

It is obviously love: U.S. Open!

So tomorrow the final Grand Slam, the U.S. Open, begins. This is my all-time favorite event. I was born and raised in New York for 8 years and have had the opportunity to visit the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, but have yet to attend. I hope to attend next year before I start school. Each Grand Slam has its own challenge. The USO is on the biggest stage in sports and it IS the final Slam, and players are feeling the wear and tear of the already 9 months into the season. I will highlight a few first round matches I will be watching and some predictions.

Round 1 Interesting Matchups (1 for each quarter)

(1)Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) vs. (WC)Chelsey Gullickson (USA)
-We have Wozniacki, a top seed at a Slam for the first time, and has won Montreal and New Haven back-to-back plays Gullickson, the 2010 NCAA Champion. Gullickson relies on her power, while Wozniacki relies on her ball direction and movement. Gullickson hasn’t even played 10 professional tournaments in her career, and she won one of them, a $25k in 2008. She almost had Greta Arn at Cincinnati and had match point against Vesnina at New Haven. Don’t be too shocked if Gullickson gets a set, but experience, the matchup and the occasion will guide Wozniacki in straight sets, but it will be tight.

(22)Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) vs. (WC)Jamie Hampton (USA)
-Jamie Hampton has had an amazing 2010 season. Going into 2010, she was ranked 628 and is now 158. After a serious wrist injury in 2008, she waited a little over a year to come back in September 2009. She has won 2 $50k events, and 1 $25k and 1 $10k. She has a powerful game, but she is really good at the net. MJMS, who won Rome, has been sidelined with a neck injury. She is a great claycourt player who uses her finesse to her advantage. I think Hampton will rise to the occasion and the lack of match play for MJMS will hurt her. I give Hampton the upset in 3 sets.

Melanie Oudin (USA) vs. (Q)Olga Savchuk (UKR)
- Last year, Melanie Oudin stormed her way to the quarterfinals, stunning the sports world. She defeated 4 top 40 Russians back-to-back-to-back-to-back:  Pavlyuchenkova, Dementieva, Sharapova and Petrova. Her 2010 has been modest, but all eyes will be on her and see if she can try and repeat the success she did last year. She has a great draw to reach the 2nd week. Qualifier Savchuk has the matches under her belt, but I don’t think she can knock of the American star. I think Melanie will win in straight sets.

(5)Samantha Stosur (AUS) vs. Elena Vesnina (RUS)
-Stosur has had the best year of her career, topping it off the her French Open runner-up finish. She isn’t as good on hardcourts, but she is very solid. An arm injury is lingering so if she is healthy, she can make the 2nd week. She hasn’t been past the 2nd round in New York, so it shall be interesting. Vesnina has had a great year as well, reaching her 2nd final of her career. When I saw her in Cincinnati, she was on fire. She can put up a great fine test for Stosur and possibly pull of the upset. I believe Sam will come out on top in 3 sets.

My Predictions 4th Round -> Winner

4th Round
(14)Maria Sharapova def. (1)Caroline Wozniacki
(11)Svetlana Kuznetsova def. (8)Na Li
(4)Jelena Jankovic def. (15)Yanina Wickmeyer
(17)Nadia Petrova def. (7)Vera Zvonareva
(10)Victoria Azarenka def. Melanie Oudin
(3)Venus Williams def. (16)Shahar Peer
(12)Elena Dementieva def. (5)Samantha Stosur
(2)Kim Clijsters def. (13)Marion Bartoli

Quarterfinals
(14)Maria Sharapova def. (11)Svetlana Kuznetsova
(4)Jelena Jankovic def. (17)Nadia Petrova
(10)Victoria Azarenka def. (3)Venus Williams
(2)Kim Clijsters def. (12)Elena Dementieva

Semi-Finals
(14)Maria Sharapova def. (4)Jelena Jankovic
(2)Kim Clijsters def. (10)Victoria Azarenka

FINAL
(2)Kim Clijsters def. (14)Maria Sharapova

Bashing Players

Everyone has their own team, or in tennis, their own player they root for. I have my favorites and so do you. On tennisforum, a message board I am a part of, posters have a tendency to “bash,” or talk crap about players. A lot of the bashing goes towards American players, including (well, mostly) Melanie Oudin. Like I have said, I have been friends with Melanie for almost 3 years, so before she was a professional. I got to see her for a split second after her loss to Vesnina in Cincinnati. She just lost today to Fed Cup teammate and compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who is a fine player. I went online and so many people seem to be rude towards Melanie and they don’t even know her.

