Great Day--Day 1: Davis Cup: USA vs Switzerland

This is Bakari and I'm blogging from Birmingham, Alabama. Attending the Davis Cup has been a wonderful experience so far. I am learning so much from Wayne Bryan and the great U.S players. As the weekend goes by I will continue learning from the great coaches around me. Tomorrow my partner and I will help put on a clinic with Wayne Bryan. Blake lost in four sets,but it was a close match. Roddick won in a tie break 7-5. Everybody roared with victory.


Hello! This is JaMarcus Payton speaking. Today was a great day for tennis as we ventured out to Birmingham, Alabama to watch the great U.S. tennis team battle against team Switzerland in singles for the first day of the Davis Cup. The matches were very exciting and had a lot of long rallies that showed key strategies that are important in today's world of tennis. I look forward to tomorrows junior tennis clinic----Bakari and I will assist and learn new drills and skills. Also, Bob & Mike play at 1:00. We have made signs and banners--we are ready to cheer them on to victory.


Hi: This is Coach Hrncir:
We all got up at 4:00 a.m. and met at JaMarcus's House by 5:30 a.m. We parked in B-- and of course-- we should have parked in C-- Express Jet--- Took tram over the building to Terminal C. Our flight was on time & we were off by 7:50. The flight was about an hour & a half and we took the shuttle from the airport to the Embassy Suites. We were too early to check in-- therefore we left our suitcases and rackets with the kind lady at the front desk and got on the TSTA Coach Bus to go to the Convention Center. We were there when they opened and took it all in-- the signs, horns, vendors, and of course, our box seats. It was a thrill to see Andy warm up and all the folks taking pictures and we were there for the opening -introductions of both teams and of course the convention center went wild when USA team was introduced.

Wayne Bryan and all the Bryan Bunch made us feel accepted and appreciated. Many of the folks I had met over the years-- many positive comments about my kids and our tennis program in Houston Texas. We are proud to be the adopted school of the Wayne Bryan Family.

James Blake played S.Wawrinka--over three hours-- Wawrinka had a big serve and strong back hand--James went four sets and lost in a tie breaker. He played long and hard for the U.S.A. team. Know that he will come back strong Sunday.

Andy won the first two sets-- 6-1 and 6-3. The third set was a tie breaker and it could have gone any way--- Andy pulled it off. Chiudinelli was strong and Andy was strong--- baseline to baseline-- fast serves and plays that were hard to describe. One time Andy rolled on the ground, got up-- back and forth rally-- had us all on our feet--- clapping for both players. That instant relay will be around for a long time.

As we left the Convention Center in the dark, I noticed that we had a alot of phone calls from parents--we returned them on the TSTA Coach. TSTA is a great organization and does alot for tennis. We were allowed in the hospitality room hosted by TSTA. That was very nice.

We checked into the Embassy Suites, the guys wrote their short blogs and ventured out to meet with other tennis playing folks. Everyone loves our Bob and Mike shirts. JMan & Baco Bits have made alot of new friends and looking forward to helping Wayne and pro's work a junior clinic tomorrow morning. I have been asked to go, therefore I will take pictures for our North Forest High Library Displays. We should be back in time to change clothes and get on the TSTA Coach Bus to the Convention Center. Tomorrow, we are asked to wear red ,white and blue. Look for us cheering on the Tennis Channel.

I will check out the exercise room and hit the sack-- it has been a long day-- but a great day.