TheBuzz: Stories behind the headlines | Tennis News by Liza Horan

HM Queen Elizabeth II to dine on Salmon Millefeuille with Federer

Liza Horan — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:05:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II last visited The Championships in 1977, with previous visits in 1962 and 1957. Why she has stayed at bay is unknown, but her attendance today is being marked in ways both thrilling and rather ordinary, considering her station. For the first time, the national anthem will not be played when she arrives at Centre Court and the traditional acknowledgement of the Royal (bowing and curtsying) has been made optional. The grounds will be cast with an electronic energy of fans who hope to catch a glimpse, and surely by Venus Williams, Mirka and Roger Federer and Tim Henman, who will be among those dining with her for lunch.

Here are the details of her visit as provided by the public relations firm of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in Wimbledon. (Edited only for ease of reading.)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Arrival
- Royal party arrives mid-morning to be met at Aorangi Terrace by:
o   Duke of Kent, President of The All England Lawn Tennis Club
o   Tim Phillips CBE, Chairman of The All England Lawn Tennis Club
o   Philip Brook, Vice Chairman of The All England Lawn Tennis Club
o   Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of The All England Lawn Tennis Club
- Queen is presented with a posy of hydrangea, agapanthus, peony and roses by Wimbledon Ballgirl Marianna Spring, who is 14 years old and hails from Sutton High.

Walk
- Pass in front of Aorangi Terrace
- Down St. Mary's Walk between Courts 18 and 19
- Visit Court 14 to observe the Club's Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative
- Continue down St. Mary's walk to Members' Lawn to meet a selection of players
- Proceed to Clubhouse for lunch

Court 14
- Introduced to Dan Bloxham, Head Coach of AELTC
- Greet junior players of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (see program details below):
o   Elizabeth Nyenwe (18)
o   Evelina Belevich (13)
o   Lila Simpson (12)
o   Gemma Southwick (10)
o   Andrew Watson (10)
o   Kung Phimlee (8)
o   Freya Hampson-Evans (7)
o   Laurence Woodford (7)
o   Alfie Fox (10)
o   Iman Garshong (10)
o   Emmanuel Smith (12)

Members Lawn, Millennium Building
- Introduced to a selection of professional players
o   Defending Champions Serena Williams and Roger Federer
o   Past Wimbledon Champions Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King
o   Six of the other top seeded singles players: Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick; Roddick replaces Andy Murray because of pre-match preparation.
o   British players Laura Robson, Heather Watson, Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha

Lunch in the Clubhouse
- Welcomed by Committee of management and senior execs of The Championships
- Presented with a memento of her visit: Miniatures of the Men's and Ladies' Trophies
- Lunch with current and former players: Former British Champions Angela Barrett (1961), Ann Jones (1969), Virginia Wade (1977); Venus Williams; Roger and Mirka Federer; Tim Henman; and John Barrett.
- Menu:
o   Amusé: Salmon Millefeuille with Wye Valley Asparagus
o   Main course (served chilled): Orange and Honey Marinated Chicken on Fruity Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
o   Kentish Strawberries and Blackberries with Cornish Clotted Cream and Mint Syrup
o   English Cheese Plate & Orange Chutney
o   Coffee and Chocolates
o   Wines: Meursault, Joseph Drouhin, 2006 and Barolo, Giovanni Corino, 2004

Watch the Tennis
- Enter the Royal Box to watch tennis on Centre Court; no national anthem.

Departure
- Timing as and when the Queen wishes to leave; from main Clubhouse entrance.

---
About the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI):
- Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI)
o   Part of The Road to Wimbledon, the Club's junior tennis programme for ages 3-18. The Club's dedicated coaching team, headed by Dan Bloxham, delivers tennis coaching and promotes a fitness lifestyle and sports education programme in the local schools of the London Boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth. Around 100,000 children have had the chance to have a go at the game at one of the 450 schools visited by the Club's coaching team.
o   Around 300 children per day also attend free tennis coaching and skills sessions held at the Club 45 weekends a year.
o   WJTI has one international player, Lila Simpson (12), plus two at National level, five regional and over 20 county standard players.

What do you think of the Queen's visit? Please COMMENT below.

Wimbledon vs. World Cup: Media splits its attention, Murray hopes to rescue U.K. spirits

Liza Horan — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:06:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

Earlier today in today's edition of the weekly TennisWire Media Alert, which goes to 600+ verified tennis and sports journalists worldwide, I asked if anybody was skipping Wimbledon because of FIFA World Cup duties.