If you don’t know the story of Melanie, last year she qualified and reached the 4th round of Wimbledon and then beat 3 seeded Russians back-to-back-to-back on her way to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. She was on the verge of being 18 and shot up into stardom and was on “Ellen” one day and signing endorsements the next. The road following the Open has been a rough transition for her and I wish people understood that. Her 2nd full season as a professional this year has not been the easiest for her. She had a steady 17-18 record going into her first round match in Montreal against Mattek-Sands and is currently 44th in the world. This year alone on points, she is 58th, which is not bad at all for an 18 year old.

Posters are calling her “overhyped,” and telling her to retire. Are they being somewhat sarcastic? Yes, but they are being cruel. I have talked to a few players about the site and they don’t go on there because the fans are just rude and snarky. The American girls especially are ridiculed for trying to bring a country’s tennis program to a new level. Only the players know how tiring, expensive and draining the tour is. Some don’t break even and go into debt on credit cards. One player is fortunate that her coach has paid some stuff out of his pocket and trusts her to pay him back when she makes it big (which, is really when not if).

Before you poke fun of a player, think about being in their shoes and putting normal life on hold and doing something you dream for. Tennis is supposed to be a genuine sport, and the fans are supposed to be be cordial and nice. All I see, on the internet, are rude, egotistical people who feel like bashing a player because they aren’t having a good year, or even what they wear.

-There is my vent for the day

Cincinnati: Day & Night 2 of Main Draw

After an extremely long night in Cincinnati, I woke up early again, about 8ish or 9, I really don’t remember, but I did oversleep. Kevin and I picked up our friend Alex at his hotel and we arrived at the tennis center about 45 minutes before the first match, which was Christina McHale vs. Nadia Petrova. The schedule had 3 friends of mine back-to-back-to-back. Following McHale, was Melanie Oudin vs. Elena Vesnina and then CoCo Vandeweghe vs. Andrea Petkovic. I went to the practice courts and saw Caroline Wozniacki and Na Li practicing. There was a nice amount of people watching, but nothing compares to what the Sharapova-Azarenka practice session was like. I was able to get both of their autographs and Li was the better of the 2 in that practice session.

The match between McHale and Petrova was a lengthly battle in the Midwest heat. Christina broke and served for the set at 5-4, but then quickly got broken. It went into a tiebreak and Christina surprised the crowd and won it 7 points to 4. When on serve halfway through the set, Petrova called for the trainer and was quickly iced down by the trainer and her pulse was taken by the doctor. She was suffering in the heat and although it didn’t show during play, it did on the changeover. At 5-3 in Christina’s favor, Nadia retired. It would have been nice to give away that last game, but if she couldn’t handle it, then she had to do what is necessary. I know Christina’s mom from Cleveland and we were so stoked for her. I gave Christina a high five as she left the court and we left the court for a few minutes to cool down.

The next match between Melanie and Vesnina in my opinion would be a close encounter. That wasn’t the case. Elena came out on FIRE and went up 5-0. She was playing as if she was a top 15 player. Melanie tried her hardest, but Elena was just too strong. Elena had so many winners, especially off her backhand wig. Her serve was phenomenal and she kept Melanie guessing. Elena went into the 2nd round with a 6-2,6-3 win.

Lastly was the CoCo-Andrea matchup. I remember when Andrea won her first 10k in Turkey. I have been following her results for years and I have been friends with CoCo for about 3 years now, before she pretty much got her ranking. It was a close battle with pretty much long games and deuces. At like 4-2, CoCo went to her chair and sat down and called the trainer. The heat had gotten to her. After a lengthly time out with her drinking a few bottles of Powerade and being iced down, CoCo went back on court. The battle resumed and it went to a tiebreak, where CoCo simply withered to the heat and lost it 7 points to 1. We left as I was hungry and getting some heat illness. While getting lunch, we found out CoCo lost the 2nd set 6-1. I was glad to see she didn’t retire, but the heat has been getting to numerous players.

