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Represent: @RajeevRam Named to Olympic Squad

Posted by Admin on July 31, 2016

Posted in: ATP, olympics, USTA. Tagged: bob bryan, Brian Baker, mike bryan, Olympic Games, rajeev ram, Rio 2016, usa, usta. Leave a comment

Represent: American @RajeevRam Named to Olympic Squad

Rajeev Ram to Represent

Rajeev Ram, 32, of Carmel, Ind., will become a first-time Olympian by joining the 2016 U.S. Olympic Tennis Team in Rio in men’s doubles. Ram, who holds nine career ATP doubles titles, will team up with first-time Olympian Brian Baker, who is also competing in singles. Ram was added to the team as a result of a withdrawal by the reigning Olympic Men’s Doubles Gold Medalist team of Bob and Mike Bryan for ‘personal reasons’.

—USTA

Johnson

Marcos Baghdatis, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Ivo Karlovic, Steve Johnson, and Defending Champion Rajeev Ram to compete in Hall of Fame Tennis Championships

NEWPORT, R.I., May 27, 2016 – When the ATP World Tour comes to Newport, R.I. in July for the first stop of the summer season in the United States, the player field will feature a Grand Slam tournament finalist, several players ranked among the world top-50, a group of the world’s brightest young stars, and Newport fan favorites who have seen success on the International Tennis Hall of Fame grass courts previously.

Marcos Baghdatis, a dynamic player from Cyprus who has been ranked as high as world No. 8 and was runner up at the 2006 Australian Open, is set to make his first appearance in Newport. Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis has recently committed to Newport, joining a previously announced group of rising stars in the player field, including Americans Taylor Fritz and Jared Donaldson. The third-highest ranked American Steve Johnson will make his third appearance in Newport, where he was a quarterfinalist in 2014. Defending champion Rajeev Ram will return to Newport, along with last year’s runner up Ivo Karlovic, a big serving pro who is currently ranked world No. 28.

Additional players for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships are still to be named. The tournament will be played July 10 – 17. Tickets are available now on HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.

“There is a lot of variety in the player field for this year’s tournament,” commented Tournament Director and Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin. “I think it will be a great experience for fans to see some amazing young talent competing against some of the tour’s more prolific veteran players like Marcos Baghdatis and Ivo Karlovic.”

Donaldson

He continued, “Also, we’re really working to build an enhanced fan experience in Newport this summer, and that combined with this player field will offer a fantastic week of tennis.”

Fans will enjoy several new amenities at this year’s tournament, notably an entirely new South Grandstand, featuring individual flip down seating rather than the previously used benches. The viewing experience of the tournament will also be significantly enhanced with the addition of videoboards in the stadium and Hawk-Eye replay – an electronic line calling system. Additionally, as a result of the Hall of Fame’s recent expansion and renovation projects, the tournament now has more space to work with and will offer an expanded fan zone featuring a tennis demo court and new on-site dining options.

Special events top off the ATP action, including tennis clinics for both juniors and adults throughout the week, Alex and Ani Ladies Day on Thursday, July 14, and a new event – PowerShares Legends Newport on Sunday, July 17. PowerShares Legends Newport offers a unique opportunity to see tennis legends back in action in a special one-day tournament. The field will feature Andy Roddick, James Blake, Marat Safin, and a fourth player to be named. It’s a particularly special weekend for Safin to compete, as the two-time Grand Slam tournament champion will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the day prior.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, as well as the PowerShares event and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are on sale now on www.HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.

ABOUT THE PLAYERS

Baghdatis

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus is currently ranked world No. 39 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Always an exciting player to watch, Baghdatis has been a staple of the ATP World Tour since the early 2000s and he has been ranked within the top-100 in the year-end rankings for 11 straight years. Baghdatis has had some big wins this season, most notably at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he was a finalist. In 2006, Baghdatis was the runner up at the Australian Open. That same season, he reached a career high of world No. 8 and won his first career title with a victory at the China Open. Baghdatis is one of the most successful Davis Cup players of all time, and he has been a dedicated Cyprus Davis Cup team member since he made his debut in 2000 as a 14-year-old. Earlier this year, he won his 36th straight Davis Cup match, surpassing the record for longest singles winning streak, which was previously held by Bjorn Borg at 33 matches.

