Unsuspecting commuters on their way through Grand
Central Terminal to catch an early train might have suddenly found themselves on a tennis court serving against champion Todd Martin while a crowd decidedly in his favor cheered all around.
No, this wasn't some amateur's anxiety dream. It was Tennis magazine's third annual Grand Slam event—an all-day affair held the Friday before the U.S. Open kicked off in Flushing Meadows the last week of August.
Beginning at 7 AM, when tennis legend and Tennis publisher Chris Evert made the first shot of the day, and concluding that evening with "Doubles Happy Hour," led by prankster player Luke Jensen, the Grand Slam is one of Tennis magazine's biggest events for its advertisers. Besides the inside court, which was created in Vanderbilt Hall and covered in netting to prevent stray forehand smashes from flying around the hall, sponsors like Evian and 7-Up set up booths to catch the eyes of passersby.
The centerpiece of the event was the court and accompanying bleachers erected by Synergy Sports, the Ocean, New Jersey-based event marketing firm that helped Tennis build a slightly less interactive mock-up of Wimbledon inside Vanderbilt Hall back in June. "They did the on-site management, set up each one of the sponsors, and interfaced quite a bit with Grand Central Terminal," said Jim Henslee, Tennis magazine's director of event marketing.
Octagon, the sports and event marketing division of the Interpublic Group, booked several of the tennis stars on its roster of clients for the event, including Martin and Robby Ginepri. Tennis also lured several former Grand Slam champions, including U.S. Open winners Tracy Austin, Ken Rosewall, and Fred Stolle.
And the crowd interacted quite a bit with stars like Martin, who was challenged by one determined opponent after another, each of whom received some coaching by Jensen on the microphone. After one player won a point, Jensen exclaimed, "You just won a point off Todd Martin, and that's how you celebrate?" The player dropped to her knees in mock exultation.
—Greg Lindsay
