Atlanta Tennis making a Racket!

(Note, you can also catch this in this week's Score Atlanta, available on newsstands TODAY!)
Big time tennis is coming back to Atlanta this Saturday evening with the Infinite Energy Atlanta Slam. For the second straight year some of the world’s top tennis talents will visit the Arena at Gwinnett Center to compete in front of frenzied crowds. Last year over 7000 people showed up to cheer local standout Robby Ginepri as he faced former US Open champion Andy Roddick. It was the largest tennis event in the state since 1999, when the Williams sisters visited Atlanta.

The main draw might be James Blake, currently ranked No.10 in the world tennis rankings. As Trevor Short, the Atlanta Slam event promoter noted, “Any tennis enthusiast knows James Blake.” After a quarterfinal finish in the 2008 Australian Open, Blake reached the second round at both the French Open and Wimbledon. His performance at the Olympics might be his highlight of the year: Blake was able to knock off No.1 Roger Federer in straight sets for his first career win over Federer. Blake also advanced to the third round of the US Open before helping the US Davis Cup team reach the semi-finals. Blake has a strong following of fans who call themselves J-Block and Short has said that members will be in attendance this Saturday.

Blake will face off against an up-and-comer in Sam Querrey. The 21-year old comes in ranked as the 8th best American player and world No. 37, and his powerful serve will be on display for Atlanta. Querrey set the ATP record for consecutive aces with ten straight last year against Blake. Querrey is also getting a shot at the man whom he replaced on the Davis Cup team. When Blake had to back out late in the schedule, Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe tapped Querrey as the replacement. He was able to take one set off Rafael Nadal. Thus far this year, the young gun has won one ATP event, the Tennis Channel Open, held in Las Vegas. Short, who grew up playing tennis and has faced Roddick and Ginepri calls Querrey an “unbelievable talent.”

While the main event will give Atlanta a great singles event, the undercard is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Fans may want to arrive at the Infinite Energy Atlanta Slam early to watch what should be a great doubles match. In a “Battle of the Brothers,” the No.1 ranked doubles team in the world, the Mike and Bob Bryan will face Murphy and Luke Jensen. The Bryan Brothers have seemingly been unstoppable over the last few years. They are the reigning US Open Doubles champions and won the Bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. Over their careers the two have shared a “Career Grand Slam” with two US Open titles, two Australian Open championships, one French title and one Wimbledon crown. This season alone, the pair has snagged five total titles.

The Jensen Brothers meanwhile call Atlanta home, and while a bit older than the Bryan Brothers, the Jensen Brothers do have a major title on their resume. The pair teamed up in 1993 to take home the French Open crown and won four total titles in the late 90s. While the two are officially retired from professional tennis, they are still involved in the sport. Luke serves as a coach at Syracuse University while Murphy hosts several shows on the Tennis Channel.

The event doesn’t stop with just the exciting tennis action. This year kids ages 8-16 will have a chance to take part in an exclusive tennis clinic with Blake and the Bryan Brothers. For more info, email tennis6688@aol.com. All of the Infinite Energy Slam players will also be at a VIP Players Party that fans of all ages have a chance to attend. Players will sign autographs and pose for pictures and Short promises a very special mystery guest. For more information on the players party, contact Nelllong123456@aol.com. Michael Johns of American Idol fame is also scheduled to appear at the event.

This year’s event, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is sponsored by T & S Events and the Georgia Tennis Foundation and the proceeds will benefit the Georgia Tennis Foundation. The GTF is a huge part of the tennis community and gives to nine different organizations to help spread tennis. According to Short, the GTF has helped introduce tennis to over 36,000 children with coaches and equipment and helps out with the Robbie Ginepri Fund, and YMCA Tennis Georgia. Most of the money will also go towards the annual wheelchair tournament, which is the largest in the world.
Tennis fans looking for tickets should visit www.atlantaslam.com for what Short calls, “a night of tennis and a party.”