Rajeev Ram returns to Newport as defending champion, having defeated Ivo Karlovic in a close final last year, 7-6(7), 5-7, 7-6(2). It was Ram’s second career title, as he also won the Newport title in 2009. Ram also won the Newport doubles title that year (w/ Jordan Kerr) – one of his eight career doubles titles. Ram is currently ranked world No. 70, and he has been ranked as high as world No. 56, which he achieved in April of this season. In February of this season, Ram was the runner up at the Delray Beach Open.

Newport fan favorite Ivo Karlovic returns for a sixth appearance at the event, where he has seen great success in recent years. Karlovic was the runner up in 2015 and 2014, and in 2013 he was a quarterfinalist. Karlovic stands at 6’11” and is known for his powerful serve which has been clocked as high as 156 mph. He has a career total of 10,624 aces to date, making him the all-time record holder for career aces and one of just two players in the sport’s history to surpass 10,000 aces. Karlovic has won six ATP World Tour titles, with his most recent victory coming at the 2015 Delray Beach Open. He is currently ranked world No. 28.

American Steve Johnson, who is the third-highest ranked American player and current world No. 34 returns to Newport for the fourth straight year. He was a quarterfinalist at the event in 2014. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open. Johnson has been active on the ATP World Tour for just four seasons, following a highly successful collegiate career at University of Southern California, where he won the NCAA Singles Championship in both 2011 and 2012. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open.

Rounding out the recent commitments to the Newport player field is an exciting young Australian player, Thanasi Kokkinakis, who is making his Newport debut. Kokkinakis began actively competing on the ATP World Tour in 2014, closing that first season out inside the world top-150. Last year, he broke into the world top-100, reaching a career high ranking of world No. 69, in a season that saw him qualify for six ATP World Tour events, advance to the fourth round at Indian Wells, and the third round at the French Open. Kokkinakis has notched big wins against several top-50 players including Bernard Tomic, Ernest Gulbis, and Juan Monaco. Kokkinakis has been out for the entire 2016 season to date following shoulder surgery, but is prepping to return.

For additional information about the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, please visit www.HallofFameTennisChampionships.com

—A. McLaughlin, Tennis Hall of Fame

Serve and Volley Specialist Rajeev Ram Serves Up Second ATP Newport Title

Posted by Admin on July 20, 2015

Posted in: ATP, Newport, Steen Kirby. Tagged: 2015 ATP Newport, 2015 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, atp, ATP Newport, ATP Newport Recap, hall of fame tennis championships, ivo karlovic, Newport Tennis, rajeev ram, Rajeev Ram Newport. 1 Comment

Serve and Volley Specialist Rajeev Ram Serves Up Second ATP Newport Title
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Rajeev Ram

After an exciting week of wacky results in Newport the serve and volley specialist Rajeev Ram prevailed in the final over the veteran Ivo Karlovic, who brought his own massive serve to the match. Ram, who boosted himself into the top 90 with the title victory, is the lowest ranked ATP World Tour champion this year after his 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(2) win. Ram had to save three match points this week but Karlovic couldn’t generate any of those today. He narrowly lost the first set tiebreak, got a break in the second set, but played a poor third set tiebreak that doomed him to defeat.

Just like last year, Karlovic finishes as a finalist in Newport, while Ram took his second title in Rhode Island. He’s primarily a serve and volley doubles specialist, and a challenger tour level player, but he brought his ATP game to play this week, and much credit to the veteran Indian-American.

In the doubles final Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Johnny Marray slipped past Nick Monroe/Mate Pavic 10-8 in a third set super tiebreak.

Steen Kirby (Marseille)

.@RajeevRam & @JPatSmith Earn Semifinalist Berths @TennisHalloFame, @DreddyTennis Advances

Posted by Admin on July 16, 2015

Posted in: ATP, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Steve Fogleman. Tagged: atp, Dustin Brown, Hall of Fame, J.P. Smith, john patrick smith, Newport, rajeev ram, sam querrey, tatsuma ito. Leave a comment

.@RajeevRam & @JPatSmith Earn Semifinalist Berths @TennisHalloFame, @DreddyTennis Advances
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Today in Newport, Dustin Brown won yesterday’s suspended second round match against Sam Querrey. For once, a match was over as quickly as expected. It was over less than 10 minutes after it started, as Brown held serve twice to head to the quarterfinals.

