Cincinnati Practice Observations

[BeatlesFan]

If you happened to be in the same position now, the moment you started talking to Zverev, he probably would have just gotten up and moved to a different seat without saying a word.

I agree. I first saw Zverev in person at Indian Wells in 2016, watching him practice and then almost beat Rafa in an early round. He was not obnoxious and seemed pleasant enough. I remember the crowds liking him and being in awe of his serve.

But by 2017, his ego had exploded and he's been awful ever since. Sadly, Shapo has been rude too the last 2 years. But Zverev is an entirely different level of sullen arrogance.

The nicest players to fans in my experience are Casper (wonderful to everyone), Rublev and Carlos. Felix is very polite too. Rublev is just so funny and sweet, especially to kids. Djokovic also has never been anything but professional and very friendly to fans.

Anyway, I hope we get more first hand reports from Cincy!

 

[CHIP72]

Everyone wants the tournament to stay. The local newscasts have said a decision should come in late August.

Is it is given that both the ATP and WTA tournaments would move, or is it possible only one of them (more likely the WTA event) would change locations?

 

[DSH]

Everyone wants the tournament to stay. The local newscasts have said a decision should come in late August.

Thanks for the clarification.
From 2025 the draw will be expanded to 96 participants, is this tournament ready to expand its tennis infrastructure?

 

[BeatlesFan]

Taylor Fritz is another jerk. I saw him shoving past a very small crowd yesterday refusing to even make eye contact.

I agree on Fritz, I've never liked him and saw several of his matches as a junior. He was haughty even at 15. I assume his arrogance stems from the fact he grew up incredibly wealthy and privileged. His family is one of the richer ones in California, and that's saying something.

He was insufferable at IW this year because he was the defending champion and it's his home tournament. And his "influencer" GF is another pain, but curiously, she was very nice to fans.

 

[Open Stance]

Thanks for the clarification.
From 2025 the draw will be expanded to 96 participants, is this tournament ready to expand its tennis infrastructure?

No it is not. While it is a very nice facility (I would say the third best in North America behind USO and IW) they probably need to add 15-20 (or more) practice courts plus a bunch of other stuff to accommodate players, VIPs, etc. Right now they have to use a nearby high school for overflow practice courts (they've set it up pretty nice). There is a new proposal for a significant upgrade to the facility which would cost about $150M (the local and state governments have committed $48M to that upgrade already).

 

[Open Stance]

Is it is given that both the ATP and WTA tournaments would move, or is it possible only one of them (more likely the WTA event) would change locations?

I believe the new owner bought the entire tournament so I would assume both.

 

[shamaho]

I'd say it's pretty intense. Probably an 8 out of 10. They certainly aren't going through the motions. It's competitive and intense but they aren't trying to rip each other's throats out. What was interesting is how there isn't much to the line calls. They both seem to know it's either in or out. On a very close call the player in the near court may make a subtle point or even a nod after the fact. They also never say the score. They know what it is. It seems like the coaches primary jobs during the practice sets are to pick up the balls.

matches exactly with my observations at the european clay court at Estoril.

 

[shamaho]

I went to the Western and Southern Open today to watch some qualifying and practice. It's nice because I live on the golf course that's adjacent to the WSO facility so I can just walk over to the tennis complex. Here is what I saw...some of it was interesting, some of it maybe not. Keep in mind a lot of this is small sample size. I think it's just as much fun watching the top pros practice as it is watching matches. Especially when you are right next to the court. Due to the limited number of practice courts early in the tournament, most pros are paired up practicing with another pro. They usually hit for about 15 minutes to warm up then play a practice set.

Tiafoe and Chris Eubanks were practicing together. Eubanks has a LOT of game. Big serve, big forehand, uses his height well. He has a HUGE kick serve. Of course he's error prone too. Tiafoe was the steadier of the two but it was pretty even the 4-5 games I watched.

Zverev was playing with Emil Ruusuvuori. Man, Z crushes the ball. He was missing a lot of serves though. First and second. Emil was getting the best of him just because Sasha was missing so much. Sasha speaks in Russian when he isn't happy and he was speaking a fair amount of Russian today.

Korda and Kecmanovic. Miomir has legs like tree trunks. He hits a very heavy ball too. Doesn't cover the corners very well though. Korda looked just ok to me. Started a little slow and was playing better before I left for another court. I know he's just getting back into tournament play. He has a smooth game and generates good power with little effort.

Rune played a set with Wawrinka. Holger looked out of sorts to me. A lot of errors and a few shanks even. Stan won their set.

