ABCs of the RCAs

The RCA Tennis Championships gets under way with grueling qualifying matches this weekend. It’s where the guys who are really hungry to play with the big boys of the sport vie it out for their shot to compete.

This year, 37 pro players will be here, 16 of whom are among the top 40 in the world. Though you won’t see superstar names at the weekend qualifying events, the level of competition will be fierce. It makes for very good tennis and it’s also an opportunity to see tennis notables like Andre Agassi, James Blake, Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri out practicing.

Andy Roddick: good game and entertainment value.

Andy Roddick, a Wimbledon finalist who lost that title to No. 1-ranked Roger Federer, is definitely one to watch for good game and entertainment value. He gave the Wimbledon crowd a giggle by waving his racket behind his bum when a camera, falling off its track, make a crashing sound.

Paradorn Srichaphan, last year’s tournament finalist and an Indianapolis favorite, will be back, too. He won his fifth career title this June by capturing the crown at Nottingham and was a finalist in Channai and a quarterfinalist at Queen’s Club.

There are a few rules of the game that you need to abide by as a spectator. Do stay silent in the stands and turn your cell phones off. That means if one of those big flying bugs that is attracted to the lights on the court lands on you, don’t scream bloody murder the way one woman did last year. Refrain from chatting and meandering to your seats during matches.

Visit a few Web sites to learn the basics about the game. Check out www.sportsmediainc.net/tennisweek if you need a pro tennis tutorial. It’s an excellent source for the latest news on pro tennis, including a TV schedule and ATP Tour Entry System top 50 ranked players. www.atptennis.com is another site to get detailed accounts of games and the latest stats on players. The United States Tennis Association’s Web site, www.usta.com, is where the confusing ranking system and tournament categories are explained in a no-nonsense way.

As for the ranking mumbo jumbo, the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) players start the year with zero points. They earn points based on their performances at tournaments held throughout the year. The four Grand Slam events divvy out more points than the nine Masters events or the International Series events. Only the top five performances at International events, like the RCA Championships, will go toward this ATP Champions Race Ranking total.

The ATP Entry System also must be considered in this ranking riddle for the sake of fairness. This completely separate system ranks players based on their points total 52 weeks preceding a match. This keeps the playing field level.

The RCA Championships takes place at the Indianapolis Tennis Center on the IUPUI campus. Located on Ohio and Blackford streets, it’s immediately west of Military Park. Take West Street to Michigan going west into the IUPUI campus.

Tickets are available by calling the tournament office at 632-4100 or 1-800-622-LOVE. Ticket prices start at $8 all seats for qualifying rounds on July 17-18. Visit www.rcatennis.com for ticket/seating details and more information, including an event guide and scoreboard.

Visit the official Web site for the ATP at www.atptennis.com.