Is it possible to compare the ATP's first major event of the tennis season, the Australian Open, to Northeast Ohio's first major 3.0 event of the tennis season, the Paramount Winter Championships?
No. No, probably not.
So let's give it a go! Or, as they say in Australia, "Let's give it a go!" Classic Aussie's and their difficult to comprehend English-based lingo.
First, where are these events similar? Well, let's get past the differences and briefly (because I only have about 45' while my one year old is napping to scribble this gem of an idea of mine into this un-read blackhole of a blog) discuss what makes the Australian Open so unique.
There's a lot of reasons, to be sure, that help make the Australian Open so unique, from the fact it's one of the four Major events of the tennis season to the fact it's the first Major event of the tennis season. Historically, the distance to travel made the event one of the lesser attended of all the Majors, helping to explain some rather, in the grand scheme of things, odd champions (listen, I love you Petr Korda, and I played you on the old SEGA tennis video game, and who am I to take pot shots at a Major champion, but the name "Petr Korda" will never go down in the annals of tennis history like some of the other major tennis names just like "Travis" won't go down in the annals of great teaching like the guy in Stand and Deliver or the lady in Gangster's Paradise or any number of other inspiring movies about teachers that make me quite often feel quite sad about myself). And while the remote nature of the event has obviously changed (thanks technology!) the oppressive heat has not. So add in the early nature of this event AND the physical climate of the event and the Australian Open certainly becomes not just a measure of early season fitness and ability, but a measure of how you can handle the sun being about seven inches away from your face all tournament long.
And those are factors I know about! A quick Google search (thanks internet!) tells me (who is now telling you) that the courts are relatively slower compared to the U.S. Open, that the crowds are probably more tame than what you'd get in New York but probably more intense than Wimbledon. I'm sure the list goes on and on, but I don't have all day and neither do you and neither does my one year old and his nap.
Anyway, you're not paying for this blog (what's that? you don't have to pay? there goes my one year old's college savings) to hear about the Australian Open because you want my opinion, especially since there are about 37,000 other, way more informed, websites you could visit to get info on that. You're here because you either got lost searching for something else OR because you want to hear how the PWC is similar to the Australian Open!
Okay, so what are the comparisons then? Well, the differences aren't that significant ... unless you take a very brief second to think about the differences (but we're not paid to "think" around here, so you'll excuse us if we miss or just ignore most of the obvious clues). Indeed, once you get past the fact that the AO is one of the major tennis events in the world drawing in the best tennis athletes in the world for two weeks of intense, best of five set, high-level, history-making tennis action, and once you get past the fact that Australia is one of the top bucket list destinations for travelers around the globe, the comparisons should come easy!
First off, timing - both events are the first major events of the season. The PWC leads off the USTA Northeast tennis season every year, and while there are some other events (like the Akron Towpath events and the new Toledo Fast Four event and the Wembley Adult Championships) those are all doubles specific events and take place AFTER the PWC. So simply by timing, the PWC is like the AO because both, unlike me when I used to run the 400 Hurdles in college at Baldwin-Wallace in 1994, come in first.
Second, attendance - the PWC attendance is, at the 3.0 level, somewhat erratic. From a high of 12 entries last season to a low of apparently zero in 2015, the event hasn't exactly had huge draws in terms of numbers. Like the AO, it's early, and a lot of people, especially around Ohio, just aren't in tennis shape yet. And, if there's a tad bit of snow around, sometimes it's more appealing to stay inside and veg out on the couch rather than drive through a snow storm to get hammered 0-6, 0-6. So as a result, just like the past of the AO, attendance at the PWC isn't as numerous as some other local events.
Third, climate - in Australia, it's hooooooot, and while in Northeast Ohio it's generally frigid in January, Medina, because it's geographic location is about 30 miles south of gorgeous, not-yet-Asian Carp infested, Lake Erie, is often warmer than many other areas in the area. Ipso facto, Australia's 100+ degree temps are akin to Medina's 30+ degree temps ... it's just all ... well ... relative (Okay i get it, it's maybe five degrees warmer than the rest of the Cleveland area, but this is my blog and my metaphor and darn it, I'm sticking with it!). Also, since Paramount Medina is inside, if you're not used to playing inside tennis, which some people aren't because they haven't played since maybe September because of the weather, the climate of indoor tennis can be a bit dry and a bit difficult to get used to.
Fourth, the PWC is genuinely friendly, and what I read from a U.K. article on the AO, so too is the AO (I would have read more but it asked me to pay for the article and let's just say that the DoubleFault.Org bank account isn't as flush as one might expect ... and since I'm sure most of you expect that it's around either $0 or a number that starts with a "-" in front of it, that should tell you everything you need to know). But back to the PWC ... it's a legit friendly group. Larry, who runs the event, is a good, good guy. In the years I've played at the PWC, I've met some just great people. Even the year that it was so busy and so backed up that I had to wait eight to nine hours just to be told I had to come back the next morning to play, they were still friendly. Even the time I got crushed 0&0 (by the eventual champion, btw, which is the only way I can make my 0&0 somewhat more palatable), John was just a good dude. So the PWC, like the AO, is just a good group of people and a good friendly time and a good chance to get out early in the season and see where you are tennis-wise.
And then weep.
And then self-reflect.
And then consider golf.
And by that time, the spring/summer leagues have started and you're good to go!
Anyway, that's that. For Northeast Ohio, the PWC is akin to the AO. And my one year old is akin to a baby Godzilla, so before he goes Blue Oyster Cult "Go Go Godzilla" on mi casa, let me sign off with this - good luck to all AO and PWC competitors next week! Because it's the same!
On a 3/10 ratio, of course...
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