Herr tourney stronger than ever:: HeraldTribune.com

Herr tourney stronger than ever:HeraldTribune.com~~~

With the Eddie Herr tournament starting in two weeks, it's a good time for this story, which details the fabulous field that will descend on IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton this year. As director Rick Workman points out in this story, the fact that the Orange Bowl has moved a week earlier in the schedule to now directly follow the Eddie Herr has certainly been one of the reasons.

The fact that the race for the Boys ITF Year-end Championship has not been decided is another, and having four of the top five in rankings in the boys makes their field a bit tougher than the girls, who have five of the top 10.

But even if all the glamour is in the 18s, I'm also excited about seeing the younger age divisions. One of the best things about the Eddie Herr is having the 12s, 14s, 16s & 18s--boys and girls--in one place at (more or less) one time. It's simply a cornucopia of junior tennis, and I'm looking forward to my second trip more than I did my first, because I know now that old friends and new discoveries await me.

For more information about the tournament and its entrants, see their website.