Winston-Salem, NC - They call it big time tennis, served Southern style. Now that says a lot about what we're in for this month. Crews are building the stadium for the Winston-Salem Open right now and in just two short weeks the best of the best in Tennis will be in the Triad.
Tournament Director Bill Oakes talked about the all-star tennis pros coming to the Winston-Salem Open with WFMY News 2's Tracey McCain Friday morning.
"All of the players slated to compete at the Winston-Salem Open are all ranked in the top 68 in the world," said Oakes. Greensboro native and favorite John Isner is looking to defend his championship title during the tournament. Isner is currently ranked No. 11. You can also watch Andy Roddick, Kevin Anderson, Julien Benneteau, James Blake, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Marcel Granollers, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Donald Young in play. And just added Thursday night, French standout Gael Monfils who is currently ranked No. 19.
Tickets for both individual box seats and stadium seating are available right now on the Winston-Salem Open's website. Tickets start as low as $6 and parking is free.
If you want to be even closer to the action you can try out to be a ball person. Tryouts are on August 3 from 2pm to 4pm and August 4 from 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. The tryouts are open to the public and will be held at the Wake Forest University Indoor Tennis Center at 100 West 32nd Street (adjacent to BB&T Field).
Candidates for ball persons must know how to keep score of tennis games, be able to move quickly, be willing to endure lengthy tennis matches in the sun and work well with others on a team. Ball persons must be 13 years old by August 18, 2012 (proof of age required) in order to qualify. Additionally, all applicants must attend a two-hour training session on August 8th or 9th from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the Wake Forest University Indoor Tennis Center and be available for the entire Winston-Salem Open tournament and qualifying rounds August 18 through 25.