tennis, life and a few things in between

We sure do have many body parts lol … Can’t play but have to play, so it looks funny.

As it turned out, the pain stayed for a few weeks, till June 10, women’s final at French Open.

Back to USTA league era, the party organizers liked to invite this cartoon artist Dale Gladstone to do drawings. He came with a printer, so we could receive our portraits immediately. 

I had many made but apparently only kept two. On the back of 2011 print, he had Your Ad Here but non on 2013’s. Did he get enough business by then? I just remember he was a very calm man, without any expression. 

I win my points mostly rely on my backhand and serve – don’t really have a forehand. Now, my forehand is working and backhand is retreating: it seems I can’t have both. In any case, how’s my forehand? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

TIA

… and a few pix

I’d a bad fall on 3.31. After getting over it, I decided to improve my game, starting from the serve, mainly to get rid of the waiter tray. Serve has been my dependable stroke.  The change is hard and long.

• FedEx & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga open up a bit
  • from edge to edge to edge
  • 2 fingers
  • use the fence: turning too early will hit the fence
• 3 finger serve & more
• FB 摩擦 敬礼

Here is my progress:

• ^1.24 bend the knees, per Jay
• ^1.18 feel good
• ^1.17 heavy duty
• ^1.13 underhand
• ^{1.10 Sat}  1 & 4 v Aaron & Rich
• ^2026.1.04 tossing & some volleys
• looks good w/o the ball
• motion looks right? birds
• tossing good, only in practice
• toss first @ Vintage
• 3 fingers & more
• 6-2, 1-6, 2-2 w/ Randy
• 2 serves 6-1, 6-0 Betty
• tray & 3 serves ace
• 9 serves – still tray!
• make the box & it works
• can’t serve!
• pronate, only in practice
• an orange sky
• morning moon & sandhill cranes
• a game: left arm isn’t up
• a blue day
• lesson #3: look up at the ball
• … continue
• feeling pretty good
• right wrist needs work
• elbows drop
• face the wall
• drop your arm
• lovey dovey #2
• 8-6, 3-2
• hair bang
• Gary and the no shows
• Brad, the new guy
• … very tired
• coach’s showing; his red & my blue sneakers
• waiter’s tray, still
• coach’s pointers
• left arm out
• feel good, Golfer
• no ball; dove IV
• practice & sets; dove III
• singles tourney doves II
• mourning doves, warm up
• feels good: grips
• 6-4, 6-0
• ace pic
• two herons
• a new visor, and blue tap
• many comments fm FB 2024.3.07
• my shoulder needs to turn
• Lesson #2: waiter’s tray!
• 3-6, 3-6 w/ golfer
• Overgrip all wrong
• 6-2, 6-2
• no double
• why fix it if it ain’t broke? 1 ace & 2 doubles
• the grip, per Cheri; waiter’s tray; 4 doubles
• leg work … Cheri
• David & Edwin
• Jay: Look up
• New motion is somewhat working
• evening session, arm up
• arm up

I practiced serve before the match today at VL, the match went

5-0
2-5
4-5

Served up a double that ultimately cost us the game. However, my forehand holds up just fine…

Most suggestions on my serve is grip (continental), toss (in more).  So I went out and tried two days later (Thursday). Have I changed anything?

… and a few pix on Thursday, May 18.

A beautiful day playing at VL

2016.6.21 ⇓

2023 is the second Sarasota Open, a part of ATP Challengers Tour held at Payne Park, April 9-16, 2023; with $128,000 prize money.

• 2025 @ Sarasota Sports Club

_{The box office, bathroom – definitely better than porta potty, and the center court: the poles are eyesore.} 

The Open itself, goes back to 2008, had been held at various locations:

• Longboat Key Club ^2009-14 
• Lakewood Ranch ^2015-6 
• United Tennis Center ^{2008, 2017}
• Laurel Oak Country Club ^2018-9 
• not held in 2020-1

This year, the title sponsor is Elizabeth Moore, a prominent local philanthropist with passion for tennis. The ticket prices increase as the tourney gets deeper, and are groups into a few categories. Re-entry is allowed.

• $237 Fifth Third Bank Row
• $159 5/3 Bank Champagne Table
• $159 VIP Champagne Table
• $169 Club Reserved
• $64 Reserved
• $54 general admission

Because of rain delay from previous day – Wednesday, we watched more matches than we anticipated. Court 5 is their center court, named after Nick Bollettieri (1931-2022). One side is general admission and the other side is the lounge with tables and chairs. Both sides have tent. The poles that support the tent are unsightly, unnecessary evil I guess. Court 7 and 8 are used as well, and we sit right there with the line person – perks of the small and intimate tournaments.

