Selasa, 15 Februari 2011

A Tennis Tradition Like Few Others

This isn't exactly a boom period for tennis, and I didn't see a sold-out crowd on the days I visited the SAP Open in San Jose, including the final. It shoud be noted, though, that the tournament has a history dating back to the 19th century -- and that Milos Raonic's victory could be a sign of future greatness.

At 20, Raonic scored his first win on the ATP tour. In 1988, when the Bay Area tournament was based in San Francisco (and called the Transamerica Open), 16-year-old Michael Chang scored his first-ever tour victory here, and won his first and only major, the French Open, the following year.

Why the French Open needs to move

If we move elsewhere, maybe the site is going to be bigger, [but] we're going to lose part of our soul.

These were the words of Rafael Nadal when he was asked last year whether the French Open should consider relocating in 2015. Rafa is nothing if not dramatic, but why would he want to change anything about Roland Garros anyway? It's been very good to him. Who knows what might happen in the shadow of the Sun King's palace in Versailles. The King of Clay's mojo might be totally thrown.

Tennis center supporters hope for ace with new video

>Proponents of the Tennis Center of Georgia at Berry College are now armed with a slick production video to tout the proposed project. They also have a higher price tag than was put forth a year ago, and there’s still no Plan B if bond funding does not come from the Georgia General Assembly.

Rome and Floyd County commissioners watched the new video Tuesday night and listened to a half dozen supporters of the project. City Commissioner Sue Hamler Lee may have summed up the presentation best.