French Open will bring excitement despite opening weather
If you’ve had it with the cold, rainy weather this week and wish you were able to enjoy Paris in the springtime for today’s French Open start, know that you’re better off staying home. The City of Lights is experiencing the same dreary weather and, in fact, this week is much more promising here.
Action begins at Roland Garros today and television coverage will be provided by a combination of ESPN2, the Tennis Channel, and NBC. The tournament will go on without world No. 2 Andy Murray, but the tennis will surely be terrific, as all grand slams are.
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Speaking of the Tennis Channel, if it disappears from your lineup, as it did mine a few weeks ago, don’t give up. A call to my provider, Verizon Fios, proved fruitful and they were able to return the channel to its rightful place without any additional fees.
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Anyone who has played tennis recently at Mercer County Park surely noticed that the two stadium courts are torn up. Not only are they being reconstructed, but other renovations are in the works. Courts 11, 12, 17, 18, 21, and 22 will also be reconstructed, and every other outdoor court in the complex will be resurfaced. Lights will be added to courts 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22; all of those courts have never had lights. All other outdoor courts, except the stadium will have lighting upgrades. The bathrooms in the Hall of Fame building are being renovated, and new drainage, new stadium seating, and fences are part of the plan. All will be completed some time this summer.
Mercer’s summer tournament circuit begins on June 8. Here’s the schedule for June tournaments. In all cases, the deadline to enter is the Wednesday before each event.
June 8-13: Men’s and women’s 35 and over and 55 and over singles championships.
June 15-20: Century men’s doubles championships, men’s 45 and over singles championships.
June 22-24: US Open Sectional Qualifying Tournament.
June 29-July 3: Mixed A and B doubles; and junior 12, 14, and 16 and under championships.
Register for the US Open event at usopen.org. For the county championships, visit register.communitypass.net.
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Some area women are searching for extra players to join a 65 and over USTA League at the 4.0 level. Interested players should e-mail Mary at haysgroup2@hotmail.com.
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The USTA is looking for people to tell their stories of what tennis means to them. The new branding, “Find Youself in the Game,” is about sharing stories of what makes tennis such a special part of people’s lives. Read more and tell your story on usta.com.
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Two area colleges finished their seasons on high notes. The College of New Jersey’s men’s and women’s tennis teams both qualified for the NCAA Tournament. It was the 16th straight year for the women, and the men made their seventh straight appearance. Both teams won their first round match and lost in the second.
Another college success story is that of Princeton University’s Matija Pecotic. He qualified for the NCAA Tournament and became the first Tiger men’s player since 1996 to win an NCAA singles match. He then fell in the second round. However, his stellar collegiate career also included winning the Ivy League Player of the Year award three times.
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The Philadelphia Freedoms are gearing up for another exciting season. Seven home matches are scheduled at the Villanova University Pavilion, all at 7 p.m., with some real star power making appearances. The Freedoms always have special promotions and activities, so check the Web site for all the happenings. Here’s the home schedule.
July 10 – vs. Springfield with Andy Roddick
July 16 – vs. Washington with Sloane Stephens and Martina Hingis
July 17 – vs. New York with Sloane Stephens
July 19 –vs. Orange County with Sloane Stephens
July 21 – vs. Texas with the Bryan brothers
July 23 – vs. Boston
July 24 – vs. New York with John McEnroe
To order tickets, visit freedomstix.ticketfly.com or call 866-WTT-TIXS.
In other World TeamTennis news, both Andy Roddick and Venus Williams have become co-owners of Billie Jean King’s World TeamTennis league. King has owned it since the 1970s.