Totally Awesome Tuesday Tidbits

Written by: Staff on 3rd September 2013

Totally Awesome Tuesday Tidbits |

The 2013 U.S. Open keeps on trucking and with it comes a whirlwind of action on and off the court. Today, thanks to 10sballs.com friend Steve Bellamy, I was given the opportunity to test some new rackets from Wilson that were sporting the Spin Effect Technology system. These rackets are essentially very powerful and deliver much more spin/control to your shots – Kind of Wilson’s answer to the notorious Drive series rackets from Babolat. In my personal opinion, I loved the feeling these new sticks gave me and am excited for the recently released Wilson Blade 98S racket.

Following the testing, Simona Halep came out and hit, claiming it felt a lot easier to hit the ball. Coming from a touring pro, this kind of feedback is very surprising to hear! I felt like the ball was exploding off the string bed, I marveled at the extra power and spin I was able to produce. As Halep hit, people were mesmerized. Tennis Channel decided to film a little bit, they hooked me up with a microphone and asked me to candidly explain how the racket felt as I hit in real time. With no script, I basically fell into a natural rhythm of talking about the feeling and surprising feedback the racket was giving me. That’s twice I’ve been on camera for Tennis Channel in the past week! How awesome is the U.S. Open right now?!?!

After the event, all of the outer courts were featuring round 2 junior matches. I met up with a few of my college coach friends and we sat and watched as the up and coming future of the sport battled it out. Some of these kids already have professional rankings! There is actually good tennis being played out here, don’t be fooled!

As I cruised the site after lunch, I overheard a loud speaker announcing a chance to meet my friend Michael Chang. I finished up my meal and headed toward the general direction. Good thing I was late because Michael came strolling with his crew of event handlers towards his next appearance engagement. He instantly said hello and asked me how my recent tournaments went. I asked him how his family was doing, he asked about my recent trip to Hawaii. We simply talked tennis for a little while as on lookers gawked and stopped the famous French Open champion for fan pictures. It’s awesome that he loves visiting Hawaii, I’m glad the friendship has continued over the years. *Fingers crossed!*

Tough luck for Lleyton Hewitt as he was unable to close the door on Mikhail Youzhny after leading 2 sets to 1 and serving for the match in the fifth set. I know the crew Hewitt has been practicing with all tournament, a sort of American-Aussie group I ran into in Thailand a few months ago. Following Hewitt’s loss, they simply praised his tenacity, his heart, his capacity to continuing fighting on the court. With multiple hip surgeries, a metal plate in one of his toes, you have to wonder how Hewitt was able to take down some of the opponents he did on his way to the round of 16. Unbelievable efforts.