Tsitsipas played with Grigor Dmitrov. Nothing really stood out to me....only watched a couple of games. The most interesting thing about it was who was with Tsitsipas. Philippoussis was on court with him but no papa. Paula B was sitting on the chair inside the court watching. Pretty sure she's injured right now so that kind of makes sense given their relationship. She looked kind of bored until she started talking to Leila Fernandez who practicing on the court next to her.

There was a lot of other activity going on. Khachanov and Coric were practicing. Dan Evans was there...he looks like a surly type of guy. Saw Berretinni, Musetti, Mannarino (dude is surprisingly ripped), FAA, Norrie, Sonnego.

Fan turnout looked to be great as well especially for the Saturday before the tournament even starts. Hard to believe they would even consider relocating this event. Should be a great tournament.

At tourneys I enjoy the practices as much (if not more) as/than the matches themselves.

I watch how they deal with things not quite working in one or another dept.
How they experiment with and callibrate certain shots.
Whenever I can understand the coach/athelete mumbled exchanges, body language, etc...
Their work ethics, etc
much, much to watch and learn from practices

 

[Rattie]

I went to the Western and Southern Open today to watch some qualifying and practice. It's nice because I live on the golf course that's adjacent to the WSO facility so I can just walk over to the tennis complex. Here is what I saw...some of it was interesting, some of it maybe not. Keep in mind a lot of this is small sample size. I think it's just as much fun watching the top pros practice as it is watching matches. Especially when you are right next to the court. Due to the limited number of practice courts early in the tournament, most pros are paired up practicing with another pro. They usually hit for about 15 minutes to warm up then play a practice set.

Tiafoe and Chris Eubanks were practicing together. Eubanks has a LOT of game. Big serve, big forehand, uses his height well. He has a HUGE kick serve. Of course he's error prone too. Tiafoe was the steadier of the two but it was pretty even the 4-5 games I watched.

Zverev was playing with Emil Ruusuvuori. Man, Z crushes the ball. He was missing a lot of serves though. First and second. Emil was getting the best of him just because Sasha was missing so much. Sasha speaks in Russian when he isn't happy and he was speaking a fair amount of Russian today.

Korda and Kecmanovic. Miomir has legs like tree trunks. He hits a very heavy ball too. Doesn't cover the corners very well though. Korda looked just ok to me. Started a little slow and was playing better before I left for another court. I know he's just getting back into tournament play. He has a smooth game and generates good power with little effort.

Rune played a set with Wawrinka. Holger looked out of sorts to me. A lot of errors and a few shanks even. Stan won their set.

Tsitsipas played with Grigor Dmitrov. Nothing really stood out to me....only watched a couple of games. The most interesting thing about it was who was with Tsitsipas. Philippoussis was on court with him but no papa. Paula B was sitting on the chair inside the court watching. Pretty sure she's injured right now so that kind of makes sense given their relationship. She looked kind of bored until she started talking to Leila Fernandez who practicing on the court next to her.

There was a lot of other activity going on. Khachanov and Coric were practicing. Dan Evans was there...he looks like a surly type of guy. Saw Berretinni, Musetti, Mannarino (dude is surprisingly ripped), FAA, Norrie, Sonnego.

Fan turnout looked to be great as well especially for the Saturday before the tournament even starts. Hard to believe they would even consider relocating this event. Should be a great tournament.

Thank you! Really enjoyed reading this; there is nothing quite like a real first hand experience. Bothering to wrote it down and share it is much appreciated.

 

[CHIP72]

What do the locals say that Cincinnati will no longer host a category 1000 tournament on the ATP circuit?

I can't speak as well about the Cincinnati Open as people who live in the Cincinnati area can, but I CAN tell you that there is considerable advertising for the tournament in the Cincinnati area. When I attended the tournament last year, there was a ton of signage at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (the primary airport in the Cincinnati area) welcoming visitors and promoting the tournament.

Also, if you do an internet search on "Cincinnati Open moving to Charlotte" or something similar, you'll see various articles on Charlotte's/North Carolina's efforts to secure funding for a tennis facility and also the Cincinnati area's/Ohio's efforts to obtain additional funding to expand the site.

I feel VERY strongly the tournament should not be moved. The current facility is very nice IMO (though the way the parking is set up is kind of amusing - with the free parking there are golf cart shuttles from the grassy fields where you park to the box office/front gate), not at the level of the USTA NTC in New York (I've attended the U.S. Open six different years) but still very good and miles better than what we have in the DC area. (I can't comment on Indian Wells or Miami because I have not yet attended either tournament, though that will probably change with both of them within the next 3-4 years.) Various upgrades have been made at the Lindner Family Tennis Center over the years since it was opened in 1979. IMO, the Grandstand Court (Court 2 immediately south of the main stadium) and the Porsche Court/Court 10 (currently the #4 court at the facility and previously the #3 court) are among the best courts in pro tennis to watch matches, comparable to courts like Court 17 and Courts 10 & 13 at the USTA NTC.