The night match between Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova was really enticing. Sharapova was the runner-up 2 weeks ago at Stanford and Kuznetsova won San Diego just a few days earlier. Sharapova, ranked 15th and seeded 10th was liked by the crowd more than 14th ranked and unseeded (you read that right) Kuznetsova. Maria was in control and won the first set 6-4. Her serve was booming and she was dictating all of her shots. In the 2nd set, Svetlana just stormed out of the gates and didn’t look back and just pushed Maria off the court and won the set 6-1. The heat rule went into effect. Yes, at like 8pm. Maria’s coach followed her into the locker room and Svetlana followed by herself. After the 10 minutes, Maria returned to her first set domination and came out on top 6-4,1-6,6-2. It was a nice match.

The Jankovic-Dushevina match followed after but we decided to wait for Maria’s autograph instead. It also didn’t help that we got caught sneaking down and the seats were small for me, to be honest. We didn’t wait as long as we did for Ivanoivc, but I finally got Maria’s autograph, 3 days after I was snubbed. She seemed really nice and she is gorgeous in person. I will make sure to put more pictures and videos up.

That was it for Cincinnati. My blog is more popular then ever and I am more devoted to keeping this up.

-Joey

Cincinnati: Day 2 Qualies and Night 1 Main Draw

After a scorching and amazing day at Cincy, I was eager to go back. This time, my brother Kevin joined me for the trip. Again, I spent the majority of the day at the practice court area. I watched Jelena Jankovic practice when I first got there and I was lucky enough to get a quick autograph. She was moving really well, so it’ll be interesting to see how her ankle holds up throughout the summer, and throughout the year. I saw Danielle (Mills) practice a little bit before her delayed 1st round qualifying match against Sorana Cirstea. Sorana was coming from Denmark and they finally scheduled the match for Sunday after originally being last on Saturday.

I caught the end of the Dushevina-Krajicek match. Michaella dictated a lot of rallies, but Vera had an answer for everything. Michaella did win 3 games in a row before Vera won 7-6,6-3. That was on Grandstand, which was where the only full match I saw was Danielle and Sorana. Danielle, who is playing the best tennis she has ever played, went up 2-0 and I was so happy for her. Cirstea’s level quickly picked up, especially on her forehand. The forehand of Cirstea was the biggest weapon in that match. Danielle put up an amazing fight against a worthy opponent, who reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open in 2009. Cirstea won the match 6-3,6-2.

After that, I went to go pick up my ticket for the Night 1 Session of Ivanovic-Azarenka. My friend Steven, whose a volunteer generously gave me a ticket (his Cincy blog is steventabrizi.wordpress.com). Then, Kevin and I did a little more practice court hopping and decided to go home.

Night 1

I was so stoked for the Victoria Azarenka-Ana Ivanovic match. Monday night was originally supposed to be Maria Sharapova’s Cincinnati debut, but since she was set to face Svetlana Kuznetsova, who won San Diego the night before, they scheduled it to Tuesday to acclimate Kuznetsova. Speaking of, I got Svetlana’s autograph at her practice before Ana and Victoria took the court. There was a nice showing of the crowd and they all seemed pro-Ivanovic.

Victoria quickly won the first set 6-2 with booming winners off both sides and a strong serve. Ana made a bit too many errors and that really did hurt her. A funny note is that on her first toss, Ana caught it. I wanted a good match and by the looks of it after the first set, I wasn’t getting my hopes up. Victoria then went up 4-2 in the 2nd and everybody thought that was it. Suddenly, Ana started playing better, showing signs of her former #1 days. Finally some adje’s and fist pumps were in order, which Victoria mocked. Victoria then couldn’t pull any first serves in play, which really hindered her play. Play continued into a tiebreak, which Ana went up 6-2 I believe, but she choked, but clinched it 8-6. I was on my feet, as well as the crowd. Ana simply was playing outstanding tennis, which was a great sight to see, especially live. In the 3rd set, Ana kept her great play while Victoria went into an erratic mode and her first serve still wasn’t finding the range she wanted. Ana mixed up the pace and hit the ball out of Victoria’s strike zone. The match was decided on a challenge which Ana correctly overturned and the crowd went berserk. She then thanked the crowd for helping her and she signed as many autographs as possible.

