University of North Carolina Athletics
Tripp Phillips to Compete at US Open on Thursday
August 30, 2006 | Men's Tennis
Aug. 30, 2006
New York, N.Y. - Former Carolina All-AmericanTripp Phillips will begin playing in the Main Draw at the U.S. Open on Thursday. Phillips and Australian Ashley Fisher face Britain's Andy Murray and James Auckland. Scheduled as the third match on court 16 after 11 a.m., Phillips should take the court in the middle of the afternoon.
Phillips is currently ranked #71 in the world, while Fisher is ranked 45th in the ATP Rankings. Phillips won his first career grand slam match at Wimbledon in June where he teamed with the Netherlands' Roger Wassen. After Thursday's match Phillips will have played in all four grand slams. Phillips also played in this year's French Open and the 2005 Australian Open.
TarHeelBlue.com reached Phillips en route to practice Wednesday morning for a brief Question and Answer session:
THB: How have you been dealing with the rainy weather so far?
Phillips: The indoor courts at Flushing Meadow are under construction so there wasn't much of an opportunity to practice on Tuesday. There has been a lot of time spent in the players lounge obviously. But I have really enjoyed having my family and fiancée here to spend time with me.
THB: What are the highlights of your first few days in New York?
Phillips: I think I'll always remember the excitement around Andre Agassi's last grand slam. His peers gave him a standing ovation at the Players Meeting on Sunday. All the electricity inside the stadium was incredible on Monday night.
THB: What are some of the perks of playing in a grand slam tournament?
Phillips: To start with they give you a nice player gift, which this year was an Olympus Digital Camera. The Player's Party was held at the Crowbar, one of New York's most exclusive clubs. There were around 1,000 people there, famous media people and most of the top players. Another benefit is that they send a Lexus to pick you up at your hotel and take you to the practice courts.
Players Mentioned
