Its Jimmy here blogging from the US Open. I've been out here every day commentating with one of my fellow Outback Champions Series commentators, Sam Gore. Sam is one of the best commentators in the business and I always enjoy working with him -- whether it's here at the US Open or for the Outback Champions Series-- he has such keen insight into the game and expresses himself well for the fans.
Not only am I commentating here at the Open, but I was also invited to play a team Legends event and my partner is Tracy Austin. This is going to be an exciting challenge. I have recently seen Tracy play at the Champions Cup Boston earlier this year and she is in tip-top form. I also know that Tracy is such a competitive player, working with her will certainly motivate me to give it my all. I'm actually really excited about the opportunity as it will also help me prepare for my matches later this month down in Charlotte at the Breezeplay Championships at The Palisades. So for all of you New York tennis fans, come catch me and Tracy at the Open, and everyone else you can see me in Charlotte live or on Tennis Channel. Check www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com for the broadcast schedule. Gotta go, Sam and I about to call the Djokivic match. Later.
Jimmy
July 2, 2009
I'm here in Bristol, CT, at ESPN commentating Wimbledon for ESPN International. No huge surprises - the top 4 seeds are in the semi-finals in the women's draw. My prediction is an all-Williams final. Although Venus plays the top-seed, Safina, she is a two-time defending champion and Safina has looked shaky at best. The other half is Serena playing Dementieva. Dementieva has the ground strokes and the physical ability to play with anyone, and her serving problems seem to be behind her. However, Serena is looking so fierce. She has said in the pressroom that she believes she should have more than two Wimbledon championships. With that in mind, Serena is my pick to win the prize.
On the men's side, before the tournament started, I predicted a Federer-Murray final that still seems to be on course. Federer looks unstoppable because he's playing more relaxed since his French Open victory. Andy Roddick is the wild card and could serve his way to a Wimby title. I can't see anybody beating Federer, but don't tell anyone in England. They've been waiting for a British champion since 1936. They may have to wait a few more years.
June 4, 2009
Working for ESPN International and the French Open, I’m adjusting to Paris time while providing commentary – An interesting place to be, given the shake-ups in this year’s field.
The French Open is quite interesting, especially on the Men's side with the loss of Nadal. His loss opens the door for Federer to claim his place in history - which is to be known as the best of all time. In my mind, he must win the French to do so. The pressure is on because this
is probably his last best chance to win Roland Garros. The biggest obstacle standing in his way before the quarterfinals was clearly Monfils. Monfils was so dangerous in my mind because he was playing in front of his home crowd. Now that Federer has come through to the semis, I think he has a 95% chance of winning Roland Garros. To me, the wild card is Soderling because he has never played like he is playing now and he has some serious weapons. The question would be can Soderling win in the final of a slam when he's never made it past the 3rd round? I doubt it. Federer has never lost to any of the remaining players on clay and has only lost one match total which was to Fernando Gonzalez. On the women's side, the big story for me is Safina, who is ranked #1 but has never won a grandslam. Serena Williams had declared
herself to be the best player in the world regardless of the rankings recently, but fell short to Kuznetsova. Safina has to be considered the heavy favorite now.
That's all for now.
April 24, 2009
Great to be back to my “second home.” Because of the great crowd support I received, I was able to pull off a win over Mats Wilander, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and all around great guy. My forehand was the key to my win on Thursday - it felt like old times! I’ll play Pat Cash in the semis on Saturday - but, today, I had the day off and played golf. The Ritz is an unbelievable place. Unfortunately, it was windy and I lost a lot of balls. That’s it for now. I’ll update you after my win in the finals!
-Jimmy
September 26, 2008
The autumn events have started on the Outback Champions Series and I have a lot of great excuses this trip. I played my first match against Jim Courier in a hurricane (okay, not exacly, but it felt like it). Jim is way better in the wind as I have bigger back swings. Now, today I get to play goran indoors on a fast court- his specialty. I peaked in April, with my 3rd place finish in Grand Cayman, and now we will see how the fall goes. This summer was rough, with doing television commentary for the Olympics, US Open - instead of working on my tennis game. I'm going to start training and by Dallas I'll be able to win the tournament.