I saw the first set of (6)Makarova/Kleybanova vs. (WC)Gullickson/Gullickson before leaving to go and try and get Ana’s autograph outside the players lounge. I was happy to see the sisters pull off the huge upset 3-6,6-1,[10-8]. After waiting for about 45-50 minutes, the ushers said they were locking all the gates in 5 minutes. About 10 seconds after that, Ana came out and about 20 people got autographs or pictures (about 100 were there after the match , but it dwindled down by the time midnight was approaching. I got an autograph and a picture, and Kevin got one too, but the one of me was blurry, so I ran back right before she left and she said she would take another one, which was too dark, but I edited it. She was so nice and gracious and she is on my top 5 favorties.

Cincinnati Qualies: Day 1

So the past 2 days, I have been attending The Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open for the qualifying rounds. A mouthful, huh? After getting about 5 hours of sleep, I managed to be out of the house at 8:15 and arrived at pretty much at the 10:00 start time. On my way to the ticket stand, we passed the practice courts and they were already at work. Among the players practicing were Sabine Lisicki and Nadia Petrova. After watching them, I went to Stadium to watch Kimiko Date-Krumm play Cara Black. It was a good match, nothing spectacular. Kimiko dictated play, especially with her forehand and attacked Cara’s serve, which is a liability. If what was said was true, I can see why Liezel left her. Black has a nice slice and of course net skills, but Kimiko was too strong and she won 6-3,7-6(7-3).

I then decided to scout the grounds where I saw Yanina Wickmayer and Dominka Cibulkova practicing, where Kim Clijsters had just finished. Yanina was really hitting the ball so well and clean and Dominka was strong but her net ability was sub-par. Kim then came over and signed autographs and I was fortunate to get one. I then ran into Alison Riske, who was getting ready to play Vania King in an all-American matchup. Alison and I are friends so she was quick to give me a hug and we had a nice small chat. I went back to another part of the practice courts on the other side of the grounds where I saw a good friend Danielle Mills about to hit and I saw Elena Dementieva hitting. After talking to Danielle’s parents, I went to go get an autograph from Elena. Not only did I get that, but also a picture! I was so happy and she was so sweet. She is one of my favorites and my game resembles hers a bit. Then I found out Ashley Harkleroad, my favorite player was about to practice so I watched her hit for a bit and got some video. I was so excited to see her and I must say, she is in fantastic shape post-baby.

I went back to Stadium to watch the Riske-King match and it was very high-quality. Vania had just won the first set 8-6 in the first set tiebreak and I stayed f0r most of the 2nd set. Alison used her forehand and serve to control the match, but Vania’s movement was on in the match. Alison had the crowd on her side, especially from some family and friends, who were boisterous. I was rooting for Alison, but I like Vania too so it was “why did they have to play each other” moment.

I left to go scout the grounds some more and went to the big practice court, where I saw Maria Sharapova practicing with Victoria Azarenka and boy (or girl), was there a crowd. They were playing a practice set and I believe Maria won it. Victoria was on the run for a good bit and Maria was just serving really well. She hit back to back aces at one point. After they finished, Maria came to sign autographs. The first person was a girl who was in front of me. Maria then went through the line and skipped me. I wasn’t the only one to not get one, but still. Azarenka didn’t sign, but I decided to go back to Stadium to watch Chelsey Gullickson play Greta Arn.

Gullickson, sister of Carly, is the 2010 NCAA singles champion. This is her first professional level match since winning a $25k in May of 2008. In her 11th professional event, she pushed Arn hard and lost the first set in a tiebreak. I stayed for the 2nd set and serving up a break at 2-1, Chelsey quit during a point, thinking a ball was out (which it was) and lost it since the umpires thought it was in. That really got to her and she lost the set 6-3. Chelsey can be a top 100 player. She has a big game, but can be erratic and a bit mental. She says she wants to finish school, but we will see.

