July is hot both on and off the court, and the U.S. Open Series is back for its second trip around North America. The Hall of Fame will enshrine an Australian and an Argentine, and the Fed Cup will be whittled down to two.

This Month...

Is the Cup Half Full or Half Empty?
The Zina Garrison’s group of unheralded ladies quietly traveled to Germany in April and came away with a surprise Fed Cup win. What did they get for their efforts? They won a trip to Belgium where the same group will lace ’em up against Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne. If the U.S. leaves Belgium victorious, it would shock the world.

Road Trip
For the rest of the summer, the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA players will be gallivanting across North America in search of not only titles, but points. Last year Kim Clijsters cashed in when she won the U.S. Open Series and the U.S. Open, doubling her earnings to a record $2.2 million. This month the U.S. Open Series stops in Indianapolis, Palo Alto and Los Angeles.

Log onto TENNIS.com for tournament previews, live scores, photo galleries and news.

The Hall is Calling
Outside of Australia and Argentina neither Pat Rafter nor Gabriela Sabatini would be considered tennis legends. But they are both Grand Slam champions and both will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Rafter is a former No. 1 and two-time U.S. Open Champion (1997–’98), he holds a career singles record of 358-191, and he won 11 titles. He is the 24th Australian to be inducted to the Hall of Fame.

Gabriela Sabatini is the first woman and only the second player from Argentina to be inducted, joining Guillermo Vilas. Sabatini was the 1990 U.S. Open champion and captured 27 singles titles in during her 13-year career. She was ranked in the Top 10 for ten straight years (1986–’95) and finished her career with a singles record of 632-189.

It’s a Dirty Job
Most of the world is gearing up for the hard-court season, but the players in Stuttgart will be playing in the dirt. Rafael Nadal looks to pick up another title on the clay in Germany where he will defend his title.

Tennis: It’s a Team Thing
This zany brand of tennis gives the pros a break from normal tour routines. Commissioner Billie Jean King has World TeamTennis playing in 12 cities and has compiled a great mix of retired and current pros to round out the rosters. Pete Sampras makes his return to tennis for the Newport Beach Breakers. Other marquee names include Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, Todd Martin, Mike and Bob Bryan, and Anna Kournikova

---

On Newsstands Now

TENNIS
- How Amelie Mauresmo Finally Conquered Her Demons
- U.S. Open Series: Hope or Hype?
- Stay Fit At Any Age
- Boris Becker Q&A
Click Here to Subscribe

 

---

Looking Back

Wimbledon on the Brain

Federer vs. Nadal
Roger Federer has steamrolled through the competition in 2006, with one exception: Rafael Nadal. Nadal was 4-0 in ’06 against the world No. 1, but when they met Sunday on Centre Court at Wimbledon this match had more meaning than their previous encounters. The two were battling for more than the title; they were battling for supremacy of the tennis world. If Federer lost he might have remained No. 1 in the rankings, but he would have been the clear No. 2 in the public eye. Federer defeated Nadal in four sets, capturing his fourth consecutive Wimbledon crown and, at least for a few weeks, restored the Federer-run tennis world to normal.

Mauresmo vs. Henin-Hardenne
When these two met in Melbourne, \Mauresmo was abruptly handed the Australian Open title when Justine Henin-Hardenne shockingly retired in the beginning of the second set. For Mauresmo, whose mental toughness has often been criticized, it was her first Grand Slam title. Unfortunately for the Frenchwoman, the title didn’t silence her critics because of the manner in which she won the tournament.

Mauresmo had her shot at redemption when she once again faced the Belgian, who was looking to complete her career Grand Slam. Despite being the lower seed Henin-Hardenne hadn’t dropped a set since before the French Open and came out aggressively to win the first set. But Mauresmo composed herself and came back, defeating Henin-Hardenne in three sets. It was the biggest title of her career—and validated her title Down Under.

Bryans Win Career Doubles Slam
The headlines as Week 2 started at the Championships described the demise of American tennis, but quietly Mike and Bob Bryan played for the Wimbledon doubles title and walked away as champions, capturing the career Grand Slam to boot.

Marathon Doubles
It took Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor 6 hours and nine minutes, over two days, to defeat Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry 5-7, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 23-21. The match had been suspended due to darkness at 11-11 in the fifth set. The old Grand Slam doubles record was 5 hours, 29 minutes, set at the 1990 Australian Open when Pieter Aldrich and Danie Visser beat Scott Davis and Robert Van't Hof 23-21 in the decisive set fifth set.

Kapalua Tennis offers the best way to stay and play at Maui’s world-renowned Kapalua Resort, consistently voted one of the Top 50 Greatest U.S. Tennis Resorts by TENNIS Magazine. Junior Tennis Program, Group & Private Instruction, Matchmaking, Drop-in Doubles and Cardio Tennis.

For more information, call
(808) 669-5677, 1-800-KAPALUA
or visit www.kapalua.com