TennisIDENTITY

It's October. Where in the world is pro tennis?

Many consider the tennis season over after the US Open but October is actually one of the most jam-packed months in pro tennis. Encompassing both the Asian swing and European indoor season, there are thirteen tournaments rolling into action this month.

Check out the full October calendar below, grab some caffeine, and stave off your tennis withdrawal. Feeds, photos and tv coverage (in some parts of the world) make this a season to watch.

China Open  ATP World Tour 500 / WTA PremierWhere: Beijing, China. When: 10/1/2011 Surface: Hard/Outdoors Players ATP: Monfils, Berdych, Tsonga, Simon, Melzer, Roddick, Isner Players WTA: Wozniacki, Zvonareva, Azarenka, Stosur, Petkovic, Ivanovic

Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships ATP World Tour 500. Where: Tokyo, Japan When: 10/3/2011 Surface: Hard/OutdoorsPlayers: Nadal, Murray, Ferrer, Fish, Troicki, Monaco, Gulbis

Shanghai Rolex Masters  ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Where: Shanghai, China When: 10/9/2011 Surface: Hard/Outdoors Players: Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Ferrer, Monfils, Fish, Berdych

Generali Ladies Linz WTA International Where: Linz, AustriaWhen: 10/10/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors Players: Petkovic, Jankovic, Pavlyuchenkova, Lisicki, Görges, Kirilenko, Petrova

HP Japan Women's Open Tennis 2011 WTA International Where: Osaka, Japan. When: 10/10/2011 Surface: Hard/Outdoors Players: Stosur, Bartoli, Doi, Date Krumm

If Stockholm Open ATP World Tour 250 Where: Stockholm, Sweden When: 10/17/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors  Players: Söderling, Monfils, Del Potro, Raonic, Wawrinka, Baghdatis, Dimitrov

Kremlin Cup ATP World Tour 250 / WTA Premier Where: Moscow, Russia When: 10/17/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors Players ATP: Troicki, Tipsarevic, Dolgopolov, Davydenko, Tursunov, Kohlschreiber, Stakhovsky Players WTA: Zvonareva, Bartoli, Stosur, Jankovic, Radwanksa, Cibulkova, Kuznetsova

BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open WTA International Where: Luxembourg, Luxembourg When: 10/17/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors Players: Azarenka, Petkovic, Lisicki, Ivanovic, Pennetta, Hantuchova, Kirilenko

Erste Bank Open ATP World Tour 250 Where: Vienna, Austria When: 10/24/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors Players: Tsonga, Troicki, Melzer, Del Potro, Gasquet, Lopez, Davydenko

St. Petersburg Open ATP World Tour 250 Where: St. Petersburg, Russia When: 10/24/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors  Players: Simon, Tipsarevic, Dolgopolov, Cilic, Youzhny, Tursunov, Kohlschreiber

TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships WTA Season-Ending Championships Where: Istanbul, Turkey When: 10/25/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors Players: Wozniacki, Sharapova, Li, Kvitova

Valencia Open 500 ATP World Tour 500 Where: Valencia, Spain When: 10/30/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors Players: Ferrer, Söderling , Monfils, Tsonga, Verdasco, Ferrero, Nalbandian

Swiss Indoors Basel ATP World Tour 500 Where: Basel, Switzerland When: 10/31/2011 Surface: Hard/Indoors  Players: Djokovic, Federer, Fish, Berdych, Roddick, Wawrinka, Gasquet

"Where in the World" is compiled by Jennifer Landsberg of Racquet Required.

Watch the US Open LIVE online and FREE.

For those who can't be there, take a look at the US Open's free live feed from six courts around the grounds. Just look for the US OPEN LIVE WATCH NOW button top right on the US Open's website.

Works really well on a second screen so you can stay busy AND tuned in :) Enjoy.

 

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Today O2, Tomorrow OZ.

The Barclays ATP World Finals are underway at the O2 arena in London and so far no great surprises.

There's a fair bit of Roger worship going on and the twitterin' tennis world doesn't like Andy Murray's new shirt (his first change all year). All-black might have proven a more effective outfit choice as it was for team Melzer/Petzschner.

For those unfamiliar, the Finals breaks the ATP's top men into two groups, A and B in both singles in doubles.

Play is round-robin format. In singles, before the top two in each pool advance to the semifinals for traditional, single-elimination play, each in the groups compete in at least three matches. Singles and doubles winners in A and B play finals matches Sunday, November 28.

Here are the groups:

A singles: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Tomas Berdych

B singles: Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Robin Söderling, David Ferrer

 A doubles: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan, Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski, Juergen Melzer/Philipp Petzschner, Lukas Dloughy/Leander Paes.

B doubles: Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic, Mahesh Bhupathi/Max Mirnyi, Lukasz Kubot/Oliver Marach, Wesley Moodie/Dick Norman

Follow the standings here as they roll out. Predictions anyone?

Watch it on Tennis-Channel, online via Tennis-TV or using the iPhone app (look for BATPWTF in the iTunes store)

Next stop OZ (Australia).

Watch the US Open Live Online FREE. Plus the TV schedule and App.

