Cornet Page

Shots, miscellany

• Directed by Robert Klug, produced by award-winning filmmaker Mike Tollin and co-produced by tennis great Jim Courier, Unstrung exposes the surprising drama of the amateur tennis world, hitting the road with a handful of high school competitors as they head for the national championship. A 2007 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival selection, Unstrung will be aired Sat., May 3, at 8 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

• This June, for the first time in the tournament's history, the French Open will venture outside the historic stadium to share the ambiance of Roland-Garros. "Roland-Garros in the City" will take place June 4-8, right in front of Paris City Hall.

Due to the overwhelming demand in Paris for French Open tickets, the French Tennis Federation has designed a unique event it is calling Roland-Garros dans la Ville or "Roland Garros in the City." The event kicks off on Wed., June 4, and runs through Sun., June 8. Event hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day.

Highlights of this free event include: the French Open men's and women's quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be broadcast on a giant, 55-square meter, high-def video screen for those in front of Paris City Hall. Daily player appearances by tennis stars. Tennis exhibitions and other programming on a full-size clay court as well as a mini-tennis court.

• Don't have plans Thursday night? The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health will be holding its 14th annual Sportsball Gala on April 24 at Pier Sixty/Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, 6 p.m. The Gala will honor: Billie Jean King; Bryant Gumbel, host of HBO Real Sports; Richard D. Parsons, CEO of Time Warner; Terry McDonell, Group Editor of Sports Illustrated; and Dr. Dawn Morton-Rias, dean of the College of Health Related Professions, SUNY Downstate. Otis Livingston, from Today in New York, and Mary Carillo, from HBO Sports, will be hosting the event.

Additional guests include David Dinkins, former New York City mayor; Vivian Stringer, head coach of the Rutgers women's basketball team; and Anucha Browne-Sanders, former women's basketball player and executive for the New York Knicks. The funds raised at Sportsball support the Institute's innovative community health education programs and research initiatives. For tickets, please call (718) 222-5953 or visit arthurasheinstitute.org.

• Nikki of Minneapolis notes: "You cannot be serious, etc. ... seems this article still doesn't address the issue of how accurate Hawkeye itself is, but interesting nonetheless."

• ESPN and The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club have finalized a six-year agreement for continued coverage of the Wimbledon Championships through 2013, featuring enhanced digital and international rights. ESPN has televised an extensive Wimbledon schedule on its networks since '03, plus Spanish-language coverage in the U.S. via ESPN Deportes.

• Patrick Preston of Lexington, Ky., writes: "The phrase 'Fifth Grand Slam' was coined in 1985 when the 'Lipton Players International Tournament,' as it was called then, was first contested in Del Ray, Fla. It was the first tournament of its kind, fielding 128 men and women in singles, and Grand Slam-sized draws for doubles -- as well as mixed. (As I recall, Navratilova won the triple that first year.) At that time, there was no Indian Wells. The 'Chris Evert Champions Cup, a women's-only event, was created a few years later and eventually paired up with a men's event. Thus, the 'Lipton' was marketed as the 'Fifth Grand Slam.'"

What to do with those old racquets?

• Submitted by Allen Chan of Newark, Calif.: "East Palo Alto Tennis runs a tennis program for kids on the Stanford campus. Got old books in the garage? Did you just buy a new tennis racquet hoping to help out your serve? How about tennis clothes that seem tighter after the holidays? Give us a call to see if your old items could be put to good use by EPATT or one of our students. Each quarter we hold parent meeting and give out clothing and other items that we have collected from donors just like yourselves. We also use many of the items on a daily bases at EPATT: tennis balls, racquets, books, study guides, computers and office equipment. Please contact our executive director, Dave Higaki, for donation information: dhigaki@earthlink.net or (650) 823-0516."

• Justin DePietropaolo of Chester Springs, Pa., notes: "To answer Michelle's question about racquet donation, there are plenty of community programs to donate to that need them. This could be your local Park and Rec, Community Tennis Association or NJTL program. For her, the NYJTL program would be the best. For more information on where to find these, contact your local USTA section/district office or your local USTA Tennis service representative. (I feel like a commercial)."

• Courtney of Minneapolis: "For the Twin Cities area, I recommend checking out the St. Paul Urban Tennis Program (stpaulurbantennis.org). The program is run by a fantastic group of tennis enthusiasts and the kids they help are always in need of tennis equipment."

Scott Graham of Oakland, Calif., sends us Long-lost siblings: Ellen Page of Juno and Alize Cornet.

Have a good week, everyone!