VIEW FROM THE TOP

Any true tennis fan will choose to sit as close to the action as possible, if given the opportunity.  However, without a press pass or a ton of disposable income, those opportunities are rare.  I'm refering primarily to tennis on stadium or center courts.  The adventurous fan can almost always find a bleacher seat on an outer court, especially early on in a tournament.  But if you want to see the best of the best, they play their matches on the big courts.  And prime seats for those events cost a pretty penny.  Over the years, my family has come to enjoy the top row of the stadium court at Key Biscayne.  The view of the court is very good, and the views of the ocean and Miami skyline are even better.  You can stand up and watch without blocking anybody's view.  You can turn around and check out the goings on around the grounds or even peek in on the action on some outer courts.

Yesterday, we were perfectly content to stay in our top row seats and take in the day session matches.  First, we saw Andrea Petkovic take out the number one seed, Caroline Wozniacki.  To celebrate, she did a little dance on the court after the match, as she did when we saw her win a doubles match with Ana Ivanovic on Thursday.  Petkovic, with her powerful play and perky personality, is quickly becoming one of our favorites on the women's side.  She took it to Woz yesterday and pulled off a well-earned upset.

Shortly after the women retreated to the locker room, Juan Monaco and Roger Federer followed on court.  Monaco is an Argentine ranked 35 on the world.  Of course, Federer is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time.  Juan wanted this match badly and played very well.  Roger seemed to be going through the motions and sprayed the ball quite a bit.  Yet, Federer had just enough to win the big points and take the match, 7-6, 6-4.  You had to feel a little for Monaco who gave it his all and still came up short against a less than stellar Federer.  The uninspired effort from Fed was disappointing, as the energy in the stadium was as flat as could be.  But he's still alive in this tournament, and there are certainly bigger fish to fry.

One of those fish is Rafael Nadal.  After Roger, Rafa took the court against his fellow countryman, Feliciano Lopez.  Lopez is currently ranked 41 in the world.  He was no match for Nadal.  Rafa had the backing of the crowd, and in typical fashion, he played every point like it was his last.  In form, he pounded Lopez into submission, 6-3-, 6-3.  The drastic difference in energy levels between Nadal and Federer leaves no doubt who the younger, hungrier, and better player is these days.  Perhaps we'll see them butt heads on the court once again in the semifinals...

Bud and Babs

Last Thursday, I had the honor of meeting the legendary Bud Collins.  I shook the man's hand and asked him to pose for a picture with my mother.  Ornately dressed, as always, Bud was all smiles and readily willling to oblige.