For those stuck at home, at a desk or simply light in the wallet, you can now watch the US Open FREE online.

For the first time ever, all matches played on the five television courts of the US Open (Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand, Court 11 and Court 13), will be streamed domestically live for free on USOpen.org. In all, more than 200 matches will be made available free of charge, including the men’s and women’s finals.

Here's the TV schedule. I'm also enjoying the free app.for iPhone.

Lights on. Lights Out. Nike Kicks Off the US Open with a Star Studded Event.

I'm tardy with this video but mine was quite bad so I had to wait. Last Wednesday night was Nike's big US Open kick-off, Lights On. Lights Out on Pier 54 on the Hudson-- see some post event press room here. The night was gorgeous; only a hint of mist threatened the festivities...and Serena's hairstyle. Someone handed her an umbrella though -- crisis averted. Alas the mist dissipated and the blowers dried the courts.

Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, and Rafael Nadal were the playing pros on hand. Serena was a kind of MC in all black to match her walking cast. John McEnroe was an ump and then player. It was a lot of fun to watch. 

If you've got an hour here's the whole event, otherwise take a look at the shots below to see the line up. Yes that's Bar Refaeli of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue fame, actor Bradley Cooper and Justin Tuck of the NY Giants.

I'll be discussing the fashions soon, but take this as your warm up!

 

Venus Williams Teams Up With Ralph Lauren in Tennis and Fashion.

Venus Williams will be the featured player during Ralph Lauren's second virtual Legends Clinic Thursday, August 26, 2010 to be broadcast live from New York SPORTIME Tennis Center in New York. Tune in on your PC or hand-held at 2 pm EST on Ralph Lauren or m.ralphlauren.com/USOpen (for mobile devices).This is the retailer's first virtual clinic based in the US.

The seven-time Grand Slam Champion will answer questions, offer tennis tips and demonstrate techniques as a teaching pro would do for you on court. If you have a burning question, submit it here, and she may answer it. Keep your questions tennis technique related and you'll have the best chance of being selected.

And what will she wear you ask? No lace or frill here. Here's the dress (left). No she will not wear this at the US Open but it's a new limited edition tennis dress designed by Ralph Lauren in partnership with William's EleVen line, $198.

Looks more Ralph than Venus to me but I like it. Pretty preppy but cute. A special edition co-branded polo will also be available,$98. Look for both pieces starting August 26.

Buy the co-branded items at Ralph Lauren or at the US Open Polo Ralph Lauren Shop at the Open.

Catch the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Live on TV, Online and by Radio. Plus Info on Where to Watch the Hit for Haiti.

The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is underway! Visit the BNP Paribas website for video highlights, pictures, results and live scoring. Looks like tickets are still available.

If you can't be there (I'll cry with you), watch the tournament on Fox Sports Net (FSN) where available. Tennis Channel will begin coverage on Saturday, March 13 at 11:00 am PST and continue through the finals on Sunday, March 21.

The special Hit for Haiti fundraiser airs tonight at 7:30 PM PST on The Tennis Channel. Should be entertaining. TennisTV will also offer this match online free of charge.

The charity match will feature 94 Grand Slam titles on the same court with Stefanie Graf and Lindsay Davenport taking on Martina Navratilova and Justine Henin, and Roger Federer and Pete Sampras playing Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi. It is anticipated that the evening will raise a minimum of $1 Million for Haiti relief efforts. Should be fun. You too can donate to the cause by visiting this page on the BNP Paribas site.

TennisTV will of course offer online coverage of the tournament through its subscription service -- well worth it for those of you stuck at a desk.

Oh and radio...Radio Tennis will air the tournament for your listening pleasure starting the 13th. Enjoy the tournament however you can. Tennis season in the U.S. has begun!

Time for a Showdown (and a little Wii). Svetlana Kuznetsova, Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic to Battle for the Billie Jean Cup Live in NYC March 1.

Tickets are still available for the 2010 BNP Paribas Showdown at NYC's Madison Square Garden, Monday March 1. In the house will be some of the best of the WTA: Svetlana Kuznetsova, Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic (the Serb replaces Serena Williams who has just withdrawn due to injury). Only current and former Grand Slam Champions or year-ending World #1 ranked players are eligible for the one night event. At stake the coveted Billie Jean Cup and $1.2 million in prize money. This is single elimination play, one-set singles semi-finals followed by a best of three set final. Tix are available through Madison Square Garden. Seats range in price from $25 - $250 USD.

If you are looking for something to do the day before (Sunday, February 28), check out the "Match Before the Match" another showdown of sorts, this one pits Kim Clijsters against Svetlana Kuzetsova playing a Ubisoft Racquet Sports for Wii Match on the 185" Gardenvision Screen at Madison Square Garden. Both athletes will debut Fila's new Spring 2010 Center Court tennis fashion Collection. The Wii match will be broadcast live on Fila's website.

Tennis lessons too big for your budget? Look to FuzzyYellowBalls.

Private tennis lessons in some parts of the U.S. are running $85 - $120 per hour. That's a big chunk of change for most of us to drop once a week. Group lessons, match play and practice are all good but that private...it can make a big difference. What to do?

