!USO
By Jackie Roe, TW Social Director
Evening, TWibe! Glad to see y'all back here after the hiatus - that Cincinnati trip took a lot out of me! Speaking of my trip, I'll have more on that in just a bit.
For those of you attending the US Open, GVGirl sent me some info about her US Open tailgate in conjunction with Talk About Tennis. Here are the details: The gathering will take place before play on Saturday, 9/5, from 10-11 AM. Everyone will be meeting on the benches closest to the Unisphere. Please RSVP on the TAT Tailgate thread (click here) or by sending GVGirl a private message on TAT. You can also RSVP in our TW Facebook group, TennisWorld > World.
GVGirl also informed me that El Jon Wertheim linked to her US Open Tips in his mailbag last week - have a look here. Way to go, GVGirl! (While we're at it ... take a minute to visit GVGirl's website, Global Village Tennis News; her alter ego Kourtin' Karen has been busy on USO party patrol and covering player photo op events like the Nike ones with Rafa, Serena, and Roger. She says she has some big news to share this weekend, so stay tuned!)
As you probably gathered from my Cincy reports last week, I had the time of my life there. I've finally uploaded my photos, which you can access here; compared to my other tennis adventures, I didn't capture very many, but there's still something for everyone (FoOPs, most of all!).
Taking markedly fewer photos this time around wasn't the only difference between this trip and the others I've taken. It was a unique experience in a multitude of ways, all owed to the fact that I was a member of the media. The fan vs. press experiences are pretty disparate, and I thought you'd be interested in hearing more about it ...
To begin, members of the media don't watch nearly as much tennis as you'd expect. The majority of these folks stayed in the media room above Centre Court all day and night, typing away and only occasionally glancing up from their laptops to catch some of the action. Very rarely did other media personnel join me in our courtside seats on Centre Court (the best in the house - how does one resist that?!) and I almost never saw them taking in the tennis on the outer courts or wandering the grounds.
I wasn't about to make such a sacrifice - hanging out in the media room instead of the courts. (And besides that, I would've had little to do there, considering I didn't bring a computer with me and only had to write an informal report once a day.) My favorite part of attending tournaments is being amongst all the spectators and soaking up as much tennis action as possible. If I wasn't interested in any of the matches, no matter - I was happy to stroll around the practice courts instead. (Being in the sun is also a priority for me on these trips, since I rarely take vacations ... these are my vacations!)
Of course, I imagine most tennis journalists have little desire to sweat like a heifer in a hot tub under the blazing sun only to watch match #toomanytocount between players who wouldn't present fodder for an interesting story in the first place. If this hadn't been my first tournament as a member of the press (and more like my 31st as it was for many, no doubt) and I had deadlines to attend to, I'd probably hole myself up in the media room, too.
Having the media pass also meant being professional. At all times. (Well, I suppose I could've relaxed outside of the grounds, but I took that pass seriously and didn't want to be mistaken for a journalist one minute and a fangirl the next.) I kept my cool around the players - or at least I think I did! - and didn't approach them for photos like I'd done in the past. And as noted earlier, I took it easy on the photos even on the grounds. Two reasons: (1) I'd amassed enough from the past couple of trips to last a lifetime(!) and (2) my new attitude prompted me to view players in a different light - not so much as international superstars but just as guys playing my favorite sport at a very, very high level. And how many shots of that do you need? (Some of you are probably snickering to yourselves, as my album does include nearly 300 photos. But across three days, I'd say that's showing quite a bit of restraint!)
I refrained from showing my rooting interests during matches, as well. Impartiality was important, I thought, so no "Allez"s or "Let's go, Rog!"s were uttered. Holding it all in was uncomfortable at first but I quickly adjusted ... and in the end, I quite liked this new approach to experiencing matches. It ensured that I stayed calm and appreciated all that was happening on the court, without focusing too heavily on who'd come out on top.
!Interview rm In the end, what struck me most was the singular relationship shared by players and the media, an interaction that bears little resemblance to that between players and fans (as well it should). It's difficult to label it as anything in particular - like a divide, or love-hate. I can't put my finger on it, really. In some ways, the player-media relationship is a dance, where both parties have to cooperate with one another to reach their end goals. And in others, it's more like a joust, what with competing agendas and a sense of entitlement (to serving one's own interests) felt by both sides. It's a fascinating dynamic, one I'd love to further explore in the future.
Have any of you reflected on your live tennis experiences in this way? Have you considered what is it about being a fan that excites you most and what you would/wouldn't compromise? (Maybe you're a member of the Samurai and couldn't dream of not actively cheering for your guy ... )
I'd also invite you guys to share your USO predictions here; if you're tired of predictions, go with a "wish list" instead. What do you want to happen? Who would you like to see break through? What matchup are you itching to see and which one would you want to go 5 sets under the lights? Who deserves the most crowd support? You get the gist.
Have a great weekend, TWibe ... and happy birthday once again to Andrew! Let's celebrate!