What You Need to Know About the Tournament Site

If you have never played the Bluegrass before, you’re in for a treat.  The site for the tournament, the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center, is located on the campus of the University of Louisville. 

A short 10 minute drive from downtown where most players stay, there are eight outdoor and six indoor courts.  You never have to worry about rain delays that wipe out entire days of play like you do at other tournaments.  Play continues inside in inclement weather.  The courts are well maintained and have water courtside for the players.  If you look closely on court 8 you’ll find a chalked outline of my body where I was ran all over the court to my death by a speedy retriever last year. Other than this, it's an award winning facility.  Bring along your adoring fans because there are great spectator areas.  From courtside bleachers on many of the courts, to the balcony off the front of the building upstairs where you have a birds-eye view of most of the outdoor courts, there are many great places to watch all the action.

And the boys in Louisville aren’t just (allegedly) pretty, they’re clever too.  Each court is named after one of our current or past favorite WTA players.  From the Martina Hingis court to the Ana Ivanovic court (nobody wants to play on that court for fear they will automatically be prone to wild forehands, weird injuries, and serving yips), you’re sure to find some inspiration from your court’s namesake.  Although I must confess, these guys have an unhealthy obsession with Manuela Maleeva Fragniere.  Anyone know where this comes from?

A few other things you should know:

• It gets hot in Louisville in July!  Average temperatures over the 4th of July weekend usually push 90 degrees with 1,000% humidity.  I know, you're thinking there's no such thing as 1,000% humidity, but there is The Ville in July.
• It's great to play indoors, but it's hot in there too!  There's no air-conditioning inside, but at least you don't have to be in the blazing sun.
• There are locker rooms with showers that you can use between matches during the tournament.
• There's usually some breakfast foods and snacks available on site, but if you want more than that you'll need to bring your own.  There's a convinience store across the street from the tennis center, as well as a McDonalds.  Other than that, you'll need a ride to get anything else.
• Take a minute to look at the walls and soak in the rich tennis history at the U of L.  They're Cardinal proud, with good reason.

One last great thing to note about the tournament...all matches are played at this one facility.  Some tournaments have multiple sites, but not here.  You can play all your matches and watch your buddies play without having to trudge between two sites.

So have you registered yet?  Register for the tournament before May 29th and you'll be entered into a drawing for a free entry for the 2012 Bluegrasss Open.  What are you looking forward to at this year's tournament?