[SapELee]

They lost to Williams/Sandgren in the tiebreaker again. I don't think that DK will beat Blake, but I hope that he can put up a good showing. The conditions will probably be rough like last night, so hopefully he can adjust b/c I want to see a good match.

[SapELee]

Match postponed til Friday 11am, doctor's appointment

[SapELee]

I rushed back as fast as I could , but the match is going on at the same time as the Sock-Williams' match, sigh.

[SapELee]

Lost 2&3, didn't see much; was switching between matches. Hopefully, better draw next time.

[SapELee]

I didn't even know DK has a fansite, a nice one too: www.dk-tennis.com/ Great job DKNation

[SapELee]

Charlottesville Challenger

http://tenniseastcoast.com/

[SapELee]

Any idea on the withdrawal from Knox?

[bearitone315]

Originally Posted by SapELee

Any idea on the withdrawal from Knox?

Don't know what's up with withdrawing from Knoxville. Injury perhaps? Whatever the reason, his entry to Champaign is questionable now too.

[SapELee]

Hopefully he doesn't withdraw, the AO Qualifying cut is on the line.

[SapELee]

Out of Champaign

[SapELee]

I've heard many people praised his work ethnic numerous times. I hope he can have a good career, keep working hard DK

Our Athletic DNA family is so pleased to announce the addition of professional tennis player Daniel Kosakowski as a Pro Ambassador of the ADNA brand.

Daniel was born in Huntington Park, California, playing tennis for the University of California, and was named Pacific-10 Conference 2011 Freshman player of the year.

Our team had the chance to talk with Daniel about his tennis career, what drew him to the ADNA line, and how he best represents true Athletic DNA. Take a look, and remember to follow and support all of our pros on Facebook & Twitter!


How did you first start playing tennis?

DANIEL: I began playing tennis at a very young age, two-years-old. I followed in the footsteps of my older siblings who played very competitively and were my idols growing up. However, I played other sports my whole life including basketball and football. By 15 I realized that I had to choose one sport to focus on if I wanted to be a college or professional athlete. I decided on tennis, and never looked back

Talk about your first major win. How did it feel? Was there a crowd?

DANIEL: My first major win was defeating Tim Smyczek in the first round main draw of the LA Open in 2011. It was my first appearance in the main draw of an ATP event, having achieved this by winning three matches in the qualifying. I won the match 6-3 in the third set to secure the victory. It was an amazing feeling, which is hard to put into words. I felt really happy, as well as proud. It was in front of a pretty large crowd, which included my family and many friends. This win gave me assurance that I had made the right decision to turn pro. I felt like I really belonged out there and knew that I could compete at a very elite level on the ATP Tour.

What part of your personality do you think ADNA best represents?

DANIEL: I think the name Athletic DNA is a perfect representation of myself. My everyday attitude to get the most out of every practice and give it my all in every match will represent the ADNA attributes very well. I am a very competitive person by nature and love playing all kinds of sports. Being dedicated to be the best athlete I can be is in my “DNA.”

When did you decide this was the career path you wanted to follow?

DANIEL: I decided during my freshman year at UCLA that I wanted to become a professional tennis player, and committed myself to working as hard as it took to achieve my dreams. After completing the year, and decided to compete full time on the tour.

Did you have any handicaps or hardships to overcome in order to succeed?

DANIEL: The biggest hardship I had to overcome was not having that much talent. Although I have had some success so far, I have never really been that talented. However, I have been blessed with an incredible work ethic. I have a drive to be the best that I can be in all that I do. This helps me to continue to improve every day and go beyond my limits. A prime example of this is when I made the initial decision to focus on tennis at the age of 15. I was ranked around 50 in Southern California and 500 in the nation in the 16 and unders. By the end of the following year I was ranked 2nd in Southern California and 8th in the nation. Since then, my game has steadily improved.

How do you mentally prepare for each match?

DANIEL: I don’t really have a specific ritual I go through before a match. I just try to stay relaxed, go through my game plan and just focus on what I can do to bring out the best in me on any given day.

How did you hear about ADNA?

DANIEL: I have seen many players wearing the [Athletic DNA] brand, ranging from juniors to pros. The fact that ADNA is a fairly new brand that represents the character values that all athletes strive for really drew me to want to be a pro for them.

How important is practicing tennis verses just playing matches?

DANIEL: Both are essential. The right blend of practice and match play needs to be found, and it differs with every person. It’s important to practice new things and improve certain parts of your game during practice sessions, but the ultimate goal is to execute [what I learned] in matches.

What are your thoughts on wearing the clothing while you play?

DANIEL: I am really looking forward to wearing ADNA clothing while I play. Not only do I like the appearance of the clothes, but I respect and admire the values that the brand represents. The ADNA attributes state the values that all great athletes try to live up to. I am very excited to be sponsored by ADNA and hope that I can represent the brand well!

http://athleticdnablog.com/family-adna-pro-daniel-kosakowski/

[SapELee]

Tomorrow's order of play for the AO Wildcard Playoffs. Edit: meant to say Friday's order of play.


Livestream: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianWildCardPlayoffs/app_142371818162


2012 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs Men’s and Women’s Draws, Friday Order of Play

ORDER OF PLAY: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2012

2012 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs

Lifetime Tennis, Norcross, GA

COURT 7 (Center Court)

10:00 a.m. Madison Keys (3) vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands

N.B. 2:00 p.m. Tim Smyczek (1) vs. Christian Harrison

COURT 5

11:00 a.m. Irina Falconi vs. Mallory Burdette (4)

N.B. 1:00 p.m. Denis Kudla (2) vs. Chase Buchanan

COURT 3

11:00 a.m. Alexa Glatch (2) vs. Alison Riske

N.B. 2:00 p.m. Bradley Klahn vs. Tennys Sandgren (4)

COURT 2

10:00 a.m. Julia Cohen (1) vs. Grace Min

N.B. 1:00 p.m. Daniel Kosakowski vs. Rhyne Willams (3)

http://tenniseastcoast.com/2012/12/1...order-of-play/


Picture from twitter (training with Sock and Kudla)

[SapELee]

Some pics from the other thread (When they were kids USA Edition)

[SapELee]

Tough loss today to fellow 1992er, Kudla, 7-5 in the 3rd.

[SapELee]

Daniel finally joined the twitter world : https://twitter.com/DanKosakowski