Traveling The Tennis Highway

This & That on Melanie and Maria

By Sandra Harwitt

When you follow the fuzzy yellow tennis ball you log a lot of miles commuting to your job whether you’re a player, coach, umpire or member of the media.

Most people whine and moan about having a daily trek to work whether it’s a trip by car, train or bus. In the tennis world the commute goes beyond the normal. In tennis we often take the plane to the office. There are not many options on mode of transportation when you’re trying to get from the U.S. to Australia, Australia to Europe, Europe to Asia. Swimming wouldn’t exactly work even if your name was Michael Phelps and a boat would take too long.

This year I’ve logged quite a few miles and not nearly as many as most in the business. By the time the 2009 season comes to a close I’ll have been to four continents – North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. My next stop after the U.S. Open will be to cover the new ATP Masters Series 1000 event in Shanghai, China for Associated Press.

I am not a newcomer to China. In fact, you could almost call me a native as my upcoming trip will be my sixth visit to the country since November 2006. I worked the year-end Tennis Masters Championships in Shanghai for the past three years, did an advance Olympic journey to Beijing and then spent a fabulous 5 ½ weeks as the Olympic News Service Manager at the Tennis Venue at the 2008 Olympic Games. It was my first Olympics and a fabulous opportunity to immerse myself in Beijing culture.

An international traveler, it’s not a surprise that last year I had to send my passport off to Uncle Sam’s passport service for an addition of pages. I did so a bit after I needed to and I can tell you that the day I went from Hong Kong to Macau and back last November, the customs man liked me as much as the Beatles song suggests. They refused to stamp the last free page and had trouble finding room to stamp on any of the other already filled pages.

But commutes abroad are not my only traveling sagas. I’m having quite the unique trip going to the U.S. Open each day this year. Hey, financial times are tough this year for everybody, including those of us plying our trade as freelance writers. Therefore, I’m trying to be fiscally conservative and am taking advantage of an offer to stay with my friend, Robin, who years ago worked in the tennis business. She has a fabulous new apartment in North Bergen, New Jersey, in a building that borders the Hudson River and displays a brilliant view of the New York skyline.

I’m a native New Yorker, who is about to return to the city after a number of years down in Boca Raton, Florida. But the move back hasn’t happened yet so I have no place of my own to hang my hat. For the first few days I stayed in the city, but last night I moved to New Jersey. I’m certainly very comfortable at Robin’s. She has a beautiful two-bedroom place and I quickly made myself at home.

So dedicated to getting to the tennis on time, I have an interesting route to the Open. I start by walking a couple of blocks to a local shuttle that takes me to the ferry. I board the ferry at Port Imperial that leaves me off at the pier on 39th Street off the West Side Drive. From the gangway I find my way to the free New York Waterway bus that goes down 42nd Street and puts me out in front of the famed 42nd Street Library and walk two blocks to the Grand Hyatt, one of the official hotels of the U.S. Open. That’s where I board the tournament bus to Flushing Meadows. Round trip without traffic: 90 minutes. Round trip with traffic: Let’s just say time will tell.

Melanie Oudin certainly made the trip worthwhile today.

The other day I wasn’t sure that Melanie would be able to beat Elena Dementieva and Maria Sharapova back-to-back. To borrow a thought from Melanie’s shoes – I should’ve believed. While Maria certainly helped Melanie find a path to the fourth round, the 17-year-old Georgian seems to potentially have the total package. Most of all, she has heart and desire. She has a solid game and while her serve could use beefing up, it’s not at all bad, especially for her size. She seems to have a sense of the court and tactical smarts. And she possesses a winning personality.

Oudin appears to be on the Russian express train, which is a good thing as her next opponent also hails from the country of vodka and caviar. She’ll face No. 13 Nadia Petrova and I now believe. I believe Melanie has the fight to see herself into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Let’s see if she proves me smart or proves me wrong.

As for Shaza – that’s what we call Maria around these parts – it’s troubling to see that since shoulder surgery she’s been unable to find a comfortable serve she can win points with at ease. If she just wants to powder puff the ball in, she’s okay. But if she’s trying to be effective on serve, she falters.

Hence, the astonishing 21 double faults she posted against Oudin. And there’s the worry that if Sharapova keeps trying to compensate on the serve it will start to take its toll on her elbow. I’m sure everyone noticed the trainer was out there massaging her elbow towards the end of the match.

U.S. Open History for September 5

In 1949, Pancho Gonzalez defends his U.S. title by playing 67 games in his 16-19, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Ted Schroeder, the most games ever played in a U.S. title match.

In 1951, Little Mo (Maureen Connolly) wins the first of her three successive U.S. titles. Her career is cut short after a fall off a horse and she sadly dies of cancer at age 34 in June 1969. Her widower, Norman Brinker, an icon of the mid-priced and cheap chain restaurants and the inventor of the salad bar, died this spring.

In 1996, Pete Sampras survives fatigue, getting ill on court and a tenacious Spaniard Alex Corretja to win a 7-6 (5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7) quarterfinal.

And now I head off to see how the reverse commute to New Jersey works. Until tomorrow, tennis fans!