Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
NEW YORK — The only guy who may be having a better U.S. Open than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is Chris Widmaier.
Who’s Chris Widmaier, you ask.
As the senior director for public relations for the USTA, Widmaier is often called upon to speak with the media about various, often controversial, questions.
Here’s a sampling of his comments at this Open that we’ve particularly enjoyed.
**After a fight broke out last week in the upper stands that caused a short delay in Novak Djokovic’s match against Philipp Petzschner, Widmaier said it was a “disagreement over verbiage.”
The players stopped competing and looked up into the stands while New York police handcuffed the fans and led them out.
Widmaier said: “It was a hot night in New York. Things happen.”
** When New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden penned a column in which Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena, said that African-Americans must nurture their own champions at black-run clubs, Widmaier said: “He raises complex issues. I’m not a cultural sociologist. I just know that would not be our approach.”
**And finally, during the brutally hot weather last week, Widmaier was asked by the New York Post if one day was the hottest ever at the Open.
“It was one of the hottest days in Open history, but I can’t confirm it’s the hottest,” he said. “Our researchers are still looking back to 1881.”
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
NEW YORK — The only guy who may be having a better U.S. Open than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is Chris Widmaier.
Who’s Chris Widmaier, you ask.
As the senior director for public relations for the USTA, Widmaier is often called upon to speak with the media about various, often controversial, questions.
Here’s a sampling of his comments at this Open that we’ve particularly enjoyed.
**After a fight broke out last week in the upper stands that caused a short delay in Novak Djokovic’s match against Philipp Petzschner, Widmaier said it was a “disagreement over verbiage.”
The players stopped competing and looked up into the stands while New York police handcuffed the fans and led them out.
Widmaier said: “It was a hot night in New York. Things happen.”
** When New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden penned a column in which Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena, said that African-Americans must nurture their own champions at black-run clubs, Widmaier said: “He raises complex issues. I’m not a cultural sociologist. I just know that would not be our approach.”
**And finally, during the brutally hot weather last week, Widmaier was asked by the New York Post if one day was the hottest ever at the Open.
“It was one of the hottest days in Open history, but I can’t confirm it’s the hottest,” he said. “Our researchers are still looking back to 1881.”
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
