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THE
SCOOP: U.S. OPEN, DAY 13
Is
the Open going to the dogs?
By
Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net
FLUSHING
MEADOWS, N.Y., SEPT. 8 – The
player lounge area at the U.S. Open is a two-story complex with
plenty of room and even a cyberspace café on the second
floor. Surely, tennisreporters.net was a popular site that players
were clicking on when they surfed the net while waiting for matches
to be played.
Among
the many noticeable things in the players lounge are the signs
that are posted for the players to read. One sign that stood out
more than the rest was one directed to the dog lovers of the women’s
tour, who travel with their pets in tow. The Williams sisters
bring their dogs with them as far away as the French Open this
year. Jennifer Capriati’s mother, Denise, had shih-tzu Bianca
on a leash as she sat in the hair salon area waiting for her pedicure
to dry.
In
a story out of the Canadian Open in Toronto this summer, tournament
organizers were worried that their event was going to the dogs.
Apparently, the U.S. Open was trying to prevent that from happening
from the outset with the following notice to players.
“No
pets on court (including match courts, practice courts and all
courtside seating). No pets in locker rooms, training rooms
or fitness center.
“Please keep dogs in their carriers or on leashes at all
times.
“And please, please clean up after any accidents –
especially indoors. Thank you.”
It didn’t seem like many of the players got the message
that the USTA would probably prefer the players leave their
dogs back at the hotel.
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