That could be the case at some top newspapers, as editors have had to appropriate resources for these two major sporting events. Despite tennis' deep roots all over the world, football generally trumps our sport for audience size, and the World Cup's cache is close to that of The Olympic Games.

ESPN , which is the English-language broadcast rights-holder for the World Cup, told me how they went about handling the two events.

Host Chris Fowler is one of only two staffers to get routed to South Africa instead of Wimbledon this year. Minimizing the impact of the World Cup on the grass Slam was by design.

"In anticipation, we actually took extra folks to Melbourne (for the Australian Open) and Paris (for Roland Garros), and trained a few staffers to replace the two positions," says ESPN V.P. of Event Production Jamie Reynolds. "But, ironically, many of our tennis group helped train the group going to South Africa as we had most of the experience working with international feeds of this size and scope and fully optimizing the technology they'd be using on site.

"We have enough depth on our roster, staff and freelance, that we can flex pretty well."

ESPN is covering Wimbledon on TV (ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Desportes, ESPN Video-On-Demand; ESPN Interactive TV via DIRECTV, which offers the HD for the first six days of the tournament); online (ESPN.com; ESPN3.com for broadband video); and on-the-go (ESPN Mobile TV).

Will the World Cup steal some of Wimbledon's fire?

Hard to tell. As certain countries fall out of the competition on the pitch--England, perhaps?--their tennis compatriots might be able to lift their spirits on the grass. Right now it looks like fourth-seeded Andy Murray has a better chance of reaching the Round of 16 at Wimbledon than England has at the Round of 16 in South Africa.

"It's obviously a lot of pressure on England to do well at the World Cup," Murray said Saturday at a pre-tournament press conference. "It's the same with the tennis players here--with a lot of sport in this country--because it gets a lot of coverage."

But Murray said the amount of media attention he's getting is down, likely owing to World Cup play. "It's not been quite as busy as last year," he admitted, "but I'm sure once the tournament starts, then it will pick up a lot. I don't think the World Cup will get in the way of Wimbledon too much."

Murray has more pressure to bear than his Lions footy cohorts: England last won the World Cup in 1966, yet the last British man to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936. Oh, and the Queen's visit on Thursday should coincide with Murray's second-round match. "It obviously would be a great honor to play in front of the Queen. I've never done that before, so obviously a little bit added pressure to play well," he said.

As both a fan and a professional athlete, Murray clearly appreciates the immense effort to win something as huge as either of these "big Ws." As he put it, "I think to win a World Cup is incredibly difficult. To win Wimbledon is incredibly difficult, as well. These are very, very, hard, hard things to do. There's been a lot of people that have come close the last few years--last 10 or 15 years with Tim (Henman), and myself last year. You know, we just need the (fans') support."

In three days, he'll have royal support.

A fun read: At the intersection of Wimbledon/World Cup, AP's Christopher Torchia covers how soccer is on the minds of the top-seeded players in London.

Please share how you're splitting your time between Wimbledon and the World Cup by commenting below.

Newsworthy: Off-court tennis notes

Liza Horan — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:55:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

- Last Wednesday, June 16, the New York City Council declared it "NYJTL 40th Anniversary Day." Jim O'Neill, NYJTL Interim President & CEO highlighted FREE NYJTL summer programs and events that are dependent upon the continued long-term support of the City Council as primary funders.

- The International Tennis Federation and Beach Tennis USA formed a partnership to help promote beach tennis abroad.

- Geico stepped up its commitment to World TeamTennis by become the presenting sponsor of the WTT Pro League. It had been the official auto insurance sponsor since 2005.

- Through July 8, people can bid on items--like meeting Maria Sharapova at the Sony Ericsson Open --in an online auction to benefit the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic "Ounce of Prevention" Fund of Florida.

- IMG reportedly lost $4.6 million in 2009 sponsorship fees from the Tiger Woods fallout.

- Tickets for Wimbledon are available, the tournament reports in the Wimbledon.org email newsletter. Under the "returns scheme," each day at noon GMT, Ticketmaster will release for purchase hundreds of tickets for play that begins in 48 hours. For instance, tickets available on Tuesday are for play on Thursday. Another option is to buy reserved seat tickets for the back rows of Centre Court.

- Three wild cards to the main draw of the women's Mercury Insurance Open, starting July 31 in Carlsbad, Calif., will be awarded to the winners of three qualifer events in San Diego, Pacific Palisades and San Clemente.

