Learning from the Best
Tomorrow’s induction ceremony is bringing a lot of guests with it, beyond the honorees and their families, to the delight of the locals. Todd Martin, who will play an exhibition against Agassi on Sunday, gave a VIP clinic today on the Hall of Fame grounds. Wearing his whitest Wimbledon whites, Martin observed and even temporarily joined in on a doubles match. As he served to an older opponent, Martin joked, “Don’t be afraid!”

Furthermore, Todd Martin’s coaching duties did not end when he and Novak Djokovic parted ways in April 2010. After the clinics, Martin was out coaching three adorable youngsters – his children. After his two-year-old daughter tried her hand in holding a racquet and striking a forehand, she acted as ballgirl. We can only wish for a post-exhibition exhibition on Sunday, featuring the Martin children against the Agassi-Graf offspring.

Thinking is Overrated
It was a dogfight between teenager Denis Kudla and fellow American Michael Yani for a place in the Semifinals. Yani came out swinging and soon won the first set, 6-3. He was running away in the second, up 4-1, when, by his own admission, Yani “started thinking about things.” The thought of celebrating his first ATP World Tour quarterfinal win was distracting, and Kudla was able to break back in the second set, eventually winning a very nervy tiebreak, in which Yani served two double faults. After both fought through erratic play and exchanged breaks early in the third set, Yani was able to prevail, breaking Kudla for the last time in the 11th game of the final set, winning in front of his father Edward, 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5.

Land of Opportunity
Newport is the first tournament where Olivier Rochus has reached the semifinal stage three years in a row. Defeating first-time ATP semifinalist Matthew Ebden, Rochus fought the tough, wet conditions and a low serve percentage. He noted that, although his first serve rate was only 40%, the serves he did make were “good speed,” and that the conditions may have given him an advantage. They were “good conditions for my touch and size,” he said, noting that keeping the ball low helps him against taller opponents.

The defending finalist faces surprise semifinalist Michael Yani on Saturday. But he is not overly confident about the match, despite Yani’s former lack of success on Tour. “Tennis now,” said Rochus, “even if they’re [ranked] 300, 400… anything can happen.”

Meanwhile, Yani had a lot of respect for Rochus’ game and energy. He is realistic, but sees possibility in the Semifinal. “Just two thirty-year-olds playing a match,” noted Yani, “but he’s had a little more success in his career.”

Picture Rochus in a Wig
When asked what his view of Agassi is, Rochus said Agassi had been his idol. “Him and his look,” the Belgian said, quickly adding, “and his game.” While he has never faced Agassi in a match, Rochus admitted he was a little nervous the one time he practiced with the eight-time Grand Slam Champion, in Rome.

On Love Alone
Fans commonly question what would make a journeyman, a man with a top college degree keep playing week in and week out. Michael Yani says that he has been “to some dodgy places” in his travels on the ATP Challenger and the Futures Tours. At the tail end of Agassi’s career, for instance, Yani was “playing the kiddie pools on the Futures tour,” and by now had mostly stopped thinking about his previously winless ATP World Tour record.

The 30-year-old said that, while he attended Duke University “to get a diploma, to have something to fall back on,” and had thought about hanging up his racquet and, in fact, “falling back” on his education, he keeps playing tennis because, “I still love it.”

Yani also feels younger than his 30 years, as he has only played on Tour for eight years, making him only barely a veteran. Yani noted, as an example, that when his quarterfinal opponent, Kudla, will have played on Tour for that long, he would only be around 24 years old.

To the East Side
The luxury of having a Center Court stadium made of two courts is not just fresher grass, but also that the players can more or less avoid having to serve into the sun for the vast part of the day. Every morning, the court is set up for play on the west side of the stadium, and every afternoon, the net, the umpire’s chair, and line judges’ stations are moved to the east side. You could even spot Irish Chair Umpire Fergus Murphy doing manual labor, assisting the mid-afternoon move on Friday before chairing the second singles Quarterfinal.

While They are Here
The Agassi induction is not the only event that brought tennis nobility to Newport. Friday evening, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for an exhibition dedicated to the groundbreaking tennis player and humanitarian Arthur Ashe. Along with Ashe’s widow Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, who cut the ribbon with Hall of Fame Chairman Christopher Clouser, Ashe’s agent Donald Dell, Charlie Pasarell, and Katrina Adams were on hand, among other guests.


For more photos from Friday, CLICK HERE