Hi Everyone,

It has been a pretty long time since my last blog entry. I know I’ve been out of touch for a while now, but from now on, I will try to check-in once a week or so. This is actually one of my New Year resolutions!

Anyway, I am still excited about my tournament win in Memphis last week. I had not won an ATP 500 before, so it’s safe to say that it was my biggest career win yet. It was not easy playing John in the finals since we’re really close friends. I’ve been saying that if it had to be anyone else to win the event, I’d want him to win, and I definitely mean that. We both understand that it’s competition and that there will be times when I win, and other times when he walks away with the victory. Clinching the doubles with him was an extra. We have played some decent doubles matches together, but never this well. We felt good that we were able to get the win, especially considering that we were a couple points away from being eliminated in the 2nd round (we were proud of our comeback in the 3rd set breaker in our first round match).

The Memphis tournament is always a good one. It’s nice that the hotel is so close to the tournament site, and you can’t beat the breakfast at Blue Plate! Is it strange that I ate there nearly almost every morning? Speaking of meals, John and I grabbed food at a steakhouse the night before the finals. We had a bet going, which is not very unusual for us, as we both love competing. I lost in credit card roulette, and I had to pay for the entire meal. John was of course ecstatic and is still rubbing it in. But, I am still better in poker!

My mother was with me the entire week. It was nice that she was able to come see me play. She does well to hide her nerves, even though it must not be easy. A special thanks to Mom, who has been always so supportive, and to my coach David, thanks for all your advice.

This week, I am in Acapulco, but I am a little worn out. I played a lot last week, and had some rough matches. Plus I had to play on clay in Mexico, which is a sudden switch. Acapulco is great though, and even though I already lost, I can still look forward to doubles with John (and beating him in poker at night). It is nice for us to get some matches on clay before heading out for Davis Cup next week. I can’t wait to get Serbia for our tie against them!

Well, I guess this is it for today; I’ll be back very soon. Till then, thanks for all your support; I truly appreciate it.

Sam

Hey all,

Thought I would just give a quick update on how I’m doing. There hasn’t been a whole lot going on. I got Lasik Eye Surgery and that went well so I can see great now without the inconvenience of contacts. My rehab has been going better than I had hoped, I’ve actually gotten back on the court for the first time this week and am swinging 100% from my backhand side and close to it with my forehand. I’m really anxious to get back out and compete. Thanks for everyone who has sent me kind wishes and stood by me during this process, it really means a lot.

Sam

Hey everyone,

I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to get an update on here about everything that’s happened. I know that a lot of you have heard bits and pieces and have been left mostly in the dark. I’ll start from the beginning. I had a great flight to Bangkok on American Airlines and got in on Saturday. The hotel was unbelievable and I had some fun taking in the huge contrasts in culture from the United States. The tournament was indoor hard court and I was having some of my best practices of the year. The Monday before my first match I had just finished an hour long hit and felt like I was ready to continue my success from the summer. I was in the locker room and sat down to put on my shoes, as I went to get up, I fell through what I didn’t realize was a glass table. I didn’t feel any pain, but when I looked down at my arm I knew it was serious. I immediately rushed to the first person I could think of who might help, the physio trainer. I was bleeding at a furious rate so we wrapped up my arm as quickly as possible and called an ambulance. It was a long ride to the best hospital in Bangkok at rush hour, but after about 40 anxious minutes we arrived. I was a little panicked at this point, as can be imagined. I was trying not to look at my arm, but I knew I had about a 7cm slash that could be very serious. Lying on the bed at that hospital is when thoughts started to run through my mind about whether I would be able to play in the tournament, in a month or ever again. I was worried I may never be able to have full control of my right arm again. David, Dan, and David’s friend Oliver did a great job of talking with the doctors and making sure I was getting 100% the best care possible. They also did a great job of staying calm and keeping me from totally freaking out.

The doctor came down from his spinal surgery, so I knew he was the top of the line if he was working on someone’s spinal cord. He looked over my arm and told me I had about a 30% tear through two of my fore arm muscles and that he would have to put about three layers of stitches into my muscles and skin. The initial prognosis was that I would be done playing tennis for at least the rest of the year, but that the injury would not be career threatening. I was relieved, but still a little fearful that something wouldn’t go right. I was in surgery for about an hour and the doctor told me everything went well, and I believed that I was in good hands. I was put on lot’s of pain killers and started to realize how limited my next few months would be for such a silly mistake I had made.

