Prose and Kohn: Sarasota Open is a blast

It is the sound that surprised me the most. 

When a professional tennis player smashes a backhand shot down the line past an opponent, it sounds different than other backhands. It comes off the racket with an authoritative thump, sometimes accompanied by an uncontrollable yell of exertion from the player doing the smashing. 

Before Tuesday, the closest I had come to watching professional tennis was taking in the Lakewood Ranch Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic. No offense to the great college players who partake in that tournament, but the 2022 Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open, which I had the pleasure of attending on Tuesday, is a different beast. These are guys in the best shape of their lives putting on an absolute show. I was drenched in sweat just from watching them. They remained cool as a cucumber. 

At the Sarasota Open, seemingly every player is worth watching because every player has a story. Take Sumit Nagal for instance. Nagal — who is not tennis legend Rafael Nadal, despite what some fans in attendance thought at their first glance at his name — lost his round of 32 match to Jason Kubler in three sets (4-6, 6-2, 6-3) but made an impression all the same. See, this match was Nagal's first match since having hip surgery in November. He was still shaking off the rust; between games, Nagal looked a bit stiff walking from the sideline to the court and back. When the match was on, though, you would never know he was recovering from surgery. He hit a plethora of sensational shots, sliding on Payne Park Tennis Center's clay surface to get to balls at the last second.

Nagal, who is from India, trailed Kubler, from Australia, 6-1 in the final set. It became clear he was going to lose the match. He still didn't give up, winning two straight games and forcing Kubler to keep playing his best. That kind of grit is something I respect. Kubler, too; he and Nagal shared a nice moment after the match, with Kubler giving Nagal a playful pat on the back and stomach. Nagal is 24; I'll be watching to see where his career goes from here. 

Not all of the injury-related news at the Sarasota Open was positive. Ryan Harrison, one of the top American players in the field and an IMG Academy graduate, had to retire from his match against Adrian Andreev of Bulgaria with a back injury in the third set. After winning the first set 6-3, Harrison started feeling something in the second set. He took a medical timeout and had a trainer work on his back, then finished the set, but eventually it became too much. While the outcome was disappointing for Harrison, it also was enlightening for me. Standing near the VIP section of the crowd, I was able to hear Harrison talking to himself whenever he walked to the sideline to grab his towel or sit between games. Some of it was positive, some of it was negative. Hearing a professional player critique his own play during a match was an insightful experience and a reminder that these pros are human just like us. 

Harrison's brother, Christian Harrison, is also out of the field, as he lost to Jack Sock, another of the top American players, in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). Tennys Sandgren is out, too. The American — perhaps best known for being vocal about his politics, as well as his apropos name — lost to Switzerland's Alexander Ritschard in straight sets (7-5, 6-3). 

I should note that Christian Harrison and Sandgren are out of the singles bracket, but remain alive as of Wednesday morning with their respective partners in the doubles bracket. 

There is a ton more great tennis to be played. The finals aren't until Sunday. You have plenty of time to catch at least a day of matches, and you should. Here are some tips for maximizing your experience when you arrive:

• Be quiet near the courts. Much like golf, tennis players don't like it when fans talk during play. It's not quite as strict, as there's multiple matches happening at once and there's bound to be at least a little noise in there somewhere, but still: try to be respectful. Otherwise you might get reprimanded. Someone unseen to me laid into a referee for stomping too loudly while walking past a court. There was even one fan whisper-yelling at people to stop all motion as the players got ready to play. That part seemed a little excessive to me — the players didn't seem to mind or even notice the movement — but keep it in mind. 
• Check out all the different hairstyles on the players. A great thing about having so many international players in the tournament is that they all bring their own styles. I saw quite a few players rocking impressive 'dos, most notably Australian Max Purcell, who had a glorious mullet that flowed in the wind. Unfortunately, Purcell lost his match and is not in the doubles tournament. Alas. 
• Walk around to different matches. You can sit on the stands and watch the center court match, sure. Nothing wrong with that. But walking to the matches on the side courts and watching them for a game or two is also quite rewarding. It will give you a better sense of everyone's different play styles and personalities. Plus, you might as well get the most bang for your buck. 
• Get a drink from the Great Lakes Lemonade stand. This isn't an ad, I promise. I just happened to order a watermelon lemonade from the stand and it was absolutely delicious on a hot day. Treat yourself while you're there and do the same. (I didn't get it, but the blackberry and peach lemonade also looked wonderful.)

Tickets for the Sarasota Open can be purchased at the event's website.