The center court has an announcer or commentator

The matches

1. Zhang Zhizhen (🇨🇳 1996-) ^def Alex Rybakov (🇺🇸 1997-) ^{delay; to Q}
2. Tristan Boyer (🇺🇸 1997-) ^def Jack Sock (🇺🇸 1992-) ^delay;
3. Enzo Couacaud (🇫🇷 1995-) ^def Zhang
4. Daniel Elahi Galán/Galan (1996-) ^won T Boyer ^retired
5. Genaro Alberto Olivieri ^def Bjorn Fratangelo (🇺🇸 1993-)
6. Gullermo Duran & Guido Andreozzi ^def Robert Galloway (🇺🇸 1992-) & Miguel Angel Reyes-Vareia

Zhang Zhizhen ^def Alex Rybakov 6-4, 7-6, delay match from Wednesday. Zhang advanced to the quarter final

Tristan Boyer  ^def Jack Sock, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, also a delay match from yesterday.

Enzo Couacaud (🇫🇷 1995-) ^def Zhang, 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday, April 13

Daniel Elahi Galán/Galan ^won Tristan Boyer 6-4, 3-0. Galán/Galan is the defending champ. Boyer beat out Jack Sock from previous day’s match and this is his second match of the day.

Genaro Alberto Olivieri ^def Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3, 3-6, 6-7. Fratangelo behaved pretty badly at the end, smashing his racket to the ground many times … oh well.

Gullermo Duran & Guido Andreozzi ^def Robert Galloway & Miguel Angel Reyes-Vareia 7-6, 5-7, 1-6. The last few points Galloway played, played badly and at the conclusion of the match, he throw his racket. A female fan or staff retrieved it from the next court.

Hard Rock Stadium
347 Don Shula Dr,
Miami Gardens, FL 33056

~ 2026:
~ 2025: $1,124,380
~ 2024: $1,100,000
~ 2023: $1,262,000

This is a major tennis event with both ATP and WTA (men and women) held in Miami Gardens, Florida in March each year, on hard court. It started in 1985 in Delray Beach, billed as Winter Wimbledon, with $1.8m prize money. A few moves later, it settled in Hard Rock Stadium since 2019.

2023’s prize money is $16m. Singles winners receive $1,262,220 prize money.

Beside the stadium court, there are grandstand court and a few other courts.

For general parking, we’re directed to Gate 18. $40 per car ($35 if you pay with Sunshine Pass), which is a breeze – very convenient and efficient. DO check out their pre-paid parking …

The ground is nicely laid out. Car displays, foods and bars. We’ve drinks at … with a few shrimps, the bill is $80.

The tickets

Unlike US Open, the qualifying rounds ticket are $15 each, plus fees.

Stadium court tickets provide specific seats and access to the ground, and general admission to grandstand.

Grandstand tickets have designated seats, and access to the ground.

Ground pass is $55 per ticket plus fees.

They’re pretty tight on bags. A lady carries a tiny bag but is refused because it is a lightly larger than the sample the door checker holds. Many people have the clear plastic bags.

Hard Rock Stadium opened in 1987, is the home to the Miami Dolphins but is being used for a few other events, such as tennis, and college football the Orange Bowl. For tennis, they added huge sections at the stadium court, making it small because American football field is 120 yards by 53.3 yards, while tennis court is 78ft (23.77m) by 27ft (8.23m). Bathrooms have no ac, if I remembered right. USTA do. The ground is nicely groomed and laid out. I enjoyed the different seating areas, bars and eateries. Lacking corporate heavy hitters, such as Amex and Chase that are stables at US Open, La Roche-Posay passes out mini size. At Amex corner at the US Open, they gave at least two different full sizes. Don Shula (1930-2020) was a defensive back for 7 seasons but wa most famous for being the head coach of Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995, with the winningest recored: 347 victories and 328 regular season victories. In 1972, Dolphins had a perfect session, 14-0 but failed to win the Super Bowl. The QB I knew was Dan Marino (1961-) who lost to Joe Montana (1956-) and his 49er’s in Super Bowl XIX, in 1985. Marino won no Super Bowl while Joe Cool has 4 rings.

Are they lovers or a couple? Do they look lost?

Won two out of 3 sets – Bruce the former 4.5, Allen and Greg.