I made the trip home the next day and got off the plane and taken straight to the best muscle and forearm specialists in Los Angeles. These guys are some of the best in the world and they reassured me that I would have my brace and stitches in for about 10 days, start rehabbing around then, start hitting a tennis ball in a month and be back in full force hopefully in time for the Australian Open. Everyone has been taking great care of me, my cousin Andrea’s 4th grade class even sent me a box full of get well cards that they had hand made themselves. That was really touching and I started to realize I was going to get through all of this and be alright. I even got to go to an “S” party where every costume had to start with an “S” and my brace allowed me to go as a shark bite victim. I’ll be home for a while, watching football and playoff baseball, but I’m chomping at the bit to get out and start doing things again. Thanks to everyone for all the support and I’m sorry I’ve put everyone through this, but I will be back in action again in 2010!

From Santa Monica,

Sam

Hey All,

Just thought I’d give a little update on what I’ve been doing since The Open ended. I flew back to my place in Santa Monica and got in a few solid days of relaxation. I got some things done around the house, including switching from cable to DirecTV. I got a slingbox as well so I am looking forward to being able to watch football and following my fantasy team on Sundays overseas with Dan. Melanie Oudine was also in town the past couple of days. She’s so big right now, she went on the Ellen Show and then I got to go with her to The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brian.

Charity event at North Ranch Country Club

I’ve also been working out in Carson with my trainer Rodney Marshall and practicing everyday. One day I played a charity event at North Ranch Country Club. It’s been my home court since I was a kid, so it is always fun to go back there and help out. I am ready to head to Asia and hopefully make up some points in Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai. The good news about not doing so well at this time last year is that if I do well it can help me jump up the rankings, and that’s exactly what I plan to do! Thanks, and until next time…

Sam

Hey guys, it’s Sunday here in New York and there has been some fantastic tennis played in the first week of the US Open. I won my second round match with Kevin Kim, in what turned out to be an absolute battle. We were tied at one set each before I managed to pull away for the three set victory. Doubles in the second round turned out to be one of the more exciting doubles matches I’ve been able to take part in. John Isner and I won the first set before heading to a second set tiebreaker in which there were numerous mini breaks and set/match points. In the end, Ivan Ljubicic and Michael Llodra took home both the second set breaker and the match.

The loss in doubles meant that the only event I had left to focus on was singles, where I played Robin Soderling, the 12 seed. Robin came out crushing the ball while I struggled to get my feet underneath myself, and I lost the first set 6-2. Robin then broke me early in the next set, but I broke back to get in back on serve. Near the end of the set I faltered once more and found myself in an 0-2 hole. The third set was back and forth and it went to a tiebreaker. With my tournament life on the line I dug deep and took the third set 8-6 in the breaker. The crowd then came alive with a little help from the Samurai and I was ready to start my comeback. Unfortunately, Robin had other ideas and was just too strong and my US Open and great summer concluded 1-6 in the fourth set.

I had so much fun at the Open, on and off the court. I was able to interact a lot with the fans thanks to American Express and Olympus, and the fans are the reason I’m able to play the game I love, so I always love to interact with them. It was an unreal summer and I want to thank all my friends, fans, and sponsors for supporting me along the way. I now get a couple of weeks off before heading overseas to Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai this fall. Wish me luck!

Sam

Getting ready to return as Dan takes in the match

Well, I’ve played a round in both doubles and singles and my name is still on the big board in each. The longer I can say that the better. Fellow American Michael Yani put up a great fight, making me set out each one of my set victories in our match. A lot of Americans are having success here at The Open which is nice to see, and my next opponent is Kevin Kim; the American pulled out the upset over the dangerous Dudi Sela in his first round bout. In doubles, John Isner and I won our match in straight sets and are moving on. It’s exciting to get to play doubles with the same person in an extended number of tournaments, we are really getting a feel for how the other one wants to play out there and starting to gel. Dan has been taking some great pictures with his Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 and is posting them to his snapfish account. He is posting the links to each day’s photos on his twitter account: http://twitter.com/dantheintern . Wish me luck, I’m not ready to leave New York.

Sam

Hey guys, hectic first day here at the open, and I didn’t even play! I have a lot of friends and family in town and they are all getting settled in. This morning I woke up bright and early to ring the opening  bell for NASDAQ with Melanie Oudine. That was an exciting event that not everyone gets the chance to do. Hopefully the market does well this week and I get asked back!

At the courts I practiced with Robby Ginepri, before a little trip to the American Express tent to check out this cool project I have been working on with them. If you are at the open or checking out their website online you should take a look. It’s a lot of fun and involves myself and some other young faces of tennis.

