Well, we're back!! We had a great time. The first day was overcast and not
too hot. The tournament has the large Center Court which seats thousands. You have to sit in your assigned seat to watch a game played on that court. The next biggest court is the Grandstand court which seats several hundred, but you can sit anywhere you want. We got to sit front row through a couple of games there! There are also some smaller courts where you can sit anywhere and several practice courts. We spend the majority of our time at the practice courts. These courts look like tennis courts you would find at the park with just a wire fence around them, but the top professional players in the world warm up on these courts before their matches and you get to stand next to the fence and watch them. When they leave, the nice players sign autographs, take pictures, and talk a little to people, even though they are being all but knocked off their feet by hundreds of fans waving tennis balls and cameras in their face.
We have lots of players that we like a lot, but our favorite player is Marat Safin. We already have his autograph :), so Gabrielle was so hoping she could get a picture with him. Let me tell you, the crowd around the practice court was the worst I had ever seen it. It didn't help that he, and the number 2 & 3 players in the world were all practicing on courts side by side. I have to estimate that at least five hundred people were crowding around the fences. We crowded around him (with everyone else) and tried to get a picture, but it was impossible.
The next day, we tried again, and again the crowd was impossible. I never realized I was so short until all those people kept jumping in front of me and shoving me out of the way. So, Gabrielle was disappointed, but we went up to center court to watch number 1 player in the world, Roger Federer, play a match. The game was really interesting. First one was winning, then the other, so we were paying attention to the game. The seats were empty beside us. A woman came and sat in the seat beside me and I overheard her say to her friend, "I just saw Safin at the practice court." Gabrielle and I grabbed our camera and ran to the practice court. Because he wasn't scheduled to practice, there was hardly anyone around him compared to before, and, when he left, he took a picture with each of us!! :)
That day, the second day, was sooo hot. For the first time, our seats at center court were in a shaded area, but even that didn't help much. I sunburned a little on my nose, but nothing too bad. I bought several of my favorite lemonades and some rainbow sherbet to cool me off!
This is the US Open Road Trip bus with all the top player's pictures on them.
We had a great time, saw lots of the tennis players and got a few autographs. Hopefully, we'll be able to go back next year!
Well, we're back!! We had a great time. The first day was overcast and not too hot. The tournament has the large Center Court which seats thousands. You have to sit in your assigned seat to watch a game played on that court. The next biggest court is the Grandstand court which seats several hundred, but you can sit anywhere you want. We got to sit front row through a couple of games there! There are also some smaller courts where you can sit anywhere and several practice courts. We spend the majority of our time at the practice courts. These courts look like tennis courts you would find at the park with just a wire fence around them, but the top professional players in the world warm up on these courts before their matches and you get to stand next to the fence and watch them. When they leave, the nice players sign autographs, take pictures, and talk a little to people, even though they are being all but knocked off their feet by hundreds of fans waving tennis balls and cameras in their face.
We have lots of players that we like a lot, but our favorite player is Marat Safin. We already have his autograph :), so Gabrielle was so hoping she could get a picture with him. Let me tell you, the crowd around the practice court was the worst I had ever seen it. It didn't help that he, and the number 2 & 3 players in the world were all practicing on courts side by side. I have to estimate that at least five hundred people were crowding around the fences. We crowded around him (with everyone else) and tried to get a picture, but it was impossible.
The next day, we tried again, and again the crowd was impossible. I never realized I was so short until all those people kept jumping in front of me and shoving me out of the way. So, Gabrielle was disappointed, but we went up to center court to watch number 1 player in the world, Roger Federer, play a match. The game was really interesting. First one was winning, then the other, so we were paying attention to the game. The seats were empty beside us. A woman came and sat in the seat beside me and I overheard her say to her friend, "I just saw Safin at the practice court." Gabrielle and I grabbed our camera and ran to the practice court. Because he wasn't scheduled to practice, there was hardly anyone around him compared to before, and, when he left, he took a picture with each of us!! :)
That day, the second day, was sooo hot. For the first time, our seats at center court were in a shaded area, but even that didn't help much. I sunburned a little on my nose, but nothing too bad. I bought several of my favorite lemonades and some rainbow sherbet to cool me off!
This is the US Open Road Trip bus with all the top player's pictures on them.
We had a great time, saw lots of the tennis players and got a few autographs. Hopefully, we'll be able to go back next year!
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