Game, set, flats

Midtown - Starting at the age of four, tennis has been a huge part of my life. Many of my weekends were spent away at junior tennis tournaments and my afternoons at tennis academies.  It's always been my dream to become a tennis analyst, so naturally I take advantage of every opportunity that is related to the sport. 

This didn't change when the FOX 5 Sports crew packed up the car and headed over to the "media day" held by the BB&T Atlanta Open tennis tournament in Atlantic Station. Except– I did something a little out of the ordinary for a sports intern.  I decided to play tennis dressed head-to-toe in business casual attire with a stolen tennis racquet and a borrowed hair scrunchie on one of the new practice courts at the venue. 

This wasn't my first time interacting with the tournament. It was just last summer when I had written match recaps and player profiles for the BB&T Atlanta Open website. However, the media day itself was a first for me and I was curious to see what it was all about.  At the tennis site, the media present for the event were allowed to christen the courts with a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Those inclined were later allowed to hit with three of the college tennis players that were granted wild cards into the tournament. 

The funny part was I actually knew one of the players. He had just finished playing tennis for the University of Georgia and I had previously covered him as a Red and Black Newspaper tennis beat reporter for the past year.  So without much of a second thought, I grabbed a racquet lying against one of the fences and stepped onto his court in my ballet flats. One of the reporters nearby the courts was nice enough to lend me a hair scrunchie looped around her wrist, and so I quickly tied my hair back as I approached the service line on the court. 

The FOX 5 Sports cameraman, Blaine, was having a field day as he watched me hit balls in a jumpsuit and not-so-sensible shoes. Meanwhile, I was pretty close to kicking off my flats so I could actually move on the court.  The hitting session wrapped up fairly quickly, but it was just a reminder that my internship allowed me to do things that not many other people can do. I have the opportunity to cover the sports I love and be a part of the action. 

It's also always a plus when I can do weird stuff like that and seemingly get away with it. 

Want to follow more of my adventures? Take a look at my Twitter and Instagram accounts. 

Twitter at @SportsWithAllie and @TennisBreakdown and Instagram at beaucoup.de.allie