Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Forgot to post this during the US Open

Day 1 of the Main Draw

I think everyone in New York was on my train this morning headed to the US Open. I could barely get a seat on my way out to the Willets Point/Shea Stadium stop on the 7 train. But knowing that I would be standing for most of the day spurred me to push a little harder to take up that one remaining seat. Plus, I wanted to eat my breakfast sitting down.

I was surprised to find that even more people had already shown up at the Tennis Center. I knew it was going to be packed, but my imagination had failed in comparison to reality. I was both nervous and excited that this was the first day of the Main Draw and although it was no different than any of the qualifying round days, I still had a hard time pushing down the nerves. My team of six relieved the morning crew on Court 8 at around 1:00 PM and started off with a women’s match. I was sore from my 10 mile run the day before and my shoulder was a little tight (so my throws to the backs weren’t perfect), but I warmed up quickly and felt good by the end of the match.

While Nadal, Federer, Yankovic, and Blake won matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium, I fielded balls on the outer courts that skirt the main stadiums. Being assigned to a stadium court is a real honor and veterans put in many years to work their way up to those spots. Although my efforts might be in vain, I will continue to work my butt off, put in the hours, and hustle on my courts for a chance to do one stadium match this year.