I’ve attended all of the summer ATP events in the U.S. and several of the European ones. I have to say that The Campbell’s Hall of Fame ranks up there as one of my favorites. Due to its surface, location and timing, this tournament will never attract the top players that you see at the other International Series events. What it lacks in star power is more than made up for in ambiance, accessibility and charm. This is the only grass court tournament left in the United States.

So 36-year-old Michael Chang is engaged to married to 24-year-old WTA player Amber Liu, who he is coaching? Go Michael! Now they’ll have to cancel pre-production for the 40-Year-Old Virgin II….

Nonetheless, this was a stellar day for curse beneficiary qualifier Rohan Bopanna. While beating Fish in the first set, fellow Indians, the Amritraj father and son were busy sending text messages of support. Who the messages were being sent to, I have no clue? It appears their help worked as Bopanna only needed two tiebreak sets for his Fish fry.

He had to cheer loudly to be heard over the crowd on center court watching Taylor Dent attempting a comeback against Canadian pretty-boy Frank Dancevic. Frank doesn’t strike me as a pretty-boy name; like say for example, Taylor? Dent gave it a valiant effort but he won’t be going home with the prize. No big deal says Taylor, “a year ago they told me I wouldn’t ever play tennis again.”

I had the opportunity to try out my strokes on the grass court this afternoon with Brian Battistone. He and his brother Dann have been creating some waves and gaining a following for their unusual style of play and even more unusual rackets. Called the “Natural One,” the 29-inch racket has not one but two handles. The unique handle angle puts less stress on your elbows and helps the body balance better. I loved it so much I bought one.

Hi everyone, the Blonde girl with a computer is back. I had a terribly pleasant day watching lawn tennis amid blooming hydrangeas and geraniums from the shaded porch of a glorious Victorian Manor. The players in their crisp whites made a striking contrast to the lush emerald of the courts while I slowly sipped my Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Tea. Had you going there for a minute didn’t I. This was no figment of my imagination by any stretch; I might have just forgotten to mention a minor detail. I’m coming to you this week from Newport, RI, home of the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships or as I like to call it, the ersatz Wimbledon.

But the real story Monday at the All England Club was the comeback by homecountry hero Andy Murray against the mentally-fragile Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Other upsets were orchestrated by Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia-Lopez, who topped Spanish countryman and No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro in five sets; former world No. 2 Tommy Haas, who gave a straight-set grass master course to No. 23 seed Tommy Robredo, and Croat Marin Cilic, who outlasted No. 24 seed Jarkko Nieminen in five sets.

British Lawn Tennis Association coach Brad Gilbert’s charge Alex Bogdanovic lost first round at Wimbledon, and now Gilbert is out the door. It was announced that Gilbert will part ways with the LTA and following Bogdanovic around the Challenger circuit when his contract ends in three months.

New ATP Player Council member and U.S. TV commentator Justin Gimelstob speaking to a D.C. radio show on Anna Kournikova: “Hate’s a very strong word. I just despise her to the maximum level, right below hate. I think she falls into the Marcelo Rios ‘Scumbag’ category….And this whole bluff about her retiring because of her back? She had the yips on her serve, she can’t get her serve on the court. Wait until you see on July 23, she’s gonna be serving 40 miles an hour and I’m gonna be just plugging it down her throat…We do exhibitions together and I’ll mock her, and make fun of her. I’ll just make her know that she’s stupid…I’m sure she’ll rue the day that she has to come here and actually share space with me…I have no attraction to her, because she’s such a douche…I really have no interest in her. I wouldn’t mind having my younger brother, who’s kind of a stud, nail her and then reap the benefits of that.”