Hall of Fame Tennis: A View from the Lawn

Hall of Fame Tennis: A View from the Lawn

It is the dawn of opening match play, and the magnificently maintained grass courts of the Newport Casino are about to come to life, as the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships get underway.  The grounds looks great, the qualifying rounds are complete, the draws are set, and all that remains is play. The promise of great tennis will, without a doubt, be delivered, as it has been every year before. One very new and exciting addition this year, Rhode Island has very personal stake in the tourney, as native son, Jared Donaldson looks to take his wildcard to the finish.

I sat down with Jared fresh from his afternoon practice session. What I found was a young man who has aged and matured and has a plan, the work ethic, and mindset to win. Asked about playing in his home state, his response was measured and thoughtful, stating, “Of course playing here is special, but I must focus on the tennis and my game.”  He continued, “I must always push ahead and improve my game and I feel I can beat anyone here. But it takes work.” Donaldson’s game is one of attacking from the baseline and the grass is not going to change his strategy. I queried if serve and volley style of play is better suited for this surface. “This tournament has been won by baseliners like LLeyton Hewitt, as well as serve and volley players like Nicholas Mahut. “I plan to win a point at a time, a game at a time, by playing my game. Tomorrow my focus is on Austin Krajicek.”

Happy to be surrounded by family and friends, Donaldson acknowledges that being away training and playing make being home that much sweeter, “I have a new appreciation for Rhode Island and while driving home to Chepachet, I took in the views and it felt nice.”  

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Jared’s successful run in the French Open qualifying, combined with practice, and a full match play schedule, clearly have had an impact on his game. In turn, it has allowed a quiet maturity to evolve. Jared and I both grew up in Glocester, we share an alma mater, and I, for one, am very proud of his success. More than that, I am impressed with his thoughtfulness as he embarks on his journey to prevail in the tournament.  Jared is, and should be, a source of great pride for our state.    

The order of play for the day includes what are certain to be superb matches, highlighted by a player with the grass stains of Wimbledon still on his racquet taking to the court, 6’ 10” Ivo Karlovic.  A big man with a serve to match, Karlovic fought all the way to the fourth round at the All England Club and is playing extremely well, particularly on grass. His world class serve and incredible reach make him an ever-present threat in the draw. He is scheduled to be third on center court in a match against the hard hitting Ukrainian, Illya Marchenko.

An all Aussie battle is set for center court when Bernard Tomic, ranked 25th in the ATP rankings takes on fellow Australian, John Patrick Smith. Speaking of John Patrick Smith, he and his doubles partner are sure to make a racket in the  doubles draw, as his partner is none other than giant killer, Dustin Brown who stunned the tennis world by excusing Rafa at the All England Club. Brown will also be in action in the singles draw.

All eyes will be on the Donaldson v. Kraiek match, as our home town guy will play in the last match of the day on stadium court. As always, the trappings of the magnificent Newport casino frame the tennis in beauty and history, and this year’s tournament is sure to be a delight.

I will be courtside to cover the matches, and across the site to give you a view from the many unique perspectives, including ball kids, umpires, volunteers, and groundskeepers. Here’s to the winners, the losers, and the fans, as Rhode Island takes in another smashing week of tennis in Newport.

Carol Anne Costa in addition to being a Mindsetter for GoLocalProv has solid roots in the tennis world. Costa founded the Rhode Island High School Tennis Coaches Association. A Rhode Island Interscholastic High School Coach from 1981 – 1990. She is also a Rhode Island High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Famer, inducted in the class of 2011. Carol will be reporting from the grass courts of International Tennis Hall of Fame on the tennis and so much more, as the Hall of Fame Championships main draw singles and doubles begin Monday.