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Bobby Bonilla Checks Out Sarasota Open
4 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Bios, Scoop
![1304-121840[1]](https://www.tennis-prose.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/1304-1218401.jpg)
Former Major League slugger Bobby Bonilla came to enjoy the tennis at the Sarasota Open today. The six-time All Star sat in the grandstand with his wife and friends watching Tim Smyczek battle Frank Dancevic in the late afternoon and then Nick Kyrgios vs. Jarmere Jenkins in the features night match.
Bonilla lives in the area and started taking lessons at the Bath & Racquet Club three months ago. He says he loves “the action” of the sport. This was his first time seeing live tennis since the US Open in ’94 when the unseeded Agassi won the title. Bonilla says he saw Agassi beat Goran Ivanisevic that year.
Bonilla’s coach is Dave Maraj, the brother of a friend of mine. Maraj told me at Bonilla’s first lesson, he hit the first three balls over the fence, quipping, “Coaches always told me to swing for the fences.”
The former Met, Brave, Pirate, Cardinal, Dodger, White Sox and Marlin (who he won a World Series with), currently uses a Babolat and is trying to figure out how to apply the proper amount of topspin. He says he doesn’t care much for touch finesse tennis, he just wants to crack the ball. Like he did in the Major Leagues, where he clobbered 287 round trippers.
Dave showed me a phone video of Bonilla’s forehand and it looks surprisingly good for a guy who just started playing just three months ago.
Mrs. Christina Bonilla also plays frequently in leagues at Bath & Racquet and they are about to get their kids started playing too.
Donald Young was in the house, also watching Smyczek battle but lose to Dancevic. During the match we did a Biofile and also discussed his experiences Facing Rafa and Facing Federer. DY has his hands full tomorrow with sixteen year old qualifier Alexander Zverev.
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, age 36, upset the defending champion Alex Kuznetsov in three sets. RRH once took Federer to a three set tiebreak in Monte Carlo in ’08. Also, I asked RRH, ranked l73, if he ever played Nadal and he said he didn’t. But then I checked the records and he actually played Rafa twice in Challengers back in 02 and 03. I’ll try to get some info from those possibly forgotten or erased-from-memory matches.
The wildcard entrant team of Sekou Bangoura and Vahid Mirzadeh, who as alternates in Delray Beach, shockingly upset the Australian Open finalists Raven Klassen/Eric Butorac, have resumed their partnership and won their first round doubles match against another wildcard team 60 64.
Next up for Mirzadeh/Bangoura are the top seeds Lipsky/Venus.
Random Observation: So far I have noticed a plethora of backwards cap wearers at this event: Michael Lammer, Michael Zverev, Ilya Marchenko, Tim Smyczek, Jack Sock, Frank Dancevic, Vahid Mirzadeh, Jarmere Jenkins, Joel Link and Taro Daniel are all wearing their caps like Lleyton Hewitt. Ten players. And I haven’t even seen every player yet. Might some kind of unofficial record for a 32 man draw.
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Dan Markowitz · April 15, 2014 at 6:18 am
Wow, Krygios, how does he look? What’s the atmosphere at a Challenger like Sarasota. You have so many guys, Dancevic, Marchenko, RRH who have made it to some degree, but are probably on their way out, and young guys like Sock, JJ, DY and Krygios who have either had a taste and fallen back or are still trying to make it. Is the atmosphere positive or does it smell of a little desperation?
Scoop Malinowski · April 15, 2014 at 7:44 am
Atmosphere here is excellent. Most of the fans are older people, even most of the “ballkids” are people over 50 and 60, a few kids too. Good crowds here, but not much spirit or chanting, just respectuflly watching and appreciating fine tennis. Bobby Bo stayed for the night match. Parking lots are always full. The tournament feels like a success. The players are super accessible. I mean you can see Donald Young standing around with his mom on like the pavilion watching a match on center court. People don’t bother the players at all. I just walked up to DY and asked to do an interview and we did it right there. You can see things like Zverev going to stretch on the grass after a match behind the VIP tent. I saw his opponent Fratangelo unwind there also, tossing a water bottle in frustration. You can go right up to the practice courts and watch anyone practice. You can hear the players talk like I heard Bangoura and Mirzadeh practicing together for the first time since they starred in Delray when as alternates they beat Klassen/Burotac, you could hear them talk about things like, “Hey, that shot was like the shot Mirnyi hit in the tiebreak…” It’s a wonderful event. I’ve hear mixed views from the players, some of them just love it down here – Kyrgios, Reynolds, Bozoljac, Russell, etc. Then one other said the organization is a bit supbar, in how they treat the qualifiers as “not part of the tournament.” In one game of one match in qualies there wasn’t a linesperson calling the baseline, but the ball mark was out and the chair ump had to get down and confirm it. But I haven’t seen any glaring mishaps. You see a lot of the same faces every day, every year. A lot of people love this event. It’s a well run well liked event in a very impressive venue. It’s definitely one of my favorites.
Abe Froman · April 15, 2014 at 11:31 am
bobo from the bronx….he had to have been juicing in his prime – right Dan ??!!…..i think he still gets paid $1M+ per year by the mets – some funky clause in his contract…..
how about hewitt approaching win # 600 !…..another juicer in his prime. i remember he came back seriously jacked up after 1 off season……from a pencil neck to mr. beefed up guns in approx a month or less….LOL
Dan Markowitz · April 15, 2014 at 12:23 pm
Do they charge admission?