He indicated that he didn’t stay up all night thinking about the timing of the thunderstorms that caused him to pause en route to victory.

Dustin Brown, Newport

“It would have been nice if we could have finished last night but on the other side, maybe I would have lost if we finished last night”, he said. His girlfriend and a good friend are traveling with him, so the companionship may have helped him keep his mind off the match.

Asked about his new celebrity status, he stated “When you’re at a tournament, with my looks and my hair, it’s hard for me to hide. I wouldn’t necessarily call it celebrity status. I can still go to the supermarket without someone jumping me”.

Adrian Mannarino jumped on Rajeev Ram early but Ram pounced late. In a match that lasted two hours and thirty minutes, Ram scalped a seeded player for the second time this week by winning the second and third set tiebreaks. He’s reached the semis for the third time here, and he saved match points against both Isner and Mannarino. He actually won this tournament as a lucky loser in 2009.

With their first ATP World Tour semifinal berth on the line for both players, Tatsuma Ito and John-Patrick Smith were expected to have a little case of the nerves. Ito sure didn’t look that way before the match, cool and composed and inviting me to take a photo, something that usually only irritates the pros pre-match. But that didn’t translate to an easy start for Ito. Ito calmed down and took the second in a tiebreak, but Smith broke him in the third and sailed away 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3.

Tomorrow’s semifinal action includes Jack Sock against Jan Hernych and Ivo Karlovic takes on Dustin Brown. This is my last post from the tournament as I will be heading to the Islands tomorrow. Well, Block Island. See you in DC at Citi Open!

Quarterfinalists March On @TennisHalloFame

Posted by Admin on July 15, 2015

Posted in: ATP, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Steve Fogleman. Tagged: 2015, Adrian Mannarino, atp, Hall of Fame, Jack Sock, jp smith, Newport, rajeev ram, tatsuma ito. Leave a comment

Quarterfinalists March On @TennisHalloFame
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Smith

J.P. Smith is causing a lot of problems this week. I told him as much at press. I mean, first you take out Tomic and now you do this to Jared Donaldson? “I wouldn’t say that”, he replied. “I did get off to a quick start toward the front of the match.” Smith noted that he was able to get in a lot more second serve points than he was used to doing on the tour as he eased past local favorite Jared Donaldson at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, RI earlier today.

Not giving Donaldson a lot of pace on the Court today paid off for Smith. “These courts are really conducive to slices and you can skid through. Sometimes, you don’t know what kind of bounce you’re going to get. The more you make them play, the more you can dictate the rallies like that. I kept my play unpredictable.”

Donaldson in Press

Donaldson was definitely shell-shocked after the match but was kind enough to grant us a post-match 1-on-1. I look forward to seeing Jared win many matches like these in years to come.

The awesome Tommy Haas bowed out of the singles draw today after losing the third set of last night’s suspended match against Adrian Mannarino. While Tommy Haas gave lots of post-match autographs, Mannarino stopped for two before whining to the assembled children that he had another match to play. Whatever. It must have worked, as he won his second round match later against Edouard Roger Vasselin in three.

Mannarino….

Rajeev Ram is a giant killer, and he keeps on killing. After knocking off top seed John Isner yesterday, he claimed Yuichi Sugita 6-4, 6-3.

Ito and Coach Celebrate

Tatsuma Ito was cool and composed as he headed to the quarters by virtue of his workmanlike 6-4 6-4 victory over American Steve Johnson. Ito has JP Smith in tomorrow’s quarterfinal.

Jack Sock gave everyone a scare after the fans lost Isner to the Curse of the Cup yesterday. After an abysmal first set, Sock escaped a second set tiebreak before winning the third set 6-4.

And how about crusty old Jan Hernych, who at 36 has played more tennis than anyone here at Newport this week? His fifth consecutive victory at the tournament propelled the veteran player into the quarters. Take that, Tommy Haas and Mark Philippoussis.

Just starting are Dustin Brown and Sam Querrey. Ivo Karlovic and Malek Jaziri are already underway. It is pea soup in Newport right now, so don’t be surprised if some portion of a match needs to be completed tomorrow.

