FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Andy Roddick is
gone, but that doesn’t mean American men aren’t making headway at the U.S. Open. So how come they’re not getting much love from the USTA when it comes to showcasing their talents in Ashe Stadium? Sam Querrey, John Isner, James Blake and Mardy Fish are all still alive, but all of their matches have been relegated to the smaller Louis Armstrong Stadium and the Grandstand Court.
And not everyone is happy about it.
“None of us play on center court,” said Querrey, who’s headed for a fourth-round clash with Spain’s Nicolas Almagro. “If you go to the French Open, they have Gasquet, Benneteau, Monfils — they’re on center court every day. Hopefully, they’ll put some of us on center court. [I’m] not a huge fan of the scheduling this week.”
Querrey added, “To have four guys in the Round of 32, it’s pretty good. Hopefully, we can have four in the Round of 16. I think we’ve got a great shot to do that.”
Blake will play his first match on Ashe when he faces Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in a third-round clash.
NOTEBOOK
MURRAY: ‘RAFA DOESN’T NEED CAREER SLAM TO VALIDATE IMPACT’: Should Rafael Nadal complete a career Slam by winning his first U.S. Open, becoming the first man since Rod Laver to win three straight Slam titles, it will surely elevate his status among the all-time greats. But Andy Murray says the Spaniard’s overall body of work already speaks volumes. “His record is incredible,” said the Scot. “For someone so young, he’s won pretty much everything bar here. He’s made a semifinal here a couple of times. If he wins, that’s obviously great for him. But his career is pretty impressive as it is anyway. He’s won on all the surfaces. He’s won Olympic gold. He’s won however many tournaments. I’m sure he’d love to win here, but I don’t think it would change the way I view him as a player if he wins the U.S. Open. To me, he’s one of the greatest ever right now.”
STOSUR PLAYING WITH RENEWED CONFIDENCE: Despite her relative futility on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows (she had previously never ventured beyond the second round at the USO), Sam Stosur says her runner-up finish at Roland Garros and her fourth-round showing at the Aussie Open should help her break into new territory. “Why not?’ queried the No. 6-ranked Aussie. “I think I’ve had a pretty consistent year, and now to get through to the fourth round is a big jump. It’s just the kind of following on from the year I’ve had. It’s pleasing to now back it up in another Grand Slam and to be playing well. Once you get to this point, you never know what can happen. So if you keep playing well you can find yourself in maybe semis or finals. If I’ve been there once, I definitely want to try to be there again.” Stosur moved into the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Italy’s Sara Errani, but will be in for a stiffer test in her next match against Elena Dementieva.
PRETTY IN PINK (NOT!):
REPORTER: “Let’s talk fashion. Your dreads are kickin’. I think they’re adorable. They are. You have neon green shoestrings and the pink. Is that your fashion statement from now on?”
DUSTIN BROWN: “It’s not pink, first of all. It’s orange. It’s orange, okay? It’s not pink.”
AN EXPLOSIVE LOOK: Venus Williams said her shimmering (and quite revealing) black dress is “really about New York. It’s firework bursts actually on the dress. It’s like bursts of fireworks.”
LET’S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES HERE…: Jamaican Dustin Brown, who reached the second round of the U.S. Open, said he’s now as popular as countryman Usain Bolt.
SERENA THE COMMENTATOR: Serena Williams stepped into the ESPN booth on Friday night to tray her hand at commentating. The world No. 1, who’s sidelined because of injuries to her feet, cheered her sister Venus on to victory. Asked if she think has a future in the TV booth, Williams said, “I think I would be good at it.” But it was obvious that she would rather have been on the court. “I considered jumping on court today in my dress and these shoes.”
BE COOL, STAY IN SCHOOL: John Isner, who spent four years at the University of Georgia, says on-the-rise Americans should consider college before turning pro. “I think they should — not necessarily four years like I did- but at the very least one year,” said the former Bulldog. “Obviously, there’s a few exceptions, Sam [Querrey] being one. I think Ryan [Harrison] is another one. He made the right choice probably turning pro. As you can see, at 18 he’s competing with everybody at this tournament. But for sure I feel like a lot of players have made the mistake of not going to college, and so the up-and-coming juniors in the country now, I think going to college for one, two years, that’s really going help them. I hope that’s the case in the near future.”
DIFFERENT STROKES: Of Dustin Brown‘s refusal to sit down during changeovers, Andy Murray said, “It’s a little bit different.”
THE NUMBERS
2: Weeks in which Beatrice Capra went from losing in the Round of 16 at the USTA Girls’ 18s Nationals to winning a USTA playoff to earn a wildcard into the U.S. Open to posting the first two wins of her tour and Grand Slam career, including a victory over No. 18 Aravene Rezai in the second round.
1959: Year 16-year-old Arthur Ashe made his debut at the U.S. Championships, losing to Rod Laver 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in the first round.
