USTA/Virginia Tennis Annual Meeting

Don't miss the USTA/Virginia Tennis Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon at The Dominion Club in Glen Allen, VA on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. Two-time Paralympic Gold Medalist Nick Taylor will be the keynote speaker.

Download the flyer (PDF). RSVP by October 16, 2009 by phone: 800.229.3166 or 540.982.5524 or by e-mail: info@virginiatennis.com.

Aside from being a two time Paralympic Gold Medalist (Nick won the gold in 2008 in Beijing and 2004 in Athens, both times in Wheelchair Tennis Doubles), Nick Taylor is part of Team USA for World Team Cup, holding World Champion titles for the last ten years. He is also a volunteer coach and team manager for Wichita State University's Men's & Women's Tennis teams, heads up the WSU committee for Americans with Disabilities Act, and was named USTA Wheelchair Tennis Player of the Year in 1999.

NYTimes Revisits Historic Raintree Match

On Sept. 24, 1984, Richmond's Raintree club saw a 29-minute, 643-shot rally that remains the longest point played in professional tennis. The Times' article includes interviews with Richmond sports writer John Packett and Raintree owner Hugh Waters and begins, "As the 642nd shot of the rally floated high above her head, Vicki Nelson decided it was time to go for a winner."

Read the full article.

Sept 2009 - What's the Call?

Question: I was playing a singles match when my opponent and I lost track of the set score. I thought it was 5-3, but my opponent thought it was 4-4. We were not sure where we got mixed up, but we did agree that it was 3-3 at one time, so we just played from there. Did we do the right thing?

Answer: Yes you did. There is a 3-step process for resolving scoring disputes such as this. First, you try to figure out which point or game is in dispute and just replay that point or game. If you can’t agree on that, then you go back the last score that you both agree on and resume play from there (which is what you did). Believe it or not, the rules say that if you still can’t resolve the dispute after going through steps 1 and 2, the final step is to flip a coin to resolve the dispute.

Got a question about the rules of tennis?
Think you've been "greased" by your opponent during a match and just can't sleep until the issue is resolved? Go ahead and submit your question to "What's the Call?" at eric@ericperkinslaw.com. Sample questions and answers will be posted monthly.

RTA's 2009 US Open Raffle Winner

"Trip of a Lifetime Travelogue"

When Hugh Waters called to announce that I had won the raffle for two to the US Open, my first comment was " Is this a joke? I've never won anything in my life." I recalled it had been a long time since I had sponsored the first Virginia Slims Ladies tournament in Richmond.

What a pleasant surprise for Nancy and me. We both looked forward to traveling to New York City to enjoy this memorable experience. Sheri Crowell made all the travel and transportation arrangements as well as helping with reservations at Grand Hyatt (where some of the tennis players were staying).

Our special passes allowed us to enter the Billie Jean Tennis Center at the front of the long line waiting for the evening's matches on Friday evening. We promenaded the open areas around the stadiums where there were many food vendors as well as the Open Club for a sit-down buffet. Several famous brand clothiers were selling shoes, sweaters, tennis gear, etc. Our seats in the Arthur Ash Stadium allowed an excellent opportunity to watch some great matches -- Nadal and Kiefer, Frederer and Hewitt, Venus Williams and Rybarikova. We joined the cheers for Melanie Oudin's success.

On Saturday, we were fortunate to be guests of Shima and Joe Grover (Vice President of USTA). Our view was unobstructed from the Presidential box seats. The Presidential suite was a large air-conditioned lounge with several TVs in the event we did not want to sit outside to watch the matches. Refreshments were available throughout the day and evening sessions. Following a gourmet lunch in the President's dining room, Shima Grover conducted a tour of the Stadium. Her intimate knowledge gave us insights into the tremendous planning and personnel needed to conduct the Open.

After the matches, Nancy and I used our voucher to dine at the Capitol Grille near our hotel. We also explored other wonderful restaurants in the city, where it's difficult to get a bad meal. We felt especially fortunate to have special transportation to and from the Center as well as to and from the hotel and airport.

Nancy and I are grateful to the RTA for their gracious and generous arrangements. We are fans of all their incentives, especially the Quick Start Programs for youngsters.

- John Baronian
- A. Nancy Avakian