New Jersey 12-year-old could land on stadium court with her heartthrob, Kuerten

Liza Horan — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:39:00 GMT

Lauren Fishbein of Livingston, N.J., is the only American among 16 kids competing for a chance to play mixed doubles with past Roland Garros champions.

Lauren Fishbein with her father, Vitaly.

The group of 16 players from China to Poland and points in between, got a bit of star treatment at the draw ceremony; a taste of things to come. Photos Liza Horan

By Liza Horan

Paris--When Lauren Fishbein, a 12-year-old "Jersey girl," steps on Court 16 at Roland Garroson Thursday to play Niki Chia of Singapore, it's likely that her talent for tennis will bepresumed for landing her there. But it's really due to autism.

A family friend of hers works at a school for autistic children and asked Fishbein and her friends if they'd like to volunteer to help guide the kids through the school day. That meant participating in activities and lessons with them and helping them "get back in neutral" if they get excited.

Fishbein drew on that positive experience to craft a 300-word essay that won her a chance to compete at a tournament against other 12-and-under girls in the USTA Eastern area. She won, and that gave her a berth in a two-day international exhibition, Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament. The event features eight boys and eight girls; Fishbein is the only American competing. And the prize for the girls' and boys' winner consists of financing for tennis gear through the player's 16th birthday and a mixed doubles match with French Open champions Gustavo Kuerten and Mary Pierce. That match will be played on Saturday, prior to the women's singles championship.

"I'm still a little bit shocked," Fishbein said Wednesday evening at Le Grand Hotel-Intercontinental, where the draw ceremony was held. "It's nerve-racking!" Fishbein, on her first trip to Paris, wore jeans and a printed purple T-shirt with writing that included the words, "Jersey girl," on it. "My mother bought it for me," she said with a blush.

Longines, the official timekeeper of Roland Garros, is hosting all players and their parents for the six-day affair. Plans include meeting Kuerten and Pierce, a gala dinner at Musee Rodin, tickets to the pro matches, a press conference, and more. Not unlike like an experience the top contenders for Roland Garros might receive.

And like the pros, Fishbein is here with her coach, Anatolie Teterin. He has worked with pro players, but that's not how they got connected--he's friends of her parents, who hailfrom Ukraine. As she puts it, "I wasn't even born and they had my coach picked out!"

But this isn't a Hingis or Williams tennis-destiny story--Fishbein came to tennis unexpectedly six years ago. She said a friend of hers had extra court time after a lesson so Fishbein's mother encouraged her to go on court and try tennis. It came naturally, she said, and she had a blast.

Fishbein's first language was Russian and she's a girl of many interests and, like the other kids at the draw party, is quick to laugh and enjoy the moment. She's obsessed with computers--and innocently brags that she can change her teacher's password by hacking the school's system.

Meeting Guga will be a thrill for Fishbein, who counts him as a favorite, but tennis isn't all she's thinking about on this first trip to Paris: "Shopping!"

Only two Americans remain at Roland Garros, but better than other Slam lands

Liza Horan — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:42:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

Paris--It's Week 2 at Roland Garros, and many people say the second week of a major is like a new tournament unto itself. Today begins with back-to-back matches of the last Americans standing in the singles draw: Robby Ginepri takes on Novak Djokovic, then Serena Williams meets Shahar Peer. The Bryans are out of doubles, but the Williamses are in.

That only two players from the United States--one of the four Grand Slam nations--has advanced to the second week of singles is astonishing, though not surprising.

I read with interest Roy S. Johnson's story, "Approaching extinction of U.S. tennis." Approaching extinction of U.S. tennis," on ESPN.com. He expresses disappointment with a touch of frustration that Andy Roddick and the Williams sisters don't seem to have any strong heirs to carry the flag when they retire.

My progression of reactions went like this:
- While reading the story: When the U.S. dominated the rankings, the competitors were from other "mature" tennis countries; that's no longer the case so there's more competition from every angle. And, the USTA's player development plan to cull talent from local communities up to the top level takes time--not 2-5 years, but at least 8-10 years.
- After reading the story: To see who is in the pipeline, you have look at the junior scene. So, how does the U.S. stack up on the ITF Junior circuit (international)? There are two girls and four boys in the Top 25 rankings.
- After realizing that the other Grand Slam nations aren't doing any better than the U.S.: America's got Ginepri and Serena Williams left in the singles draw; Australia's got Sam Stosur and Jarmila Groth; the U.K. and France have no one left. Hmm. Take a look at the junior rankings, too, and you'll see the story's the same.

