Australia Looks for Athletes; USTA Names US Collegiate Team for International Event; Q&A with Evan Zeder; Watson's Decision

Despite Lleyton Hewitt's doubts (he recently endorsed Paul McNamee for the TA presidency, criticizing the current Geoff Pollard/Steve Wood/Craig Tiley administration), player development continues in Australia, and this story from Linda Pearce cites the "draft camp" that is underway to award scholarships for Tennis Australia training. Pearce writes:

The draft camp is about casting the net and identifying the best prospects. Tennis Australia's new head of men's tennis, Todd Woodbridge, concedes the transition from junior promise to senior success has been an issue. This, he hopes, will help.

"It's about being as professional as we possibly can," Woodbridge says. "The game of tennis has become incredibly athletic, so you've got to focus on that side of it and you've got to focus on the skills side as well, on who's got the ability to go out and actually just win a match, and not necessarily look the best."

The USTA has announced the six players who will compete for the United States in the Master U BNP Paribas International Collegiate Competition in December in France. They are: Austin Krajicek of Texas A & M, Steven Johnson of Southern California, Eric Quigley of Kentucky, Irina Falconi of Georgia Tech, Kristy Frilling of Notre Dame, and Caitlyn Whoriskey of Tennessee. For the complete release, click here.

The USTA collegiate Q and A series is gearing up again; today's conversation features clothing startup Athletic DNA's Evan Zeder, a member of Illinois's 2003 NCAA championship team.

2009 US Open girls champion Heather Watson was in London recently between competing in the $50,000 ITF Women's circuit in Barnstaple as a wild card and playing qualifying in the $25,000 this week in Glasgow, and during that time, she's done quite a few interviews. This one, by Donald McRae of the Guardian does a good job of capturing her ebullient personality and the timetable she had set for deciding between college and professional tennis.

Tags: college tennis, junior tennis, Tennis Australia, USTA, MASTER’U BNP PARIBAS, Evan Zeder, Heather Watson, Colette Lewis