tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post115371656450524128..comments2024-03-26T09:23:26.937-04:00Comments on ZooTennis: Venus and Boyajian Win Clay Court ChampionshipsColette Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153850838388780702006-07-25T14:07:00.000-04:002006-07-25T14:07:00.000-04:00I don't think Boyagian has any pretense about bein...I don't think Boyagian has any pretense about being a pro. He just wants to get a scholarship and play for a D1 school. He has a great birthday that slots in well with USTA national tournaments. His real test will come at the Zoo where the field is much stronger than the Clays. El Mihdawy, Thacher, Klahn, Krajicek, Jenkins and others who played the Clay 18's will be competing in the Harcourt 16's. I don't expect him to win the title with thses guys in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153802241223004742006-07-25T00:37:00.000-04:002006-07-25T00:37:00.000-04:00In case you don't know how to post without being a...In case you don't know how to post without being anonymous, under the "Choose an identity" category, just click "other" and type any name you want. It took me forever to figure out you dont have to be a blogger to get a name. I was anonymous for over a year. You can kind of tell looking back half the stuff I wrote though.<BR/><BR/>And yeah, you can feel free to give opinions when even using a name. <BR/><BR/>For a previous comment regarding tennis being a small world; I am employed by the USTA, and yes, the tennis world is tiny. Forget 6 degrees of seperation(or Kevin Bacon if you like), in the tennis world its more like 2 or 3 degrees of seperation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153771024078888822006-07-24T15:57:00.000-04:002006-07-24T15:57:00.000-04:00To the first Comment:1) Brennan does a whole lot m...To the first Comment:<BR/><BR/>1) Brennan does a whole lot more than keep the ball in play. He would not be able to win easter bowl and clay's if that was the case.<BR/><BR/>2) As Collete wrote, Brennans goal at the beginning of the summer was to get into the U.S. open. Do you think that would be possible if he had played 18's easter bowl and 18's clays?<BR/><BR/>3) He won the 18's July National Open without dropping a set. He CAN do very well in the 18's if he wanted to. Maybe he wants the wildcards into the Legg Mason and the U.S. Open?<BR/><BR/>4) What do you think is harder, playing way up where you have no pressure, or being the #1 seed at a super national and having everyone expect you win.<BR/><BR/>5) He would've been seeded in the 18's anyways. He is already top 50 in the nation 18's. I too would have enjoyed seeing him play Venus or Fugate. I think he could've held is own.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153770742129668122006-07-24T15:52:00.000-04:002006-07-24T15:52:00.000-04:00Thanks for the reply! I agree with you 100% that p...Thanks for the reply! I agree with you 100% that people tend to be nastier, and more "in your face" when using "anonymous". There was a blog a while back about some USTA coach who thought Michael Jordan could have been a great tennis player, and it was just a bunch of opinions regarding this. I think "anonymous" is acceptable in this context (just opinions, nothing else) There was nothing personal, or attacking that I could see. Then a person at the end of his message asked everyone to "quit hiding behind anonymous" It was funny, because AFTER his request, it got a bit dicey there:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153768408442651192006-07-24T15:13:00.000-04:002006-07-24T15:13:00.000-04:00I know junior tennis is a small world, but I'm wil...I know junior tennis is a small world, but I'm willing to put my name on everything I say. I can't afford to burn bridges either, but accountability is important. People have a tendency to say much nastier, more personal things when they aren't going to be confronted.<BR/>But I don't have to know the name and address of everyone who wants to say something here. Jim, AndrewD, Austin and others are regular contributors and I have no idea who they are or where they live. But they are building a relationship with me and other readers simply by signing all their comments. <BR/>Blogging is a new media, and I admit that I'm not entirely comfortable with its excesses as I was brought up within the constraints of traditional journalism. But I hope there is some sort of happy medium, where we can discuss issues related to junior and college tennis and player development on a civil basis. <BR/>Anonymous posts will be published if I think they raise important issues. I didn't start this blog to be an all-powerful censor, but I won't publish unverified personal gossip or comments that seem excessively mean-spirited.Colette Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153765922751959512006-07-24T14:32:00.000-04:002006-07-24T14:32:00.000-04:00Hello Colette, I am fairly new to this board, and ...Hello Colette, I am fairly new to this board, and am quickly becoming hooked! Very good info is posted here, as well as all the various opinions! I am curious as to why you would rather have people use their names with the comments? (since I am new, have not seen your repeated requests for this) My opinion (not that it matters!) is that the world of junior tennis is much smaller than people realize, and seeing people's opinions and ideas does nothing to "offend", or burn bridges, as it might if the identity was attached. Suppose we knew who posted the Boyajian comment? Is it life-threatening that we dont? Please keep up the great work, I love your comments, and feel it is very insightful in respects to U.S Junior tennis!