Actually, America looks better prepared for the future, according to the ITF Junior rankings. The U.S. has six players in the Top 25, France has two, Great Britain has one and Australia has none. It could change at any moment and the fact is that the competition really is "everyone else," not just the Slam countries. But it's fascinating that nations that do not have the resources that the Slam lands do are faring better.

An encouraging note since this week is the world premiere tournament on clay: The Italian Open junior tournament (one of five ITF "Grade A" clay events) has been in American possession for two years straight now: Sloane Stephens won in 2009 and Beatrice Capra (Maryland native who trains at Evert Tennis Academy) won on May 24. Also, two Americans--Donald Young and Coco Vandeweghe--won last week's LA Tennis Open USTA Challenger.

A good place to catch some on-the-rise junior talent is at Roland Garros this week. The junior tournament is going on now [click for draws], and Lauren Fishbein, a 12-year-old from New Jersey, is the only American among those playing in a Longines-sponsored tournament on Thursday and Friday at the tennis center [scroll to "Story Ideas" for contact info].

P.S. I'm not a Pollyanna and I'm not on the USTA's payroll, but I am noting positive points in U.S. tennis to play devil's advocate to Mr. Johnson's despair.

Nice guy Ginepri has just enough ego

Liza Horan — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:36:00 GMT

Hopes to "go deep" on grass and "do some damage" on tour

By Liza Horan

Paris--As if slugging it out with No. 3 Novak Djokovic for more than two hours on a cold and windy day only to lose wasn't enough, No. 98 Robby Ginepri took the stand in the press room to plead guilty to a "rollercoaster ride" of a career whose best singles ranking reached No. 26 in 2005 but had sunk to No. 171 in 2008.

He chalks up the stop-and-go success to motivation: "One day I'd be really happy on the court and want to play, and the next (day) just not want to hit. You can't do that as a professional. You've got to go to work each day, no matter what kind of day it is," he said after losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. "If you're feeling down, you have to find some positives and take some momentum into the practices and do your very best.

"That's what I'm going to try to work on from here on out. I'm 27 now. My career is kind of midway through and I feel like I can still do a lot of damage out there."

Until Roland Garros, Ginepri had won just one match in 2010--"a pretty terrible stat" by his own admission. Yet here he dispensed with two seeded players, No. 16 and 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero and No. 18 Sam Querrey.

While the press probed Ginepri on his less successful periods, his spirit seemed unperturbed, his answers sincere, and his ego in tact.

His "nice guy" persona has charmed many, and today--on court and in the post-match interview room, Ginepri showed he has just enough ego to make him competitive and to save face.

"I felt a little stupid slipping and falling on my face," Ginepri said when asked about those spontaneous push-ups he pulled on stadium court, "so I tried to get the crowd back to my side.

"Maybe that took a little bit of my focus away doing that. I'll probably never push-ups again on court."

Ginepri will take the next few days off to "reflect on some things here and get my mind-set ready to compete as well as I can at Queen's (Club)," says Ginepri, whose first ATP title came on the grass at Newport in 2003. "Hopefully I can go pretty deep in the grass-court season and off to the hard courts, which I feel very comfortable on."

Bonus Quote:
"Anything is possible in sports. There's always an opportunity for anyone that day. The good thing about tennis: It's one-on-one combat so if someone's not feeling up to it that day, the other person is usually going to win." --Robby Ginepri on Novak Djokovic's chance on winning Roland Garros 2010

Roland Garros 2010: Enjoy the action wherever you are

Liza Horan — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:29:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

Riding the bus? Sipping at Starbucks? Lounging in bed?

No matter where you are, you have no excuse to miss matches or off-court color this year because Roland Garros coverage will be available through seemingly every tech device, except your microwave.

Here's a guide:

Twitter: Start following @RolandGarros or click here. Most tweets so far are in francais, which will either delight or annoy you. If you want to stick to anglais, I suggest following American reporters who will be reporting from the site, including @TennisReporters (Matt Cronin), @Tennis (TENNIS.com staff), @NYTStraightSets, and others. Then again, following the players is a singular thrill. See @andy_murray, @andyroddick, @venuseswilliams, @serenajwilliams and @bryanbros...too many to list. Stay tuned to WTASuperFans.com for all sorts of social media updates from the ladies. I'll be swinging by RG for a couple of days the second week, so you are invited to follow me @TennisWire.

