Tennis on CBS
Encyclopedia
Tennis on CBS is a television program
produced by CBS Sports
that broadcasts the main professional tennis tournaments in the United States. In 1975, the Women's Tennis Association
increased its financial stature by signing a television broadcast contract with CBS, the first in the WTA's history. CBS also broadcasts the SuperSet Series Special and the Miami Masters
.
. The eight non-Masters tournaments now enjoy about 50 hours of television combined—about two hours on each day of their final weekends, chiefly on ESPN2
, which is where ESPN shows its tennis programming. CBS and Tennis Channel also cover portions of The Series.
All the courts used by the US Open are lighted, meaning that television coverage of the tournament can extend into prime time
to attract higher ratings
. This has recently been used to the advantage of the USA Network
on cable
and especially for CBS, which used its influence to move the women's singles final to Saturday night to draw better television ratings. In 2010
, CBS broadcast the US Open in 3D on DirecTV
N3D
.
CBS was the first network to use the MacCam
(a system of slow-motion cameras developed by FastCAM Replay LLC and DEL Imaging Systems LLC used during tennis matches to replay close or controversial line calls) widely, as John McEnroe
was one of their tennis analysts. The MacCam was first used at the 2004 US Open to demonstrate several poor calls by chair umpires. In Serena Williams
' controversial quarterfinal loss to Jennifer Capriati
, several poor calls were contested by Williams. Television replays demonstrated that there were actually several crucial calls that were obviously erroneous. Though the calls themselves were not reversed, the chair umpire Mariana Alves
was dismissed from the tournament.
For the past few decades, the National Football League
has always let CBS
be the "singleheader" network during the week it televises the Men's US Open Tennis final at 4:05 p.m. ET around the country (CBS has said that it cannot justify putting the Men's US Open Final on Sunday night in terms of ratings
; the women's final, broadcast on a Saturday night, often outrates the men's final by a considerable margin, except when at least one American plays in the men's final).
Occasionally, The Late Late Show
is split into 15- and 45-minute segments when CBS airs a daily late night highlight show for either The Masters, other PGA Tour
events with rights owned by CBS, or tennis
' US Open. The show then has a monologue to start, followed by sports highlights, and then the guest segments. Since mid-2007, however, the highlights show has aired first, followed by the full hour of The Late Late Show.
During specific broadcasts such as The Masters
, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
, and US Open Tennis, live newscasts are offered on WCAX-DT2 in Vermont
. WCAX airs a live newscast on "WCAXtra" when CBS sports programming runs over the 6 and 11 evening time slots on weekends.
James Wall
(best known for playing Mr. Baxter on Captain Kangaroo
) was also the stage manager for 41 consecutive years on the US Open Tennis Championships telecasts.
affiliate, WHTV
out of Central Michigan
carried the CBS Sports feed of the US Open while WLNS
aired the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
on Labor Day
.
WCWN
out of the Capital District
of New York State and Western New England
might take on the responsibility of airing CBS programs whenever WRGB
is not able to so such as during a breaking news event. It has been known to air network coverage of the US Open Tennis. During the yearly Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, WCWN takes on the responsibility of airing WRGB's local and network lineup. This arrangement continued in 2004, but due to a crop of syndication launches on Labor Day in 2005, it did not happen that year. U.S. Open Tennis did air on cable on Time Warner Cable
channel 3 in the Capital District.
KASA
out of Santa Fe
, New Mexico
may air programming as an alternate CBS affiliate when KRQE
is airing non-CBS programming. For example, annually KASA will air CBS network coverage of the US Open tennis tournament, while KRQE is airing the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
/children’s event that takes place in the end of August at the United States Tennis Association
at Arthur Ashe Stadium
. (USTA) Center in Flushing Meadows
, Queens, New York
. It is sponsored by the Hess Corporation
, IBM
, and USTA. This event also begins the US Open, which officially starts one day later. This event is also televised on CBS the following day.
walked off the set in anger just before a remote CBS Evening News
broadcast from Miami, where Pope
John Paul II began a rare U.S. tour, when a US Open tennis
match was being broadcast into the time scheduled for the newscast. He was upset that the news was being cut into to make room for sports and discussed it with the sports department. The Steffi Graf
-Lori McNeil
tennis match then ended sooner than expected at 6:32 p.m., but Rather was nowhere to be found. Over 100 affiliates broadcast six minutes of dead air. The next day, Rather apologized for leaving the anchor desk.
