Does James Bond play with a one- or two-handed backhand?
How does he spend his change-overs?
What's his favorite post-match quencher?

All the answers are in Devil May Care, the latest book in the spy thriller series that packs a couple of firsts:

• It's the first Bond book since Octopussy and The Living Daylights were published posthumously as a collection of short stories in 1966
• It's the first James Bond book that puts a racquet in the hands of the agent

Yes—finally and officially—tennis players can count 007 as a fellow player and discover what type of player he is and how he conducts himself on court.

It's easy to picture the world's most famous British spy dashing across the grass of the All England Lawn Tennisand enjoying Wimbledon, a major scene of this book places him on the red clay of Court 2 in the Bois de Boulogne—just a stone's throw from Paris' most famous courts at Roland Garros. True to the era of the series, Bond and his opponent, the "most dangerous opponent" Dr. Julius Gorner, play with wooden racquets and white Slazenger balls. More intriguing is that Dr. Gorner, a giant in the pharmaceutical industry, plays with a glove on his hand to disguise a birth deformity that made his hand resemble a monkey's paw...

The dozen books in the James Bond series have placed the agent in battles of wits and skill involving canasta, bridge and golf. And while it's no surprise that the Brit shoudd know his way around the white lines, Devil May Care is the first time tennis has been featured in a Bond novel.

The reason: Author Sebastian Faulks is a tennis player.

Faulks, a Briton whose books include Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, was commissioned by the Fleming estate to write this title for release on what would have been Fleming's 100th birthday, May 28, 2008. Devil May Care has been flying off shelves. In fact, more than 44,000 copies were sold in the first four days, making Devil May Care the fastest-selling hardcover book in Penguin Books' history.

The July issue of Vanity Fair magazine, on newsstands now, features an excerpt of the book that includes the Bond vs. Gorner match on Court 2.

While a seeming crossover between Ian Fleming and tennis might be Peter Fleming, the name of his brother, the fact is that his brother was a travel writer. The other Peter Fleming, from New Jersey, is the one who racked up most of his 59 doubles titles with John McEnroe. He recently signed on to run Heritage Key's Racquet Club in Kissimmee, Fla., which will feature 20 courts (hard and clay surfaces) and instructional programming at the recreational and competitive levels for peak performance.

Related links:
- Penguin Books' 007 website
- Ian Fleming Centre

Institute executive director Ruth Browne (second from left) with honorees Bryant Gumbel, Dr. Dawn Morton-Rias, Richard D. Parsons, Billie Jean King, and Terry McDonell.

By Liza Horan

New York—The ripple effects of Arthur Ashe's life are like tidal waves—and they show no signs of slowing. Among the many endeavors bearing his name, spirit, and dedication is the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. The 15-year-old organization, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., raised more than $500,000 in a single night.

The occasion was the annual Sportsball, which somehow elegantly weds a high society scene with carnival-like fun. From the succulent steak, the gowns, the tuxedos finished off with tennis shoes, an ice cream bar, a dance band with plenty of horns, video games, and an auction of sports memorabilia, last month's event was smashing.

The evening showcased the good works of the Institute, which is dedicated to improving health care and opportunities, and honored Billie Jean King, HBO Real Sports host Bryant Gumbel, Richard D. Parsons of Time Warner, Sports Illustrated group editor Terry McDonell, and Dr. Dawn Morton-Rias, dean of SUNY's College of Health Related Professions. Commentator Mary Carillo was an award presenter.

King's award acceptance speech was lighthearted, but poignant, as she recalled her friendship with Ashe.

"At 12 years old I had an epiphany—that I wanted to change the game," she said. "It was so elitist and I saw no people of color. I knew that unless I was No. 1 no one would listen to me."

Among the things King said she and her friend, Ashe, shared were that they were born in 1943, wore glasses, were dedicated to making tennis inclusive, and that they both had afros in the '70s.

"I wore it as a statement: Black is beautiful," said King, added that she used to say to Ashe, "We both have afros, but yours is real; mine's a perm."

Other comments of interest include Gumbel's quip, "You know you're getting old when the award you get is named for someone you know," and McDonell's statement, "Arthur Ashe has an unmatched legend at Sports Illustrated (for his transparency)...he stands out as the sportsman among sportsmen."