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153754227873381382006-07-24T11:17:00.000-04:002006-07-24T11:17:00.000-04:00Hey Colette, Sorry I missed the finals yesterday. ...Hey Colette, <BR/><BR/>Sorry I missed the finals yesterday. I was going to come out, but after that great Blake-Roddick match I was eager to get out and play. Looking forward to checking out Michael Venus next week. :^)<BR/><BR/>Btw, all the tents are up for Legg Mason. Very exciting. <BR/><BR/><BR/>LynnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153754116730430092006-07-24T11:15:00.000-04:002006-07-24T11:15:00.000-04:001)Quit knocking a kid who wants to win at this own...1)Quit knocking a kid who wants to win at this own age level instead of being #10 by playing up. Most likely he will never make it as a pro and when he looks back on his tennis career he would rather go stare at his dozen gold balls rather than think about how he made it to the quarters by playing up to get ready for the pros but has nothing to show for it. If it was good enough for John McEnroe, James Blake and Andy Roddick to play in their own age divisions then its good enough for him.<BR/><BR/>2)I find it comical that a kid who wasn't ranked in college tennis and played #6 on his own team is actually saying out loud that he might turn pro. None of the top guys were even at the Clay Courts, if they were Venus would have lost in the Round of 16 or Quarters at best.<BR/><BR/>3)He's not American as previously stated in a post. He moved here in his first year of the 16's. How can some from New Zealand move to the states and become eligible to play in the USTA national tournaments immediately? That's a legitimate question. I thought there was a waiting period after you were verified to be living full-time in the US.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153751134449876322006-07-24T10:25:00.000-04:002006-07-24T10:25:00.000-04:00As I've said repeatedly, if I could I would insist...As I've said repeatedly, if I could I would insist that names be mandatory for blog comments, and I'm uncomfortable responding to "anonymous", but despite this disparaging dismissal of Boyajian, there is certainly a legitimate issue here. When should you play up? When does winning take a back seat to the challenge of the next level? How important is confidence? If you never play as a top seed at your own level, how do you cope with the pressure of being the target? When is playing up a way of lowering expectations? The best coaching minds in the game don't have an answer to these questions and I believe the decision should be based on the individual player.<BR/><BR/>Have I been gushing too much about Boyajian? I don't think so. To call his style of game "keeping the ball in play" is just wrong. He is a tennis player; he constructs points, he doesn't blast winners; he is fast, and as his doubles success (4 gold balls) indicates, he has a great feel around the net. <BR/><BR/>As a fan of tennis, I enjoy watching different styles of play, and when I see someone succeed without the standard big serve and big forehand, I'll always try to figure out why.<BR/><BR/>Can he be overpowered? Of course he can and probably will be in the Legg Mason qualifying. But playing in the 16s, and winning it, gave him that opportunity, which is why he'll also be playing the 16s in Kalamazoo too. (The 16s field will be much stronger than it was at the clays).<BR/><BR/>As to his record against the 18s seeds, in the past five months, he has beaten Adam Schwartz, a nine seed and Jeff Dadamo, a 17 seed, who reached the quarterfinals at the clays.Colette Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153748576355442972006-07-24T09:42:00.000-04:002006-07-24T09:42:00.000-04:00Why exactly did Michael Venus leave UT? And what ...Why exactly did Michael Venus leave UT? And what does it say, if anything, about American players and college tennis?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-1153741004604837682006-07-24T07:36:00.000-04:002006-07-24T07:36:00.000-04:00Come on, enough about Boyajian. Certainly he is an...Come on, enough about Boyajian. Certainly he is and was a decent player in the 12's, 14's, and now 16's with his style of game, just keeping the ball in play. But he should win where he usually plays, example, now as a 3rd year in 16's. He is one,two,or even three (Ryan Harrison) years older than most of his opponents. He will be 17 the beginning of September! Most other boys in his natural age division and younger are playing up and spreading their wings, testing their games, while he plays where he should win. How do you think he would have done against his peers in the 18's? I would have paid to see him play Fugate,Venus, or any of the seeds in 18's. You can't hide forever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com