Two thin pieces of yellow rope separate Andy Roddick from a gauntlet of autograph seekers and swooning females. He walks through the crowded hallway after his match – a two-set win over fellow American Marty Fish – and signs oversized yellow tennis balls, hats, visors and Region Morgan Keegan Championship programs. This continues for several minutes until two Memphis police officers in khaki uniforms guide him to the players locker room at the end of the red-carpeted hallway.

Following nearly every match on stadium court, a similar scene unfolds at the Racquet Club of Memphis. The fans and players exit the court through the same set of doors and are virtually inches away – a rare occurrence in professional sports today.

 At the grandstand court, where we watched Donald Young play his second round match against Alejandro Falla, fans are within a few feet of the court. The ball whizzes by your face at more than 120 mph. Heads pivot as if watching moving subway cars. Every grunt is louder. Every emotional outburst fiercer. Tennis is no longer a game of ladies and gentlemen. It is a sport of fiery competitors.

To be continued...