First off, I’d like to thank ATPWorldTour.com for giving me the opportunity to share my experiences as a professional tennis player with all of you.

Earlier this year, I faced probably one of the toughest decisions since turning pro. It was 4 January and I received an email telling me I got into the Australian Open. It is the only Grand Slam I have not played yet. A few weeks before that I was one set away from gaining a direct entry into the Aussie main draw at the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Tournament. But if I didn’t play the Aussie Open I would have the chance to make a deep run in the Bangkok Challenger since I would be seeded high. I decided to stay in Bangkok for a couple of reasons: the chance to make a good run, I know the courts well and am used to it, a lot of my friends live in Bangkok, and I just love being in Bangkok. The people are so nice and the food is amazing.

I ended up losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner and former Top 10 player Mikhail Youzhny. I was a bit nervous as the match did not even pass the hour mark. But I had the opportunity to play Youzhny again the very next week in the Philippines. The second time around I was right in the match with chances to take the second set. It’s nice to get the opportunity to play against top players because it really shows where your level is at and how you compare against the best of the best.

Challenger Chronicles I: Amir Weintraub
Challenger Chronicles II: Skupski Brothers

Traveling as a professional tennis player can be a grind at times. One of the craziest travel days I can remember was last year. I had just won a Futures tournament in Little Rock, Arkansas and was traveling to play the Guadalajara Challenger the very next day. It’s Monday morning and when I arrive at the airport, my flight is delayed. I didn’t want to wait at the airport all day so I called my friends who I stayed with in Little Rock. They came and picked me up and as they were pulling up… a fender bender (small collision). Luckily, no one was hurt. But as we put that behind us I had a notification that said my flight was going to be delayed a little longer. I was just thinking that I only had one racket in my bag that was freshly strung, all the others were broken. Since I had some time to kill I took my racket to get restrung. By the time that was finished it was time to go back to the airport. This time we were cleared to take off.

I arrived in Guadalajara around 8pm, passed through customs and was waiting for my bags…..nothing. I went to the lost baggage counter, handed the agent my baggage tags and he informed me that my bags were still in Little Rock and would be arriving on the next flight. Lucky me right? I don’t always carry my tennis bag on, but thankfully, I did for this trip. I got a call from the airline at midnight telling me my bags had just arrived and that they would be delivering it to my hotel.

They didn’t arrive to my room until 2am. I open my suitcase and protein powder is EVERYWHERE. My tub of protein exploded. It’s now 3am and I’m trying to get the powder off of my clothes, but I’m not doing a very good job. Mind you, I have to play in eight hours and I haven’t gotten any rest yet. So I gave up on trying to wash the clothes because they wouldn’t dry in time. I decided to borrow some clothes.

Match time. Still feeling delirious from the lack of sleep, the first set passed me by and I didn’t even know what the score was. But somehow by some travel luck or whatever luck I won the match in three sets and eventually ended up losing in the final – my first on the ATP Challenger Tour. It was one of the craziest travel experiences thus far.

Coming Soon: Part II

John Isner will play for his fourth BB&T Atlanta Open title and his first crown of the season on Sunday. The top seed extended his Atlanta winning streak to 15 by prevailing 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2 against his upset-minded countryman, 18 year old Reilly Opelka, who was playing in his first ATP World Tour semi-final.

The 31 year old Isner has now reached the Atlanta final six times in seven tournament appearances.

“I wish we could play every week in Atlanta,” Isner told ESPN’s Jason Goodall on court after the match. “I think I’d be No. 1 in the world.”

He will face another ATP World Tour player on the rise in Sunday’s final: Aussie Nick Kyrgios, who won the #NextGen semi-final earlier on Saturday, overcoming Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Isner and Kyrgios, the second seed, have played two times in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Isner has taken both contests, including a straight-sets win on the Montreal hard courts last season and a three-set victory on the clay in Madrid last year. Kyrgios will be playing in his first Atlanta final and third overall; Isner will be playing in his 21^st career final.