 

[Hitman]

Wasn't Federer going to buy Cincinnati?

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

@mike danny very jealous you got to see Kecmanovic in the flesh.

 

[robyrolfo]

I've spent entire day there today. I must say that this Badosa/Tsitsipas thing is soooo weird. She literally looks like a groupie sitting in the corner of the court while Tsitsipas is practicing. It is _not_ a good look. Thankfully I think not too many casual folks know who she is. But for me it was such a strange vibe - having a pretty good female tennis player act as an add-on to a male player.

I do not know how to explain it. But for example, later on Svitolina was hitting with Monfils. That felt natural.

First off, I think she is hurt right now. But what's wrong with her just sitting there?

Badosa and Tsitsipas seem to be in that super-in-love phase of a new relationship, and I think it's fun to watch. We have all been there, when you don't want to spend even a single minute away from the other person. I don't get all the haters. She is gorgeous, and I think he is considered a very good looking guy, so good for them!

Badosa is a total biotch too. Saw her stiff two little kids asking for a pic rushing to go be a groupie and sit on Tsits’ court. Just a jerk.

Honestly, I don't blame them getting annoyed by all the selfie stuff. It's so dumb and must be annoying. It takes way more time than an autograph, and you basically have some stranger invading your personal space. I don't understand people that have the nerve to ask for such things...

 

[Don Felder]

First off, I think she is hurt right now. But what's wrong with her just sitting there?

Badosa and Tsitsipas seem to be in that super-in-love phase of a new relationship, and I think it's fun to watch. We have all been there, when you don't want to spend even a single minute away from the other person. I don't get all the haters. She is gorgeous, and I think he is considered a very good looking guy, so good for them!


Honestly, I don't blame them getting annoyed by all the selfie stuff. It's so dumb and must be annoying. It takes way more time than an autograph, and you basically have some stranger invading your personal space. I don't understand people that have the nerve to ask for such things...

that’s fine, but you can respectfully decline instead of being an ass about it. And she had nowhere to be. I can understand someone zoning in to practice or play. She’s just out here being a groupie.

 

[bublikking]

I was there all day today, dealing with rain delays all day. Watched Tommy Paul, Mackenzie McDonald and Dan evans practice and got all three of they’re autographs after and they were so pleasant and kind and i complimented all 3 of previously played matches and they smiled and said thank you and we’re so gracious!

 

[bublikking]

Really wanted zverevs autograph for my western & southern open hat (where the aforementioned three are) and he didn’t sign any hopped in a golf cart with Marcelo melo and left I didn’t take offense but they were the only players I saw do that

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

I went around 14 years ago and it was a great experience. It was really fun watching practice. Pretty much all pros had the same 45-50 minute practice. The pros were relaxed and friendly too because W&S Open is a couple of weeks before the US Open. The year I went, it was relatively easy to get autographs of everyone except Federer, Nadal, and Safin. My son did manage to get all of them though.

 

[Vanhalen]

I went to the Western and Southern Open today to watch some qualifying and practice. It's nice because I live on the golf course that's adjacent to the WSO facility so I can just walk over to the tennis complex. Here is what I saw...some of it was interesting, some of it maybe not. Keep in mind a lot of this is small sample size. I think it's just as much fun watching the top pros practice as it is watching matches. Especially when you are right next to the court. Due to the limited number of practice courts early in the tournament, most pros are paired up practicing with another pro. They usually hit for about 15 minutes to warm up then play a practice set.

Tiafoe and Chris Eubanks were practicing together. Eubanks has a LOT of game. Big serve, big forehand, uses his height well. He has a HUGE kick serve. Of course he's error prone too. Tiafoe was the steadier of the two but it was pretty even the 4-5 games I watched.

Zverev was playing with Emil Ruusuvuori. Man, Z crushes the ball. He was missing a lot of serves though. First and second. Emil was getting the best of him just because Sasha was missing so much. Sasha speaks in Russian when he isn't happy and he was speaking a fair amount of Russian today.

Korda and Kecmanovic. Miomir has legs like tree trunks. He hits a very heavy ball too. Doesn't cover the corners very well though. Korda looked just ok to me. Started a little slow and was playing better before I left for another court. I know he's just getting back into tournament play. He has a smooth game and generates good power with little effort.

Rune played a set with Wawrinka. Holger looked out of sorts to me. A lot of errors and a few shanks even. Stan won their set.

