It's rare that athletes are in unison over any issue. There are too many things to nitpick, too many situations where one factor is advantageous for one player at the expense of another.

That's not the case at the venue for this week's BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station. Not a single negative comment has been made about the one-of-a-kind tournament setting along the Downtown Connector.

"I love it. It's different from any tournament I've ever been at, but I think it's great," Alex Kuznetsov said. "People can kind of be shopping around, if they want to see some tennis they can hop in. There's a great atmosphere when people are around. This is a cool, hip area and you can check out some tennis. Why not?"

Ryan Harrison felt the same way. He loved the hotel, the area, the food. After playing at myriad sites in his time on minor league tours, he dismissed the notion that the urban playing area would throw his game off.

"I've played in a lot of different conditions all through the minor leagues of tennis, the Futures and Challengers, and you guys wouldn't believe some of the sites you have to play at or some of the things you have to deal with," he said. "Nothing is going to be unseen or unheard of from me."

Kuznetsov compared the tournament's setting with the vibrant atmosphere at the U.S. Open, played in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., near LaGuardia Airport.

"Even though you might hear some extra noise [in Atlantic Station], you're still focused on what you're trying to do," he said. "We play at the U.S. Open every year, and there's a lot of noise there as well."

Andy Roddick had no complaints, either. Though he wasn't sure what it would look like when he first stepped on the court, he said the sight lines are "still normal." The more important issue, in his estimation, is that players need to be more selfless now and then for the good of the game.

"In order for tennis to grow, we need to flip that and have to look at from the fans' perspective," he said.

And the fans have responded. According to tournament director Bob Bryant, the event had outsold last year's edition — which was held at the Racquet Club of the South — by Monday, and merchandise sales have been strong despite the rain delays that plagued the first three days of play. That didn't surprise John Isner, who knows the passion Atlanta exudes for the sport.

"This is a huge tennis town. It just makes sense to have an ATP-level tournament in the city," he said. "The last two years, this city and this tournament have proven the fans do want to come out and the players do want to play in this event."

It's not just the players who have been beaming this week, though. Bryant said girlfriends and wives have expressed their delight with the convenience of the location as much — if not more — than their significant other. He recalled a conversation he had with Stacy Fish, wife of Mardy Fish, the two-time defending champion of the event.

"This is phenomenal," she told Bryant. "We [players' wives and girlfriends] don't get this. We're used to heading out to a club where we have to stick around, whereas here we can be doing something all the time and still be checking out the matches."

There have been no negative words about the venue from players or anyone else this week. And even if there were, Roddick couldn't care less.

"Frankly, if I see it and enjoy it," he said, "I'm not concerned about what the other players think."