The Star runs an article about night tennis today.
Forget everything you already know about tennis - because at night the rules are totally different. Having already brought the house down in Madris, Miami and Zurich, Night Tennis has recently hit Melbourne, Australia.
Australian tennis legends Pat Cash and Wayne Arthurs and six of their peers proved they could still play a fine game of tennis at the unique Night Tennis tournament.
The brainchild of phone makers Sony Ericsson, Night Tennis is a potentially trendy gig aimed at bringing together the two cultures of sporting and clubbing.
Night Tennis was created to showcase the sport to a new and younger audience. Whether or not it achieved its objective, Sony Ericsson showed everyone a great time at Shed Four.
I say, with or without Night Tennis, this sports will still be able to approach younger audience.
World number two Rafael Nadal is only 21, at the top of his career, but he is already thinking of his future beyond tennis and is convinced his privileged position gives him the chance to help others.
"This can be the beginning of my future, when I retire and have more time," the Spaniard said Wednesday as he launched the Rafa Nadal Foundation in his native town, Manacor, on the island of Mallorca.
The foundation will seek to promote "sport as an integration tool for those groups in most need," focusing particularly on childhood and youth. Ana Maria Parera, Nadal's mother, will chair the foundation, and his father Sebastian will be vice-chairman. Nadal's uncle and coach Toni Nadal and his agent, former tennis player Carlos Costa, will also be involved.
Nadal is not the first sportsman to set up a foundation. One of the most famous in tennis is that set up by Swiss world number one Roger Federer, which focuses on Africa - the continent that Federer's mother hails from.
"I have talked a lot about this with Roger, and he tells me that when you are there it is something that fills you with satisfaction. And I think the time has come, it is a beautiful time for my life and for my career," Nadal said.
And speaking about Roger Federer, if is is not playing on court, he'll be busy collecting awards. And he just received his fourth consecutive Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.
While Nadal launched his foundation and Federer collecting awards and spending time with girlfriend Mirka, players like Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga were celebrating their Davis Cup victory by getting down with some go-go girls. The Frenchmen certainly know how to have fun!
Who would have thought Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori will shocked the heavily-favoured James Blake, who is ranked 12th in the world, in the final of the Delray Beach International Championships?
Nishikori is only 18 years old and ranked 224 in the ATP rankings but post the biggest victory of his young career yesterday.
Nishikori rallied from a set down to stun the top-seeded American 3-6 6-1 6-4 in the hardcourt event for his first career title.
With so many breakthrough performances by young and unheard tennis players this year, 2008 is definitely a great year to see other than the dominance by the top players alone.
No, this post is not about the anime series, The Prince of Tennis (テニスの王子様,Tennis no Ōjisama).
I am talking about rising tennis sensation from the land of rising sun who made it into the final at Delray Beach. The Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori is only 18 years old. He has just reached his first ATP final by beating third-seeded Sam Querrey 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7) yesterday at the International Tennis Championships.
Kei Nishikori is the first Japanese man to reach a tour final since Shuzo Matsuoka lost to Wayne Ferreira at Queens Club in June 1992.
Currently, Nishikori who is ranked 224 on the ATP rankings said, "He (Matsuoka) is the only one (player from Japan) to reach the top 50." Nishikori is hoping to pass him.
Kei Nishikori has been training at the Nick Bollettieri Academy the past three years on a grant bestowed by Masaaki Morita, the CEO of Sony.
He will be facing James Blake in the final. It's going to be tough but in tennis, anything could happen.
The Star runs an article about night tennis today.