Tsitsipas played with Grigor Dmitrov. Nothing really stood out to me....only watched a couple of games. The most interesting thing about it was who was with Tsitsipas. Philippoussis was on court with him but no papa. Paula B was sitting on the chair inside the court watching. Pretty sure she's injured right now so that kind of makes sense given their relationship. She looked kind of bored until she started talking to Leila Fernandez who practicing on the court next to her.

There was a lot of other activity going on. Khachanov and Coric were practicing. Dan Evans was there...he looks like a surly type of guy. Saw Berretinni, Musetti, Mannarino (dude is surprisingly ripped), FAA, Norrie, Sonnego.

Fan turnout looked to be great as well especially for the Saturday before the tournament even starts. Hard to believe they would even consider relocating this event. Should be a great tournament.

Hey Open Stance. We live in a Columbus suburb and we were across the street…I71 at The Great Wolf Lodge ..fri, sat, and Sunday. No tickets this year, go about every other year. Love that area. Any inside info if they are moving the tournament? It always seems well supported. If they do move, what will happen to the Linder Tennis Center?

 

[ihitlikeagirl]

I agree. I first saw Zverev in person at Indian Wells in 2016, watching him practice and then almost beat Rafa in an early round. He was not obnoxious and seemed pleasant enough. I remember the crowds liking him and being in awe of his serve.

I saw him play at that Indian Wells too! I can't remember who he played but I'm pretty sure he won so maybe it was the round before Nadal. And yes I totally agree, this was right before he "changed". He seemed sort of sweet and like he might become a favorite just because his demeanor was innocent but his play was very good. I would say his play hasn't evolved that much, even though he's put on muscle in the year or two that followed. And yeah his personality seems to have changed into something not great. To be fair, some media interviews, he seems fine/charming enough.

 

[Open Stance]

Hey Open Stance. We live in a Columbus suburb and we were across the street…I71 at The Great Wolf Lodge ..fri, sat, and Sunday. No tickets this year, go about every other year. Love that area. Any inside info if they are moving the tournament? It always seems well supported. If they do move, what will happen to the Linder Tennis Center?

No insider info. I just follow what's in the local media. Last year the USTA sold the tournament to a billionaire named Ben Navarro who owns a company called Beemok Sports and Entertainment. Navarro is doing what many billionaires do when they buy a new sports team, threaten to build a sparkling new stadium in a new city and move the franchise unless local government officials pony up millions of dollars in tax revenue for upgrades or a new stadium in the current city. Beemok has proposed to build a brand new $400M facility in Charlotte which would be supported with ~$125M in tax revenue and move the WSO there. The counter proposal is to do a $150M upgrade of the current facility in Mason supported by $50M of tax payer funding (already approved by state and local governments). Based on the incredible support the tournament has enjoyed over the years, it's central location in the mid west an already existing world class facility, it would seem crazy to move it but who knows what will happen. If the tournament does move, I have no idea what will happen to the Mason facility. With Canada and the WSO moving to 12 day events starting in 2025, I think the entire summer hard court season will change but don't know how.

 

[ihitlikeagirl]

And his "influencer" GF is another pain,

yeah about Fritz' gf, ugh. I'm glad she was nice to fans. I don't know anything about her personality and definitely don't follow her but yeah she seems not bright and not a very good influencer TBH. I, personally, don't think she is cute or good looking. She's average with blonde hair, which is what makes her noticeable. I see tons of girls every day that are better looking than she is. She gives gold digger vibes.

 

[Bambooman]

I had my first experience with the pros at the Toronto event. We weren't trying to scramble for autographs and pictures but were right next to the court as Sinner and de Minaur finished their match with Rojer and Arevalo.
Rojer signed but looked like he was collecting money on Breaking Bad. Sinner signed but made zero connection and looked like someone peed in his cornflakes.
Arevalo crouched down to the height of my 9 year old son beamed into the camera and looked like he was honored to be in the picture.

Advantage Arevalo.

 

[jmnk]

First off, I think she is hurt right now. But what's wrong with her just sitting there?

Badosa and Tsitsipas seem to be in that super-in-love phase of a new relationship, and I think it's fun to watch. We have all been there, when you don't want to spend even a single minute away from the other person. I don't get all the haters. She is gorgeous, and I think he is considered a very good looking guy, so good for them!

I'm not saying there's anything 'wrong' with Badosa seating in the corner of the court. It just feels weird. Like she is an add-on. I can't explain it. I definitely do not hate her. Quite the contrary - because I like her perhaps it seems strange to me. Like I used to see her being the main person on the court, with others being there to help her during practice. And this current situation is not like that. I do not know, I likely make too much of an issue here. Let them be.

