Ahh, tennis camp. And tennis players like to eat nice food and drink some good wine. Who doesn’t? What if I told you that there existed such a place, that not only combines tennis with food and wine, but is some of the most fun tennis you’ve ever played but also some of the single most amazing wine dinners you’ve ever had? And it happens day-after-day, night-after-night.

To be a tennis player in Seattle is a bit like being a downhill skier in New Orleans. With rain 9 months of the year most tennis is played indoors. And that means limited availability, lots of driving between clubs, and planning. USTA league players will wake up at 7 am a week ahead to book court times for their teams.

What follows is a true story, but looking back, doesn’t seem real. But it happened – my girlfriend and I hung out in a club with Gael Monfils.

Last November, I signed up for the Intro Series at Shakti Vinyasa in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood…mainly because it was nearby. I thought I would try it and see how it goes. Before starting yoga I imagined a room full of people sitting for hours with their hands together going “Ooooooooommmmmmm” while listening to music featuring sitars. Thankfully this is not the case. Well, part of the case but my initial concerns proved wildly inaccurate.

Photos of my trip to the 2009 BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.