“He’s a shotmaker. He’s proven he can beat anyone in the world,” Isner said. “It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2… It should be a great match.”

Opelka did not make it easy for the home favourite Isner, who played collegiate tennis at the University of Georgia in Athens, about an hour and 20 minutes away from Atlanta.

The big men – Opelka, 6’11”; Isner, 6’10” – battled for two hours on Stadium Court at Atlantic Station. After the first set went on serve, Isner led 5/3 in the tie-break but double faulted to give Opelka the mini-break back. Opelka took full advantage and ripped a cross-court backhand return winner for the set.

The veteran Isner quickly bounced back, grabbing the match’s first break to lead 2-1 in the second set. He wouldn’t face a break point the remainder of the set, either, winning 83 per cent of his service points, 20/24. The three-time Atlanta champion followed a similar script in the third, breaking Opelka to lead 3-2 and gaining an insurance break before serving out the match.

For the contest, Isner struck 22 aces and never faced a break point.

“I had to stay focused and keep holding my serve, and that’s exactly what I did. I think experience was on my side,” Isner said. “But we’re going to be seeing a lot of Reilly in the future…. He’s way more advanced than I was at 18. I wish him all the success in the world.”

Opelka, who received a wild card into the main draw, gained his first career ATP World Tour singles win earlier in the week (d. Eubanks). Opelka is projected to jump about 450 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings, from No. 837 to around No. 387.

“It was a good week. I had some good matches,” Opelka said. “I was pretty happy with how everything went this week.”

With over 400,000 amateur tennis players in Chengdu, there are plenty of tennis fans showing support for this week’s $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in the bustling Chinese city.

The Sichuan International Tennis Center is the site for both the Challenger and an upcoming ATP World Tour 250 event in September, both of which are making their debut this year. With a Center Court that can seat 6,300 spectators, two show courts containing 2,000 seats and 15 field courts, tennis fans will be able to play on the same courts as their favorite players when the tournaments aren’t in session.

“Tennis is very popular in this city,” said Event Operation Director Jia Jiyue. “It became a required course in elementary and middle school starting in 2009. I believe Chengdu is the only city in China to have this requirement.”

This week has also been a showcase for several young Chinese players who could be the future stars of the game. Among them include teenager Fajing Sun, who came through qualifying to reach the quarter-finals, and 22-year-old Xin Gao, who reached the doubles final (w/Zhe Li).

Several of the players this week had already competed in Chengdu before and are already making plans to return again.

“I have been coming to Chengdu for so many years and I’m very happy for them to be hosting this Challenger for the first time,” said Chinese No. 1 Di Wu. “The hotel and facilities are great, and the staff are full of passion for both the players and the game. I believe they will do a good job for the ATP 250 next month.” 

Unseeded players Jason Jung and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo will battle for the title in Sunday’s final.

Nick Kyrgios continued his push for a second ATP World Tour title, overcoming a stern test from fellow #NextGen star Yoshihito Nishioka on Saturday at the BB&T Atlanta Open.

Kyrgios needed one hour and 36 minutes to secure his spot in a third ATP World Tour final, downing Nishioka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. With temperatures soaring on a humid late afternoon in Atlanta, he fired 16 aces and saved three of four break points faced.

“It was a hot and humid day,” Kyrgios said on court following the match. “Yoshi is a great player and makes you play a lot of balls and a lot of rallies. The crowd was great today too… I came out strong [in the third set] and that shows good fighting spirit.

“It feels good. I knew at the start of the week that I could get this far. It’s not really surprising, but it’s rewarding for sure.”

Kyrgios claimed first blood early in the opening set, breaking for 3-1 with a forehand winner down the line. The Aussie bullied the 20 year old behind the baseline with deep, penetrating forehands. Nishioka would save two set points in the eighth game, but Kyrgios closed out the opener with a hold to love at 6-3. He launched 15 winners and lost just one point on his first serve.

