Tennis in the park
Here at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City, it’s the opening day of the US Open Tennis Championships. When it began back in 1881 as the US National Championship, it was one of the first tennis tournaments in the world and was limited to amateur players only. It’s been through many iterations since, but this year marks the 50th anniversary of the modern competition, now called an ‘open’ because both amateurs and pros can compete. The US Open completes the fourth and final tournament of the international tennis Grand Slam, the world’s most prestigious pro tournaments.
You may pass by the Unisphere, seen here, on your way into the tennis center. The 140-foot-tall, stainless steel globe was built for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The fountains are meant to obscure the base of the structure and give it the appearance of floating…perhaps like a tennis ball, moments away from a well-delivered backhand.
Daily Pic 08/27/17
Common mare's tail growing on the Tibetan Plateau, China