 

[Shaolin]

I went to the Western and Southern Open today to watch some qualifying and practice. It's nice because I live on the golf course that's adjacent to the WSO facility so I can just walk over to the tennis complex. Here is what I saw...some of it was interesting, some of it maybe not. Keep in mind a lot of this is small sample size. I think it's just as much fun watching the top pros practice as it is watching matches. Especially when you are right next to the court. Due to the limited number of practice courts early in the tournament, most pros are paired up practicing with another pro. They usually hit for about 15 minutes to warm up then play a practice set.

Tiafoe and Chris Eubanks were practicing together. Eubanks has a LOT of game. Big serve, big forehand, uses his height well. He has a HUGE kick serve. Of course he's error prone too. Tiafoe was the steadier of the two but it was pretty even the 4-5 games I watched.

Zverev was playing with Emil Ruusuvuori. Man, Z crushes the ball. He was missing a lot of serves though. First and second. Emil was getting the best of him just because Sasha was missing so much. Sasha speaks in Russian when he isn't happy and he was speaking a fair amount of Russian today.

Korda and Kecmanovic. Miomir has legs like tree trunks. He hits a very heavy ball too. Doesn't cover the corners very well though. Korda looked just ok to me. Started a little slow and was playing better before I left for another court. I know he's just getting back into tournament play. He has a smooth game and generates good power with little effort.

Rune played a set with Wawrinka. Holger looked out of sorts to me. A lot of errors and a few shanks even. Stan won their set.

Tsitsipas played with Grigor Dmitrov. Nothing really stood out to me....only watched a couple of games. The most interesting thing about it was who was with Tsitsipas. Philippoussis was on court with him but no papa. Paula B was sitting on the chair inside the court watching. Pretty sure she's injured right now so that kind of makes sense given their relationship. She looked kind of bored until she started talking to Leila Fernandez who practicing on the court next to her.

There was a lot of other activity going on. Khachanov and Coric were practicing. Dan Evans was there...he looks like a surly type of guy. Saw Berretinni, Musetti, Mannarino (dude is surprisingly ripped), FAA, Norrie, Sonnego.

Fan turnout looked to be great as well especially for the Saturday before the tournament even starts. Hard to believe they would even consider relocating this event. Should be a great tournament.

Great info, thanks! Fun to read first-hand accounts like these. If the tournament is still in Cincy next year my wife and I are going.

 

[BrokenForehand]

Really wanted zverevs autograph for my western & southern open hat (where the aforementioned three are) and he didn’t sign any hopped in a golf cart with Marcelo melo and left I didn’t take offense but they were the only players I saw do that

from your experience, what is the best timing to ask for autograph? When they are resting between sets or practice is all over?

 

[bublikking]

When practice is all the way over and they walk out!

 

[CHIP72]

Great info, thanks! Fun to read first-hand accounts like these. If the tournament is still in Cincy next year my wife and I are going.

Quick tip - if there is a tournament you are thinking about attending, sign up for their email list. You'll receive information about the tournament, including ticketing, shortly after it is announced.

I think the earliest the W&S Open would move to Charlotte if it does move is probably 2026. It takes time to build a hundreds of millions of dollars tennis facility. It is still very likely the 2024 tournament will be held in Mason. (The tournament is actually held about 20-25 miles NE of Cincinnati, right across Interstate 71 from Kings Island amusement park.)

 

[tennis24x7]

Just to defend Sascha Zverev a little bit - in 2015 I attended the first day of qualifying at the Washington Open. The first match I went to was between Kyle Edmund and Mischa Zverev on one of the outer courts (Court 4 or the one with the covered seats on one side for those of you familiar with the DC tournament). Shortly after I sit down in the stands I look to my right and 3 feet (1 meter) from me was a familiar looking late teenage/early 20s year old male. It took me a couple minutes, but I realized I was sitting next to Alexander Zverev, who was watching his brother's match from the stands. Mind you, at the time Zverev was only 18 years old and in the lower part of the top 100, so he wasn't widely known yet. I asked him if he was Alexander Zverev and he said he was. I also asked him why he was called Sascha (which is an uncommon name in the U.S.). He said that was his personal name and Alexander was his professional name. (I later did a bit more research and found out that Sascha has long been a common nickname for people named Alexander, especially in Eastern Europe.) I didn't want to bother the younger Zverev brother too much while his brother was playing, but he was cordial to me in the brief conversation we had.

I think getting the selfie thing has gone too far overboard. No wonder the players are getting upset. Maybe it is the kids first tournament but the player may be going through some **** of their own.

 

[Shaolin]

Quick tip - if there is a tournament you are thinking about attending, sign up for their email list. You'll receive information about the tournament, including ticketing, shortly after it is announced.

I think the earliest the W&S Open would move to Charlotte if it does move is probably 2026. It takes time to build a hundreds of millions of dollars tennis facility. It is still very likely the 2024 tournament will be held in Mason. (The tournament is actually held about 20-25 miles NE of Cincinnati, right across Interstate 71 from Kings Island amusement park.)