Take a look at FuzzyYellowBalls.com. The site offers detailed, quality instruction that can be downloaded and reviewed again and again. No odd camera angles, wind blowing, grainy picture, etc. These well thought out lessons put together by PTR certified pros can reinforce what you are currently working on or help with a particular shot or even help you think about how to practice better. Here's one on practicing with purpose.

FuzzyYellowBalls offers some content free of charge. The other, labeled Premium Content, costs $24.95 per month. They call it your "unfair advantage." It's very comprehensive and I love how you can download to iPod making it possible to bring the videos to court.

Hey, if you're looking for feedback on your game, there's no substitute for an in-the-flesh private. Consider this an affordable, high-quality substitute or supplement if you've got the bucks. Learn more at FuzzyYellowBalls.

Feed your addiction with some pro game. There is tennis life after the Open.

So we've all completely caught up on everything we didn't get done during the Open and we want more tennis. Although mainstream media isn't making much of it, our game is out there and there are a whole lotta surprises going down early -- not to mention weird looking trophies. Below are a few (not all) tournaments to look for and their start dates:

Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo; Now (WTA)

Thailand Open in Bangkok; Now (ATP)

China Open in Beijing; October 3 (ATP and WTA)

AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo; October 5 (ATP)

Shanghai ATP Masters1000; October 12 (ATP)

BGL Luxembourg Open; October 17 (WTA)

Kremlin Cup, Moscow October 19 (ATP and WTA)

If Stockholm Open; October 19 (ATP)

St. Petersburg Open; October 25 (ATP)

Grand Prixe deTennis Lyon; October 26 (ATP)

Sony Ericsson Championships-Doha 2009; October 27 (WTA)

Valencia Open 500; October 31 (ATP)

Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, Bali; November 4 (WTA)

BNP Paribas Masters, Paris; November 7 (ATP)

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London; November 22 (ATP)

TennisTV will carry some of the tournaments online. Look also to the Tennis Channel's lineup of coverage as well as the ATP and WTA.

Can't Be There? Watch Wimbledon Live on TV.

Can't be there?  Watch Wimbledon Live on TV Monday, June 22 - Sunday, July 5.

For the complete schedule visit the 2009 Wimbledon TV schedule courtesy of the U.S.T.A.

For live online viewing see our post here.

Image courtesy of Fila.

Watch Wimbledon Live Online. Register Here to Win One of Three Free Online Passes.

Watch Wimbledon Live online from six courts beginning June 22, 2009. Wimbledon Live will be available worldwide, except in the US, Canada, Spain and Germany. An all access pass is $29.99 and a 24 hour pass is $9.99. Perfect for when you really have to work but NEED to know what's going on.

Register to win one of three FREE all access Wimbledon Live passes by making a comment below. Please be sure to leave your email address or we won't be able to find you. Deadline Monday 7:00 AM EST, June 22. Winners will be notified June 22.

Tennisidentity.com subscribers and Twitter followers have auto-entry. Good luck!

10 Ways to Improve Your Tennis Game While Watching Pro Tennis.

Watching great tennis IS good for your game. Check out my article "10 Ways to Improve Your Tennis Game While Watching Pro Tennis" just out at on THE BASELINE.

Venus Williams and Andy Murray Kick Off the Sony Ericsson Open with Traffic Tennis. Watch the Tournament Live, on TV or Online

 

Venus Williams and Andy Murray kicked off the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open with a little "Traffic Tennis" atop two SUV's on Miami's Ocean Drive yesterday. The tournament runs March 25 - April 5. World Men's #1 Rafael Nadal will open play on the purple courts, March 28.

If you are in the area visit the Sony Ericsson Open website for ticket information. Click here for where to watch on tv and here for an online tournament pass via Tennis TV. Enjoy. Love that dress Venus! Talk about Miami heat.

 Getty Images/Courtesy Sony Ericsson Open/WTA tour

BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Can't Be There? Watch it Live on TV or Online.

Can't be there? Check out these links for live television and online coverage of all the action live from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

 Click here for television coverage courtesy of the BNP Paribas Open's official site, and for online coverage click on TennisTV, $14.95 for the full online tournament pass. Sorry employers of the world, we need to watch this, every minute of it.

TennisTV.com Offers Fans NEW Online Site to Watch Tennis Live. Run by the WTA and ATP, It's the Real Deal.

 

Tennis fans, live broadcast quality tennis is now available online and worldwide anywhere you have access to the internet. Will we ever be productive at the office again? TennisTV.com is an all new broadband TV console. It is the brand spanking new streaming website of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and ATP. Starting Wednesday, January 14, TennisTV.com will offer access to top level tennis from both tours, covering 41 events in 2009 (700+ matches). The site kicks-off (or more aptly put, serves first) with the Medibank Sydney International tournament this week and continues throughout the year through the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Free in-depth highlights will be available on the site but if you want to watch the matches in their entirety you will need to pony up a bit and subscribe.  A combined tour pass for the entire year is $129.95 USD. A men's tour pass is $84.95, a women's is $69.95. You can also buy access to a single tournament to try it out. Go to TennisTV.com to learn more or subscribe.