The upstairs lounge at CityView Racquet Club.

By Liza Horan

But instead of a dance floor, there were seven brand new tennis courts, four squash courts, spacious locker rooms, an open-air fitness area, and a spa. 

CityView Racquet Club, a $10 million facility that sits atop the former Swingline stapler building in Long Island City (an 11-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan), is more country club than nightclub, for sure. But it's grand opening bash on April 17 was a hip party that drew TV talk show host Regis Philbin and wife Joy (below right), reality stars Ramona and Mario Singer of Real Housewives of New York City, and former pro and TV commentator Justin Gimelstob.

Regis and Joy Philbin were on hand for the launch party. Regis hit a few balls with Justin Gimelstob.

"It's great to see a nice new modern facility in New York," said Gimelstob, who is shopping for a home in the Chelsea neighborhood where his brother Russell lives. "Having a place this accessible is great (for pro players), so you're not dependent on living in Florida (for a top training facility)." Gimelstob, a member of CityView, said he had plans to hit with Andy Roddick, who recently purchased a Gramercy Park home with fiancee Brooklyn Decker. Venus Williams also has been spotted at the club.

While the three-story facility's decor is as sleek and modern as the lobby of a W hotel, lush and natural touches—like a 30-foot palm tree, indirect lighting and wood accents—give it a comfortable air. An outdoor area and Manhattan-facing windows provide the private club's namesake scenes.

For all the glitz of this first-rate club, there is even more substance. General Manager Michael DelPrete, who scouted for locations from New Jersey to Manhattan and Queens in a helicopter, has run tennis clubs in the area for more than 30 years and the group behind CityView currently runs other locations, including the Central Park tennis concession.

Former pro and CityView member Justin Gimelstob with CityView owners Joe Shabot, Eli Dweck and Michael DelPrete.

"We've lost 33 tennis courts in the area over the last several years," DelPrete said, noting the closures of the Wall Street floating tennis facility, the Columbus Racquet Club, and, most recently, the Stadium Racquet Club that was destroyed for the new Yankee stadium, among other locations that were demolished in favor of real estate development. "We needed to find a new facility to handle the growing needs of tennis in the area."

Carla Hughes, who works for CityView in Long Island City and also at the Central Park concession said, "I've worked in tennis in New York for 25 years and watched 20 clubs close. I've never seen anything of this caliber."

The roof of the Swingline building, which dates from the 1920s, was perfect. "It was zoned properly from the beginning. It's a natural fit for someone who wants the best of the best," says DelPrete, who is a frequent player. "New York City and the surrounding areas definitely need a five-star facility."

A 30-foot palm tree graces the open space of the club, just outside the courts and locker rooms.

The seven-member tennis staff, led by Kirk Moritz and Joe Perez, already has roots in the area, with most pros having worked in the New Year environs for year.

"They really recruited the staff they wanted—who knows the New York tennis market and are known in the New York area," said Moritz, who noted that racquet-customizer-to-the-pros, Roman Prokes, runs the pro shop. "I think this is the future of tennis in New York—rooftops."

Tennis memberships run from $4,100 to $5,500 year, plus $1,500 initiation. For details, visit CityViewRacquet.com.
 

By Liza Horan

It gets a little more personal: Her mother has had pre-cancerous cells removed several times.

"She's lived in Southern California for 46 years and was always outside, whether at the beach or playing tennis. She's had a lot of sun and now she's paying for it. The options we have that our mothers didn't have has really changed things," she said, adding that she had a check-up with the dermatologist the week before the Sony Ericsson Open.

Allergan makes both Botox, which relaxes facial muscles, and Juvederm, which adds volume to wrinkles to smooth lines.

By Liza Horan

Photo courtesy Sony Ericsson Open

New York—There are four Americans in the Top 20 rankings: Venus and Serena Williams, Andy Roddick and James Blake. The last time the U.S. Open crowd cheered on one of its own to win the singles championship with in 2003 as Andy Roddick scored his first Grand Slam title. Serena Williams, in 2002, was the last American woman to win.

The most successful American players these days, according to rankings and results, remains the No. 1-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan.

