US OPEN SPECIAL CEREMONY TO HONOR OLYMPIC TENNIS MEDALISTS
By Katarina Tepesh
A special ceremony on Monday evening, August 30, will honor medalists in the tennis competition at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.MARIO ANCIC & IVAN LJUBICIC will represent Croatia for winning the bronze medal in Men’s Doubles Tennis.
The US Open Draw event was held at the United Nations in New York City on August 25, reinforcing the US Open’s connection to New York City and the international scope of the Open which features players from more than 70 countries and is broadcast in more than 160 countries.
Sport is about participation and inclusion. It is a way of bringing individuals and communities together, as players and audience, showcasing what we have in common and bridging differences. That is also what the United Nations seeks to do. Like the world of sports, the United Nations upholds the principles of tolerance, cooperation, understanding and respect.
As the draw ceremony was done in front of hundreds of people, it is fair and square. By coincidence KAROLINA SPREM seeded 18 in US Open, will be playing in the first round against JELENA KOSTANIC ranked 40.
Another revelation is the draw for IVO KARLOVIC ranked 54, playing in the first round against Tim Henman seeded number 5 player. The buzz at the UN draw ceremony when it came to Croatian players was all about KAROLINA SPREM. Captain of the U.S. Fed Cup
Zina Garrison said, “The young Karolina Sprem is not afraid of older, more experienced tennis players.”
“Karolina Sprem is capable of surprising us and win the tournament” predicted Patrick McEnroe, the captain of the US Davis Cup. In celebration of opening night of the US Open, the Empire State Building will for the second straight year be lit in “tennis ball yellow” on August 30, 2004.
Tennis tickets are on sale by phone through Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX, at the tennis stadium box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets and atwww.usopen.org . For information, call the US Open ticket office at (718) 760-6200.