Facebook: The official tournament profile is at Facebook.com/RolandGarros, but the "Event" page is at Facebook.com/?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=126926333989235, in case you want to RSVP.

iPhone app: This is available for download from iTunes and it promises to be pretty cool if it's anything like the first official Grand Slam app for U.S. Open 2009. It will be viewable on the iPad, of course, but in iPhone resolution, so you might as well simply visit www.RolandGarros.com if you're one of the lucky 300,000+ fans to have an iPad.

Video: TV and web choices abound to catch coverage by ESPN, Tennis Channel and DIRECTV. John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova (who's competing in the senior French Open doubles event) are working for Tennis Channel (schedule). The ESPN team includes Cliff Drysdale, Darren Cahill, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver. ESPN.com's "Slam Central" section to ESPN2 broadcast and ESPN3.com for streamed matched in HD and ESPN's tennis Twitter feed. Tennis Channel offers scores on their website and on your phone (click here to sign up). They are on Twitter and Facebook, too. DIRECTV's French Open coverage allows a viewer to watch up to six matches simultaneously.

Extra goodies: A banner ad on TennisChannel.com provides a coupon to save 5% on purchases through the official Roland Garros online shop by using coupon code TC5PC. Credit Suisse's website offers an exclusive interview with Roger Federer.

Please share how you'll be enjoying the French Open action by clicking COMMENT below.

Editors' Note:
- Writer Richard Evans recommends "our mosaic feed on TennisChannel.com --live streaming."
- Photographer Raveesh Whorra suggests visiting the still-in-beta "Tennis-net Magazine" at www.tennis-net.com.

SPEAK UP: Is tennis more of a mental game than a physical one?

Liza Horan — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:25:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

Last month I posed this question to readers via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn: What percentage of tennis competition is mental, do you think?

Over the years I've asked this same question to players from Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova to Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. Their answers are similar: If players of like ability are on the court, it's all about what's happening in the head. From outsmarting an opponent or remaining focused despite being down a set to avoiding choking and keeping yourself fresh on each point, all elite pro players tell me that match time is at least 90 percent mental showdown.

This subject's received lots of ink, from W. Timothy Gallwey's classic, "The Inner Game of Tennis," to websites like TennisMindGame.com, TennisPsychology.com, MentalTennisTips.com and so many more. Sports psychologist Jim Loehr is a fascinating speaker and writer on the subject, and Ed Tseng, also, has carved a niche here; both men extrapolate the mental will required in tennis to life performance. It's a fascinating subject.

Here's a sampling of what you had to say:

Mike Woody [http://twitter.com/woodtennis23], director of tennis at Midland Tennis Community Center in Michigan, tweeted: "There is a lot of mental, however skill, ability and condition(ing) play a big part. So, within the same level, the mind is the tiebreak."

Another Twitter reader, named Liza and who lives in Hungary [http://twitter.com/iceglory], guessed "65%"--but added a disclaimer that she's a fan, not a player. Still, she seems to appreciate that brains out-muscle brawn at a certain level.

Nancy Gill McShea, longtime tennis writer, posted this response on our Facebook page: "It's totally mental. I once wrote a story about a national junior champion and asked her what it takes to be a champ. She said BRAINS!!!!!!!!"

Teaching pro Howie Burnett, who recently released a book called "Net Notes: Common Sense Ideas to Lift Your Game," shared his opinion via Facebook. He says, "Confidence in one's ability creates mental toughness! A confident world-class athlete lacking solid fundamental skills will, under the pressure of high level competition, crack like cheap china when push comes to shove.

"The quotes about tennis being 99% mental come only from those players who have already done the back-breaking work to cement into place expert footwork and racket skills, as well as having fully digested a firm understanding of tactical logic and risk vs. reward behaviors. Any discussion of of the mental component of the game cannot be taken seriously unless and until the measure of the players skill set has been taken into consideration. I'm a coach by profession and I always chuckle at the suggestion that the game is 99% mental unless the player to whom you have asked the question already has a toolbox full of the sharpest blades and heaviest hammers. Competence creates confidence! Have no doubt about that!"

Thanks to all of you who weighed in. And for those of you who haven't yet--now's your chance: Click COMMENT below.

Tennis stars becoming regular pitchmen in Sunday circulars

Liza Horan — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:57:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

When I get the Sunday paper, the first thing I ruffle through is the shiny shopping circulars like the one by RedPlum. I probably consume it first because it's not a commitment like the business or style sections; it's a quick read to learn about new products. (I do rip out some coupons, but they usually end up in the garbage after the expiration date.) I'll often put on the TV afterward just to check the weather and latest local news.

