Theme Day: Wet

Typically, when I attend the Miami Open, I'm very prepared for any kind of weather. Hat, sunscreen, sweater, change of shoes and raincoat -- all are with me! Except this year.  For some inexplicable reason I was confident it wouldn't rain and didn't bother bringing a jacket.  (In my defense, we haven't experienced a rain delay for years.) Sure enough, late in the afternoon, a squall blew in from the Atlantic Ocean and soaked us. Blue skies reappeared fairly quickly and maintenance crews were dispatched to dry the court, which was drenched to the point that puddles were casting reflections of the clouds.  Naturally, right when it looked like they were close to resuming play, the skies opened up again. It was a challenging time for a rain delay because this was a late day match overlapping into the evening. So, day fans were on the grounds scurrying for cover while people were arriving for the night matches. It was quite chaotic with people running and yelping (as though raindrops would seriously hurt them) and packing into any and all covered areas. With a steady rain coming down at that late hour, the SDP Junior Editor and I decided to call it a day. Turns out the match resumed hours later and finished well into the night. To see other interpretations of the City Daily Photo Theme Day: Wet click here.  Happy Saturday!

On The Road: Miami Open

Immediately following a victorious match, players at the Miami Open usually spend some time signing autographs and mingling with fans. When Bethanie Mattek-Sands emerged from the grandstand court she was a completely different person than the one who had just been playing!  Her face lit up when she saw spectators waiting to greet her. She was quick with a big smile, laugh, and happy to take selfies and interact with fans. Quite gregarious!

I particularly liked this interaction with a fan in a wheelchair. Bethanie squeezed her hand and chatted for a bit before moving along.

And this is Big John Isner signing autographs in the same area, just outside the grandstand court.  Look at that smile!  So nice.  I'm not sure if you'll see this kind of close fan interaction with any other professional sport nowadays.  I love this aspect of tennis -- hope it doesn't change.

On The Road: Miami Open

For those who like action and a good photography challenge, this is the place to be! No matter what court you're on, typically there's a good seat close to the action (especially on the smaller courts). This is American John Isner who currently is ranked #26 in the world. Big John has the distinction of winning the longest match ever played in Wimbledon history -- 11 hours and 5 minutes -- in 2010.  Whew! When Isner is on the court, it's pretty much guaranteed the match will go the distance!  He pulled off a victory here against Brazilian Thomas Belucci with a second set tie break (of course).  

And, this is American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.  Although this was a singles match, the way she was prowling at net you could tell she's an incredible doubles player.  I'm not a big doubles fan, but it turns out, she's the #1 female doubles player in the world. How about that! With her black compression socks and shorts, Matter-Sands is known for her unique style on the court.  What I didn't know is that when she walks off the court, she trades her game face in for an infectious smile and fun, outgoing demeanor.  More on that tomorrow!

On The Road: Miami Open

Those who've followed SDP for awhile know that every March I head down to Miami to watch a  professional tennis tournament on Key Biscayne.  This was the 11th straight year I made the trip -- so much fun!  The tournament has gone through some name changes over the past few years and now it's called the Miami Open.  Whatever it's been called, every year, I've seen lots of great tennis and experienced close encounters with top tennis players.  One thing I've never seen is this:  an iguana clinging to a practice court fence!  (Yes, it's real!) Look at the length of that tail!  Lots of us were keeping a watchful eye on this unexpected spectator.  Even Roger Federer posted on social media about encountering it! Iguanas are not indigenous to the South Florida area, but they've become increasingly prevalent over the years.  Now, somewhat surprisingly, they've made their way to the tennis park on Key Biscayne.  Welcome to Miami!

Angelique Kerber

One last post from the Miami Open before we move on to other topics.  Some players are more fun to photograph than others because of their expressiveness on the court.  This year my favorite player to shoot was Angelique Kerber, the 2016 Australian Open champion from Germany.  This was first time I saw her play in person and she didn't disappoint. Whether she was unleashing a forehead from the baseline…

  …or prowling at net -- she was all business and it showed!

  How would you like to face that intensity just a few feet away? ((gulp))

"Come on," Angie yelped after winning a point when she was down a set to a relatively unknown Dutch player in the seering Miami heat.

After she stormed back to secure the victory, Kerber's intense on-court demeanor was tucked away and she happily paused for photos and autographs with fans.  What a champ!  From what I'm hearing, the Miami Open will remain on Key Biscayne for at least one more year -- great news!  Next up on SDP:  highlights from the entire staff's big adventure to Everglades National Park. Hope everyone is doing well in the blogosphere!

Baghdatis vs Kyrgios

If possible, I like to see Marcos Baghdatis play in person.  "Baggy" hasn't experienced a big breakthrough on the ATP circuit, but I've always appreciated his easy going demeanor and infectious smile -- although his smile was tucked away during this match. 

