What a difference a year makes. It's opening day at the 2007 U.S. Open, and early on, it's bustling. Having survived the drive up from the Jersey Shore, it was nice to once again set foot in the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. As I enter Arthur Ashe Stadium, the faces are happy and many are familiar. But there is a distinct difference this year.
Jelena Jankovic is sitting next to me in the new player's lounge. Today, she is perfection. Dressed in a pink and white Reebock tennis outfit, perfectly fitted to her athletic and graceful body, her hair is pulled back in a perfect pony tail. From her ears hang a very nice set of diamond earings. She is laughing and still in so many ways is the Jelena I met a year ago. But she is polished and definitely looks the part of the number three woman in the world.
It's funny. I think back to 2006 and a long afternoon of tennis. At the end of her first and second round matches, I sat with Jelena in the tunnel between media rooms two and three surrounded by dull cinderblock walls and right in the path of traffic that flows down the hallway from the grounds to the locker rooms. A year ago, she was relatively unknown, and I had her all to myself. Bud Collins came by eventually, but it was just the three of us for a long time. What I remember most was a pair of ATP flip-flops that she was wearing, one of the gifts that the players received for attending the pre-U.S. Open player's party. Jelena smiled and laughed the whole time seeming to enjoy our attention. I would see her again during the tournament on her run to the semifinals and we would talk.
Move ahead to today. Jelena is the number three woman in the world. She now has a large clothing endorsement (Reebok), a full tennis racquet sponsorship (Prince), and has earned enough on tour and in other endorsements to have a wardrobe befitting her rise in the rankings. She has become such a media darling that not only does she get to do interviews in media interview room one, but after her post-match press conferences, she is hounded by the television and video media.
This year, I'm sure the closest I'll get to Jelena is one question during the post-match press conferences and hopefully a quick picture of her and I with my cell phone camera. Jelena still hasn't built an entourage around her, but it is clear that she holds a position of high regard on the tour. She did tell me that she no longer has the flip-flops, "I wore them out with so much play on the tour this year," she said.
I see her today, and think about how far she has come from our meetings in the tunnel last year. Welcome back, Jelena, you have worked hard and deserve all the best.
Actually, everything at this year's Open seems more polished, newer, better. The player's areas in Ashe Stadium have all been remodeled and the facelift they received is nothing short of miraculous. The player's lounge has been expanded, the player concierge area has replaced the old, cramped, fiberboard counter with a modern marble top and state-of-the-art electronics. A third floor has been added with a top notch salon and a new fitness club. I hear the locker rooms are to die for. I'm hoping to see them later this week.,
Even some of the old, familiar faces have new looks. Bill Mountford, the former director of tennis here at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, was in the media room in a suit and sport shirt, discussing his position with the British Lawn Tennis Association. Just a year ago, Bill was dressed in his traditional tennis shirt and shorts and wandering the grounds looking much like the tennis pro he is. Former Sony Ericsson WTA Tour pro Barbara Schett is now on my side of the court, and while she is still model beautiful, she looks very different a year later here as part of the media contingent. Heck, even Murphy Jensen seems to be getting younger.
Like I said, what a difference a year makes. Can't wait to see how things look on day two.
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