Lately I've gotten smiles out of this Sunday routine because I've seen some familiar faces: Venus Williams, Chris Evert, John McEnroe and Billie Jean King (pictured right after losing 35 pounds with endorsee Nutrisystem).

Not because they were featured in the sports section or within TV programs--but because they've been hawking Tide Plus Febreze Freshness Sport, Simply Smart Milk, National Car Rental, and Nutrisystem, respectively. Serena Williams' battle with Mother Nature for Tampax Pearls still appears occasionally, too. All links go to ads featuring the players.

These are some of the biggest names in American tennis, and it's great to see them being used for mass media ad campaigns. It's a sign that tennis, which remains one of the fastest growing traditional sports, is a viable marketing tool and the demographic is very appealing to sponsors.

The pop-culture connection beyond tennis packs some surprises beyond red-carpet affairs, too. Hanging in the lobby after a session at The Jam NYC, a recreational music club that's open to the public, I spotted Bob and Mike Bryan on the cover of Making Music magazine. As a tennis/sports writer, you're probably very familiar with their musical endeavors, but it's nice to see a non-endemic publication talk about how the twins pack Mike's guitar and Bob's keyboard along with their racquets about 40 weeks a year.

Another unexpected tennis appearance, another smile.

Tennis in the U.K.: Change is afoot

Liza Horan — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:18:00 GMT

By Liza Horan

The past few weeks of tennis news in the United Kingdom has been as bad as it has good--with Lawn Tennis Association Chief Executive Roger Draper appearing before Parliament to explain why millions of pounds in annual investments has produced only one Top 10 player in recent years, and the inaugural London Tennis Show booking the top industry stakeholders as exhibitors for a major consumer show happening this month.

Bottom line: The tennis scene across the pond is anything but complacent, and the future promises changes toward growth of fans and players.

Parliament's concern for the LTA's performance shows that the country's leadership cares about tennis--as well as its own investment of £26.8 million of public money to be spent between 2009 and 2013. It's a matter of national pride, and other sports came under the gun after the U.K. posted poor showings at The Olympic Games in February. It didn't help that the country recently lost to Lithuania in Davis Cup competition.

The bureaucracy of the LTA may be challenged as investigations continue.To catch up on this story, read "LTA criticised for lack of transparency by All Party Tennis Group" on Telegraph.co.uk or this story by BBC.co.uk.

Whatever comes of this continuing drama, it's likely that improved accountability will bring better results long-term.

On the bright side, the tennis buzz in the U.K. has been growing over the last few years--between Andy Murray's rise up the rankings (No. 4 now), Heather Watson's 2009 U.S. Open junior title, Laura Robson's 2008 Wimbledon junior title, and the addition of the Barclays ATP World Finals for 2009 to 2012. The senior championship, ATP AEGON Masters Tennis, has been staged in London for years, as have other Wimbledon warm-ups. In an effort to spur growth among players of all ages domestically and worldwide, the London-based International Tennis Federation launched a program, Tennis Play + Stay, a few years ago and reports that the promotion is increasing participation.

The most recent growth marker of tennis in the London Golf Show's decision to expand to tennis.

"The time is right for the launch of a tennis show," said Ken Schofield, chairman of the Golf Show Group Ltd. "It's hugely encouraging that the LTA and others from the tennis industry have joined with the England Golf Partnership and their associates in supporting the new show."

More than 30,000 tennis enthusiasts are expected to attend the consumer buying show at London's ExCeL Centre, April 30 to May 2. The country's leading sports retailer, FitCo, will be selling the latest gear from manufacturers including Wilson, Prince, HEAD/Penn, Babolat, Nike and Adidas. Many of these brands also are exhibiting separately.

This type of event can really get off the ground if there is cooperation among many industry players, and that's what's happened here, according to Barbara Wancke of the Tennis Industry Association U.K.

“Tennis desperately needs a good showcase for its wares in this country to help boost consumer confidence," says Wancke. "The London Tennis Show is a great opportunity for everyone involved with the recreational game to see the full range of products and services available, all under one roof in the spring. We hope the show will become the annual kick-off for the UK tennis season. It is sure to expand in future years.”

The work under way now in U.K. tennis may poise the country in winning stead--both in pro rankings and recreational participation--by William's title changes from "Prince" to "King." His engagement is reported as imminent so the pieces very well may fall into place for the hallowed land of Wimbledon.