Tennis Is Trying to Elevate Its Tube Stock

To get their fix, tennis fans used to need the investigative skills of a research librarian, the services of one very good VCR, plenty of tapes and, sometimes, happenstance.

Matches, some of them even live, were out there on TV -- somewhere. The problem was finding them. It seemed as though the only cable channels not showing tennis at some weird hour were Sci Fi, Hallmark and Discovery.

How could a sport in need of revival capture that elusive concept known as buzz if its fans couldn’t find it?

This is why tennis officials involved in formulating and promoting the U.S. Open Series, and others connected with the game, are so eager to stress the importance of a streamlined and consistent television package, primarily on ESPN2.

“It starts with TV,” said Arlen Kantarian, chief executive of professional tennis for the U.S. Tennis Assn. “TV remains the key to success for any major sport. Our product is there. The consistent visibility of the sport outside the Slams has never been there.

“We’ve got to create that NFL Sunday habit.”

The change in approach could be evident as soon as next Sunday. ESPN2 has the finals of the women’s Bank of the West Classic at Stanford followed by the men’s Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA.

Kantarian said there could be cutting back and forth to “pre-promote” the men’s final. He said there may be interviews in the locker room with the two finalists, and the possibility of juggling the end of the women’s match, should it go three sets as it did last year, with the beginning of the men’s, “a la the NCAA [men’s basketball] coverage.”

USTA President Franklin R. Johnson wants additional changes in TV coverage. The organization is spending $3 million in a national marketing campaign -- coming up with nicknames for the top players, calling the U.S. Open Series, in its second year, summer’s “hottest reality series.”

Johnson sees other ways to move forward, including the airing of personal features, the sort of vignettes that are a trademark of Olympic coverage.

“That would be beneficial if the fans could identify more with the players and know something about their life and background,” Johnson said. “It would make them more attached to watching and rooting for players. We badly need to do that.... So often in tennis matches, you tune in before the finals, and they just have a short intro and the match starts.”

The North American summer series is designed as something of a regular season leading into the finale, the U.S. Open. Locally, there will be a slight difference from last year. The premier women’s event, the Acura Classic in Carlsbad, has joined the series. Including the U.S. Open, there are 11 tournaments in the eight-week package.

The Mercedes-Benz Cup, which starts Monday, and the women’s JPMorgan Chase Open in Carson, Aug. 8-14, were members of the series in its debut, and the Carson tournament nearly doubled its attendance from 2003 with a marquee field of Venus and Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport.

Series winners have the chance to play for double the prize money at the U.S. Open, a potential $2.2-million payday for an Open champion. Tommy Haas of Germany, the defending champion at UCLA, was asked if knowledge of the series has increased among the players.

“Definitely,” he said. “This year, everybody is aware of it and aware of the profit you can have of winning the U.S. Open series. I think it is a great thing. I think everybody is motivated to play well and really try to get the best out of it.”

Still, the potential of big bonus money won’t always be enough to get a clay-courter off the European summer circuit and onto the new blue hard courts, or to push three-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer to change his schedule.

The two most recent Slam winners, Federer and Rafael Nadal of Spain, won’t be appearing in the series until August. Nadal, the French Open champion, continues to add to his impressive clay-court winning streak by staying in Europe and is playing two Open series events, in Montreal and Cincinnati, because the ATP requires him to do so.

Federer will be making a cameo appearance, if that. Like Nadal, he has been scheduled to appear in Montreal and Cincinnati, but announced recently that he would have to miss Montreal because of a foot problem.

It’s a similar situation with the last two Slam winners on the women’s side. Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is scheduled to play at Stanford and Toronto, and instead of appearing at Carlsbad or Carson, she has opted for a small event at Stockholm.

French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium has limited her Open preparation to one series event, Toronto. Australian Open champion Serena Williams pulled out of Stanford but is still scheduled to play at Carlsbad, Carson and Toronto, injured ankle permitting.

The winners of last year’s Open series were Davenport and Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. Davenport, depending on her back, is scheduled to try to defend her titles in the three California events. Hewitt, who got married earlier this week, is entered in just Montreal and Cincinnati.

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U.S. OPEN SERIES

* Consists of 10 North American ATP and WTA tour summer events linked to the U.S. Open. Points awarded on weekly basis.

* The top three men’s and women’s finishers in the series compete for bonus singles prize money at the U.S. Open.

* More than 115 hours of live TV coverage on ESPN, NBC and CBS. Combined with the U.S. Open, more than 250 hours of live national coverage over an eight-week period.

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U.S. Open series schedule

*--* Weekend TV Men’s event Dates Women’s event Weekend TV Channel 4 RCA July 18- Championships (Indianapolis) Today ESPN2 Mercedes-Benz Monday- Bank of the West ESPN2 Cup Classic (Los Angeles) July 31 (Palo Alto) ESPN2 Legg Mason Aug. 1- Acura Classic ESPN Classic (Washington) Aug. 7 (Carlsbad) ESPN2 Rogers Masters Aug. 8- JPMorgan Chase ESPN2 (Montreal) Aug. 14 Open (Carson) ESPN2 Masters* Aug. 15- Rogers Cup ESPN2 Channel 2 (Cincinnati) Aug. 21 (Toronto) ESPN2 Pilot Pen Aug. 22- Pilot Pen ESPN2 (New Haven, Aug. 28 (New Haven) Channel 2 Conn.) Channel 2 U.S. Open Aug. 29- U.S. Open Channel 2 (New York) Sept. 11 (New York)

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* -- Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.