Question of the Week: “Who are your all-time favorite tennis stars and are you rooting for anyone in the US Open?”
“My all-time favorites are Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi. As far as rooting for someone in the Open, I was just there on Tuesday, and I think Serena Williams is going to take the ladies. And for the men’s, I’d love to see Juan Martin Del Potro or Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.”
—Susan Barnada, West Trenton, Operations Manager, Hopewell Tennis and Swim Center.
“My favorite tennis player is Rafael Nadal. I love the way he plays. I am rooting for him in the Open this year, and I hope his knees are better.”
—Jessica Fisher, Hillsborough, Director of Rackets, Co-Director of Tennis, Bedens Brook Club.
“The entire Grant family are Roger Federer fans and we’re hoping for him to win this year’s US Open. All-time, I like Federer, Pete Sampras, and if you want to go way back, I also like Björn Borg. These would be my top male players. Currently, for the women’s game it’s kind of tough. I’m not a huge fan of any of the current women players, but way back when, I was a big fan of Chrissie Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Steffi Graf.
—Tom Grant, East Brunswick, Co-Director of Tennis, Bedens Brook Club.
George: “Roger Federer is my favorite contemporary player. My favorite player growing up was Pete Sampras. I like Patrick Rafter. They were volley players. Those types of players don’t really exist anymore, and I think the game has really changed. But right now I’m rooting for Federer as long as he’s in the tournament. But since today’s game is so physical, to beat two out of three, in such a short amount of time, especially if the weather stays hot and humid, it’s going to be tough for him.” Henri: “Probably Sampras, because I’m an old-timer. I always liked the old games when you can see someone coming to the net, you know, serve and volley, and then hopefully having someone like Agassi serve and volley against the returner. So, you had a bit of a nice contrast, whereas today’s game has fantastic athletes, but they are base-liners, so they basically are playing the same game.”
—George Carpeni (on left), Skillman, Princeton University Class of 2010, former member Princeton University Men’s Varsity Tennis team, with Tennis Enthusiast Henri Carpeni, Skillman