All these players are active and remain serious competitors, yet the youngest is 26 (Roddick). While this country has enjoyed longevity among top players—most notably Pete Sampras (retired at 32), Andre Agassi (retired at 36) and Lindsay Davenport (31)—the age of 30 is often the exit for a pro tennis career.

As today's top players inch toward the horizon of 30 and their hungry competitors emerge from countries that are quickly producing champions, the U.S. Tennis Association has announced a new strategy to create and support a pathway for champions.

"It's a new world," said USTA CEO Arlen Kantarian said in a press announcement on April 2. "We recognize the reality and we're committed to change. So today marks the beginning of a completely new direction for the USTA."

Now, the USTA has made such announcements before in its quest to keep up with the efforts of France, Spain and other dominating nations. Yet this plan, seems to have less ego and more smarts than previous attempts.

First, the USTA has renamed its High Performance division to Elite Player Development; increased its 2009 budget 50 percent over the original 2008 budget (which has gotten a boost with the restructuring); and created a position of General Manager that is accountable directly to Kantarian; he's the one who put the U.S. Open on steroids, turning the tournament into the glitzy two-week tennis festival and massive money machine that it is now, not to mention his organizing and branding of the U.S. Open Series and securing major boosts in television coverage.

The search to find the right person to fill the role of General Manager was very specific: The individual had to be a leader with experience in different areas of tennis who had the respect, credibility and support of top players, coaches and industry leaders, and who exhibited a spirit of inclusiveness to rally past champions, coaches and academies around Elite Player Development. Yet, this 'nice guy' inclusiveness had to be tempered with a sense of decisiveness.

A worldwide search that produced 30 candidates eventually landed close to home—actually, in the USTA's own backyard: Patrick McEnroe, captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team.

The choice is no surprise.

McEnroe has been in and around all parts of the game his whole life. It's almost as though he's been groomed for this moment.

"I feel like I've been through a lot of different scenarios in the tennis world from being a top junior, from being the 'brother of', from being a college player, from being a pretty decent pro, being on television, (and) being on the board of the USTA before I became the Davis Cup captain," McEnroe said in a telephone interview. "I've been around a lot of great players. I've lived with some. I've coached them on the bench. Tennis has been obviously a huge part of my life and has given me tremendous opportunities and tremendous joy in my life. I feel like—yes—all my experiences have groomed me for this."

The USTA leadership has said that past attempts to improve the scouting, training and development of players to champions have been well-intentioned, but that this plan is different. Besides the substantial increase in funding, which was not disclosed, two panels will be assembled to provide an integrated approach to efforts. They are a Champions Advisory Board and a Coaches Commission, both of which will involve the country's great pro tennis leaders in current efforts to build top players.

Such an wholistic approach is vital, Kantarian explained, because the landscape of the sports business has evolved quite a bit over the last few decades.

"We live in a new hypercompetitive sports world, which has made it a much more challenging environment for American champions, and it's one that's not just affecting tennis but certainly all sports," Kantarian said. "Since the Open era, close to a hundred more nations are now competing in the Olympic Games, 150 more foreign‑born players are on Major League Baseball rosters this spring, over 75 international players are now playing in the NBA, and in golf we've seen a 20% decrease in the number of American players in the top hundred.

"In tennis we're seeing the emergence of players from all over the globe—countries that include Serbia, Croatia, Cyprus, China, India—in a sport that now is even more global than ever before. Of course, we're feeling the impact. Last year's Open was the second time in 20 years that an American was not in the singles final of the US Open. Of course, on the other hand, you could look at that and say Americans have reached the finals of the US Open in 18 of the last 20 years. I think both of those statements say something about American tennis."

Now it's up to best and brightest in tennis—from retired champions to leading coaches that have become celebrities themselves—to come together in a nationalistic bid to keep American competitive and, potentially, on top of the rankings.

The lead charge for the project sounds most inspired:

"This is something that I'm really passionate about and I feel like I can make a difference. I feel like I can make a difference with what the USTA is doing and make a lot more positive things happen by really getting out there and working with people that are respected and that have done a lot in the tennis world," said McEnroe. "That's what I intend to do."