Next Battleground: U.S. Open Tennis (Yipee!)

“I think its lame the US Open is trying to regulate our tweeting.. i understand the on-court issue but not sure they can tell us if we can…

"cant [tweet] on our own time.... we'll see”

Just another day in Jock-Twitter-Land — that portion of TheJockosphere where athletes engage in a daily battle for the forces of free expression, individualism and the ability to market themselves directly to their fans, versus the institutions that control the games they play (and what desperately want to keep control of their über-brands).

Now, on the eve of the U.S. Open, the men in the blue blazers and long white pants not only have forbidden tweeting on court, during matches, but also instructed players, coaches, agents, and family members to keep their off-court Twittering to a minimum.  (Whatever that means.)

According to the AP:

Signs are being posted in the players' lounge, locker rooms and referee's office at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with the header: "Important. Player Notice. Twitter Warning."

The signs, written by the Tennis Integrity Unit, point out that Twitter messages could violate the sport's anti-corruption rules.

"Many of you will have Twitter accounts in order for your fans to follow you and to become more engaged in you and the sport — and this is great," the notices read. "However popular it is, it is important to warn you of some of the dangers posted by Twittering as it relates to the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program Rules."

Now, remember, this is a sport that’s been rife with match fixing rumors the last couple of years. Still, as Roddick tweets:

“i definitely respect the rule about inside info and on court, but u would seriously have to be a moron to send "inside info" through a tweet”

This could be a train wreck.

It will be fun to watch this play out over the next two weeks.  Or, to quote Mr. Roddick, once more:

"... we'll see”

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