TennisCrowd will be providing special coverage of the Match For Africa 4 in Seattle this coming Saturday, April 29th at Key Arena. Our recap of the event along with photos and video will be published here next week.

We will be live from Key Arena starting at 5:00 pm PST. Follow us on social media below.

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About the Event

“The Match for Africa 4 Seattle”, the fourth charity tennis event for the Roger Federer Foundation, will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2017. Roger Federer’s opponent in the KeyArena in Seattle will be none other than the winner of 10 ATP Titles John Isner.

The Match for Africa 4 Seattle will start at 5:30 pm PT on April 29, 2017.

It started with Nike suspending its relationship with Maria Sharapova followed by two other endorsements, Porsche and TAG Heuer. Now company spokesperson Maria Sharapova announced at a press conference she was suspending her relationship to Sugarpova.

“I can no longer in good conscious keep myself as spokesperson for this brand. I’m asking myself to step down immediately.”

She said her company will suspend ties to herself until more details regarding her use of the banned substance Meldonium.

Sharapova also has been a longtime brand ambassador for Sugarpova — but her page on the company’s website was no longer available on Tuesday morning.

Sharapova said in a statement representing Sugarpova:

“In view of the current situation, I’ve asked that the candy company brand suspend negotiations with myself.”

Sugarpova also said it was “saddened by the recent news” and has “chosen to postpone planned activities” pending further details and analysis.

Sharapova herself has commented, “I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down and I let the sport down,” the five-time Grand Slam winner told a press conference in Los Angeles. “I take full responsibility for it.”

Meldonium is used to treat chest pain and heart attacks among other conditions, but some researchers have linked it to increased athletic performance and endurance, according to Reuters.

About Sugarpova
Sugarpova is a premium candy line that reflects the fun, fashionable, sweet side of international tennis sensation Maria Sharapova. Maria has created her own candy business to offer an accessible bit of luxury, interpreting classic candies in her own signature style. A long time candy lover with a surprising sweet tooth, Maria is bringing a new level of quality to the candy category through fun, unexpected types and shapes – with playful names to match. Wrapped up in a beautiful package, it’s both style and substance, just like founder Maria Sharapova.

Moved

This article has moved: Tater Tot Hotdish Recipe (via Minnesota).

Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla, WA

Before I go on, you should get to know this town of Walla Walla (view map), the city so nice they named it twice. Walla Walla is a special place. Imagine those travel magazine “best of” lists. I think best “small towns”. Imagine a Norman Rockwell-like main street, surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards around the countryside. Then, take the best of Napa/Sonoma (world class wine and food) and omit the worst of Napa/Sonoma (crowds, traffic, $25 tasting fees for watery wines). Walla Walla is what Napa Valley was 30 years ago. Some say it’s the best wine region in the US outside of Napa Valley. And in terms of wine quality, the average Walla Walla wine is FAR superior to the average Napa wine. It’s a lucky lot who live there.

Lavender in bloom near Walla Walla, WA

The Tennis

This is first and foremost a tennis camp. There are warmup routines, technical focus on fundamentals, match situation drills, and fun games that get you running around and interacting with everyone at the camp. There’s a wide range of abilities. There were 2.5 level beginners all the way up to 5.0 superstars. The staff do a great job of mixing it up so that you’re either playing with similar levels or involved in a game where skill level doesn’t matter. Scroll down for a typical day’s schedule. You’re guaranteed a fun group too. Think about it, these are people just like you – fellow foodies who play tennis!

Morning session in the Walla Walla sun

Coach Greg Patton

The Staff

One important note: the camp staff runs this camp in order to raise money for the Whitman College men’s and women’s tennis team. And the single biggest reason this camp works is due to that staff. We’re talking not only some of the friendliest people around, but super organized, thoughtful, and FUN. And I should also mention they are AMAZING tennis coaches. Greg Patton (Bio) and Jeff Northam (Bio) are the head coaches of the Boise State and Whitman College tennis teams. From 1984 through 1987, Greg served as the Head Junior National Coach with the USA Junior National Team that included Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Patrick McEnroe, and more. But at this camp he’ll be teaching YOU. So much more could be written about Greg and Jeff (and other staffers John Hein (Bio), Tom Sawatzki, etc.) but you’re best off going to the camp and meeting them yourself.

The fantastic staff – Fernando, Emily Rolston, John Hein, Greg Patton, Coach Northam and Tom Sawatzki

John Hein demonstrates crushing forehands

Typical Schedule

8:00 am – Wake up for breakfast
9:00 am – Warmup drills
9:20 am – Tennis Rotation #1
10:45 am – Break
11:00 am – Tennis Rotation #2
12:00 pm – Lunch by the courts
1:00 pm – Open play or free time
3:00 pm – Van picks up campers for winery touring
6:00 pm – Free time
7:30 pm – Group dinner at vineyard or restaurant

The Food

If you are a foodie tennis player this camp is a no brainer. The restaurants are top quality. I live in Seattle and it always surprises me that a small town like Walla Walla has the quality of restaurants that it does. But you won’t be eating at just restaurants. My favorite meal was the meal we had on the hill of the Figgins vineyard. The cost of the camp was worth it for just this one meal. We were served amazing amazing food made with local ingredients, and served wine made with the grapes grown in the earth below our feet. It was some of the best wine I’ve ever had and best food in a setting straight out of a magazine. The photos speak for themselves.

Pre-dinner drinks at the Figgins vineyard

Dinner at Figgins Estate Vineyard

Campers get a hands-on cooking demo

One of the winery tours

Dinner at Figgins Estate Vineyard

Dinner at Figgins Estate Vineyard

In Summary

Right now the campers mainly come from the Pacific Northwest as the camp is still in its first few years of existence. But once word gets out, I expect people to travel from across the country for this experience. And just yesterday, the staff noted on their facebook page that the Wall Street Journal was going to write a blurb about the camp. So it might get very difficult to secure a spot in the very near future. But if you go, I will see you there!

Figgins is part of the Leonetti family

Dinner time at Whitehouse Crawford

TennisCrowd Rating

More Info

Visit Tennis and Wine Camps for registration and dates.

PART TWO

10. Rafa’s absence

9. Get rid of the let serve
At all levels, not just the NCAA. Let’s play service lets in the pros and USTA leagues. Netcord aces would be thrilling (to hit)!

8. No-ad scoring in USTA leagues
Ugh, I lose more than my fair share of deuce points. Can we at least play ONE ad?

7. Lack of televised doubles
There are six doubles players and two singles players per USTA team. Most people play doubles, let’s see more on TV. Require the top players to play events.

6. Comcast f&#%ing up my DVR recordings of the Grand Slams
Please! I don’t want the recording to stop after four sets. I want to watch the 5th set too!

5. Online streaming
The US Open is the best grand slam in terms of online access. Let’s have that for all the events.

4. Depth on the women’s side
Serena is awesome. But it’d be great if it wasn’t Serena vs. everyone else in terms of talent.

3. Shortened USTA seasons
With the new 18+ and 40+ my 4.0 league went from 9 matches to just 6. I want more matches and I bet others do too.

2. The USTA’s website
Tennislink, tournaments, leagues, what? Why does the back button not go back just one page? Too much weird javascript. Why can’t I send a direct link to someone? So many ads too! It’s a mess of a website that needs a major overhaul.

1. Clown-colored shoes
What happened to style and sophistication? They are tennis shoes, not a pack of Skittles.