The fuzzy yellow ball flew over the net in a blur, leaving a trail of vapor behind it. The player reacts and tries to get his racquet on it before its past him. He hopes to return it deep in bounds onto the other side of the net. As he changes direction in anticipation for the next shot, the ball is pounded into the opposite corner leaving him no chance to return it. Play is briefly stopped as the roar of a jet engines dissipate from a plane recently taking off from LaGuardia Airport. The dark clouds move in and the umpire is ready to stop play. Its a hot rainy August at the US Open.

While working with the media I get to see most of the matches. If you manage to get a ticket you wont be disappointed, but be prepared to bring your credit card. The first week is quite reasonable, but the ticket prices are higher for the second week of competition. If you are interested in the Quarter or Semi Finals be prepared to pay a lot more. You will also need a room and that isnt easy during Open week. If you do manage to get one expect to pay more than normal. Most hotels raise their prices because they KNOW you need one and will pay anything for it.

The best time to go is actually the Weekend before the event starts. Saturday is Arthur Ashe Day. Admittance is for free and you can watch some big named tennis players either practicing of involved in the event itself. They are accessible and will give you autographs, unlike the Professional golfers who are isolated from the public. The program is taped in the afternoon then edited and re-broadcast the following day. Its fun to watch the entertainers sing and play tennis against the best players in the world.

You're NOT allowed to bring food onto the grounds; if you do it will be taken away from you. If you want to eat, you must purchase items from the food court; where you can buy hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and even hot meals with plenty of soft drinks and beer. That dried up inch thick hamburger, on a stale roll with a slice of tomato, will cost you about $10.00. A bottle of water will cost you another $4.50. A liquor bar in the courtyard stays open most evenings. There you can sit away from the crowds, and watch the numerous LCD television monitors to keep up with the matches.

Once inside you will see the large Arthur Ashe statue overlooking a huge courtyard. In the middle is the merchandise booths where you can buy all the tennis items you want. They sell clothes for men, women and even babies. Yes thats right; every two year old should be wearing a Maria Sharapova t-shirt. Surrounding the courtyard there are stores for Nike, Wilson, Prince, just to name a few. You can purchase tennis racquets, outfits, dinnerware, books, jewelry, and even a fuzzy yellow tennis ball the size of a basketball for $35. Yes its Capitalism at its best.

Its Monday, the first week of competition and you have tickets. If you are staying at one of the official USTA hotels you can always hop on the shuttle bus and they will drive you directly to the Stadium. Be prepared to stop for security; and make sure you dont bring your camera or food. If you dont ride out on the bus, then you can always take the No. 7 subway car. This train travels from the city, all the way to Willets Point next to Shea Stadium and the tennis facility. When the matches are over be prepared to wait for several trains to come by for the return back. They run frequently, but the crowds can be large and you will have to stand up for most of the 30 minute ride back pressed up against someone who is also tired, hot and sweaty! Of course the tennis players are escorted to and from the Stadium in large new SUVs and the important people all arrive in their Limos.

The tournament is divided into two sessions. Day play starts at 11am and runs until its finished, usually about 6PM. Then the Arthur Ash and Louis Armstrong Stadiums are cleaned and at 7PM the Night session begins. Sometimes they can run until 1 or 2AM. By then the only people left are the die hard tennis fans. Before he retired, you could always count on Todd Martin for a five setter. We in the media use to groan when his name was posted as the last match on court. It usually meant a long night.

Its a good idea to walk around and get the feel for the place. While you work on your suntan you can go to Court 11 where they have competitive matches; especially the first week. If you just want to watch the Pros hitting, then I advise you to hang out around the practice courts. They are located to the left of the main entrance opposite the media dining area. You can watch all the big names hitting balls and going through their warm-up routine for an upcoming match. Some of them leave the Stadium via this gate, making it pretty easy to get their autograph.

It rains every year during the event. Sometimes stopping play for 2 or 3 days. This creates havoc with the schedulers, but hey thats their job. When it does stop raining the squeegee guys come out and push the water off the court with special brooms. Then the gas driven noisy air dryers are used. Finally the volunteers, actually on their knees, wipe the few wet spots left with towels! Since the Stadium isnt covered its something you just have to put up with. If a session is rained out then the USTA will give you another date when your ticket will be honored. So make sure you have your umbrella to wait out the rain, while you watch the large LCD screen which overlooks the court. You can count on the USTA to replay the Conners vs Krickstein match to keep you entertained until the rain passes.

Working with the media I will be upstairs on the top level near the International broadcast booths. There are approximately 25 of them on two levels. Most of them are for the TV commentators along with one larger one for the Radio broadcasters. Countries from all over the globe receive the pictures via satellite from the host broadcaster CBS. They supply their own commentators on site, or take the World Feed commentators who broadcast the important matches in English. Downstairs, on the ground floor, are two large areas which host the print media; and nearby a few theater type rooms, where the players are interviewed after their match.

I have my airline ticket and my hotel room is booked. I will be watching tennis before you can say Andre Aggasi. Although the sport is completely dominated by non-Americans dont let this stop you from going. They are the best in the world and will entertain you. You can sit there wearing your US Open cap and matching tee-shirt, eat your $10.00 hamburger and daydream. Andy Roddick's serve, I think I can return that. Sorry, but let me be the first to tell you that you cant.