By Liza Horan, Editor

New York—In the days leading up to the largest annual sporting event in the world, this city is abuzz with the stars who make winning look so easy. The U.S. Open is several months off, but you mightn't have noticed last Thursday night. Three separate and simultaneous events put No. 3 Andy Roddick, No. 8 Nicole Vaidisova, and Jim Courier (former No. 1 who now ranks fifth on senior tour) within a few blocks of each other.

A tuxedo-clad Roddick was in the glassed-in ballroom of Chelsea Piers, overlooking the Hudson River, to accept an award on behalf of his efforts to help children through the Andy Roddick Foundation. The honor was bestowed by the Brooklyn-based Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health that works to improve citizens' health through education, research and collaborations with the private, public and non-profit sectors. It's the second Ashe-related recognition Roddick has received; in 2004 he won the ATP's Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for giving back.

Sportsball 2007, kicked off with a reception that allowed guests to mingle with other notables like former New York Knicks player Cal Ramsey, former New York mayor Hon. David Dinkins, journalist Tom Brokaw, former New York Rangers player Rod Gilbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dave Anderson, trombone player Luis Bonilla, and Rutgers University women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer and her team (pictured at right with Roddick).

The event is the primary source of funding for the Institute. Individual tickets cost $875 and tables ran from $8,500-$50,000. Additional funds are raised through a silent auction that was heavy on autographed sports memorabilia. It was a formal affair, but not stuffy. During the cocktail reception attendees played games at interactive sports stations (including a fast-serve booth and video games) while a six-man band delivered smooth tunes. The black-tie dress code called for sneakers; some men followed, but Roddick went classic.

Roddick is the second tennis player to be honored by the Institute. Venus Williams was recognized in 2005  (view her speech). Besides Roddick, the Institute honored New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, HIV/AIDS awareness pioneer Dr. Monica Sweeney, football great Harry Carson, and Cable Positive, a cable/telecom industry AIDS action group. Click here to read the account of this evening on Roddick's website.

Roddick may be a legend in the making on the court, but to Institute CEO Ruth Brown his helping children in need already places him at that status: "It's very similar to what Arthur did."

Across the street at Opus, Courier and his filmmaking cohorts were celebrating the world premiere of "Unstrung," an enlightening documentary that follows seven junior competitors on the road to competing at the Boys' 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo. The party followed the standing-room-only screening that drew press, friends, family, Patrick McEnroe, REM's Michael Stipe (long-time Courier friend), and Tribeca Film Festival pass holders. The film appeared was one of 14 featured in the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, for which Billie Jean King served as an ambassador.

Also in the crowd was Greg Hirshman, one of the seven stars of this film, which also has cameos by Nick Bollettieri, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Roddick. He's a most fascinating character on screen and in real life as a teenager who is easily bored by repeatedly solving Rubik's Cube and relaxes with calculus. He's an exceptional violinist, a junior area leader for the Republican Party, and is grounded.

"I think this movie is very truthful," he said following the world premiere screening at the Loew's theatre on 34th Street.

The film isn't about groundstrokes as much as it is parenting. The audience witnesses Carling Bassett-Seguso hollering at son Holden before 5 a.m. to get out of bed and head to the courts; Donald Young's mother unpacking a new flat screen TV and driving a Hummer shortly after he wins a Nike deal; and Clancy Shields (pictured) and his father sleeping in a van while traveling to tournaments. Sam Querrey, a fast-rising star, is also featured in the film (ask him about it on his blog here).

Moments before the screening, Courier recalled his own experience as a junior training at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

"I relate to every single one of the kids," he said. "My parents gave me the option (to pursue tennis) and the platform (NBTA)—the choice. I think that's why I've come out alright on the other side. I've seen a lot of train wrecks."

Hirshman isn't one of them. His lovely parents, who accompanied him to the screen and after-party, seem to encourage but never push. Even when Hirshman loses a match, his father—who, in one scene, manages his own match nerves by studying Spanish far away from the court—doesn't acknowledge the defeat as a negative with so much as a 'sorry.'

"Unstrung" is fascinating, and uses tennis as a means to explore personal growth, achievement and expectations, plus the tender roles of parents.

The film is expected to have a theatrical release in the fall, following promotion during the U.S. Open Series.

And seven blocks north of the "Unstrung" after-party, Vaidisova was dancing up a storm on her 18th birthday. A tiered platter of pink and white cupcakes sat on the bar while the crowd pulsated to dance music heavy with samples from '80s classics like Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n Roll," Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen," and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."

The place was Vaidisovized by sponsor Reebok, which placed her visage in framed light boxes on the wall and in the hallway, where those waiting for an open WC could check out her model of shoes and more. Click here for the WTA's party report.

For a random Thursday night in April, the evening was more like a crash course for the U.S. Open social scene, only four months away. New York is ready.

PHOTO CREDITS: Roddick by Mark D. Phillips; "Unstrung" courtesy Tribeca Film Festival; Vaidisova courtesy Reebok.