Firstnet brings live U.S. Open 2009 on ART Prime Sport

Rafael Nadal will enter this year's U.S. Open with a different sense of urgency, as he is ranked world no. 3.

His return to the game since an untimely knee injury has been highlighted by reluctant movement and cautious shot selection.

Roger Federer might be in the best form of his career after winning the Wimbledon Title. The world's top two players are both gunning for records. For Federer, who won his record breaking 15th grand slam at Wimbledon and already has five US Open titles in his kitty, it will be a chance to equal Bill Tilden's record of six US open titles.

The complete on court domination of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal over the last four years ended on the Centre Court of the Uniprix Stadium in Montreal during the Rogers Cup. Andy Murray reached the final and dethroned Nadal of the No 2 ranking, taking the position on the ATP rankings. Andy Roddick, who is currently ranked at No. 5, could ride the wave of crowd support in his home ground-New York.

This exciting tennis action will be brought live on ART Prime Sport to subscribers of Firstnet Premium, Pehla Gold and Pehla Silver, according to an announcement by Arab Digital Distribution (ADD), the largest pay television platform management company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

"It is our pleasure to bring the live action of what many consider the toughest of the four grand slams to our sports loving viewers in the UAE, Gulf, Middle East and North Africa region. We at ADD strive to bring the best in sporting action to our viewers, be it tennis, cricket, football, golf or other games. The Middle East is a sports loving region and thus we have a vast audience, regardless of the sport we broadcast across the Middle East,"

pointed out Mr. Alwyn Rodrigues, Senior Regional Manager, Marketing & Business Development, ADD.

The US Open 2009 will be staged at the US Tennis Association Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, a venue with 33 courts, with the finals being played at the Arthur Ashe stadium.

Both the men's and women's singles draws attract a field of 128 players, with players also contesting titles for doubles, mixed doubles, seniors and juniors. This year's draw features the top 100 male players in the world and the women's draw the top 99. The draw will be announced on August 27.

The 2009 US Open tennis tournament is one of the richest tournaments in tennis, offering a total prize fund in excess of $20m. Both the men's and women's singles champions will earn $1.6m and could earn an additional $1m in bonus prize money (for a total $2.6m potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series, the six-week summer tennis season linking all major ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments in North America to the US Open. Federer had pocketed the bonus last year.

The Opening Night Ceremony for the 2009 US Open will celebrate athletes who give back, featuring two time US Open singles champion Andre Agassi and other notable athletes.