Truly Julie taking in the fine game of tennis at the US Open.

Every late August into September, you start to see an increase of prepster crowds roaming the streets of New York. Just droves of folks wearing collared T-shirts with enormous Polo logos visible from space. Ah…the US Open is here. What a gem of an event for New York. It attracts about 30,000 people to the USTA Tennis Center DAILY over a span of 2 weeks, and conveniently brings this historic sport from 16th century France to my concrete jungle. Tennis was, from the get-go, a highly fashionable sport of kings and noblemen…and on Saturday, September 3rd, I had the pleasure of watching the #1 ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic, command this ‘Jeu de paumme’, with true royal flair. Check out how far he bends his back when he serves. No wonder he serves bullets! The Serbian crushed his Russian adversary, Nikolay Davydenko, with little effort and showed the crowd why he’s currently the favorite to win it all. The Billie Jean King Tennis Center also showed off its A-game with a slew of A-listers, delicious eateries…and courtside cocktails. The “Signature US Open Cocktail” (Grey Goose, Chambord and lemonade garnished with melon balls) was the perfect refreshment for spectators. Since it wasn’t a Federer game, there were no Anna Wintour or Gavin Rossdale sightings, but just 50 yards away, I did spot Olivia Palermo (here with me in the Good Day New York studio) and Carson Kressley mingling with a dozen other people in their luxury box. I also caught the tail end of the Ana Ivanovic vs Sloane Stephens match.
Most of the crowd cheered for 18-year-old Stephens (upper court), who is viewed as the next big hope for US women’s tennis, but in the end, Serbia’s Ivanovic took the cake. With Djokovic and Ivanovic it seems Serbia is pumping out the strongest players of the moment…but as to who hosts the best tournament? USA all the way…NYC all you can see! What other destination can serve up the thrills of Manhattan while being a 25-minute subway ride away from this international sport packed with the world’s best players?!
When Djokovic won his match, he danced for the crowd. Scoreboard for Djokovic vs NYC: Love – Love.