James Blake enjoyed his time under the lights Monday, but will men always be the late match while women open the night? AP Jon Wertheim's Mailbag Jon Wertheim will answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag every Wednesday. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Jon Wertheim on Twitter

Since the U.S. Open (among other tennis events) is all about gender equity, do you think we will ever have the evening session "start" with a men's match and then be "followed" by the women's match. For a working person on the East Coast, it's hard to stay up and watch the men's matches, such as the Blake/Young match, especially when they start after 9 p.m. Just looking for equal rights.
-- John, Greenville, S.C.

• Scheduling a tournament has to be the most thankless job this side of chair umpiring. There are so many constituents to appease -- players, tours, television, agents, sponsors, fans -- and inevitably some factions will be disappointed. One of you asked why Nadal never plays at night. Is it anti-American bias? Truth is, with the six-hour time difference, most Europeans would rather play during the day. A night match for Nadal means he takes the court at 3:00 a.m. at home. (Nadal will, however, play the night match tomorrow, I hear.)

As for your question, imagine if the Jankovic match and Blake/Young had been reversed. The women would have been waiting around for five sets. I think it only makes sense for the women to precede the men.

In the champion's night was Edberg there? Was he invited? I really hope so. Usually he does not appear too much since his retirement, but wasn't he there for the French Open? I thought he would be around for the champion's ceremony on opening day.
-- Subhadeep, Cincinnati

• The problem with that ceremony: inevitably the R.S.V.P. list was going to be scrutinized. Why did Laver show up but not Rafter? Becker and Lendl but not Agassi and Sampras. I suspect a lot of it was simply logistics. Again, I'm hearing this theme developed late in the game, as Plan A was an Agassi celebration. Hard to blame Edberg, for instance, for failing to make the trip from Sweden for a one-night only extravaganza.

Vaidisova wasn't mentioned in your picks. I thought she was going to be the next it girl. She's so young, still, but has she peaked?
-- Susan, Rockford

• I don't think she's peaked. But I do think there is a lot of potential that may never get tapped.

I think there's a reason for the perception your reader has that the same umpires seem to officiate every match. There are a relatively small number of umpires who work the really big matches, so someone who mostly tunes in to the latter stages of any tournament is almost sure to see Carlos Ramos and Lynn Welch umping at least one, and often several, matches. And frankly, if they could create an entire army of cloned Lynn Welches, almost all of our umpire woes would be solved. While she never makes the match about herself, she is a true joy to watch. She's virtually alone among umpires in regularly overturning wrong calls in the age of Hawk Eye, she enforces the rules with firmness but good grace and has clearly earned the respect of the players.
-- Joshua Gibson, Portland, Ore.

• For whatever reason, umpires are a hot topic this week. I agree with you on Lynn Welch. And while we're at it, good for tennis for a) putting a female in the chair for a men's match and b) doing so without self-congratulatory fanfare.

ShotSpot has added a new dimension of involvement by fans and a high level of acceptance by players. After watching the Safin-Spadea match, Footspot anyone?
-- Victor, Las Vegas

• Or better yet, why not use ShotSpot/Hawkeye/Chase Review -- even the replay is sponsored! -- to assess calls such as yesterday's? Surely the cameras and technology exist. Why not use it?

I recall a certain sportswriter a couple of years ago betting the farm that Serena Williams would never again be No. 1. I called you on it at the time, but you stood by the bet. Getting nervous? If she wins the Open I'll be waiting for the keys.
-- Claire, Toronto, Canada

Do farms have keys? In good faith, if Serena gets it I will send you a T-shirt (and tip a cap to S.W.). But honestly, isn't this as much a function of the WTA chaos, as it is Serena's play? Henin retires, Sharapova breaks down, players are injured ... Serena is hardly having one of her best years, yet she's still among the six -- six! -- who might finish this tournament with a top ranking.

Just a quick note about bronze-medal matches at the Olympics: you may not be able to imagine any sport handing out two bronze medals, but some sports do. Wrestling, for instance, awards two bronze medals. In fact, tennis itself has awarded two bronzes in the past. In 1988, for instance, both Stefan Edberg and Brad Gilbert got a bronze, as did Zina Garrison and Manuela Maleeva. I agree that the double-bronze idea is a bit odd, but like your other reader I find the situation rather frustrating, especially since it actually makes the bronze medal a more desirable trophy than the silver. You can't "win" the silver, you just lose the gold. But you do have to recover from the physical and emotional drain of a semifinal loss to win another match and take home the bronze.
-- Joshua, Portland, Ore.

• The story I got: While some sports, including boxing, still have two bronzes , the IOC declared that in all racket sports, there must be just one bronze. So we get the unfortunate "bronze play-off." Interested in reading more?

I'm getting ready to watch Venus' opening match this evening. Tracy Austin was speaking about both Venus' and Serena's careers which got me to thinking: Venus has three gold medals which I'm almost certain is a record for tennis. Am I wrong?
-- Beckles, N.Y.C.

• What about Fernando Gonzalez?

Shots, miscellany

• Today's winner in the "random encounter with a pro contest" (sponsored by Prince) is Ken Alrutz of Middletown, Conn. (Head Tennis Coach Wesleyan University):

Last summer, my 12-year-old son, Graham, captured the New England Sectional Doubles Championship. His reward included being recognized at the Gibson Guitar Champions Cup held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in August. After seeing one match, walking onto the famed Stadium Court, and hitting balls with Pat Cash, Graham settled into his seat to watch one of his heroes, John McEnroe, play. Just prior to the conclusion of this match, Graham waited outside the court, so he could ask the victorious McEnroe for his autograph, which John graciously gave him; then, caught up in the moment's excitement, Graham asked if McEnroe would permit his Mom to take a photo of the two of them. Again, Mac kindly consented. Once a number of adults, who were milling around McEnroe, heard that he would stand for pictures, however, they brusquely pushed aside my bewildered son and shoved cameras into McEnroe's face. Crestfallen, Graham walked away when McEnroe bellowed (something to the effect) "get out of here, get away from me, I'd like to get to the locker room, please" to these rude, overbearing people who had now completely surrounded him. Then, Mac screamed, "Where's the kid? Where's the kid? I promised the kid a picture." McEnroe almost trotted toward Graham, put his arm around my delighted son, and smiled for a great photo that Graham will cherish forever. Thank you, John.

• The ATP meeting concluded in midtown today. As the organization searches for a new president and CEO -- and rest assured the posts will be split this time -- there already is a completed calendar for the next three years.

• Yes, that was Agnes Szavay posing at the Empire State Building today.

• The Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., has been named the beneficiary of Jamfest 2008. The event, to be held in Manhattan, N.Y. on Friday, Sept. 5 at The Crowne Plaza Times Square, promises to be the premier late-night destination for tennis pros and enthusiasts alike. Jamfest will fully capture the excitement of the U.S. Open featuring cocktails, hors d'oeurves and a battle of the bands competition. Highlighting the show will be appearances by the Bryan Bros. Band, The Jensen Brothers Band, and The Johnny Smyth Band. The three bands feature some of the biggest names in the game -- Bob and Mike Bryan, Luke and Murphy Jensen and John McEnroe.

• Today's long lost sibling:

Alistair W. of Toronto writes: A quick separated at birth for you. Jayme Stone, a musician with a terrific new CD out, and Novak Djokovic. A quick scan of Google images will show it's not even just a trick of the camera angle that does it.