See you tomorrow in Newport!

Maiden Title Mania in Halle and Queen’s as Klaasen/Ram and Mahut/Herbert win their first ATP level titles as a team
Joe Craven, Tennis Atlantic

It was a week of maiden titles on the ATP doubles tour as both the Halle and Queen’s titles were won by teams who had never won an ATP level title before. Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram were able to capture the title in Halle, whilst Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert were victorious at Queen’s.

ATP London Queens

Embed from Getty Images

Mahut and Herbert sealed their first ATP level doubles title as a team by beating the team of Nenad Zimonjic and Marcin Matkowski in the final. Even though Mahut and Herbert were seeded lower then their opponents in the Final, the Frenchmen had the advantage going into the match as they played their Semi Final on Friday, whilst Zimonjic and Matkowski had to play theirs on the same day as the Final. Mahut and Herbert only faced three break points against their serve and were able to seal a 6-2 6-2 victory in just 47 minutes.

The pair didn’t drop a set all tournament, notching wins against the teams of Hewitt/Kokkinakis, Anderson/Chardy and Peya/Soares on their way to the Final. This win certainly meant a lot to the Frenchmen and after falling short in both the Australian Open Final earlier on in the year and the s’Hertogenbosch Final last week, Herbert described the win as “a dream”. The 24 year old who had never played at Queen’s Club before this year went on to say that “Everything we did was working. We know that if we play well, it will be difficult for our opponents, so we just focused on what we could do.”. After steady success this year the pair now sit 6th in the doubles race to the ATP World Tour Finals and for Mahut, who had grass court success in singles last week winning s’Hertogenbosch, it’s definitely a target, which the frenchman stating that “We hope to have a good run in the next few weeks, but for sure the goal is to come back to London later this year.”

Herbert will now play in the Wimbledon Singles Qualifying draw, whilst Mahut will have time to prepare for the main draw of both singles and doubles, after being awarded wildcard into the singles competition last week.

ATP Halle

The fresh pairing of Klaasen and Ram were able to capture the Halle title on Sunday. Playing only their second ATP level event as a team, they were able to defeat the team of Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the final. The road to the Final wasn’t wasn’t easy for the pairing, despite only dropping one set throughout the tournament they had to play a tiebreak in 5 out of the 8 regular sets they played, all of which they won. Klaasen and Ram defeated the teams of Tipsarevic/Tomic, Cuevas/Marrero in the 1st and 2nd rounds respectively, before saving two match points against Rojer/Tecau in the Semi Final.

After only teaming up recently, the team has already flourished, with a Final at the Challenger level in Manchester as well as a Quarter Final in S’Hertogenbosch. It was the first ATP level doubles title for Ram in over 3 years (St Petersburg 2012) who said that the team “started the match a little bit slowly”, however things got easier for the pair as the match went on with Ram going onto explain that “we played very clean [in the second set]. We communicated well and we were ready for our opportunities.” The experience of playing on Centre Court seemed to make Klaasen enjoy the occasion even more, with the South African stating that “Playing on the Centre Court was something special” and that he will “definitely be coming back”.

The pairing will now head straight to the ATP 250 event in Nottingham to continue their preparations for Wimbledon, a tournament which they’ll be confident about doing well in.

Joe Craven TA Watermark

2015 RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas (Challenger) Day 4 Recap: Ram tops flustered Rublev, Trungelliti surges back against Kuznetsov
Jeff McMillan, Tennis Atlantic

Day 4 @ the 2015 RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas

On an unnaturally freezing cold day in Dallas, Texas the action at the RBC Tennis Championships, the Dallas Challenger was heating up and I was there to witness the action.

The quarterfinals of the singles draw began at the conclusion of the first doubles match, around roughly 12:45 local time. The first singles match on pitted Alex Kuznetsov vs Marco Trungelliti. Both players were making a surprise quarterfinal appearance, the former knocking off the #1 seed Mikhail Kukushkin in round 1 and the latter fighting through qualifying all the way through to the quarters.