While attending the US Open tennis tournament in New York in September 1995, Jane Bronstein
, who is rather large and disfigured from childhood polio
and a thyroid
condition, was pictured in CBS file footage from the tournament. Although the footage was never intended to be shown to the public, a few seconds of it was shown during a segment on The Late Show with David Letterman. The footage showed Mrs. Bronstein devouring a peach in a matter of seconds and then handing the peach pit to a man seated beside her with a horrified look on his face. Although the audience and Letterman's fans found the clip hilarious, Mrs. Bronstein and her attorney Harvey Rothberg were not amused and sued for damages in February 1996. The case was settled in March 1997 for undisclosed terms.
On September 14, 2009, Juan Martín del Potro
upset Roger Federer
to win the Men's US Open Championship
. Dick Enberg
hosted the post-match ceremony during which a victorious Del Potro requested to address his fans in Spanish
. Enberg declined the request saying that he was running out of time but went on to list the corporate sponsored prizes Del Potro won. A couple of minutes later, Del Potro made the same request again and only then Enberg relented saying "Very quickly, in Spanish, he wants to say hello to his friends here and in Argentina
". An emotional Del Potro finally spoke a few sentences in Spanish to a cheering crowd. Many viewers expressed disappointment with Enberg and broadcaster CBS
over the interview. A CBS executive later defended Enberg, noting that the contract with the United States Tennis Association
required that certain sponsors receive time during the ceremony.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
produced by CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
that broadcasts the main professional tennis tournaments in the United States. In 1975, the Women's Tennis Association
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
increased its financial stature by signing a television broadcast contract with CBS, the first in the WTA's history. CBS also broadcasts the SuperSet Series Special and the Miami Masters
Miami Masters
The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park...
.
US Open coverage
CBS Sports has broadcast the US Open Tennis Championships since 19681968 US Open (tennis)
List of the 1968 US Open champions:-Men's singles: Arthur Ashe def. Tom Okker, 14–12, 5–7, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3*It was Ashe's 1st career Grand Slam title.-Women's singles:...
. The eight non-Masters tournaments now enjoy about 50 hours of television combined—about two hours on each day of their final weekends, chiefly on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
, which is where ESPN shows its tennis programming. CBS and Tennis Channel also cover portions of The Series.
All the courts used by the US Open are lighted, meaning that television coverage of the tournament can extend into prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
to attract higher ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. This has recently been used to the advantage of the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
on cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and especially for CBS, which used its influence to move the women's singles final to Saturday night to draw better television ratings. In 2010
2010 US Open (tennis)
The 2010 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 30 to September 13, 2010 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City, United States....
, CBS broadcast the US Open in 3D on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
N3D
N3D
n3D is a 3DTV channel that launched on July 1, 2010. It is sponsored by Panasonic and available exclusively on DirecTV. It is the world's first 24 hour 3DTV channel.-Programs:...
.
CBS was the first network to use the MacCam
MacCAM
MacCAM is a system of slow-motion cameras developed by FastCAM Replay LLC and DEL Imaging Systems LLC used during Tennis matches to replay close or controversial line calls. The system is named after John McEnroe, who was infamous for contesting umpire calls...
(a system of slow-motion cameras developed by FastCAM Replay LLC and DEL Imaging Systems LLC used during tennis matches to replay close or controversial line calls) widely, as John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
was one of their tennis analysts. The MacCam was first used at the 2004 US Open to demonstrate several poor calls by chair umpires. In Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
' controversial quarterfinal loss to Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Marie Capriati is a former world number one ranked professional tennis player, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 14 when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca...
, several poor calls were contested by Williams. Television replays demonstrated that there were actually several crucial calls that were obviously erroneous. Though the calls themselves were not reversed, the chair umpire Mariana Alves
Mariana Alves
Mariana Alves is a Portuguese Tennis Chair Umpire. She is one of only a few women who currently hold a Gold Badge in Chair Umpiring from the International Tennis Federation; others include Eva Asderaki , Lynn Welch , Kerrilyn Cramer and Alison Lang .- Career :In the 2004 US Open quarterfinal...
was dismissed from the tournament.
