Black Tennis Pros

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A morning of inclement Melbourne weather couldn’t dampen the mood of Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he took to the Yarra River on Friday.

Despite overcast skies and blustery winds, the smiling Frenchman looked right at home while checking out the city sights from the bow of one of the city’s many water taxis.

“I like [to] spend a lot of time on water, I like [to] swim, I like fishing also,” he said.

“I like [the] people here, I like [the] weather, Even if today, you know, it’s not really good. Usually it’s pretty warm and I like that.”

A crowd favourite at Melbourne Park for his cool demeanour and free-wheeling style, Tsonga is about to enter his fifth Australian Open.

However, the sixth-seed faces a tough initiation to the 2012 tournament with an opening round clash against the 67th-ranked Denis Istomin.

Even though he holds a 2-0 career record over the Uzbekistani, Tsonga expects the first round battle with an in-form Istomin – who has reached the quarterfinals at Brisbane and the semifinals at Sydney this season – to be far from easy. “He’s playing well for the moment. It’s going to be a tough first round but, you know, I’m in a pretty good shape,” Tsonga said.

That “pretty good shape” has already seen him net a 2012 ATP title in Doha, courtesy of a 7-5 6-3 win over countryman Gael Monfils in the final.

Tsonga, nicknamed Ali for his resemblance to the legendary boxing icon Muhammed Ali, will be hoping to pack a similar punch when the Australian Open begins on January 16. His aim will be to go one win better than his previous best result, which occurred in 2008 when he reached the final before falling to current world No.1 Novak Djokovic.

“I feel great, I’ve had some great moments [at the Australian Open] in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,” he recalled.

“[I] hope I will play a good tournament.

When he’s not lining up his trademark forehand drive on court, Tsonga plans to use his down-time to check out some of the many restaurants scattered throughout Melbourne’s CBD.

“Sometimes at night I go out for dinner…on the river, on Chapel Street.”

And when asked about what he liked to do most outside of tennis – the likeable Tsonga revealed a simple, but perhaps not surprising, answer.

“I like to laugh, I like to laugh a lot. I think for me it’s the best medicine,” he grinned.

Heading in to the first major of the year, a relaxed, care-free and well-fed Tsonga can only bode well for his aspirations of winning a Grand Slam tournament.

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As per her official website, American Venus Williams made this statement:

"I regret to announce that I am withdrawing from the 2012 Australian Open. After several months of training and treatment, I am making steady progress to top competitive form. My diet and fitness regimen have allowed me to make great strides in terms of my health and I am very close to being ready to return to WTA competition. I have every intention to return to the circuit in February."

In August of 2011 Venus disclosed that she had been diagnosed with Sjögren’s Syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease in which people’s white blood cells attack their moisture-producing glands causing low energy levels and joint pain among other symptoms.

Sounds like she's controlling the disease and not letting it control her - true champion style. 

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Caroline Wozniacki

In straight sets with an ailing toe, American Serena Williams polished off World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4 to set a date in the final on Sunday with Australia's Samantha Stosur.  The match will be televised at 4pm on CBS.

Though Serena began the match making quite a few errors, she overpowered and out served Wozniacki unquestionably. Wozniacki was able to hang in there for some of those long power shot rallies, but at no time was she ever a threat to the "former" world no. 1.


Serena will turn 30 later this month and has won the US Open in 1999, 2002 and 2008. Following Wimbledon last year, a foot injury put her out of competition for the rest of 2010 and a mysterious illness earlier this year had her on blood thinners. The American returned to competition at Wimbledon earlier this summer, advancing to the fourth round.


Post match Serena commented how how elated she was, especially in light of being an American at the U.S. Open during the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 911 to a roaring applause from the fans.

TEAM SERENA!!

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First Lady Michelle Obama started playing tennis after she finished Harvard Law School but had always wanted to attend the US Open.

She was finally able to make it for the very first time Friday.

She started the morning in SmashZone, the premier fan interactive attraction at the US Open. She played some 10 and Under Tennis with a group of kids from the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, along with tennis stars Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, James Blake, Katrina Adams, Mal Washington and USTA Chairman of the Board and President Jon Vegosen, promoting tennis as a great way for children to stay active and healthy, which is a central part of her Let’s Move! Initiative, which works to combat childhood obesity.

The USTA and the First Lady teamed up earlier this year to encourage young people across the country to get active, try tennis and lead healthy lifestyles. Components of the collaboration included a public service announcement, which has aired nationwide featuring the First Lady along with tennis legends Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi, as well as the construction and renovation of thousands of tennis courts across the country and the commitment to encourage 200,000 children to participate in the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.

“I have been trying to get to the US Open my entire life. This is the first time I have been here. I couldn’t get here last year, so, yes, I am excited to be here,” the First Lady said. “I am so incredibly excited to finally be at my first US Open, but I am equally excited and proud to be standing in partnership with the USTA and all they have done for hundreds of thousands of kids across this country. You are an example of what we can do when we put our minds to it.”