The match began with the American Kuznetsov on fire, sticking to an effective one-two punch formula of a big serve setting up a put away shot from the ground. Kuzentsov’s coach and girlfriend who were sitting close by enjoyed the first set. They were pleased with their guy’s strong play and how well he was able to enforce his will upon the match, for the time being the atmosphere relaxed among the Kuznetsov team. But in the 2nd set Trungelliti began to slowly turn the tide. It was evident from the first ball of set #2 that the Argentinian was going to give it his all in his attempt to get the semifinals. Suddenly Kuznetsov was not holding serve as easily as Trungelliti began to get deep into the service games of the American. But despite the pressure being applied in each service game, the break did not come immediately and I began to wonder if the missed opportunities for Trungelliti would come back to haunt him as he made a few poor shot selection choices on deuce and break points early in the set. However the break eventually came thanks to the consistent pressure and cracked Kuznetsov’s previously rigid game plan. Up 5-3 in the 2nd set, the 25-year-old Argentinian successfully served out the set without drama setting up a 3rd set showdown.

In the 3rd set, some frustrations began to boil over for Kuznetsov. He got agitated at some pretty straightforward calls, disputing the length of time that it took the chair to overrule clear errors from the lines people. The 3rd set quickly fell in step with the same pattern as the 2nd set, Treungelliti getting deep into the Kuznetosv service games, not allowing Kuznetsov to relax at any moment. Inevitably Trungelliti got a break and finished off the match 1-6 6-3 6-4, much to the dismay of Kuznetsov who chucked his racquet just two points from losing the match.

Marco Trungelliti

The key to the match turnaround from Marco Trungelliti was was his ability to use an all court game to disrupt the straightforward approach from Kuznetsov. He hit a few killer lobs, some deft slices and even mixed in net approaches, which Kuznetsov was not able to nor was he ready to handle. I was impressed with Trungelliti’s ability to find angles off the forehand wing and mix his play in just enough ways to get the big win.

The 2nd match of the day that I attended was the highly anticipated matchup between old and new. 30 year old Rajeev Ram vs 17 year old Andrey Rublev. Immediately I could tell that all the hype that has been surrounding Rublev is definitely justified. The young Russian has a very live arm on the forehand side and can crank the ball with a flashy whip of the arm. He also has good variety for his age on that wing, able to flatten out his weapon as well as use good topspin to find the angles. There were several flashy forehands that flew off the Rublev racquet throughout the match, each of which prompted oohs and ahs from the crowd. Rublev blasted his way to an impressive 6-3 first set win, leaving the veteran American on his heels.

But the former University of Illinois Fightin’ Illini legend is never to be counted out and he showed his experience as the match wore on. Rublev showed his immaturity a few times by showing clear dissatisfaction on his face and in his body language after a poor shot even if he was leading in a game. In the 2nd set Rublev dropped his racquet on two straight points in frustration and finally slammed the racquet into oblivion on the third point in the sequence, sealing Ram’s seizure of momentum and flipping the pressure to the young Russian. Ram would win the 2nd set 6-2 following a crucial 2nd break, which allowed him to serve first in the 3rd set.

The 3rd set was a battle in every sense of the word. Rublev shed the negativity he showed in the 2nd set and put on a new competitive coat ready to go to battle. Ram on the other side, buckled down and got ready to give the youngster his best shot. Each player made some great shots, Rublev blasting forehands and Ram coming up with some truly incredible volleys. Ram bossed the Russian on his service games, often finding the corners again and again much to the dismay of Rublev, who was outwardly incredulous. At the business end of the set neither player showed any nerves. But all it takes is a couple points to decide a match. At 30-30 5-6 on Rublev’s service game, the young Russian got a bit too bold and went for an untimely down the line change of direction backhand winner, which instead of finding the open court found the tape instead, putting him down match point. A double fault ended the great 3rd set battle, giving Rajeev Ram the 3-6 6-2 7-5 victory. Fan applause rained down as Andrey Rublev quickly shuffled off the court, to the locker rooms, a hoodie over his head, clearly disappointed in the loss despite the overall positive week. Meanwhile Ram enjoyed the win and signed several things for fans as he will march on to face Teimuraz Gabashvilli in the semifinals.

Rajeev Ram

The semifinals are now set in Dallas. Friday will see warmer temperatures and even higher stakes at the Dallas Challenger. Teymuraz Gabashvilli vs Rajeev Ram and Tim Smyczek vs Marco Trungelliti.

