Latest News
Tennis.com: Can't Go Backwards
by Andrew Friedman, TW Contributing Writer
Hi, all. As he mentioned earlier, Pete is rolling in later than usual this afternoon, and made my day by asking me if I’d throw up a guest post in his absence. In truth, I was secretly worried about how I’d pull this off while also tracking qualifiers for a story I’m working on for TENNIS magazine. Fortunately, my two commitments collided in the form of an unheralded, sponsor-less, twenty-six-year old American qualifier named Jesse Witten, who took out Russian Igor Andreev (seeded 29th) in straight sets on Court 7 early this afternoon.
I’ll be honest: in looking for potential qualifiers to track last week, I had overlooked Witten. When I first saw him playing, I actually did a double take. Because Witten isn't built like a tennis player. He weighs in at 5’10” and a stocky 180 pounds; the two times I've seen him here he was wearing an ill-fitting white t-shirt and baggy black shorts that hang down to his knees. What leg is visible is massively thick, and the cherry on top of this incongruous package is his quasi-crew cut. I would describe him as a running back, but ESPN’s Bonnie Ford got closer to the mark when she observed, “He looks like a rugby player.”
Yahoo! Sports Game Point: Five things you didn't know about Jesse Witten
Game Point is Busted Racquet's daily roundup of the facts, figures and links about the 2009 U.S. Open.
The next thing you learn about Jesse Witten will probably be the first. But seeing as how the American scored the biggest upset thus far at the U.S. Open with his 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 rout of No. 29 seed Igor Andreev today, it's time we became acquainted with the 26-year old from Naples, FL. Here are five things you probably definitely don't know about Mr. Witten:
KB Sports Management Launches at US Open
NEW YORK, NY - There is a new player creating a buzz at the US Open, and this player is intent on bringing a new dimension to the game. The new player is KB Sports Management, a full service sports management and marketing firm, and it is bringing a fresh and innovative approach to managing the unique needs of the professional athlete. The approach starts with the KB Client Management Model, which Khamp Bounkong, founder and CEO of KB Sports Management, enthusiastically explains as he refers to a simple, cyclical diagram. With the expertise of the F2 Consulting Group, a marketing and business development firm based in Princeton, NJ, KB Sports Management developed this signature model to bring a strategic focus to the four major components of a professional athlete's career: Training, Marketing, Financial Management, and Succession Planning. "Professional athletes are given extraordinary opportunities, but these opportunities can easily be missed if the athlete isn't focused and ready to ca italize." stresses Bounkong. "Success is not achieved by accident, and with all the pressures that an athlete shoulders, it certainly cannot be achieved alone." To support the athlete, Bounkong has assembled an experienced management team and has hand-picked some of the most talented and recognized industry specialists to help the athlete excel in each of the four model components. The objective is to maximize the opportunities in each career component, which progressively leads to increasing success in all areas. KB Sports Management refers to this cyclical dynamic as "High Performance Synergy", and it is described as the engine that drives the model. Joe Fernandez, Managing Partner for F2, explains the rationale behind developing a simple yet strategic approach to managing an athlete. "Performing at the elite level, physically and mentally, is a full-time effort, a punishing grind, in fact. The big picture cannot pose an unrelated set of challenges that interferes with the athlete's focus. We saw that KB Sports Management was bringing the best specialists to the table. We wanted their efforts to be strategic and well-orchestrated and to demonstrate how they can complement the athlete's efforts, building momentum rather than hindering it. Together, we developed a simple and systematic approach that emphasizes the limitless potential of the professional athlete when every opportunity is maximized."
Bounkong and his team are also introducing its KB Player Endorsement Model, which identifies the unique benefits of endorsement marketing to a sponsor. "Professional athletes are role models. They inspire others to follow," he asserts. "Virtually every brand can benefit by being equated to excellence, commitment, and perseverance. That is what is so special about sports and these marketing opportunities." KB Sports Management emphasizes that the key to a successful sponsorship is building a strong connection between the player, the sponsor's customers, and its brand. While the endorsement concept has been around for decades, Bounkong argues that many sponsors are still stopping just short of a truly effective program that maximizes ROI.
The US Open marks the official launch of KB Sports Management, and Bounkong and his team are brimming with excitement. In a relatively young industry with the familiar big players, Bounkong is confident that players and sponsors will embrace their fresh approach, "Sports management and marketing is complex and fast moving, but it's not rocket science. Yet many athletes still don't understand what value to expect from an agent and sports agency. And as I look around this tournament, I see a lot of company logos, but only a few of these sponsors are effectively connecting with the consumer. We hope to open some eyes and create new opportunities." It's early in the game, but KB Sports Management appears to be poised for a strong performance.
******************************
If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Khamp Bounkong, please call Joe Fernandez at 703.819.5270.
Tennis Week Opinion: The Toughest Dude In Tennis
I've never been in the army. I don't have an American flag flying outside my house. Independence Day doesn't get my all choked up. But besides traveling in Europe and hearing the people bad-mouth the good ole U.S. of A, going to the US Open is when I get my most jingoistic impulses.
I was watching the Jesse Witten vs. Stephane Bohli of Switzerland match, standing next to Scoop Malinowski, who was cold-cocked walking up to people and asking them if they knew who is the heavyweight champion of the world (no one did, but they eyed Scoop suspiciously anyway) and when Bohli won the first set and yelled, "Yeah," or the Swiss-equivalent, I got roused.
Cook Earns Entry Into U.S. Open Qualifier
Courtesy: Aggie Athletics
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Former three-time Texas A&M men’s tennis All-American Lester Cook (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) has been awarded a wild-card entry into the 2009 U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament which will be held on Aug. 25-28 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
The 25-year-old is one of nine American men to receive U.S. Open qualifying wild cards. Cook, who played for the Aggies from 2002-04, was a two-time and three-time All-Big 12 Conference selection in singles and doubles respectively. He is currently ranked No. 266 in the world in singles, his highest career ranking on the ATP Tour to date. Tennis fans can follow his playing career at: www.lestercook.com.
The U.S. Open, one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, will be held from Aug. 31-Sept. 13. This will be the third consecutive year in which a Texas A&M men’s tennis player will compete at the U.S. Open as Cook competed in the qualifying rounds of singles in 2007 and current junior All-American Austin Krajicek (Brandon, Fla.) received a wild-card entry into the main draw of singles as the USTA Boys 18’s National Champion in 2008.
Swinging for a dream: Treadwell tries to make a go of it on the pro circuit
By Joe Conroy
One of the earliest memories Trey Treadwell has of playing golf is receiving his first real set of clubs.
They were a present from his parents, Jim and Pam, for his fifth birthday and he spent the rest of the afternoon hitting golf balls in his grandparents' backyard.
He was no longer playing around with plastic facsimiles. That day is one of the his most vivid memories in golf—he couldn't have been happier.
From that day on, Treadwell fell in love with the sport, playing in high school, college and then as an amateur. In the back of his mind was always a desire to do more, to play professionally.