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(As of Friday, September 9, at 6:00 p.m. ET)
This is a reminder and update regarding the schedule changes for the remaining sessions of the 2011 US Open.*

MEN’S SINGLES SEMIFINALS (SESSION #24)
The Men’s Semifinals (Session #24) remain as scheduled for Saturday day, September 10, with gates opening at 10 a.m. ET. The tickets from this original session #24 remain valid and are the only valid tickets for this session.

WOMEN’S SINGLES SEMIFINALS (SESSION #23)
The Women’s Semifinals (Session #23) originally scheduled for Friday, September 9, are rescheduled to Saturday night, September 10, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for day session #23 are now valid for Saturday evening only.
The schedule of play will be as follows:

•    Women’s Singles Semifinal featuring Samantha Stosur vs. Angelique Kerber with a start time of 6 p.m. ET in Grandstand.
•    Women’s Singles Semifinal featuring Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniacki with a start time of 8 p.m. ET in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Pre-match ceremonies begin at 7 p.m. ET.

WOMEN’S SINGLES FINAL (SESSION #25)
The Women’s Final (Session #25) is rescheduled for Sunday, September 11, at 4 p.m. ET with gates opening at 11 a.m. ET. The Women's Singles Final will be preceded by the Women's Doubles Final at 1 p.m. ET. Tickets for the original Saturday evening Women's Final (session #25) are valid for Sunday only.

MEN’S SINGLES FINAL (SESSION #26)
The Men’s Final (Session #26) is rescheduled for Monday, September 12, at 4 p.m. ET with gates opening at 1 p.m. ET. TIckets for the Sunday Men’s final (session #26) are valid for Monday only.

Match (Session #)	New Date	Gates Open
Men's Singles Quarterfinals (Session #20)	Friday, Sept. 9	10 a.m. ET
Men's Singles Semifinals (Session #24)	Saturday, Sept. 10	10 a.m. ET
Women's Singles Semifinals (Session #23)	Saturday, Sept. 10	5:30 p.m. ET
Women's Singles Final (Session #25)	Sunday, Sept. 11	11 a.m. ET
Men's Singles Final (Session #26)	Monday, Sept. 12	1 p.m. ET

*Subject to change.

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Billie Jean King

Rain couldn’t wash away the crowds as the ICON Awards honored trailblazers in the world of tennis and beyond.

The annual reception – hosted by CBS anchor Betty Nguyen and MSNBC host Toure, celebrated its third anniversary inside the Chase Center, on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The gala has become one of the signature events at the Open, leveraging the international stage of one of America’s greatest sports and entertainment spectaculars to recognize and celebrate individual and institutional contributions in diversity and inclusion.

This year honorees included the Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center (formerly Sportsmen’s Tennis Club) of Boston, Mass., along with Rick Welts, President and CEO f the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. To cap off the night, a teary-eyed Billie Jean King introduced Legacy Award winner David N. Dinkins, 106th Mayor of New York City and longtime member of the USTA Board of Directors.

As the national governing body for tennis, the USTA is committed to the principles of fairness and equality. From supporting tennis programs in local communities to staging the crown jewel of the professional game—the US Open—the organization adheres to a simple statement that sums up a vital objective: "Grow tennis and make it look like America."


Toni Wiley, Executive Director of Sportsmen’s, stepped to the podium and thanked the members of the Boston community – including host Toure, who was a member of the Dorchester-area club as a child – for supporting the tennis haven for 50 years. It is the oldest African American-owned tennis facility in the United States.

“Its amazing that for 50 years, this club has been fighting to create a place in a Boston community for young people to learn a sport,” said Wiley. “For many families, that didn’t seem possible when the facility was first built.”

Welts was next introduced with a sharp video package featuring endorsements from the likes of NBA Commissioner David Stern, Hall-of-Fame Boston Celtics center and coach Bill Russell and Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo. Welts made headlines in May 2011 by publicly revealing his homosexuality in an interview with the New York Times.


As one of the few openly gay executives in professional sports, Welts speaks out against the silence that envelops the subject of homosexuality in men’s team sports and serves as a mentor to gay individuals who harbor doubts about a sports career, whether on the court or in the front office.

“In men’s team sports, there’s a level of discomfort along all lines – we don’t like talking about sexual orientation, its uncomfortable,” said Welts. “I hoped that my story would resonate with young people who may be found themselves at some point in their life in the same situation as I was and wondered if they could ever follow their passion – that they’d be prevented from following a dream because of who they were.”

King then was introduced, to a standing ovation, and remarked that without Dinkins – who signed into legislation a 99-year lease to keep the US Open in Flushing Meadows – as the person most chiefly responsible enhancing the sport of tennis in New York City.

“Events like today’s ICON Awards tell us that we have made great strides in the right direction,” said Dinkins. “The leaps ahead have most often been sparked by heroic individuals and tennis has certainly had its share. Among them were my personal heroes Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe… had the misguided prevailed in barring Althea, Arthur and countless others from competition, we might not have known them. That would have been tragic. Were it not for their struggles and triumphs, we might not have ever experienced the genius of so many great champions in tennis.

“I’m personally gratified that the USTA embraces the goal of enabling everyone to enjoy the benefits of tennis, regardless of economic status, age, social class, disability, gender or sexual orientation,” added Dinkins.

“(Total inclusion) is a goal, but not yet a reality – we have some distance yet to go.”

 

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