IndyStar.com: Indy: A global event with global stars

When this year’s Indianapolis Tennis Championships gets under way, there will be two American players in the top 10 leading the way.

Coincidentally, these two top-10ers happen to be the two finalists from last year’s tournament — defending champion James Blake and two-time past champion Andy Roddick.

Blake had the final word on the stadium court last year, taking a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) thriller to win the Indy title for the first time. But Roddick knows what it takes to win here, having claimed back-to-back honors in 2003 and 2004.

Glory days
While some say American tennis isnot as strong as it was in the days of the Fab Four — Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang — Blake believes that having two of the best in the business is quite satisfactory.

“It seems like there really aren’t very many countries that can say they have two top 10 players, top 20 players even, because the sport has become so global,” the defending champion said.

The big question is whether Blake and Roddick can rip through the 2007 draw as they did in 2006.

This year’s Indianapolis Tennis Championships will have a distinct American flavor as nine Yanks made the original main draw cut for the tournament: Blake, Roddick, 2005 champion Robby Ginepri, Mardy Fish, Vince Spadea, Justin Gimelstob, Sam Querrey, Amer Delic and Michael Russell.

Click here to read the full article at IndyStar.com.