The Hindu : Players use songs to help their preparation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 04, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Players use songs to help their preparation

NEW YORK Sept. 3. Lleyton Hewitt is famed for his use of the Rocky film theme tune to gee himself up for matches but he is not the only player to use songs to aid their preparation.

In fact all players at the U.S. Open are asked to fill out a ``My Tunes'' card, listing their musical preferences to be played when they walk out on centre court. Pete Sampras always wanted to enter the court to the sound of his favourite band Pearl Jam and Kim Clijsters requests Destiny's Child.

Andre Agassi never filled out the card so USTA officials staff play ``Viva Las Vegas'' for the Vegas-born baseliner.

``We want songs that will appeal to fans from the very top row down to courtside, to the people in the President's Club and to the players,'' U.S. Open entertainment director Michael Fiur told New York Newsday.

Of course organisers do not always get it right. Jennifer Capriati was not amused when event staff played the theme tune to the Friends television series at last year's Open.

Capriati was, at the time, being romantically linked with Friends star Matthew Perry who was her guest in the stands at the time. — Reuters

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