Ashley Harkleroad’s match was next and I was so excited to see her play live for the first time. She played Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei. Ashley lost the first set 6-2, with about  double faults. Her serve was what held her back and she was making a lot of careless errors. Chan didn’t have to do much. I left to go get something to drink and look around since I was hot and hungry. Everything is overpriced so I got a souvenir cup of ice. 25 cents. I am my mother’s son. I did some more scouting and came back to a different seat and Ashley was serving for the 2nd set at 5-2. She was playing a lot better and I was sitting behind her when she served. I must have been her good luck charm since she eventually lost the set 7-6(7-4). She will regain a ranking at about 975 with 7 ranking points to her name. Not the start she wanted, I’m sure, but it’s better than nothing.

I then went to my parents house about 45 minutes and spent the night and went to Day 2 with my twin. Next post will have that.

Ineresting tidbits:
- Krajicek signed my program with her own pen after mine dried out. Safina also resigned it after it didnt work with her the first time I saw her.
- Ivanovic and Safina practiced together and before she was getting her wrist taped. Word is that she is having some issues with it.
- Chelsey Gullickson isn’t a professional, as she wants to complete her college degree.
- Sania Mirza had the crowd on her side but still lost. A lot of Indian fans were around the grounds.
- The grounds are really nice! $10 million renovation and it was $ well spent.
-  If you didn’t know, it is HOT! I got burnt, even on my earlobes.

WTA: Stanford Review (Pre-Final)

Love is in the air, according to the U.S. Open Series commercials.

I love this time of the tennis season. The weather is great, I can watch tennis without staying up too late and it is on hard courts. The U.S. Open Series is a series of tournaments where the quarterfinalists-winner gets a certain amount of points and the top 3 finishers get a cash bonus added to their U.S. Open winnings. If the male and/or female winner of the Series wins the Open, they will make an extra $1 million. The U.S. Open Series also puts more tennis on TV, which is a fan’s dream. Today, I will cover 2 tournaments, The Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California and The Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego, California.

Stanford
The Bank of the West (BOTW) Classic is the oldest women’s-only tennis event and they celebrated their 40th anniversary this week. The BOTW is one of my favorite events in the summer. It really does begin the hardcourt season for the women. Samantha Stosur, the French Open runner-up, was the top seed in a singles event for “the first time since the 14s in Australia” according to the world number 5. There were not really any huge upsets in the first round but Ana Ivanovic beat Alisa Kleybanova in straight sets before losing to defending champion Marion Bartoli in straight sets as well. Melanie Oudin clawed back from 6-7,1-5 down and won 6-7(6-8),7-5,6-3. She was also down 1-3 in the final set. She lost to Victoria Azarenka in straight sets in round 2. Qualifier Christina McHale, who turned pro at the French Open beat fellow qualifier Kai-Chen Chang and pushed Stosur in round 2, but lost 6-1,7-5. Lastly in Round 1, Dinara Safina lost to Kimiko Date-Krumm 4-6,7-6(7-0),6-2. Date-Krumm also beat Safina in the first round of the French Open. Round 2 had only one seed go down, 7th seed Shahar Peer lost to Maria Kirilenko in straight sets. The quarterfinals were the most intriguing, especially with 5th seed Maria Sharapova facing off against 2nd seed Elena Dementieva. It was a 3 set battle where Maria scraped by 6-4,2-6,6-3. Stosur struggled against 6th seed Yanina Wickmayer but won 7-5,3-6,6-3 and faced 8th seed Azarenka, a 3-6,6-3,6-3 winner over Bartoli, the 4th seed. Lastly, 3rd seed Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Kirilenko 7-5,6-0. The semi-finals had the upset of Azarenka defeating Stosur 6-2,6-3. Azarenka has found her game and was just pounding winners and pushing Stosur around the court. It was nice to see Victoria win as she had struggled all season. The night match had Sharapova defeat Radwanska 1-6,6-2,6-2. The match was all on Sharapova’s racket and it showed throughout the match. She simply overpowered.

The final is a loud, hard-hitting, flat groundstroke meeting between the wildcard 8th seed Azarenka and 5th seed Sharapova.
The final is starting now. What is my pick?