For the past few decades, the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
has always let CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
be the "singleheader" network during the week it televises the Men's US Open Tennis final at 4:05 p.m. ET around the country (CBS has said that it cannot justify putting the Men's US Open Final on Sunday night in terms of ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
; the women's final, broadcast on a Saturday night, often outrates the men's final by a considerable margin, except when at least one American plays in the men's final).
Occasionally, The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)
The Late Late Show is an American late-night television talk and variety show on CBS hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It immediately follows Late Show with David Letterman and is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated...
is split into 15- and 45-minute segments when CBS airs a daily late night highlight show for either The Masters, other PGA Tour
PGA Tour on CBS
PGA Tour on CBS is a television program produced by CBS Sports that broadcasts the main professional golf tours in the United States.-Coverage overview:In January 2006, the PGA Tour announced a new set of television deals covering 2007 to 2012...
events with rights owned by CBS, or tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
' US Open. The show then has a monologue to start, followed by sports highlights, and then the guest segments. Since mid-2007, however, the highlights show has aired first, followed by the full hour of The Late Late Show.
During specific broadcasts such as The Masters
The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...
, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, and US Open Tennis, live newscasts are offered on WCAX-DT2 in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. WCAX airs a live newscast on "WCAXtra" when CBS sports programming runs over the 6 and 11 evening time slots on weekends.
James Wall
James Wall (actor)
James Earl "Jimmy" Wall was an American stage manager and actor.Having performed on radio, theater, and in the Army during World War II, Wall worked as a stage manager on Broadway before being hired as the stage manager for the children's television series Captain Kangaroo by CBS in 1962...
(best known for playing Mr. Baxter on Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
) was also the stage manager for 41 consecutive years on the US Open Tennis Championships telecasts.
Effects from the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
As a UPNUPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
affiliate, WHTV
WHTV
WHTV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Michigan that is licensed to Jackson, Michigan. It broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 18 from a transmitter in Okemos. Owned by Venture Technologies Group, the station is operated through a joint sales...
out of Central Michigan
Central Michigan
Central Michigan, often called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan can be considered as a subregion of Central Michigan. As its name implies, it is the central area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and...
carried the CBS Sports feed of the US Open while WLNS
WLNS-TV
WLNS-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central Michigan licensed to Lansing. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on Van Atta Road in Meridian. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 6 and Broadstripe channel 13...
aired the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
The MDA Labor Day Telethon is an annual telethon in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association . The first MDA telethon was during the Thanksgiving Day weekend of 1952 and titled Party for MDA. It has been held annually since 1966...
on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
.
WCWN
WCWN
WCWN is the CW-affiliated television station for New York State's Capital District and Western New England. Licensed to Schenectady, New York, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter southwest of New Scotland's Voorheesville section...
out of the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
of New York State and Western New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
might take on the responsibility of airing CBS programs whenever WRGB
WRGB
WRGB, channel 6, is a television station located in Schenectady, New York, USA. WRGB is owned by Freedom Communications, and is the CBS affiliate for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy television market...
is not able to so such as during a breaking news event. It has been known to air network coverage of the US Open Tennis. During the yearly Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, WCWN takes on the responsibility of airing WRGB's local and network lineup. This arrangement continued in 2004, but due to a crop of syndication launches on Labor Day in 2005, it did not happen that year. U.S. Open Tennis did air on cable on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
channel 3 in the Capital District.
KASA
KASA-TV
KASA-TV is the Fox network affiliate for most of New Mexico. It is licensed to the state capital, Santa Fe and broadcasts on digital channel 27 but is displayed as channel 2, its former analog channel number. It is owned by LIN TV and is a sister station to CBS affiliate KRQE. The two stations...
out of Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
may air programming as an alternate CBS affiliate when KRQE
KRQE
KRQE, digital channel 13, is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Albuquerque, New Mexico television market; the station is owned by LIN TV Corporation and is sister station to Fox affiliate KASA-TV...
is airing non-CBS programming. For example, annually KASA will air CBS network coverage of the US Open tennis tournament, while KRQE is airing the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
Arthur Ashe Kids' Day
Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is an annual tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
/children’s event that takes place in the end of August at the United States Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
at Arthur Ashe Stadium
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Arthur Ashe Stadium, a part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center located within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, is the main tennis stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments, and also where the annual Arthur Ashe...
. (USTA) Center in Flushing Meadows
Flushing Meadows
Flushing Meadows is an American short film by Larry Jordan, with director Joseph Cornell. The film is 8 minutes long, in color, 16mm, and silent....
