Hollywood stars head to the Open, while tennis legends hit 42nd Street
Posted by Liza Horan at September 8, 2009 
Categories: U.S. Open
Tags: monica seles steffi graf hall of fame
Categories: U.S. Open
Tags: monica seles steffi graf hall of fame
By Liza Horan
In the days before the U.S. Open, it was easy to spot competitors around town as they made appearances on behalf of sponsors and charities, but since the main draw started the best chance of catching them outside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has been a quick glimpse as they duck from their hotels into an "official vehicle" Lexus.
As the draw dwindles to the finals this weekend, one wonders if the more fashion-forward seeds that have been cast aside—like Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, James Blake and Andy Roddick—will stick around for New York Fashion Week, which starts after the Open closes.
Instead of the tennis stars being caught out of their element in the concrete jungle, for the last 10 days the entertainment industry stars have been caught at the tennis. Today Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Russell Simmons, Oliver Platt, Rosie Perez and regular Alec Baldwin attended the matches. Other celebs who have hit the matches this year include Oksana Baiul, Will Ferrell, Jason Bateman, Jamie Kennedy, Common, Anita Baker, Jennifer Love Hewitt and members of The Mets, who play next door at Citifield.
Tennis legends are hitting New York big for the next few days—both on court as the World TeamTennis-styled U.S. Open Champions Invitational starts tomorrow and Stefanie Graf and Monica Seles head legend-studded events in midtown.
The Champions Invitational features two teams, led by Billie Jean King and Ivan Lendl, who will play 8-point tiebreak matches of doubles. There's no telling which tennis champions of yore will show up on Court 4 for the 2 p.m. start time tomorrow, but there's a good chance the team captains will be on hand.
Tomorrow night, Graf hosts an event, sponsored by Town & Country and Longines, at the Hearst Tower on 57th Street to honor those who have done philanthropic work to benefit children. The red carpet will be located inside, so on-lookers likely can catch the celebs curbside. On Friday, it will be much easier as Graf and U.S. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, will play in a "Smash Corner" and "Center Court for Kids" at Grand Central Terminal. Members of the public can donate a nominal fee to Graf's charity, Children for Tomorrow, for an opportunity to play with the German, who was the last player to achieve a Grand Slam.
Friday night The Legends Ball takes place right across from Grand Central at Cipriani's on 42nd Street, and there will be plenty of celebs appearing to support the International Tennis Hall of Fame's dinner and auction to raise funds for both the sport's heritage and its future.
Good Morning America's Robin Roberts hosts the event, which will draw Jill Zarin and Ramona Singer from The Real Housewives of New York and Miss USA Kristen Dalton. Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Jimmy Connors, Stan Smith, Guillermo Vilas, and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe are among the tennis names who will be present to honor this year's inductees Seles, Donald Dell, Andres Gimeno, and the late Dr. "Whirlwind" Johnson. Click for details.
In the days before the U.S. Open, it was easy to spot competitors around town as they made appearances on behalf of sponsors and charities, but since the main draw started the best chance of catching them outside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has been a quick glimpse as they duck from their hotels into an "official vehicle" Lexus.
As the draw dwindles to the finals this weekend, one wonders if the more fashion-forward seeds that have been cast aside—like Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, James Blake and Andy Roddick—will stick around for New York Fashion Week, which starts after the Open closes.
Instead of the tennis stars being caught out of their element in the concrete jungle, for the last 10 days the entertainment industry stars have been caught at the tennis. Today Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Russell Simmons, Oliver Platt, Rosie Perez and regular Alec Baldwin attended the matches. Other celebs who have hit the matches this year include Oksana Baiul, Will Ferrell, Jason Bateman, Jamie Kennedy, Common, Anita Baker, Jennifer Love Hewitt and members of The Mets, who play next door at Citifield.
Tennis legends are hitting New York big for the next few days—both on court as the World TeamTennis-styled U.S. Open Champions Invitational starts tomorrow and Stefanie Graf and Monica Seles head legend-studded events in midtown.
The Champions Invitational features two teams, led by Billie Jean King and Ivan Lendl, who will play 8-point tiebreak matches of doubles. There's no telling which tennis champions of yore will show up on Court 4 for the 2 p.m. start time tomorrow, but there's a good chance the team captains will be on hand.
Tomorrow night, Graf hosts an event, sponsored by Town & Country and Longines, at the Hearst Tower on 57th Street to honor those who have done philanthropic work to benefit children. The red carpet will be located inside, so on-lookers likely can catch the celebs curbside. On Friday, it will be much easier as Graf and U.S. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, will play in a "Smash Corner" and "Center Court for Kids" at Grand Central Terminal. Members of the public can donate a nominal fee to Graf's charity, Children for Tomorrow, for an opportunity to play with the German, who was the last player to achieve a Grand Slam.
Friday night The Legends Ball takes place right across from Grand Central at Cipriani's on 42nd Street, and there will be plenty of celebs appearing to support the International Tennis Hall of Fame's dinner and auction to raise funds for both the sport's heritage and its future.
Good Morning America's Robin Roberts hosts the event, which will draw Jill Zarin and Ramona Singer from The Real Housewives of New York and Miss USA Kristen Dalton. Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Jimmy Connors, Stan Smith, Guillermo Vilas, and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe are among the tennis names who will be present to honor this year's inductees Seles, Donald Dell, Andres Gimeno, and the late Dr. "Whirlwind" Johnson. Click for details.
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