Agassi's Autobiography Review

I just finished reading Andre Agassi's Autobiography, "Open".

It's a must-read for everybody who loves tennis and would like to have an idea of what happens in the tour, how players build their teams, and what goes inside their heads during matches.

The book starts with his last victory in the tour, against Marcos Baghdatis, going back to his childhood in Las Vegas, all the way to his retirement in 2006, and ends with details about the charity school he founded. He talks about his team, his relationships, his development as a player, his opponents, his issues, and everything in between.

There is this one unifying theme, which I don't really like, in this book - its his general hate for tennis. It's like a nagging reminder (somewhat arrogant) of how good he is that he was able to achieve greatness in a sport he hates, unlike most of his readers, who actually love tennis but never reached even a fraction of his achievements.

Nevertheless, it's an easy read and highly recommended for tennis fans.

86th Nikke All Japan Tennis Tournament

I just got an email from Ticket Pia announcing tickets are now available for the 86th Nikke All Japan Tennis Tournament. It will be held from November 5th to the 13th this year at the Ariake Tennis Forrest Park.

This is a tournament organized by the Japan Tennis Association to choose Japan's top players and as such, this may be a good opportunity to see the up and coming tennis stars of Japan, especially since Kei Nishikori isn't exactly living up to expectations.

Tickets range from 500 yen student prices to 4000 yen for the VIP seats (includes lunch box, program, and memorabilia).

US Open 2011: Federer vs Djokovic

It couldn't get more exciting than this -- the greatest of all time (GOAT) against the greatest at the moment.  The last time these two met was at the semifinals of the French Open and the GOAT won, giving Djokovic his first of only two losses this year.

If Federer wins, he will have a chance to win at least one grand slam every year for the past nine (!) years. If Djokovic wins, he will have a chance to equal if not beat John McEnroe's amazing 1984 run.

As I do not have cable TV, I watch the games via streaming video. The site I use now is sportLEMON (used to be called "From Sport"). That page will have links to people streaming the games. You will need Adobe Flash support (so tough luck iOS) to play the videos.

As expected, I'll be rooting for Federer.

Tokyo Sports Facilities User Card

To be able to reserve public tennis courts in Tokyo, you will need the Tokyo Sports Facilities User Card (東京都スポーツ施設利用者カード), issued by the Tokyo local government. You can apply for this card at any of the Tokyo public parts that have tennis courts, including Hibiya Park, Shiba Park, and Kiba Park, and Ariake Tennis Forrest Park.

Applying is very easy and shouldn't take more than 10 minutes for you to get your card.

After you get your card, you should be able to login at the Tokyo Sports Facilities Service Website (東京都スポーツ施設サービス). This will allow you to reserve courts if there are openings, or join the monthly lottery.

For the more popular locations like Hibiya Park and Shiba Park, you're only chance is to win the lottery. For the less popular ones like Toneri Park, you can just wait for people to cancel their reservations and apply for the slot.

Remember that people are allowed to cancel only until 4 days before the reserve date so if you plan to wait for people to cancel their Saturday reservations, people usually cancel their reservations on Tuesday night.

From experience, it's also possible to call the courts directly and ask if there are openings. Just be ready with your card number as they would ask for it.

Tennis at Ojima-Komatsugawa Park

Tomorrow, I'll be playing tennis at the Ojima-Komatsugawa Park in Edogawa ward, for the first time.

Looking at Google Maps, the park looks massive with lots of open space and sports facilities. It looks like they also have a jogging path so I might use that to warm up before playing. It is also next to the massive Edo River so I expect the air to be fresh and cool.

To reserve courts here, as with many other Tokyo metropolitan government-owned tennis facility, you will need the Tokyo Sports Facilities User Card (東京都スポーツ施設利用者カード) , which you can get from any associated park, including Hibiya Park and Shiba Park. This entitles you to join their monthly online lottery for court reservations.

Luckily for me, I joined a Japanese tennis circle so I just gave them my user card and they do all the dirty stuff. I just have to show up and play.

Tokyo Tennis Cathedral

Ariake Coliseum

For any tennis fan in Tokyo, Ariake Coliseum is the cathedral - the biggest tennis stage in Tokyo and it is  located in the Ariake Tennis Forest Park, in Koto ward.

This park hosts two major events - the Japan Open Tennis Championships and the Toray Pan Pacific Open. This is definitely Tokyo's biggest tennis venue. 

Including the center court, they have 48 tennis courts - some are hard courts, some are omni courts, and some are clay courts. They also have two tennis walls for those who want to practice alone.

To play there, you need to get a card from the park (or any public park in Tokyo with a tennis court) and join the online lottery from their website. When I was reserving courts a couple of years ago, I usually find it easier to just wait for people to won their slots via lottery to cancel. With Ariake in particular, there are many courts so the chances of finding people who cancel is higher than for other venues. I am not sure though if that is still true now.

Even if you don't have court reservations, Ariake is also a good venue to visit if you just want to watch people play tennis. Too bad the place I live now is far so I cannot just take my bicycle there to watch other tennis fans like myself.

If I do look for a new apartment, I would certainly consider Ariake and its surrounding areas.

Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club

If Wimbledon has the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Tokyo has the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club. Both are more than 100 years old, both are rich in tradition, and both require players to dress up in white when using the club. One big difference would be the former hosts a yearly tournament known the world over.

I'm pretty sure membership is by invitation only and unless you are royalty or a member of the diplomatic corps, you are very unlikely to get an invitation.