Nobody is more enthusiastic about tennis than Steve Bellamy. Now, the Palisades Tennis Center founder admits he’s never been more excited than he is about this Sunday’s “Shotgun 21” tournament–one of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived in the history of the sport. The tournament will bring in the neighborhood of 50 pros and celebrities to the public courts at the Palisades Recreation Center for a drop-hit competition sure to produce exciting rallies and tactical play rarely seen in today’s power game. “I can honestly look people in the eye and say the tennis played here will be as good or better than what you see at a Grand Slam Final,” Bellamy said. “Forty percent of the points in tennis are lost on the serve or the return. This means that nearly half of the points are over before they start. In the shotgun format, every point gets played out. There will be no short, easy points. It’s going to be incredibly exciting to watch.” Many of the best male and female players and biggest names in the game have indicated that they are going to play, including Wimbledon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson, WTA Tour pro Angela Haynes, two-time Grand Slam Champion Justin Gimelstob and Vince Spadea, one of only a few players with wins over GRand Slam champions Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick. For the first time, men and women will play each other head-to-head in the same draw. Only underhanded serving is allowed and scoring is up to 21 points, hence the name “Shotgun 21.” The format is so unique that stories have been written about it in the USA Today, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and hundreds of other media outlets worldwide. It was even featured on the front page of the Shanghai sports page in China. Sam Querrey, the No. 3-ranked American in the world, and ATP Tour star Tommy Haas, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, are entered in the 32-player main draw along with Ashley Harkleroad, the fifth-ranked American woman. Grand Slam champions Roddick, Marat Safin and Carlos Moya have also been invited. “I gave Sam his first wildcard to get into a pro tournament, so maybe he is returning the favor,” Bellamy joked about Querrey, who won The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas in March. Other notable players expected to participate include former Palisades High star Scott Davis, who won 24 ATP Titles and was ranked No. 2 in the world in doubles and No. 11 in singles; Derrick Rostagno, who reached No. 13 in the world in singles and had wins over John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Jim Courier and Sampras; ATP pros Eric Taino, Cecil Mammit, Phillip King, Travis Parrott, Zach Fleishman, Sam Warburg and Steven Huss. Celebrities participating include Gavin Rossdale (Gwen Stefani’s husband and lead singer of the band “Bush”) and Hass’ girlfriend, actress Sara Foster. The best part, Bellamy said, is that anyone who wants to do more than just watch can play in the qualifying round that starts at noon on Sunday. At least four players will advance through qualifying for a spot in the main draw and a chance to trade groundstrokes with the pros. Those interested in participating should call the PTC at (310) 573-1331 and talk to Andy McDonnell. The deadline is Friday at 6 p.m. Over the years, the PTC has hosted numerous free community tennis events, like the Jimmy Connors-John Lloyd charity exhibition in 1997 and a Prince-sponsored exhibition two years later that featured Patrick Rafter and Jan-Michael Gambill. Last year, the PTC put on the “mother” of all exhibitions with brothers Mike and Bob Bryan, Spadea, Rossdale, comedian Jon Lovitz, actresses Elizabeth Shue and Melissa Rivers and numerous other pro tennis players and celebrities. This inaugural “Shotgun 21” will be the PTC’s most unique event yet and eyes around the world are waiting for the results. The winner will get $10,000 and a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. “I have played against guys my entire life and in drop-hit games I think I can beat a lot of them,” Stevenson said. The entire tournament will take place on the four upper courts and each match will last 15 to 20 minutes. The main draw will start at 3 p.m. and conclude by 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.palitenniscenter.com.
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