Jeff McMillan (Clemson)

Baker, R. Harrison, Williams, Ram Headline @USOpen Men’s Wild Card Field

Posted by Admin on August 13, 2013

Posted in: ATP, US Open, US Open Wild Card Playoffs, USTA, Wild Card Playoffs. Tagged: 2013, Brian Baker, dennis novikov, mitchell krueger, new york, rajeev ram, rhyne williams, Ryan Harrison, us, us open, usta, Wild Cards. Leave a comment

BRIAN BAKER, RYAN HARRISON HEADLINE MEN’S US OPEN WILD CARD RECIPIENTS

Photo Retweeted by Ben Rothenburg of Harrison Signing Busted Racquet for the Fan who Snagged It. (Now Famous)

Teenagers Christian Harrison, Mitchell Krueger, Dennis Novikov, Noah Rubin, Jared Donaldson Get Qualifying WCs

FLUSHING, N.Y., August 13, 2013 – The USTA announced today that Brian Baker, playing in his first Grand Slam since the 2013 Australian Open, 2012 Olympian and former world No. 43 Ryan Harrison, 2010 NCAA singles champion Bradley Klahn and 2011 NCAA singles finalist Rhyne Williams have been awarded men’s singles main draw wild card entries into the 2013 US Open. Other American men receiving US Open main draw wild cards are Rajeev Ram and 2013 USTA Boys’ 18s champion Collin Altamirano. Australia’s James Duckworth and France’s Guillaume Rufin will also receive wild cards.

The 2013 US Open will be played August 26-September 9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Both the men’s and women’s singles champions this year will earn $2.6 million, the largest payout in tennis history, with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money – for a total $3.6 million potential payout – based on their performances in the Emirates Airline US Open Series.

Brian Baker, Newport 2013

Baker, 28, of Nashville, Tenn., is attempting to make yet another remarkable comeback from injury. After being sidelined since the 2013 Australian Open in January, when he suffered a significant knee injury during his second-round match against Sam Querrey, Baker returned to competitive play last week at the USTA Pro Circuit $100,000 Challenger in Aptos, Calif., and has advanced to the second round of this week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on the Emirates Airline US Open Series. Baker, now ranked No. 185, ascended to No. 52 in the world in 2012 after injuries kept him sidelined for nearly six years.

Harrison, 21, of Shreveport, La., rose to No. 43 in the world in 2012, the year in which he also represented the U.S. in the London Olympics and in Davis Cup. On the Emirates Airline US Open Series this summer, Harrison, now ranked No. 102, reached the semifinals at the BB&T Atlanta Open and defeated former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

Klahn

Klahn, 22, of Poway, Calif., earned a US Open wild card as the top American points earner at select USTA Pro Circuit events this summer. The 2010 NCAA singles champion while a sophomore at Stanford, Klahn won the USTA Pro Circuit $100,000 Challenger in Aptos, Calif., last week, catapulting to a career high rank of No. 123. Last year, Klahn received a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, qualified and reached the second round, becoming the first men’s qualifying wild card to win a US Open main draw match.

Wiliams

Williams, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn., reached his first ATP semifinal in Houston this year and played in the main draws of the French Open and the Australian Open, winning a USTA playoff to gain entry into the latter. Now at a career-high rank of No. 114, He was a 2011 NCAA singles finalist while at Tennessee, and his grandfather, Michael DePalmer, Sr., was the Volunteers’ longtime coach who helped found the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

Rajeev Ram. Newport 2013

Ram, 29, of Carmel, Ind., is the highest ranked American who did not receive direct entry into the US Open at the entry deadline. Ram owns one singles title (Newport, 2009) and seven doubles titles on the ATP World Tour and has been ranked as high as No. 78 in singles. Ram qualified and reached the second round of the 2013 Australian Open.

Altamirano, 17, of Yuba City, Calif., earned his wild card by winning the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championship singles title, doing so in historic fashion. Altamirano became the first unseeded player to win the tournament in the 71 years it has called Kalamazoo, Mich., home.

Duckworth, 21, of Sydney, Australia, received a wild card through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, which will grant an American a wild card into the 2014 Australian Open, to be determined by a USTA playoff (Rhyne Williams was the 2013 winner). Currently at a career-high rank of No. 150, Duckworth reached the second round of the 2013 Australian Open and qualified for both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.