Thanks for the tip. Will catch it in person next year for sure.

 

[Torben]

If the tournament does move, I have no idea what will happen to the Mason facility. With Canada and the WSO moving to 12 day events starting in 2025, I think the entire summer hard court season will change but don't know how.

There is a rich history associated with this tournament and it would be a real shame if they moved it out of the state.

I remember watching a lot of tennis in the 70s on the local PBS station in my area and they showed the US Clay Court Championships in Indianapolis. I’m not sure if they ever showed this tournament at the time but it was one of the bigger tournaments. It was called the Cincinnati Open in the 70s and has been changed for reasons unknown to me. Maybe WCT or jrepac can clarify that for me, as they may know more about it.

Hope they can keep it there where it belongs.

 

[jmnk]

It seems more and more that this 'moving to Charlotte' thing is just a ploy to #1)get money from city/state to expand the facility, and #2)get people to buy tickets now as it might be the last chance. I do not know if #1 is working - but #2 surely is. I've been coming to Cincy every year and I have never seen a mid-week session completely sold out. And having an overflow parking space way out of the site so people have to be bussed in. And that was the case today.

Now, that still on-going Alcaraz vs Thompson match is absolutely unwatchable. Plus it is really late. Center court is fairly empty. If you have a causal fan watching, and he learns this is a #1 player in the world playing - that's not a good look for tennis.

 

[Torben]

It seems more and more that this 'moving to Charlotte' thing is just a ploy to #1)get money from city/state to expand the facility, and #2)get people to buy tickets now as it might be the last chance. I do not know if #1 is working - but #2 surely is.

Once you get politics involved in sports things can go one way or another. It sounds like the option #1 would be the option all the fans would welcome for sure. People in the area will have a lot more insight with news casts and local updates via the various news avenues in the area.

It looks like Alcaraz may just squeak out a win if he can hold a few more times. I like that Aussie Thompson as a player. I’ve watched him a few times and he comes to play.

 

[Open Stance]

It seems more and more that this 'moving to Charlotte' thing is just a ploy to #1)get money from city/state to expand the facility, and #2)get people to buy tickets now as it might be the last chance. I do not know if #1 is working - but #2 surely is. I've been coming to Cincy every year and I have never seen a mid-week session completely sold out. And having an overflow parking space way out of the site so people have to be bussed in. And that was the case today.

Now, that still on-going Alcaraz vs Thompson match is absolutely unwatchable. Plus it is really late. Center court is fairly empty. If you have a causal fan watching, and he learns this is a #1 player in the world playing - that's not a good look for tennis.

#1 has worked as well as the state and local governments have already approved $48M in tax payer funds to upgrade the Mason facility. It’s sports ownership 101. Billionaire buys sports franchise. Finds another city that doesn’t have a franchise and make plans to build a shiny new stadium and then threatens the local community with moving the franchise if the local politicians don’t give them millions in funding for new or upgraded stadium.

 

[LaVie en Rose]

Rublev Ruusuvuori was crazy match . Hard flat hitting on a fast slick court . Hot head Andrey was losing his mind multiple times , Emil barely changed his facial expression over 3h. What a contrast!

 

[BeatlesFan]

I hope one of you Ohioans can attend some matches today and give us some first-hand observations. Court 4 looks good, that will feature Zverev, then Ruud, then Holger. Any pics of the players are welcome too.

 

[tkramer15]

Having back-to-back M1000s on consecutive weeks just doesn't work. Tiafoe played last night as well. They are supposed to expand both Canada and Cincinnati (hoping the tournament stays in Cincinnati) to 96 players / 12 days starting in 2025 so I expect to see some significant changes to the summer hard court schedule in the future.

Totally agree with your assessment of the pending draw size and tourney duration increase for both Canada and Cincy. I wrote at length about it in a separate post a couple of months ago.

While the move will help those ranked in the lower half of the top 100, it is almost certain to be vilified by most higher-ranked players. Djokovic and Murray already voiced their displeasure/concern. Burnout, injuries, etc. have long been a problem, particularly by the time we get into mid-late summer.

I have no idea how the calendar can accommodate consecutive two week Masters events crammed between Wimbledon and the US Open. Unless the US Open were to be moved back and/or Cincinnati was arranged to run up until the day before the US Open begins (both are incredibly unlikely), Canada would need to start one week after Wimbledon's conclusion. The Washington D.C. event would apparently begin immediately after the Wimbledon final?! It's unclear what would happen to traditional European clay events such as Gstaad, Bastad, Kitzbuhel, Hamburg and Umag or even tourneys such as Newport, Atlanta or Los Cabos.

