Big thanks to GTT reader and big-time tennis fan, Judy Salas, for her report and candid photos of Rafa, Serena and others from Wednesday’s GAME. SET. NYC. event in Manhattan. She came for Roger, but stayed for Rafa – and boy, is she glad she did! Here’s her story:
I spent most of my day at the Nike GAME. SET. NYC. event and it was pretty cool, though it was sunny and hot! They built a small court, with some bleachers, a player tent and a little store on the side and it was all on the wide sidewalk right next to the iconic Flatiron Building at Broadway and 23rd Street, with views of the Empire State Building. Fantastic setting!
Nike’s tennis stars were out throughout the day, starting with Roger Federer and John McEnroe, then Gael Monfils, then Li Na and Victoria Azarenka and finally, Johnny Mac again with stars Serena and Rafa. It was pretty well organized and included the participation of local kids groups, like the NY Junior Tennis League and the City Parks Foundation. They were the lucky ones who got to hit with the pros. Part of the event raised money for those organizations. The players had fun chatting with the kids and the spectators and hitting some balls. All the tennis stars were debuting their US Open outfits. I liked all of the clothing, especially Roger’s, he was looking sharp. Rafa’s suited him as well.
I actually came to the event thinking it would just be Roger and John and stuck around once I knew there were more players. Unfortunately there were so many people in the morning that I couldn’t get anywhere near Rog to get a decent photo (and I have a great Nikon zoom lens). The set up of the court, with half or more blocked, limited the viewing and the press would sometimes be in the way. Plus security made me (and other people) move from our pretty good spot.
Back to Rog… after spending some time talking to Johnny Mac and playing with the kids, Rog left and sneaked out the back. I wish he walked near where I was, but oh well. I got a pic of his Mom, Lynette, and agent Tony. Ha! Severin was there too. No Mirka or twins of course. I think Roger didn’t leave out the front path because it would have been pandemonium.
Monfils was great with the kids and signed autographs for them inside the court. I really like Vika Azarenka and Li Na is pretty cool, so they were fun to see. I am not a big Serena fan, but I was still glad to see her because she is such a tough competitor and grand slam champ. I found it funny that Serena walked in (with the biggest entourage) talking on her cell phone and did not make eye contact with the crowd of us standing outside the court.… as opposed to John and Rafa who looked and smiled at the crowd outside the court.
I came to see Roger, but I was super glad to see Rafa. He was smiling the entire time and it was nice to see him enjoying. When he was done and he left the player’s tent, security was guiding him out, towards his car pick up and instead he made it a point to come over to where I happened to be, along with other fans. I didn’t get a picture because I was by myself, trying not to get pushed and I was busy holding out a tennis ball for him to sign, which he did! Highlight of my day! I was right in front of Rafa and he was so great with the fans, despite getting absolutely mobbed. He was the only player to do this all day and it was a great thing to see! I think he stopped traffic too. 
Thanks again, Judy!
Tags: ATP, Federer, Nadal, Nike, tennis, tennis fashion, US Open
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I was there too! I thought the portion with Roger was a bit more disappointing since it was short and, especially, the security guards were real dicks and pushed us with barricades onto the "sidewalk" for no reason (the street was on the other side of the media tent)! There was plenty of room for us to watch everything – they were just being thugs. Not cool. There were many people who I overheard saying this was an incredibly disorganized event (it didn't care about us fans). But, when I came back for Rafa, we got there early since we knew the lay of the land and we got into the area just next to the court so thankfully the guards didn't bother us. When Rafa "played" Serena and then McEnroe, he was on our side so we were CLOSE! We met fellow Rafanatics and it ended up being an unforgettable event, despite Nike! We made it so. Rafa looked FANTASTIC and even better than on TV. Can't wait for next week!
Oh, glad to hear it was worth your while! Based on the photos – Rafa looks FABULOUS! Best I've seen him looking in a while – happy, tanned, in a great outfit (Im' the one person who didn't like the pink shirt!) And it sounds like he was terrific with the fans. He knew what to do, even if the organizers didn't – give back to the fans!!!!
So glad that you rafanatic enjoyed the event,….from what i gathered the rogerholics also enjoyed the event despite the uncool set up and the “thugs” cum security guards because they have seen Roger in the flesh wearing his USO kit and looking happy and relaxed in his “New York”.
Many thanks to GTT for sharing my report and pics!
Agreed, they could have definitely made it more fan friendly! Hopefully in the future they will. They were certainly attending to the kids organizations and the media. The security was super tight and could have been nicer. I understand they have to control the crowd and keep things safe, but at times they were a bit much. Fans were out in the hot sun, just hoping to see the players and weren't there to cause problems. Next time they should make it so that more fans can see the action and enjoy. Still, it was fun to see many players at one event and it was a great way to promote tennis and the US Open.
I do wish more of the players signed autographs, as Rafa was kind enough to do. I will let Rog slide on this one
as it is very well known he often spends 30 mins signing for fans, post practices and matches and during tournaments. He may have never gotten out of there if he started to sign stuff!
Hi, I was just thinking that perhaps, the organizers had to get Roger out of there before the others arrived; because it would have been way too crazy having them there all at once…just a thought!
Federer's parents don't usually come this early to Slams. They must be missing the twins.
Yeah, I remember in Cincy, Roger was holding up the next match because he was signing so many autographs! And he probably had a million other appointments yesterday, plus diaper duty, etc. Glad for the fans that Rafa was so accommodating!
And thanks again, Judy for the post! The photos of Rafa, especially, are wonderful. Yellow is a great color for him!
That's true, freakyfrites! By the way, thanks for all the awesome posts you've done. They're very informative and entertaining! Roger has been keeping you busy, lately! …And we don't mind it one bit…hahaha
Great report. Sorry you couldn't get a great view of Roger, but it's awesome Rafa signed your tennis ball!
Rafa is the sweetest! And such a beauty, of couse… *.*
Thanks for posting!