Azarenka in 3 sets.

Interview with Danielle Mills: 1 year later

My first player interview was with Danielle Mills, about a year ago. Since then, she has signed with Miami (FL) and reached her first professional final. This past week at $25k Waterloo, she reached the quarterfinals in singles and semi-finals in doubles. Here is my interview with her:

Q: Our last interview was a year ago and many things have changed. You are now going to be a sophomore at the University of Miami! What made you decide Miami over UNC and USC like you said you were looking at last year?
A:I picked Miami ultimately because of the location, and because of the accessibility from that airport. From Miami you can fly pretty much anywhere in the world, and for tenis tournaments this is ideal. I also didn’t want to be in a college town. I love being in a city where there is always something going on. The weather is also ideal, and we never have to play indoors. I like that its not such a big school and in the classes your able to have more interation with your teachers unlike some large Public Schools. I have nothing against those other two schools I just really liked everything about Miami. It is also only 4 hours away from my house in Bradenton FL, So it’s easy for my parents to visit and for me to come home for breaks.

Q: How has college tennis worked into your game on the professional tour?
A: Playing on the team was a different challenge because rather than playing for yourself you have the responsibilities of the team and you don’t want to let the team down. It taught me how to fight for every point and every game even more then before because it was also the interest of the team and not just me.

Q: What were some of your highlights and memories from your first year at Miami?
A: My highlights were good quality wins against blue chip players that had gone to college. After the match looking up a player I had beaten and seen that they were blue chip players and that they had good wins, and against some of them with ease. From a team perspective beating Georgia at National indoors when they were ranked 4 in the nation. Also beating some rivals of ours Florida State and Duke. Getting to the quarter finals of the NCAA tournament was also an accomplishment for us since we only had 6 players.
Q: Is it tough to balance out academics and tennis at a big school like Miami?
A: Yes it is very difficult but they do give you an unlimited amount of tutors and help to make the transition easier. Teenagers might have the misguided thought that you can go to school and party, but you have to be discipline because to do well at school and at tennis you have to really work hard to get good grades. In college you can do three things, play tennis well, do well in school, and party. To be successful in college you can only do two out of those three things well.

Q: This summer, you have had some of the best results of your career, including your first final at a $10k in Spain. What does that do to your game and confidence, not only on the pro tour, but college?
A: I’m walking on the court now believing I can beat anybody. I believe in my weapons now. I am physically much stronger from the workouts from college, and I am also much fit from the workouts. I never walk on the court now and think that my opponent is in better shape than me. Just overall confidence in all of my abilities has allowed me to be confident. Tennis is all about confidence and believing and now I feel like this is a huge part of my recent success.

Q: You said that Anastasia Pivovorava and Madison Brengle were your 2 best friends on tour. They are starting to do well on the tour, especially within the last year. Do they inspire you? Also, have you met any other players that you have become close to?
A: I am still pretty good friends with Anastasia and Madison. Somebody who inspires me is Heidi El Tabakah. I roomed with her in the WTA in Sweden and I was able to watch her matches and train with her and see how she did things. Shortly after that tournament she began having extreme success. Another person who inspires me is Allison Riske, because she is such a nice person and she has done so well in such a short period of time. Something else that has always inspired me was my original dream team group at IMG Bolliettieri which consisted of Michelle Larcher de Brito, Tammy Hendler, Tara Moore, Heather Watson, Mallory Cecil, Nicole Bartnik, Linda Abu Musref, and sometimes Sabine Lisciki. For us practice matches because extreme battles and growing up and playing around these tennis prodigies has always given me the belief that I am going to be successful.

Q: Who are your favorite players and your inspiration on and off the court?
A: Growing up at IMG Maria Sharapova was already on the court full time, but Nicole Vaidisova had her daily lesson with Ales Kodat on court two while I was on court one with Nick Bolliettieri. This went on for about a two and a half years. I was able to watch such a talented individual practice every day next to me. This inspired me to be a better player. Ales Kodat always noticed how I was playing and was always very kind to me. He was able to watch me playing during every water break and I was able to watch her train during all of my water breaks. He also would watch some of my matches at Eddie Herr. He was able to see my potential at an early age. When he became available it was natural for the two of us to become a natural fit. He knows how to bring out extreme talent in a player and that’s evident in Nicole. He was able to be with me for the last three weeks in Europe where I had some oh my best success. Prior to going back to school in late august I’ll be able to spend another solid few weeks training with him.

