Fish’s newfound fame occasioned a mini-profile over the weekend in the Times. Fish, who before this year had never made it beyond a Grand Slam quarterfinals and never been esteemed the best U.S. playern (an honor that has usually gone to his longtime friend Andy Roddick), used to be quite overweight by tennis standards—blame pizza, apparently—but grew a hardier work ethic, lost the pounds, and later this month will be in the spotlight as never before when he arrives in Queens for his country’s Open. We’ll be tuned in.

Novak Djokovic Wins Rogers Cup [AP/Google]
Fish Carries Flag for U.S. and Faces Djokovic [NYT]
Earlier: Mardy Fish Goes Down at Wimbledon

Earlier this year, Pe’er found herself turned into a cause célèbre when she was denied a visa to play at a Barclays-sponsored tournament in Dubai just a couple of weeks after a cease-fire was declared in Gaza, allegedly over concerns for Pe’er’s own security. Venus Williams, who won the women’s side, publicly—though gently—criticized the tournament organizers for allowing Pe’er to be excluded, earning herself plaudits from the Anti-Defamation League, and American star Andy Roddick declined to defend his 2008 men’s title. “The Dubai issue was an important point in my life and career,” wrote Pe’er, who arrived in New York last week after being knocked out of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. “This incident has hurt me both personally and professionally—I was in a good run before Dubai and I was really looking forward to that tournament.” She said she wants to make sure that no other athlete from any other country ever has to face similar exclusion, but her more immediate concern is working her way back up from her current 63rd rank. “In past years—not last year—I did very well here, so good memories are something I love coming back to,” Pe’er said.

Meantime, she’s working overtime, appearing in an American Express-sponsored “rally experience” video game that fans can play on their cellphones. And she’s counting on the New York fans. “I always get a lot of support here from the crowd,” she said, “which I really love.”

Shahar Peer [U.S. Open Official Web Site]