Rufin, 23, of Charnay, France, received his wild card through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation, which awarded a wild card into the 2013 French Open to an American player designated by the USTA (Alex Kuznetsov won the USTA Pro-Circuit event-based system this year). Rufin, currently ranked No. 92, has played in all three Grand Slam main draws this year, reaching the second round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

In addition to the eight US Open men’s singles main draw wild cards, the USTA also announced eight men who have been awarded wild card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, which will be held August 20-23 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. One additional US Open qualifying wild card will be awarded to the winner of the 2013 US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship, taking place August 16-19 in New Haven, Conn.

Players receiving 2013 US Open qualifying wild cards are: 2013 USTA Boys’ 18s National Championship runner-up Jared Donaldson (16, Cumberland, R.I.); 2011 French Open boys’ champion Bjorn Fratangelo (20, Pittsburgh, Pa.), who has won three Futures titles in 2013; Christian Harrison (19, Shreveport, La.), who reached the 2012 US Open doubles quarterfinals with his older brother, Ryan Harrison; Jarmere Jenkins (22, College Park, Ga.), who came one win short of winning the NCAA triple crown this summer, leading Virginia to its first NCAA team title, winning the NCAA doubles title and reaching the NCAA singles final; former Wimbledon and French Open boys’ semifinalist Mitchell Krueger (19, Fort Worth, Texas), who won his first pro singles title in June; UCLA sophomore Dennis Novikov (19, San Jose, Calif.), the 2012 USTA Boys’ 18s national champion who defeated 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz in the first round of last year’s US Open; local teenager Noah Rubin (17, Rockville Centre, N.Y.), who has been as high as No. 6 in the world junior rankings; and Tennys Sandgren (22, Gallatin, Tenn.), a former standout at Tennessee who has won five USTA Pro Circuit Futures singles titles in the last two years.

The 2013 US Open will be held Monday, August 26, through Monday, September 9. Tickets for the 2013 US Open can be purchased four ways: 1) at USOpen.org; 2) by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX; 3) at all Ticketmaster outlets; or 4) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office.

@AthleticDNA Has Tennis In Its Genetic Code; Newport Merchandise Contest

Posted by Admin on July 8, 2013

Posted in: ATP, Newport. Tagged: Apparel, Athletic DNA, atp, Brian Baker, Clothing, Contest, Evan Zeder, Giveaway, rajeev ram, Seattle, Shirts, Sports, tim smyczek. Leave a comment

Athletic DNA Has Tennis In Its Genetic Code; Newport Merchandise Contest Giveaway

You probably started seeing those shirts with the little double helixes, too. At tournaments and pro shops, they just seemed to appear one day, out of the blue.

You’ll see it all week at the Tennis Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, being worn by Rajeev Ram and Tim Smyczek and special guest observer Brian Baker.

It was the brand I knew nothing about.

So I spoke with Evan Zeder, Vice President of Athletic DNA, about his company’s genesis. It is apparently the first sporting apparel company founded by tennis players since Lacoste.

THE COMPANY

Zeder’s based in New York, but the business is based in Seattle and he is on the road for about 10 months a year. He and a few other employees live out of an Athletic DNA RV that visits academies, retail shops and tournaments. It’s even a borrowed RV. “We sleep at the Wal-Mart parking lot and the motor court. We walk the walk and talk the talk”, Zeder said.

Athletic DNA One

They’re currently on the road through the US Open with swings through places like Kalamazoo.

The company started when Zeder’s former college teammate from the University of Illinois, Michael Calkins, started a tennis academy in Seattle. He was joined by another former pro, Dan Willman, in the venture.

They started with 4 kids in the 8-10 range and drilled them all day.

THE NAME

Zeder told me that “out of the original 4 kids we originally trained, 3 were ranked #1 nationally at different times, which is unheard of out of the Pacific Northwest. At some point, we said, ‘What if we branded what we do with this academy?’. One of the kid’s parents began noticing not only the changes in his son, but the other kids in this program as well. He used to drag his son out of bed and now his son is knocking on his door at 5:30 saying ‘Hey Dad, I need to be stretched and ready for practice’. We realized that their work ethic and their character traits are changing who they are. It’s in their DNA.”

