US Open 2009

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 1:05pm

The action is heating up today as men's and women's qualifying has begun. Yesterday the Wilson Stringing Team was the first to arrive and the last to leave as they strung nearly 300 racquets (298 to be exact). Every racquet was completed to the exacting standards of the players who were anxiously waiting to pick them up today. Matches began around 10am EST this morning and the first on-court racquet arrived shortly thereafter. The racquet arrived at 11:30am and was headed back out to the court at 11:48am...not bad considering it was a natural gut/Luxilon ALU Power Rough hybrid!!!

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 10:00am

It is the second day of qualifying and the stringing team has been here for over two hours now. The competition is heating up on the court, but the team is maintaining its cool and pumping out racquets to keep the players at their best. We have already had a few urgent racquets as the players want their "avorite" frame ready for the day. How does the team keep its composure during the stressful days of stringing? Baiardo.com interview Ron Rocchi, Global Tour Services Manager Innovation & Design Group, to get his take on how he manages the room.

Briefly describe your responsibilities?

“As Global Tour Services Manager, I am in charge of any service that directly affects our professional players. Not only does that include stringing services at all our tournaments, but also the racquet preparation and customization year round.”

What is the biggest challenge of stringing at the US Open?

“Since we have set such a high level of service, it is always challenging to keep focus on all of the details that have made us successful. We strive to string every racquet with precision and focus, and continue to execute every player request that comes our way."

What is your favorite part of running the stringing room each year?

“My favorite part of each event is the first really busy day. We spend so much time planning, packing and setting up for the US Open, then to finally get the team together in one place and start stringing is a really cool experience. The energy in the room is addictive.”

Thursday, August 28th, 2009, 9:30am

Yesterday was an extremely busy day for the Wilson Stringing Team as on-court racquets were arriving to the window in adundance. As always, the team worked with incredible speed, precision, and accuracy to ensure that these racquets were returned to the player's before two changovers were completed. In essence, the team turned around most on-court racquets in 15 minutes or less!!! Today qualifying enters the second round and the total number of racquets should be less, but the number of on-court racquets should increase. Yesterday the team did over 150 racquets and they are bracing for the arrival of the main draw and 300+ racquet days.

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

The last two days have been rainy and wet in New York. Practice court time was limited for the players which meant fewer racquets coming through the stringing room. Although the Wilson Stringing Team likes to keep busy, the rest was well needed after hectic week. Today and tomorrow are the two busiest days for the team as they expect to string close to 600 racquets for the players competing in the main draw! The rain is gone and it is expected to a nice day for practicing which means plenty of broken strings and tension adjustments as the players get ready to compete for the 2009 US Open title.

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Last night was a very late night for the Wilson Stringing Team and Baiardo. The team left the stringing room in the wee hours of the morning after stringing 325 racquets! This was by far the biggest day to date at the 2009 US Open and the team expects to take in just as many racquets today as the main draw gets underway. One big twist today will be the addition of on-court racquets which take priority. With all of the activity each day, we surveyed the stringers to get a feel for a typical day. Here is what they said:

"A typical day starts around 6:30am with the commute to the tennis center, then once in Arthur Ashe stadium, a quick review of that particular days stringing order. Stringing begins and the team never knows when, or if, there will even be a break. Lunch is a question mark, and can be taken only if time allows. The stringing never continues just to keep pace. After 20 -30 racquets, a last check of how many are left for that day. Typically we finish after 11:00pm (most importantly after the last shuttle bus has left) and take the 7 train back to the hotel. On the days that are not as busy, we try to have a nice dinner and catch up on rest. The busy days are busier than most people can imagine, and the stringers work extremely hard under a lot of pressure."

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Day 2 of the main draw is under way and the workload is still daunting for the Wilson Stringing Team and Baiardo. Last night the stringers stay until the last ball was hit and completed 275 racquets. The pace will continue today as the team will complete an equal amount racquets to keep the players happy. Below are images of the Wilson Stringing Team who will be here for the remaining of the US Open stringing racquets and helping the competitors to play there best. The Wilson Stringing Team is: Dickie Lee, Dustin, Tankersley, Goron Hofsteter, Jarrad Magee, Pin Lay, Len Filatov, Luis Pianelli, Scott Schneider, Tadashi Hosoya, Todd Mobley, Toru Yusuki, and Yat Kong.

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

The team made it through the second day of the opening round pumping out nearly 250 racquets. As players continue to get eliminated, the workload will begin to decrease, but quality and precision will not be sacraficed. The team is in good spirits despite the long hours and demanding stringing guidelines. Everyone looks forward to leaving before midnight tonight!