The USTA's U.S. Open "reaped a record" $35.7M in
sponsorship money, marking a 15.2% increase from last year's
event, according to Daniel Kaplan of the SPORTSBUSINESS
JOURNAL. The USTA "originally had expected" $34M from this
year's tournament, "but a spate of new deals sparked the
increase" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/11 issue).
THE MEN'S SAVIOR? A N.Y. TIMES editorial applauded U.S.
Open men's singles champion Marat Safin: "His emergence may
give the men's game the kind of compelling new rivalry [with
Pete Sampras, who he defeated in the finals] that women's
tennis enjoys with the wondrous Williams sisters, Venus and
Serena, and their top rivals" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/12)....Safin
appeared on CBS' "Late Show" last night and said of winning
the Open, "I played 1 1/2 hours and I'm with the press for
already 25 hours." Safin added he drinks vodka "every day:
breakfast, lunch and dinner" ("Late Show," CBS, 9/11).
STANDING PAT: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL'S Daniel
Kaplan reports that Prince "plans to renew its tennis racket
endorsement deal" with Patrick Rafter with a deal "believed
to be worth more than" $2M (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/11).