, Queens, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It is sponsored by the Hess Corporation
Hess Corporation
The Hess Corporation is an integrated oil company based in New York City. The company explores, produces, transports, and refines crude oil and natural gas. Vertically completing the logistical chain, about 1,360 Hess branded filling stations market gasoline to consumers in 16 states along the...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, and USTA. This event also begins the US Open, which officially starts one day later. This event is also televised on CBS the following day.
Controversial moments
On September 11, 1987, Dan RatherDan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
walked off the set in anger just before a remote CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
broadcast from Miami, where Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
John Paul II began a rare U.S. tour, when a US Open tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
match was being broadcast into the time scheduled for the newscast. He was upset that the news was being cut into to make room for sports and discussed it with the sports department. The Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 German tennis player.In total, Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court's 24...
-Lori McNeil
Lori McNeil
Lori McNeil is an African American tennis coach and former professional tennis player from the United States. McNeil was a childhood friend of fellow African American pro Zina Garrison...
tennis match then ended sooner than expected at 6:32 p.m., but Rather was nowhere to be found. Over 100 affiliates broadcast six minutes of dead air. The next day, Rather apologized for leaving the anchor desk.
While attending the US Open tennis tournament in New York in September 1995, Jane Bronstein
Jane Bronstein
Jane Bronstein is an American professional bridge player from New York who will forever be known for her title as "The Peach Lady" from the Late Show with David Letterman....
, who is rather large and disfigured from childhood polio
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
and a thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
condition, was pictured in CBS file footage from the tournament. Although the footage was never intended to be shown to the public, a few seconds of it was shown during a segment on The Late Show with David Letterman. The footage showed Mrs. Bronstein devouring a peach in a matter of seconds and then handing the peach pit to a man seated beside her with a horrified look on his face. Although the audience and Letterman's fans found the clip hilarious, Mrs. Bronstein and her attorney Harvey Rothberg were not amused and sued for damages in February 1996. The case was settled in March 1997 for undisclosed terms.
On September 14, 2009, Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
upset Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
to win the Men's US Open Championship
2009 US Open (tennis)
The 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...
. Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
hosted the post-match ceremony during which a victorious Del Potro requested to address his fans in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. Enberg declined the request saying that he was running out of time but went on to list the corporate sponsored prizes Del Potro won. A couple of minutes later, Del Potro made the same request again and only then Enberg relented saying "Very quickly, in Spanish, he wants to say hello to his friends here and in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
". An emotional Del Potro finally spoke a few sentences in Spanish to a cheering crowd. Many viewers expressed disappointment with Enberg and broadcaster CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
over the interview. A CBS executive later defended Enberg, noting that the contract with the United States Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
required that certain sponsors receive time during the ceremony.
Commentators
- Julie Anthony: 1976-1984
- Jill ArringtonJill ArringtonTiffany "Jill" Arrington is an American sportscaster with Fox Sports. She was previously a sideline reporter on college football for ESPN during the 2004 season.-Personal life:...
: 2000–2003 - Tracy AustinTracy AustinTracy Ann Austin Holt is a former World No. 1 female professional tennis player from the United States who won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1979 and 1981 and the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1980, before a series of injuries cut her career short.-To 1980:Austin defeated...
: 1991- - Bonnie Bernstein: 1998-2005
- Mary CarilloMary CarilloMary Carillo is an American sportscaster and former professional tennis player.-Tennis career:Carillo played on the women's professional tennis circuit from 1977 to 1980. She was ranked as high as number 33, in the WTA Rankings, from January through March 1980, then retired due to knee injuries...
: 1986- - Bud CollinsBud Collins-External links:*** 2001 interview with Collins*...
: 1968-1972 - Jim CourierJim CourierJames Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open...
: 2003- - John DockeryJohn DockeryJohn Dockery is an American sportscaster and former American football defensive back who played for the New York Jets and later the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1968 to 1973. He was drafted by the Jets out of Harvard...
- Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
: Eagle served as both the late night show and daytime studio host for the 2008 US Open coverage. - Rich Eisen: He worked as a play-by-play announcer for CBS SportsCBS SportsCBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
coverage of the US Open Tennis Championships, in addition to serving as the anchor for the network's weeknight (and late-night) highlights show during the tournament. - Dick EnbergDick EnbergRichard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
: 2000-2011 - Mary Joe FernandezMary Joe FernándezMary Joe Fernández Godsick is an American former professional tennis player...