As quickly as Kyrgios streaked to a one-set lead, Nishioka answered in kind. The patient and consistent Japanese stayed the course, capitalising on unforced errors from the 21-year-old Aussie to break immediately in the second set and eventually force a decider. But Kyrgios would rediscover his rhythm in the third set, converting his fourth break point of the sixth game for the decisive lead. He would close out the win on his first match point with a service winner to Nishioka’s forehand.

The 13th clash between #NextGen players this year, it was Kyrgios and Nishioka’s first at the tour-level. They had previously met in the second round of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Savannah two years ago. The champion on the indoor hard courts of Marseille in February, Kyrgios moves on to face the winner of the second semi-final, which pits 6’10” John Isner against 6’11” Reilly Opelka. Isner is the three-time defending champion, while 18-year-old Opelka is appearing in his first ATP World Tour semi-final.

Nishioka exits Atlanta having registered his best result on the ATP World Tour. His semi-final finish will move him to a projected career-high Top 90 position in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday.

“I think I played very well, but he has a great serve,” said Nishioka. “He has a great second serve and I didn’t have many chances to break. I couldn’t put pressure on his first serves either.”

Taylor Fritz was all ready to practice last week at the BB&T Atlanta Open. The #NextGen player had his racquets and his racquet bag. He just couldn’t find the practice courts.

“I actually walked right by it when I was trying to find my court,” he said. “I didn’t think there were courts down there.”

By “down there” Fritz means, down there. Before this week’s tournament, the BB&T Atlanta Open built new four new practice courts in a parking garage in Atlantic Station, the shopping, dining and residential area in midtown Atlanta where the tournament is being held for a fifth year in a row.

The brand-new blue courts are three levels beneath the ground level, which lets fans watch from up top. The courts are also just the latest unique offering the ATP World Tour 250 event has produced.

For five years now, the tournament’s two show courts have been placed in the middle of a parking lot, with stands built around them. Everything, including restaurants, practice courts and the player hotel, is within a five-minute walk.

“Everything is unique here,” said Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who, along with 10 other players, made their Atlanta debut this week. “Centre court is in a parking lot but outside there are a lot of shops, dining stops. There’s a parking lot with four practice courts just 10 metres from the hotel. I think they managed to create a unique thing here… and it’s very, very well sold.”

The convenience was intentional, said Eddie Gonzalez, who’s in his third year as the BB&T Atlanta Open tournament director. Five years ago, he also was involved in the decision to bring the tournament from a suburban tennis club to midtown Atlanta.

“We were bringing the venue into the heart of a major international city,” Gonzalez said.

He and others frequently sell the tournament’s ease of access to players. “We want to be that easily accessible venue for you,” he tells ATP World Tour players.

Three-time defending champion John Isner especially appreciates the convenience factor. Maybe that, along with the fast conditions, is why the former University of Georgia Bulldog enjoys playing in Atlanta so much. This week marks his seventh time at the tournament.

“It’s very different but I think no one can say it’s not convenient,” Isner said. “You walk out of your hotel room and you walk across the street, [you’re at] the practice courts. You walk across the street and you’re at the main centre court. It’s a unique set-up… and it’s very, very easy.”

Aussie Nick Kyrgios, who’s also making his Atlanta debut, said he hasn’t seen anything like it, with the practice courts in the parking garage. But he’s with Isner. “I like the convenience of it,” Kyrgios said.

Because players can walk everywhere and don’t need to drive anywhere, they don’t have to worry about spending time in traffic and can structure their days much more easily, Kyrgios said.

Kevin Anderson, who returned to Atlanta this year for the sixth time, said the ATP World Tour 250 tournament is one of his “favourite events”.

“Where the location is… it’s a really easy stop on the tour,” he said.

The different set-up “surprised” 32-year-old Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, another player who made his Atlanta debut this week. But Verdasco, who’s been on tour for the past 15 years, appreciates visiting somewhere new.

“It’s always nice to play tournaments different than the other ones and this is for sure one of them,” he said. “I’m very comfortable, I’m very happy to be here.”

Gonzalez said the tournament, which will be played at Atlantic Station again next year, likely will have more surprises for returning players.

“We just continue to try to think outside the box,” he said.