Mystique of the Pro Game!

Written by: Staff on 3rd May 2012

Mystique of the Pro Game! |

Watching all of these European clay tournaments really brings back the gladiatorial theme to tennis. You have participants grinding it out on red clay for hours, producing body blow after body blow with powerful groundstrokes. And in the end, you have a winner, who raises his or her arms in triumph to a stadium looking down upon the victor like the mob once did in the Colosseum centuries ago. Could Tennis possibly be the evolution of one on one combat in a gentle setting?!

Let’s take it further, when all the trophies and treasures are handed out. This year, it seems as though every tournament gives away an awesome car to the tournament winner. I had to be a little jealous of Sharapova when she started hugging that Porsche… And I hope that tournament sponsors are literally giving away the car instead of locking up some kind of discounted lease agreement. Anyway, this is the kind of mystique that tennis needs to keep people dreaming about the sport and enjoying the tour. I find myself personally worrying about all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes of the tour instead of focusing on the fun stuff like the free swag and riches! Inevitably, that’s why we play the game right? “To the victor go the (often very cool) spoils!”

It was very cool to see former collegiate player Robert Farah upset Nikolay Davydenko in the BMW Open. For all of those out there who discredit the college system, this match marks a moment in recent history where an ex-collegiate player has proven himself and come up big. Can anybody stop Nadal?! He’s won Monte Carlo and Barcelona and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon… Fed needs to don the new anthracite and yellow Nike outfits and make swift work of the field, causing one final stir before the what-appears-to-be one of the most crucial French Opens ever.

And finally, on a more personal note: Thanks to www.10sballs.com and their generosity, I’m pleased to announce my participation in the upcoming 2012 Champions Series Tour which is operated by Jim Courier and his InsideOut Sports Entertainment group. A little bit of history – Last year, www.10sballs.com sent me to the Champions Series stop in Los Angeles at the Staples Center featuring Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. I then ended up continuing on with them to a few more stops in Vegas, Chicago, and St. Louis. They’ve invited me back to join them and I can’t wait to be a part of the show again!

Topics: BMW Open, Maria Sharapova, Nikolay Davydenko