Look at how many mid-tourney withdrawals and retirements occurred in Cincy this week. That's the players' way of saying "We've already played so much tennis by August. We can't possibly be expected to play and excel in two Masters tournaments traditionally played in heat and humidity with season's final grand slam a week or so away."

 

[tkramer15]

I hope one of you Ohioans can attend some matches today and give us some first-hand observations. Court 4 looks good, that will feature Zverev, then Ruud, then Holger. Any pics of the players are welcome too.

I attended Cincy on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. I watched a lot of Wednesday's Court 4 action and will provide some insights later.

 

[CHIP72]

Wasn't Federer going to buy Cincinnati?

Federer owned the Cincinnati Open for a few years but I don't think he ever planned to buy it.

 

[Hitman]

Federer owned the Cincinnati Open for a few years but I don't think he ever planned to buy it.

I thought he going to become tournament director.

What Happened to Roger Federer-Backed Firm Wanting to Buy $200,000,000 Worth Cincinnati Open? - The SportsRush

Roger Federer is attempting to do business in tennis, but missed out with the Cincinnati Masters narrowly in 2022.

thesportsrush.com

 

[tkramer15]

I can't speak as well about the Cincinnati Open as people who live in the Cincinnati area can, but I CAN tell you that there is considerable advertising for the tournament in the Cincinnati area. When I attended the tournament last year, there was a ton of signage at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (the primary airport in the Cincinnati area) welcoming visitors and promoting the tournament.

Also, if you do an internet search on "Cincinnati Open moving to Charlotte" or something similar, you'll see various articles on Charlotte's/North Carolina's efforts to secure funding for a tennis facility and also the Cincinnati area's/Ohio's efforts to obtain additional funding to expand the site.

I feel VERY strongly the tournament should not be moved. The current facility is very nice IMO (though the way the parking is set up is kind of amusing - with the free parking there are golf cart shuttles from the grassy fields where you park to the box office/front gate), not at the level of the USTA NTC in New York (I've attended the U.S. Open six different years) but still very good and miles better than what we have in the DC area. (I can't comment on Indian Wells or Miami because I have not yet attended either tournament, though that will probably change with both of them within the next 3-4 years.) Various upgrades have been made at the Lindner Family Tennis Center over the years since it was opened in 1979. IMO, the Grandstand Court (Court 2 immediately south of the main stadium) and the Porsche Court/Court 10 (currently the #4 court at the facility and previously the #3 court) are among the best courts in pro tennis to watch matches, comparable to courts like Court 17 and Courts 10 & 13 at the USTA NTC.

Excellent observations. I've attended Cincy every year since 1996 and have been to Indian Wells several times, the old Key Biscayne venue several times, Queen's in London, Charleston and D.C. Taking everything into consideration, Cincy is clearly the best of that group. Of course events like Monte Carlo, Rome, Paris, Shanghai, etc. are held in luxurious surroundings and/or massive global cities. But if we're strictly talking about the venue, player accessibility/closeness, ease of getting into match courts, food, etc., Cincy is unlikely to be matched.

Indian Wells has a larger venue with more greenspace, a better parking setup and of course greater scenery, but in my opinion, it falls short of Cincy in every other key area. As you astutely pointed out, Cincy's Grandstand and Porsche Court 10 are perhaps the two best match viewing courts in the US, if not the world. Due to the way that these courts were constructed, you can almost always find a seat. This isn't the case at Indian Wells' outer courts. Some may disagree, but Indian Wells' second stadium, although beautifully constructed, does not hold a candle to Cincy's Grandstand in terms of accessibility and closeness. The upper seats at Indian Wells feel distant.

 

[bobleenov1963]

Tennis Channel, the Indian dude (can't remember his name at the moment), interviewed the CEO of Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) during the Cincy Tennis Master 1000 today around 1:40pm.... Go figure.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Tennis Channel, the Indian dude (can't remember his name at the moment), interviewed the CEO of Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) during the Cincy Tennis Master 1000 today around 1:40pm.... Go figure.

He's Prakash Amritraj. He recently covered the ridiculous Pickleball match between Agassi-Mac and Roddick-Chang.