Q: What are your goals for you within the next year?
A: After coming to the conclusion that an additional year of experience playing college tennis would be beneficial both from a tennis experience standpoint and also an expense savings. I had a simple goal of a 20 win year season which I accomplished, and also to truly learn doubles, which I have I very good shot at being a high level doubles specialist, and the doubles experience I learned and continue to learn in college is invaluable. This has been proven in the results over the last five weeks with 4 professional level semi-final results in doubles. My next year would be to increase my wins I college to 30 wins a season, also getting extremely stronger and more agile. Professionally this summer I only had an 8 week window to re-establish my ranking so that I can be eligible for the WTA international series and to establish a doubles ranking which will be waiting for me for next summer. My goals for next year are to get back on the tour next summer and try to see what I have learned based on two solid years of college tennis, and see if I can ultimately play professional tennis full time. IN closing – I truly believe that I needed my tennis to develop into my body, and that there are many girls that would wish to have the physical skills that I have. That continues to drive me to believe that I have a future in this game.

Check out Danielle at her website, www.daniellemills.com, or either on the ITF/WTA or NCAA Circuit!

Happy 1 year!

Hey guys!

Today is the 1 year anniversary of this blog, although I really didn’t get into this until February. I am approaching 1,000 views (it should hit within a week and a half) and I am thrilled that I have been able to reach so many people. It is my dream to be related to the tennis world and I am just so passionate about tennis! Any ideas about future posts or what I should talk about would be great. I have an interview with Danielle Mills, who I did my first interview with a year ago for this blog. I will also talk about the ITA College event I worked and attended at.

Again, a HUGE thank you to all the readers who have seen this blog.

Joey.

Knowing players.

Hey guys,

Caution: This might not make sense and is mostly a ramble.

Today, I found out that Pironkova beat Venus at Wimbledon. I was shocked and made my status about how I met and watched her play in March and I was the reason she did so well. Totally kidding. Well, a popular junior in the local tennis community I was in in Georgia went off on me and a few posters on my status and said how I didn’t have a personal relationship with either player (true) and included Melanie Oudin in that statement. For some reason, that really irked me and I could not focus at work (the updates were sent to my phone). I will admit that I have gone a bit overboard adding players on Facebook, but that is because I love the game and want to cheer them on personally. Melanie is one of the players that I frequently talk to online and I consider us good friends.

Just because I never played the big sectional and national events, doesn’t mean I don’t know players. I speak to Melanie fairly often on Facebook, With Melanie, we talk for awhile when she is available and for someone to question my friendship really ticked me off. I have no idea why I am getting so defensive about it, as I have known Melanie even before she turned pro. I first met her at the 2007 $50k Challenger in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She had just won her first or second ITF junior event in a row (on her way to a 20+ win streak on the Jr. circuit). That event, she beat a top 150 player and reached the quarterfinals, easily her first big result. She turned pro about 5 months later, and has blossomed into a fantastic player and person. She and I had deep conversations mostly about non-tennis things. I am probably going to get to meet up with her at the WTA in Cincinnati. I had only seen her twice since I first met her, but our friendship is forreal.

Again, why am I getting so defensive? I have absolutely no clue, to be honest. I form bonds with players over the internet. I have probably talked to over 100 players either online or in person at various pro tournaments. I know people talk about me regarding players and me knowing them. That’s fine, I use my relationships with players not only on a personal foundation, but also professionally. My dream is to be on the WTA Tour doing something behind-the-scenes and it definitely isn’t something negative. I network with other players and with this blog, I hope to achieve my dream.

I just want people to know that I am a TRUE tennis fan. I cheer, I live, I breathe tennis. For someone to question something I am SO passionate about, hurt. I apologize if none of this made sense as I am rambling and wanted to get things off my chest. Again, this is a blog. Please feel free to leave comments, tell people about it and check my videos out at www.youtube.com/tennisbuddy12