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Akkerman Can’t Wait For The Ojai
Teaching Pro Spotlight: Karl Akkerman Karl Akkeman jumped out of Stadium 2 following another match and hurriedly walked to meet friends who were saving him seats at Court 6 during the second Tuesday of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. As Akkerman walked he talked about how he got his start in tennis and…
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BILL DWYRE: Roy Emerson Knows What It Takes To Be Roger, Rafa
Before he watched them play Saturday in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas tennis tournament at Indian Wells, Southern California’s own Roy Emerson had thoughts and assessments about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. In essence, it was one tennis superstar, analyzing and assessing two others. Emerson, of course, is from a different era. He…
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TODAY AT BNP: The Trojans carry #TeamSoCal in Oracle Challenge
There’s a new brand of #TeamSoCal headed to Indian Wells today, and no, Roger Federer hasn’t bought real estate in Calabasas. While Federer and his friendly nemesis Rafael Nadal play quarterfinals on Friday to force a potential semifinal showdown, the men and women of USC arrive in Indian Wells to represent Southern California in…
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TODAY AT BNP: Who will emerge as favorites dwindle?
The field is dwindling at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, with top seeded players filing through the turnstiles at LAX at an alarming pace. Only Women’s doubles features a #1 seed still alive in the desert draws, and Rafael Nadal is the only #2 seed remaining. This leaves the door open for plenty of…
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BILL DWYRE on Allen Fox: When David met four Goliaths
All too often lost in the lore of Southern California tennis is the name Allen Fox. In fact, while the old-timers certainly remember, there is sort of a blurred recollection of Fox winning a Grand Slam in the sport. Well, kind of. Fox is 79 now, still working as a sports psychologist and advisor…
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THE DAY AT BNP: G.O.A.Ts succumb to gloom at Indian Wells
At Indian Wells this weekend, double competition got kicking in earnest, with both men and women battling in team fashion to earn a spot among the winners at the BNP Paribas Open. As the perennial tournament favorites, Bob & Mike Bryan are also big fan favorites, and hundreds of onlookers were disappointed on Monday…
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Rich Neher receives PTR Media Excellence Award
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) presented its annual awards during the PTR International Tennis Symposium. The event was held in February on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, however one award was presented recently at the Indian Wells Tennis Coaches Summit. Rich Neher, of Glendale, California, received the PTR Media Excellence Award. Neher is the owner of Tennis…
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BILL DWYRE: Perspective on the emergence of ‘Tennis Paradise’
Saturday was time for a walkabout at the BNP Paribas Open. There was a day and age where you could do this quickly, where you could breeze from one court to another and on to a stand for a quick hamburger. There is very little breezing now, especially on the annual busiest day of…
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THE DAY AT BNP: The end of the beginning for Marcos Giron
There was a brief yet telling moment in today’s much anticipated match-up between #13 seed Milos Raonic and the SoCal wild card from Thousand Oaks, Marcos Giron. With Giron about to toss his serve during the deciding third set of what was a thrilling tennis match, his routine was interrupted by the sudden crashing…
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THE DAY AT BNP: Rough finish for some, surprise ending for others
While Saturday’s action featured edge-of-your-seat drama, the results on Sunday were somewhat muted as two SoCal favorites saw their quest for the BNP Paribas Open championship come to a halt. Steve Johnson (Redondo Beach) entered his second match of the Open on Sunday after notching an emotional win over countryman Taylor Fritz (Rancho Palos Verdes)…