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TENNIS
BRIEFS |
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A Costly Kiss A man was arrested at the US Open after running on the
court at Arthur Ashe Stadium to kiss Rafael Nadal as he was changing shirts
on the sideline following his victory late on Tuesday night. When Nadal finished beating Gael Monfils, the spectator ran out of the stands and approached the Spanish star on the sideline before security guards intervened. It's the latest in a series of similar episodes at major tennis events, including when a man went up to Roger Federer during the French Open final and tried to place a hat on his head. "For me, it wasn't a problem. The guy was really nice," Nadal said. "He said, 'I love you,' and he kissed me." The man named as Noam U. Aorta faces possible jail time if convicted, prosecutors said Wednesday. District Attorney Richard Brown called the incident "particularly disturbing" because Aorta made physical contact with Nadal, noting that Monica Seles was stabbed in the back in 1993 by a spectator on a tennis court in Hamburg, Germany. Aorta, 23, of Queens, will be charged with third-degree criminal trespass and interfering with a professional sporting event, prosecutors said. If convicted, he faces a maximum one year in jail and $5,000 in fines. US Open tournament director Jim Curley has promised to increase security for players. "It's important to understand that the safety of our players, our fans and everyone on site here at the National Tennis Centre is first and foremost in our minds and what took place last night was simply unacceptable," Curley told the ESPN Sports television channel. "We do have a great security system in place, the head of security is a member of the joint terrorism taskforce and other sporting bodies come to us to learn how to handle situations such as this.” Curley confirmed there would be more player protection in place for the rest of the tournament, which ends on Sunday. "I can assure you that will be the case," he said. "It was a breakdown, no doubt about it, and we're going to correct it." |
Federer’s evening work It is alleged that
we all have a double somewhere. An eerie thought in itself from a personal
point of view but there is a certain part-time barman and actor in New York
who is causing quite a stir as the US Champion’s double. Darren
Cellemme told the New York Post: “It’s uncanny, really, there’s not a day
that goes by when someone doesn’t say, ‘Hey, you know who you look like?’” It has
certainly caused some confusion. Because of his likeness the newspaper did a
photo-session with him and passers by believed it was Federer doing a
commercial. Last year he attended a Mets baseball match on guest tickets and
the owner of the Mets came and shook him by the hand. “I found out later
(Mets’ owner) Fred Wilpon had called my friend who gave me the seats and
asked him why he wasn’t told Federer was going to be in those seats,”
Cellemme recalled. It got even worse for him for, as news spread, people were
sending down for his autograph! He works at
Charley O’s bar restaurant and bar which is located on the corner of 45th
Street and 8th Avenue in Time Square around the corner from the Al Hirschfeld
Theatre, where “Hair” is currently playing. That means lots of world-wide
tourists stop by the bar for a drink or a bite to eat. “We’re in the
theatre area, so we obviously get more tourists and people on vacation,” said
Cellemme. “I think it’s funny. I don’t
really think I look like him, but a lot of people seem to think I do. It’s a
conversation piece, but other than that I don’t think much about it. I’m
trying to be an actor and make a name for myself, so it’s not what I want to
be known for. It’s interesting, I’ll give you that. It’s peculiar.” September 3 |
Sweaty Tops One thing which surprised Andy Roddick following his epic Wimbledon final,
was the fact that it had made such an impression outside of Britain. Even
Roddick’s postman gave him his opinion, telling him that he should have
changed his shirt more often during the match, as it appeared he was being
slowed down by the weight of his sweaty tops. ** Doggy Ball Machine Launched recently, a machine that automatically throws frisbees for dogs. The voiceover says “I dream of being my dog’s best friend” but to be that, surely, you need to be with him to bond! The same goes for the ‘Go Dog Go’ device which spits out tennis balls for your best friend. I understand it is adjustable, can pitch the ball 15 to 30 feet every 7 to 15 seconds and takes six D type batteries to keep it going for five hours. Not sure if it is available in the UK but over the waters your best friend’s toy will set you back just under $150. ** |
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September 10 |
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