It could be because he was being pushed around the court by this young up and comer, Nick Kyrgios, from Australia.  This photo, I think, captures Kyrgios' demeanor on the court.  While I wouldn't call him a modern day tennis "bad boy", the word "flamboyant" is used frequently by tennis announcers to describe him and his non-traditional style. I would also add the words "edgy" and "intense".

Kyrgios sailed to a straight sets victory.  Not sure what was said at the net when Baggy gave Kyrgios a congratulatory pat on the chest, but Kyrgios -- who's 10 years younger than Baggy -- seemed to appreciate it.  Kyriogos is currently ranked #20 and, ultimately, lost in the quarterfinals at the Miami Open.  The entire SDP staff will be on sabbatical for a bit.  We'll be back soon.  In the meantime, have a nice week!

Wawrinka vs Kuznetsov

Swiss player Stan Wawrinka is ranked #4 on the world tour and is known on the circuit as "The Stanimal".  I love that nickname!  He has a nice one-handed backhanded, which he was getting ready to unleash when I snapped this shot. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't his day on the grandstand court at the Miami Open.

It was especially hot (even by Miami standards), and The Stanimal looked overheated and tired. He quickly found himself down a set and a break to #51 Andrey Kuznetsov…and looking for answers (and perhaps shade) in his towel.

Kuznetsov pulled off the upset in straight sets -- possibly the biggest victory of his career. And, he pleasantly basked in the limelight taking his time to autograph every tennis ball and hat put in front of him following the match.

And, even though perspiration was dripping down his face, Kuznetsov was happy to pose for selfies. Very polite, nice young man.  I hope his success on the courts continues!

Milos Raonic

For the 10th straight year, I made the journey down to Key Biscayne in Miami for the men's and women's professional tennis tournament. We caught parts of 13 matches in two days. Whew! We kicked things off watching this guy -- Milos Raonic.  A Canadian, he's currently ranked #12 in the ATP standings.  He's tall for a tennis player (6'5") and a bit quirky, which makes it interesting to watch him in person.  He's the one who now wears a compression arm sleeve as a security blanket and, amazingly, his hair always stays in position.  Milos also has a tendency to stick his tongue out when he's concentrating.  (Gosh…I hope he doesn't inadvertently bite down on it when he's chasing a ball.) 

One my favorite things about this tournament is the proximity to the players. I snapped this shot of Milos just minutes after he defeated American Denis Kudla on Court #1. The crowd of fans was tight, and security personnel were moving people aside.  But, I made myself big and stood my ground when I saw Milos was coming right toward me. He was nice and paused just long enough for a couple of selfies with fans and signed a few autographs. 

Over the past several years, the tournament has struggled with an identity crisis, undergoing several name changes, and is now known as the Miami Open.  Now, a big controversy is swirling and word is...this may have been the last year for the tournament on Key Biscayne. It will be sad if that ends up being the case.  One way or the other, it's been a good run!  More pics to come.  

John Isner

One of the very cool things about the Miami Open is that you never know who you'll see wandering the grounds.  (More on that in a moment.)  I was hoofing up the outside stairwell at the stadium court when I happened to glance down where players are transported to and from the tournament.  I spotted a very tall guy with a tennis bag and knew instantly it was American tennis player John Isner.   Big John, as he's called, (he's 6'10") was spotted immediately by this young fan.  Looking at this photo, I can imagine his little voice:   'Hey, mister!  Can I have your autograph?'  Well…well.  What would Big John do with seemingly no one around watching?   After finishing a hot, tiring match earlier that day, would he give the kid the big blowoff so he could jump in his ride and rest?  Or, would he pause for an autograph?  Big John has a reputation for being a nice guy, so I was curious to see what he would do.

Not only did Big John sign an autograph, he posed for pictures.  Brilliant!  Makes me like him that much more.  Ranked in the top 20, Isner has been a rising star for awhile and I'm anxiously awaiting his big breakthrough.

This was the first tournament in awhile that I didn't encounter any players when I was actually roaming the grounds.  In previous years, I've spotted Rafa, Ana Ivanovic -- and somehow, Venus snuck within feet behind me one time and I realized it after it was too late.  But, my all-time favorite encounter was one of my very first.

I spotted this guy (when no one was around) and I couldn't believe it!  Roger Federer heading to a practice court.  It was 2006, he was ranked #1 in the world (amazingly, he's currently #2) and I just had a point and shoot.  And, boy, did I point and shoot!  What a fun, unexpected encounter!  This was before Roger won the French Open (to complete his personal slam), before he was married, and before he was the father of not one but two sets of twins.  And, I thought he had accomplished a lot at the time I took this photo!  That concludes our visit to the Miami Open this year.  Back to Sarasota soon!