Then I spent some time with Olympus, who has provided Dan the Intern with a camera to take pictures all this week, so check out my website soon! All of the pictures on this blog will be from the Olympus Stylus Tough Dan will be using this week. I then was presented with my award for winning the Olympus US Open Series. It’s an accomplishment I’ll treasure and never forget. Hopefully I make a run here at the Open starting tomorrow so that accomplishment can be worth even more!

Sam

Hey guys, I have a second in between my semifinal and final here in New

Me and Elena Dementieva were the winners of th 2009 Olympus US Open Series

Haven so I thought I’d send out a blog entry. New Haven has been a blast, and knowing that I had a chance to capture the Olympus US Open Series heightened my anticipation for the tournament. I had bye first round before facing Marc Gicquel and Bjorn Phau in the second and third rounds. Both gave me tough battles and proved to be worthy opponents, making me sweat out several crucial battles in each match. When I finally won match point against Bjorn I knew I had accomplished something I never thought I could this soon; I had won the Olympus US Open Series!

Knowing I had already clinched my goal at the tournament had eased the pressure one would normally feel against the top seed at a tournament, in this case, world number 8 Nikolay Davydenko. In what turned out to be one of the more back and forth matches of my summer, I notched my third top 10 win of 2009 with a 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory.

The rains came and cancelled play on Friday, so I got to go see Taylor Swift in concert with Dan, it was an incredible performance. This morning the tournament shifted us indoors where I defeated Argentine Jose Acasuso in a clean battle. Now I await the winner of Igor Andreev and Fernando Verdasco, before heading to Flushing for the much anticipated US Open!

Sam

After a nice few days at home in Southern California to rest and regroup, I set out for Cincinnati for the second Masters Series event of the US Open Series. My week started out with the second part of a really fun project I’ve been doing with American Express that will be prominent at the Open. I shot the first part in Washington DC that including some footage of me that will be used in the Challenge a Pro tent, where you will be able to take a racquet and look at a screen and actually play a point against me! It is a innovative idea and I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out. In Cincinnati, I got to do a personal one on one interview with another young rising star, Gael Monfils of France. Gael is hilarious, and put the pressure on me by churning out great answer after great answer even though English is a second language for him. I think I did well in my own right, and it should be a fun session to watch. It even ended with the gauntlet being thrown on the ping pong table, you’ll have to see the clip to find out if my offense was enough to over power Gael’s defensive game on the table. It’s an exciting ad campaign, and American Express was a pleasure to work with the entire time.

As for the tennis, I came into the week second in the US Open Series, knowing that the leader, Juan Martin Del Potro, was done for the summer before the Open. Sensing I had an opportunity to seize, I started off with a tough night match against Yen-Hsun Lu. Despite going down a break in the first, I rebounded to complete a 6-3 6-4 against Lu’s clean game.

This set-up a second match-up of the summer against the top American on tour, Andy Roddick. I had played him tough in Washington, and was confident that I had learned enough from that match to have a great shot to pull out the upset. In a tight first set that had enough momentum swings to make the fans dizzy, I pulled out the set in a tiebreaker 13-11. I stayed the course in the second set and won that one, again in a tiebreak, this time 7-4. I had beaten one of the players I had looked up to my entire career. It was a huge moment for me in my career, and Andy could not have been nicer or more humble even though I know how hard it is to play a long tough match after going deep in the previous couple of tournaments. I wish him the best of luck in the Open, I would love an All-American final on our home turf.

Following one of the biggest wins of my life, I had to come out again and face former number one Lleyton Hewitt. Lleyton’s game is a large contrast to Andy’s, and the winds were gusting, making the day’s conditions completely different than the night before. I was sort of ambushed in the first set, getting broken 4 times on the way to a 6-1 spanking. I battled back and won the second set before falling in the third on a late break by Lleyton. It was a tough match and I took solace in knowing that I had been beaten by one of the game’s greats on one of his best days.

Despite the loss, it was a tremendously successful week for me. I wrapped up a terrific ad campaign with American Express, recorded a victory over the highest ranked opponent of my career, and I closed in a little closer to a possible US Open Series championship. I move on to New Haven, where I can finish no worse than third in the Series and a tournament victory gives me the title (a share of the title if Andy Murray wins Cincinnati). I’m looking forward to the home stretch of summer and will keep you informed along the way. Thanks for reading guys!

Until next time,

Sam