I just came from the U.S. Open. It was great fun, and completely worth my sunburns. Although, considering the fact that I didn't use sunscreen at all and I spent six and a half hours straight in the sun without any protection, I really didn't get that burned at all. I have decided to attribute the lack of burn to the bit of Syrian blood I have.
Here are the tennis players I saw:
In Matches:
- Lindsay Davenport (U.S.A.)
- Arantxa Parra Santonia (Spain)
- Mario Ancic (Croatia)
- Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia)
- Leander Paes (India)
- David Rikl (Czech Republic)
- Florian Mayer (Germany)
- Andre Agassi (U.S.A.)
- Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
- Nicole Pratt (Australia)
Practicing:
- Taylor Dent (U.S.A.)
- Kim Clijsters (who isn't actually in the Open) (Belgium)
- Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
- Jennifer Capriati (U.S.A.)
- Mardy Fish (U.S.A.)
- Roger Federer (Switzerland)
- Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium)
- Andy Roddick (U.S.A.)
- Serena Williams (U.S.A.)
Of those, I got Andy Roddick and Mario Ancic's autographs. I was going to get Ivan Ljubicic's, as he was Ancic's doubles partner, but he was injured, and you don't just walk up to a guy being tended by his trainer and say, "Erm...yeah, I know you're in pain and you just lost the match, but...dude, could you sign this for me?"
Now the Andy Roddick incident is amusing. I had just finished watching the Ljubicic and Ancic versus Paes and Rikl match, and I was wandering around because my dad was watching the Anastasia Myskina/Anna Chakvetadze match. The Agassi game hadn't started yet, so I was watching Taylor Dent, Kim Clijsters, and Jennifer Capriati. I wandered over to the other courts and saw a bit of the Kuznetsova/Pratt match. Then, as I was wandering in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium to go back to peak into the practice courts, I see a crowd of people in front of the entrance. I hear someone say "Andy Roddick" so I wander over to see what's going on. Apparently Andy was supposed to be coming in soon through that entrance, so I hang out there for a while. Suddenly, behind me I hear someone shriek "It's Andy!" so I bustle over with the rest of the crowd. I was near the back, because I'm not one to run to see a human. Then I hear, "He's over there!" Apparently he was crossing through one of the courts to get to court six. Want to know where Court Six was? Well, the path took you right through me. This crowd of at least one hundred people starts running at me. So as not to be trampled, I dove out of the way, then followed them.
I swear, I thought the teeny-boppers were going to have a stroke when he took his shirt off to practice. Not a bad view, to be completely honest. But there was this group of girls in home-made Andy t-shirts with writing all over it that were searching wildly for Andy. To be completely honest, for the most part they were all complete bitches to everyone else except for Andy. Anyway, they were screaming at Andy's every move and comment.
Then I heard that Federer was practicing. I saw that for a few seconds before Andy came, but I didn't stick around. I was complaining to the girl next to me though that Federer and Roddick are always in the exact wrong position at the wrong time. When I'm at home, they're playing each other, and I have to pick one to cheer on - which is impossible for me: they're my two favorite players. And today they were going to finish practice and sign autographs at the exact same time. Andy won out today, but next time I'm at the Open - hopefully next year - I'll go for Federer instead.
Anyway, at the Andy practice session, I ended up leaning against the fence into the court right eye level with Andy - well, as eye level as I can be at 5'9 and 3/4" and in really flat flip-flops as compared to his like 6'2" (or something) and in thick-soled sneakers. He practiced with Brad Gilbert for a long time. Then afterwards, he went over to the other side to sign autographs. I stayed with the group on my side, though, and he eventually came over and signed autographs. He signed the paper I gave him, and I said "thank you" and he did one of those wink and cluck things...I was actually the only one who thanked him...and was therefore the only one he made any noise of recognition to. Anyway, as soon as I got my autograph and he started moving down the line, other people, worried that they wouldn't get his autograph, practically mauled me trying to get to him. When he was done, they needed six burly security guards to get him through the crowd. By the end, there were about - maybe more than - three hundred people in the stands watching him...which was almost as many as seemed to be at the Davenport match I saw earlier that morning.
So then I went and watched part of the Agassi game. My dad and I started to get burned so we came home. If my pictures come out well, I want to bite the bullet and start a web scrap book, so I can get my pictures of people - including the shirtless Andy if you want - up onto the site.
Tomorrow I have to go into school to get my books. School doesn't start until next Wednesday, though.
Oh, also: what am I going to do with my small start of a tennis autograph collection you may ask? Well, I was thinking that I would get a picture for each player off of the Internet. I'd put their full names, birthdate, birthplace, residence, and perhaps other stats and put it under the page (using Microsoft Word probably). Then I'd cut out the paper the autograph was on and glue it in the space below. Then, depending on the athlete, I'd either frame it or laminate it. Sounds good, no?
Well, dinner's ready, apparently. Have fun with the tennis equipment! It'll be out until the Open's over. Namaste.
