If you’re a tennis blogger, you probably already know what I’m going to say.
No one pays attention to this blog or anything else during the Olympic Games.
In 2011, we had a rich field for ATP Washington, forever known to me as the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.
It was my first ATP event, and what a field it was. An epic late-nighter between Gaels Monfils and John Isner was just one of the big matches featuring marquee players.
In 2012, they all went off to the Olympic Games and no one retweeted my gunk at the player-hobbled event.
Fast Forward to 2014.
The Winter Olympics surely couldn’t steal the tennis thunder this time, right?
I mean, they don’t play any tennis in the Winter Olympics!
Doesn’t matter. I was in a nearly empty ballroom at the Cleveland Marriott yesterday for a Fed Cup draw ceremony as the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics were starting.
OMG: Press only asked ONE question to the Italian team until an almost exasperated USTA official begged and squeezed a couple more to bring the entire press conference to a whopping three minutes.
“Really? Really? You have NO MORE questions?” Time for a sympathy question.
Americans don’t exactly flock to Fed Cup to begin with. Somehow, to the US of A, a non-medal curling match gets better ratings than women’s tennis. It would seem that the average ‘Merican sports fan would rather watch paint dry than watch the US thrash Italy this weekend.
Look. I’m in a 7 degree climate here in Cleveland, and that makes it even worse.
Sochi looks like the tropics from here.
Maybe we can get an ice tennis exhibition on Lake Erie between Madison Keys and Christina McHale to steal the spotlight.
The USTA should seriously consider this kind of Winter Classic.
Because I now hate the Olympics.
—Steve Fogleman, covering Fed Cup for Tennis Panorama News
Tennis Atlantic 