Tommy Robredo

One of the great aspects of the Miami Open is the close proximity between spectators and players.  This was a match between Alexandr Dolgopolov (who we met yesterday) and Spanish player Tommy Robredo on Court #1.  This is an intimate court, and, as you can see, fans are pretty darn close to the action.

Tommy Robredo has been on the professional tennis circuit for 17 years (believe it or not) and currently is ranked #20 on the tour.  He's one of those guys who seems to play consistently (when he's healthy) but that big breakthrough has been elusive. Nine years ago, he peaked in the top 10.  Robredo ended up losing this match in three sets to Dolgo. Bad for Robredo but good for Dolgo, who, as I mentioned yesterday, is trying to claw his way back to being considered a rising star. 

Alexandr Dolgopolov

Alexandr Dolgopolov is one of those players that I try to see whenever I'm at a tournament.  (Check out my encounter with him last year here.)  His serve is a bit unorthodox, but he makes it work, and the combo is fun to watch.  Unfortunately, he lacks consistency. One set he'll play incredible…the next, it's as though he's mentally checked out.  As a spectator, it makes for some interesting viewing.  I first started watching Dolgo in 2011 when the SDP Junior Editor noticed him and predicted he was a rising star.  Sure enough, by 2013, he broke into the top 15 on the ATP tour.  I'm not sure whether he's had some injuries, but his ranking has dropped into the 70s. He's still young and has lots of tennis to play -- and possibly have that big breakthrough, which I would be really excited to see.

David Ferrer

This photo really epitomizes Spanish player David Ferrer.  Currently ranked #7 on the ATP tour, he plays hard and is intense.  Always.  It's a great combination for a tennis fan!  Tennis commentator Brad Gilbert refers to Ferrer as "Little Beast", since he's just 5'9" and prowls the court with the ferocity of…well…a beast.  This was the first time I saw Ferrer play in person and he was lots of fun to watch. Incredible player.  Believe it or not, he's 33 years old -- which, more or less, is considered geriatric in the tennis world.  But, he's maintaining the intensity and sharpness..and keeping pace with the young guns.  Go Little Beast!

Eugenie Bouchard

I was really looking forward to seeing Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard at the Miami Open. Currently ranked #7 on the WTA tour, she's experienced an amazing past couple of years, reaching the semi finals in two grand slams and the finals at Wimbledon last summer. The tennis world has high hopes for her. But, since losing Wimbledon, she's been on a downward spiral.  Apparently, that's somewhat common for a young tennis player (Genie just turned 21) who suddenly is thrust into the limelight where expectations for success are heightened -- and the tennis world is watching their every move.  The top players adapt.

Yesterday, I mentioned that if a player is going to have a meltdown it will happen in Miami.  Right from the start of the match, Genie was off her game…and on an emotional roller coaster. While there were occasional glimpses of her incredible athleticism, those were quickly replaced with fits of despair (and even what appeared to be tears) until, at last, she completely lost it and smashed her racquet.  Not once…but three times.  What was especially unfortunate was that she was still in the match.  

It seems Genie is in a mental fight with herself. In this photo, she's taking the walk of shame, carrying her mangled racquet off the court after losing in straight sets to an opponent ranked around #100.   I sure hope she's able to pull it together, turn it around, and start winning again.

Mikhail Youzhny

Mikhail Youzhny is a Russian tennis player who currently is ranked #58 on the ATP. Here he's returning a serve from Kei Nishikori (see yesterday's post) on the grandstand court during the Miami Open.  A few years ago, Youzhny was ranked as high as #8 and he's always interesting to watch.

There seems to be something about Miami that draws out fits of rage in tennis players. (Perhaps the relentless scorching heat has something to do with it.  Just a thought...) Anyway, Youzhny is infamous for his Miami Meltdown in 2008 when he bashed his racquet against his forehead with such force that  blood trickled  down his face.  It happened on this very court.  I missed that display in person; however, it's memorialized on YouTube if you're interested you can watch it here.  I'm pleased to report that he played well during this match and kept his emotions in check.

Kei Nishikori

As part of my annual personal March Madness, once again I headed down to Miami for the big tennis tournament.  Although the event seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis (this year it was the Miami Open; last year it was the Sony Open; and the year before that, the Sony Ericsson), it was a lot of fun, as always. Out of the gates, we saw this guy, Kei Nishikori. Currently ranked #4 in the world, he's the most successful Asian tennis player in history.  He also was the runner up in the U.S. Open finals last year.  And, Kei just happens to train right here in the Sarasota area!  In this shot, he was playing Russian Mikhail Youzhny on the grandstand court, and as you can see…he was rather focused on the task at hand.