The BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup took place on Monday night, March 1 at Madison Square Garden. A crowd of more than 11,700 got a chance to watch high quality tennis as some of the top players on the WTA Tour competed on Monday night.

Recently, Long Island Tennis Magazine had the pleasure in taking part in a teleconference with Kim Clijsters who called in her from her native Belgium. Kim discussed many topics including the upcoming BNP Paribas Showdown at MSG and her 1st matchup against Serena Williams since their infamous U.S. Open Semifinal match.

The Long Island tennis community is blessed to have some of the best indoor facilities and best coaches in the world right here in our backyard. Recently, Long Island Tennis Magazine spoke with some of these top coaches to get insight into their coaching/training strategies, what they look for in a great player, views on important local tennis topics, and a background in how they got into coaching. Even the best coach can always learn an extra tip or two, and the following article will provide all players and coaches with a chance to learn from the best.

This year, Roger Federer has joined some exclusive clubs. After winning the French Open back in May, Federer became only the sixth player to win all four Grand Slam Championships. Then in July, he defeated Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon Finals to win his record 15th Grand Slam title. The win catapulted him ahead of previous record holder Pete Sampras who had 14 Grand Slam titles under his belt. So, does this make Roger Federer the best ever?

The 128th U.S. Open Tennis Championship will be held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Tennis fans from all over the world will be packing the luxurious Arthur Ashe Stadium and surrounding courts to see the greatest players in the world compete for the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year.

In the past, the U.S. Open has been dominated by Americans. Legends of the game, including Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors on the men’s side, and Chris Evert and Tracy Austin on the women’s side, have all left Flushing Meadows victorious on more than one occasion.

Tennis has certainly become a global sport, but it is disappointing to see its leading country, and one of that country’s largest markets, having lost some high-profile events from both the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tours. New York has lost a couple of professional tournaments that were very popular in the tennis community, both on Long Island and in the Metropolitan area.