Isner takes on Gugliotta in hoops, tennis
It's not very often that former Bulldog John Isner gets the chance to face off against someone his own size on the tennis court. But on Monday afternoon, 6-foot-9-inch Isner took on former Hawk Tom Gugliotta in a tennis and basketball challenge.
While Isner took both games of tennis, 6-foot-10-inch Gugliotta battled back in a game of A-T-L, or P-I-G for those not aware of the Atlanta-named version.
“His serve broke down a little bit,” a joking Isner said of Gugliotta’s play after two games. “I won the tennis, he won the basketball. I think it evened out.”
Isner first became a fan of Gugliotta's during the forward’s days in a Wolfpack jersey. Isner’s father, brother and uncle all attended N.C. State.
“Wait until I tell my uncle about this, he’ll flip,” Isner said after the games were over. “He’s the biggest N.C. State fan in the world.”
With Isner’s frame, it’s not far-fetched to speculate about his potential on a basketball court. When he was 15, Isner chose tennis over basketball, seeing that he couldn’t dedicate enough time to both sports to become the player he wanted to be.
“I was a fairly good player, so it was a tough decision whether to stick with tennis or stick with basketball,” Isner said. “But I think I made the right decision.”
Young players hit the courts
The pros weren’t alone on the courts Monday afternoon. About 270 children took part in the Atlanta Tennis Championships' 10 & Under play day held on outside courts next to the stadium.
"I think 10 & Under tennis is going to be revolutionary," said Kurt Kamperman, the U.S. Tennis Association's community tennis chief. "It's going to allow hundreds of thousands of young kids to enjoy the game of tennis."
The initiative features the QuickStart tennis format, complete with smaller courts and balls that prove to be slower through the air and lower bouncing. That allows younger players to develop proper technique, letting them enjoy the game and find success from an early age. Before, younger players were expected to play on the same size courts that professionals played on.
“You wouldn’t ask an 8-year-old to play on the same size field as Derek Jeter, but that’s how we asked them to play tennis,” Kamperman said.
The play day included courts for both 10 & Under and 8 & Under players. While the younger division now plays on courts 36 feet in length, the older division plays on 60-foot-long courts.
ATC breaks in new location in Norcross
Last year’s inaugural ATC, held at the Atlanta Athletic Club, attracted 41,000 spectators during the week. This year, the tournament moved just five miles up the road to the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross.
An announced attendance of 2,650 was on hand for this past weekend’s qualifying rounds. While the numbers are behind last year’s qualifying attendance of 5,000, entry into the 2010 qualifying rounds was free. This year’s attendance is pegged to be on par, if not ahead, of last year’s numbers.
The Racquet Club of the South features a sunken-bowl stadium court with improved sight lines. The new location also features additional indoor air-conditioned space, including the international food court and the Mall of Tennis.
Tickets for the 2011 ATC will be on sale throughout the week. To buy tickets, visit www.atlantatennischampionships.com or call 886-840-8822.
Opening ceremonies held Monday night
With main-draw play beginning Monday afternoon, opening ceremonies were held on the stadium court at 6 p.m. Boris Kodjoe, an actor and former Division I college tennis player, served as host of the ceremonies. Sam Krenshaw of 11Alive acted as master of ceremonies.
Sisters Mikayla and Alycia Parks paired up with Kodjoe and Krenshaw for doubles. Mikayla, 12, was partnered with Kodjoe, while Alycia, 10, played with Krenshaw. The sisters were born in Atlanta but now live in Boynton Beach, Fla. Both train in Boca Raton, Fla., and compete in USTA 14 & U tournaments.
Nicole Krinsky of Alpharetta sang the national anthem.