: 2005- - Frank GlieberFrank GlieberFrank John Glieber was an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:...
: -1984 - Ann HaydonAnn Haydon-JonesAnn Haydon-Jones Ann Haydon-Jones Ann Haydon-Jones (born Adrianne Shirley Haydon on 7 October 1938 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, is a former table tennis and lawn tennis champion...
- Julie HeldmanJulie HeldmanJulie Heldman is a retired American tennis player who won 22 professional tennis titles.In 1969 she was World No. 5, her highest career world ranking, and was ranked No. 2 in the U.S.-Tennis career:...
- Andrea JoyceAndrea JoyceAndrea Joyce is an American sportscaster who works for NBC Sports after working 10 years with CBS Sports.-Education and early career:...
: 1989-1999 - Jack Kramer: 1968-1969
- Bill MacateeBill MacateeBill Macatee is an American sports broadcaster.-Early life and career:Macatee was born in Rome, New York, and grew up in El Paso, Texas. In 1978, he earned a bachelor of science degree in speech from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas...
- Sean McDonoughSean McDonoughSean McDonough is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN.-Early life and career:The son of Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, Sean graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. It was in Syracuse where McDonough began his broadcasting career in 1982 as the play-by-play announcer...
: 1990-1999 - John McEnroeJohn McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
: 1992- - Patrick McEnroePatrick McEnroePatrick John McEnroe is a former professional tennis player and the former captain of the United States Davis Cup team.Born in Manhasset, New York, he is the younger brother of John McEnroe...
: 1997- - Brent MusburgerBrent MusburgerBrent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
: -1989 - Jim NantzJim NantzJames William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
: 1987–1995 - John NewcombeJohn NewcombeJohn David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...
- Pat O'BrienPat O'Brien (television)Pat O'Brien is currently a radio host with Fox Sports Radio as well as an author. He is best known for his time as a sportscaster with CBS Sports and as anchor/host of Access Hollywood and The Insider .O'Brien covered five Olympic Games, two for CBS...
: 1981-1997; He also hosted the late night edition of the 2006 US Open Tennis Championships for CBS SportsCBS SportsCBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
which that was his return to CBS after a 9 year hiatus. - Ted RobinsonTed Robinson (sportscaster)Theodore "Ted" Robinson is an American sportscaster. He is currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers, having taken over for longtime 49ers announcer, Joe Starkey, following Starkey's retirement in 2009.-Early life:Ted Robinson grew up in Rockville Centre, New York and...
: 1987- - Tim RyanTim Ryan (sportscaster)Tim Ryan is an American sportscaster, currently a resident of Ketchum, Idaho.-Early life and career:Raised in Canada, Ryan graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1960, and took a job the newly-formed CFTO as an assistant sports director...
: 1978–1997 - Summer SandersSummer SandersSummer Elisabeth Sanders is a sports commentator and reporter, TV show host, actress and retired Olympic gold medalist in swimming.- School and swimming :...
: She was co-host of CBS' coverage of "Arthur Ashe Kid's Day" at the Open from 2000 to 2006. - Ken SquierKen SquierKen Squier is an American sportscaster and motorsports editor from Waterbury, Vermont. From 1979-1997, he was the lap-by-lap commentator for NASCAR on CBS, and was also a lap-by-lap commentator for TBS from the time they had rights to NASCAR until 2000. Squier was the first announcer to give...
- Vin ScullyVin ScullyVincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
: 1975–1981 - Pat SummerallPat SummerallGeorge Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
: 1971–1993 - Michele TafoyaMichele TafoyaMichele Tafoya is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Tafoya received a B.A...
: 1994-1999 - Tony TrabertTony TrabertMarion Anthony Trabert is a retired American tennis champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivational speaker...
: 1972-2003 - Lesley VisserLesley VisserLesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
: 1987-1993 - Virginia WadeVirginia WadeSarah Virginia Wade, OBE is a former English tennis player. She won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships. She won the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, in that tournament's centenary year, the last time any Briton has won a...
- Tracy WolfsonTracy WolfsonTracy Wolfson is an American sportscaster for CBS Sports. She is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in communications.-Early life and career:...
: 2004-