 

[jmnk]

from your experience, what is the best timing to ask for autograph? When they are resting between sets or practice is all over?

the best time is after a player won a match. Obviously if a player is popular there will be a lot of people waiting.
Second bets time is after player finished practice. Most players will sign autographs then, but some most popular will not. Also it better be practice on the day when a player is not playing a match, or if it is an afternoon/evening practice after a midday match.
Note that practice is different than 'prematch hitting/warmup'. Before the match players are so hyped up/focused that they will not sign. Perhaps it is also superstition.
Obviously the less known a player is the more likely it is he/she will sign whenever.
Rarely players will sign a couple of autographs after a losing match. Azarenka did after losing to Vekic. Very nice of her.
Sometimes you may randomly run into a lesser known player on his/her way to practice, and they may sign if you ask. Happened to me many times. Most of the time public does not know if a given person walking with a tennis bag is even a tennis player, so it is not like there's a lot of folks following them.
Lastly players will also sign on the way from the gate to the player's lounge entrance. There's a little area there, it seems some kids are there _all the time_ instead of watching matches to get autographs.

 

[jmnk]

Excellent observations. I've attended Cincy every year since 1996 and have been to Indian Wells several times, the old Key Biscayne venue several times, Queen's in London, Charleston and D.C. Taking everything into consideration, Cincy is clearly the best of that group. Of course events like Monte Carlo, Rome, Paris, Shanghai, etc. are held in luxurious surroundings and/or massive global cities. But if we're strictly talking about the venue, player accessibility/closeness, ease of getting into match courts, food, etc., Cincy is unlikely to be matched.

Indian Wells has a larger venue with more greenspace, a better parking setup and of course greater scenery, but in my opinion, it falls short of Cincy in every other key area. As you astutely pointed out, Cincy's Grandstand and Porsche Court 10 are perhaps the two best match viewing courts in the US, if not the world. Due to the way that these courts were constructed, you can almost always find a seat. This isn't the case at Indian Wells' outer courts. Some may disagree, but Indian Wells' second stadium, although beautifully constructed, does not hold a candle to Cincy's Grandstand in terms of accessibility and closeness. The upper seats at Indian Wells feel distant.

excellent points. Agree with everything. Porsche court has always been my favorite. I would add that now court #4, which they made a bit bigger stands wise this year, is also excellent. Because you can sit on court level like 10 feet from the sidelines.

Plus if you want to watch _multiple_ matches at the same time - you can get a seat in the north east corner on the last row of court #3. From there you can watch action on court #3, on court#4 (because it is right behind #3), on #7 (because it is to the right), and practices on #6 and #5 (they do not have matches on 5 and 6)

 

[tkramer15]

It seems more and more that this 'moving to Charlotte' thing is just a ploy to #1)get money from city/state to expand the facility, and #2)get people to buy tickets now as it might be the last chance. I do not know if #1 is working - but #2 surely is. I've been coming to Cincy every year and I have never seen a mid-week session completely sold out. And having an overflow parking space way out of the site so people have to be bussed in. And that was the case today.

Now, that still on-going Alcaraz vs Thompson match is absolutely unwatchable. Plus it is really late. Center court is fairly empty. If you have a causal fan watching, and he learns this is a #1 player in the world playing - that's not a good look for tennis.

I have also wondered if the entire Charlotte charade has been a ploy, but if it is, many knowledgeable tennis people have been hoodwinked. A Peter Bodo tennis.com article and another piece from Sports Illustrated's John Wertheim featured quotes from insiders that strongly believed the move to Charlotte was essentially a done deal. New Tournament Director Todd Martin also possesses a lead role within Beemok Capital. The USTA could've sold the tournament over a year ago to Team8, an Ohio-based firm run by Tony Godsick, Federer's long-time agent. That move would've almost guaranteed that the event would stay in Ohio. But the USTA didn't do that. Instead, it sold the event to Ben Navarro, a billionaire with all sorts of ties to the southeast. The USTA clearly knew what the sale to Navarro meant.

As for the ticketing situation, I can personally attest that plenty of mid-week sessions in the past 15 or so years have been announced as "sell outs." In 2015, because of such demand for early-mid week center court seats, the tournament announced a special grounds pass sale on the Saturday a week before the event started. In 2009, if my memory serves me correctly, the Wednesday center court day session featured the likes of Roddick, Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. It's a near guarantee that that was a sell out. Similar lineups occurred during other years thereafter.

 

[Vincent-C]

I agree. I first saw Zverev in person at Indian Wells in 2016, watching him practice and then almost beat Rafa in an early round. He was not obnoxious and seemed pleasant enough. I remember the crowds liking him and being in awe of his serve.

But by 2017, his ego had exploded and he's been awful ever since. Sadly, Shapo has been rude too the last 2 years. But Zverev is an entirely different level of sullen arrogance.

The nicest players to fans in my experience are Casper (wonderful to everyone), Rublev and Carlos. Felix is very polite too. Rublev is just so funny and sweet, especially to kids. Djokovic also has never been anything but professional and very friendly to fans.

Anyway, I hope we get more first hand reports from Cincy!

That's good to hear about Rublev; he's one of my favorites of the younger (?) crop,
and I hope he wins a Major.