Hence the name.

Rajeev Ram. Newport 2013

THE MISSION

Zeder has strong feelings on the company’s mission to change the perceptions of tennis.

For the youth market especially, tennis has not been marketed as the sport we think it is. We know that tennis has some of the best athletes in the world and it’s not being marketed that way. We know our apparel needs to withstand a three-hour match in hundred degree heat. People think tennis is a softer.Tennis is no longer for short shorts and country clubs, it’s for the best athletes in the world. We’re here to showcase those athletes.

“Especially opposed to children now rather than when I grew up, there’s been a drastic change from an apparel perspective. Athletes don’t wear cotton anymore. They wear high-performance apparel and from a youth perspective, there wasn’t anyone there to service that community. The big brands don’t totally service the junior community.”

The company has an incentive-based program for junior players to earn points toward a sponsorship from the company.

THE PROS

Tim Smyczek, Athletic DNA Shareholder

ADNA has 8 sponsored players on the ATP tour. Rob Kendrick and Peter Luczak were their first signs when the company started in 2007. In addition to 2013 Newport players Tim Smyczek and Rajeev Ram, the roster includes Alex Bogomolov, Tennys Sandgren, Dennis Nevolo, Brian Baker and Daniel Kosakowski. Baker is actually here in Newport this week, but did not enter the event.

Brian Baker, Newport 2013

We don’t sign players who wear the brand to wear it. We sign guys who believe in what we’re doing. A unique thing about our company is that a certain percentage of stock is allotted to our pro athletes. They don’t just wear a brand. They’re a part of it as well. They’re making in an investment in us and we’re making an investment in them.

All the guys that we have possess a ton of upside. I want them to have a reputation as one of the harder-working professionals out there.

The average age of a top 100 ATP player is 28 years old. We’re looking for guys who’ve had some experience, too.

I wondered if it was all about the guys, since I noticed women’s apparel in the latest catalog.

“Currently, we’re looking at WTA players to bring in within the next three to four months. Our initial line was not where we needed it to be. When we sponsor a WTA player, we want her to wear only our product. Up until this point, we have not had a full selection for a player to wear on and off the court. Now, our women’s line has made some new improvements.”

THE CON(TEST)

It’s an upstart outfit born of tennis with a team of the scrappiest players in men’s tennis. What’s not to love? And the fact that the clothes are designed by tennis players make me think they won’t fall apart on me or make me self-immolate on a hot Mid-Atlantic summer day on a concrete court. Try one for yourself. We’ll be giving away one men’s ADNA shirt and one women’s shirt at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island this Thursday.

Just follow @TennisEastCoast on twitter and be the first person to find me on the grounds on Tuesday during the 1st Thursday Center Court match when the tweets goes out.

Good luck!

—Steve Fogleman

2012 ATP Newport: Rajeev Ram’s Wild Ride and Frustrating Kei Nishikori (VIDEO)

Posted by Admin on July 14, 2012

Posted in: ATP, Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport. Tagged: atp, hall of fame tennis, Kei Nishikori, lleyton hewitt, Newport, rajeev ram. Leave a comment

Rajeev Ram may have lost today to two-time Grand Slam Champion Lleyton Hewitt in a three setter to past Hall of Fame Tennis Champion Ram, but the memory of Rajeev dominating Kei Nishikori in Wednesday’s quarterfinal is still fresh in my mental cache. It takes a lot to get Nishikori to start dropping F-bombs midway through the first set, but that is exactly what happened twenty seconds into the three-minute video above.

Ah, fans: This lady told him he didn’t look so old close up!

May I also say that there’s no place like home? Judy Garland may have laid claim to it already. But the broadband at home is 6 times faster than any of the hotels and media centers on the road. And the waterfront cottage where I spent my off time was powered by a phone. And in 1990’s ‘style of the time’, I literally ran out of the internet in 2 days. 5GB a month was chewed up in 48 hours, and I couldn’t even upload a photo after that. The Ram video loaded in 8 minutes back at the old Baltimore rowhouse, which would have been 95 anywhere else during my travels in Little Rhody or Greater Tennisdom, for that matter.