March 31, 2008
Hi Outback Champions Series Fans,
Naples was a big event for me. I was very happy to have my first win on the Outback Champions Series and I hope it is one of many more. I have been practicing a lot and it was nice to see that the practice has paid off. However. my body has been aching and I did take some time off after Naples. Today I practiced and felt good on the court. I want to continue my progress at the next event in Grand Cayman -- My group is very tough : Courier, McEnroe, Wilander. I think I can beat Wilander this time and I'm ready for the challenge with the group.
In Naples, my match against Pernfors was the high point for me as a player. We had a very long Champions tie-breaker. I have played many of these on the Outback Champions Series - but this was the first time I came out victorious. On one hand, I like the format as it is easier on the body than playing an entire set, but on the other hand the match can turn so quickly -- just a matter of points. So focus and concentration is key in the Champions Tie Breaks. The win against Mikael is a good confidence booster for me and I will feel better going into another Champions Tie Break on the Outback Champions Series. I am ready to keep winning!
One of the highlights for me in Naples was unquestionably hitting with my son Spencer on center court in front of the crowds. In many ways he reminds me of myself when I was his age, only I was a lot cockier! Spencer was very nervous, I saw his arms trembling beforehand, but once he hit a few balls he was fine. Me on the other hand, I remember going into a match against Bobby Riggs (just after his notorious Billie Jean King match) and feeling so confident that I could beat him. I felt the same going against Rod Laver. I was a very confident player as a junior I felt unstoppable -- perhaps it was because I had a lot of tournament experience which Spencer has not yet had. I hope to encourage him to play more tournaments.
The Outback Champions Club is always one of the most memorable parts of the Outback Champions Series events. The OCC is the private VIP area where the players can eat the latest and greatest Outback meals while mingling with the guests which are mostly sponsors. Talking to the sponsors in the OCC is always interesting for the players - - its funny because the #1 subject is ourselves!! Having played many OCS events, there are many familiar faces and, like the Outback Steakhouse executives for examples, have become friends. I look forward to seeing all my friends again at the next event.
Catch you later....
Jimmy Arias
September 30, 2007
Hi tennis fans- Its me Jimmy Arias. Wanted to touch base with you about The Championships at The Palisades here in Charlotte. The thing I like the most about Charlotte is the crowds. Last year I played this tournament for the first time and I had a very bad back injury and I think the fans remembered me becuase they felt sorry for me. They were cheering for me and a lot of people asked me if I felt better this year which was so nice and thougtful. This year, the crowds were even more incredible---the stadium was packed all week. When I stepped on the court to play Jim, everyone was cheering "Go Jimmy! Go Jimmy!" (....Although, now that I think about it, maybe they were cheering for Jim Courier, because he is very popular here!)
The strange thing is that when I first arrived, I saw the draw (Courier, Martin, and Krickstein) and went into my matches with the mentality that the tennis would be so tough and I would have to focus on entertaining the crowds because I didn't know if I could beat these tough players. However, it was during my match with Todd Martin that my entire mentality changed: I felt I had a chance in the second set. I was up 4-3 love 30 on serve and that's when I got really nervous I realized, "hey I could actually win this match." . It reminded me of the intense competition of the tour days and how much I liked to compete and win. Now I realized I am fully motivated and committed now to go back home and start training very seriously to compete against these players. I feel like I could be a threat on the Outback Champions Series and cannot wait to train. In fact, I even have a game plan; when I go back I will begin working with world famous tennis trainer Gary Kitchell, who has worked with legends such as Ivan Lendl, to improve my physical fitness, aptitude to avoid injuries and on court physical fitness strategy. Gary has a progam outlined for me which includes sand drills ( I don't even know what that is, but Im excited about it) In addition, I will play as many matches as I can to improve my mental toughness during match play. I want to compete well against guys like Jim Courier, Todd Martin, and even Pete Sampras.
The Championships at the Palisades was a turning point for me mentally. Cant wait to play my next match on The Outback Champions Series...
