Celebrities pick their US Open favorites

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Originally uploaded by princess robyn.

I hesitate to call some of these people celebrities, but I'll be generous. As indicated in nearly every tennis article and blog post for the past few weeks, Agassi is just the big crowd favorite.

Andre Agassi has plenty of fans among Hollywood celebs and New York City's power brokers but, according to many members of the jet set making their way to the renaming of the USTA Tennis Center last night, the U.S Open belongs to Roger Federer.

"He is one of the greatest tennis players ever," said New York City dealmaker and "Apprentice" star Donald Trump, who was with his wife, Melania Knauss. "I'm a good friend of Pete Sampras," he added, referring to the former No. 1 tennis player. "And even he said that."

Anna Wintour, the diminutive editor of Vogue magazine, agreed. Wintour, sporting her trademark bob and dark glasses, shouted out Federer's name as her favorite and then implied no others were worthy of consideration by giving a dismissive flick of her hand. The comments came as members of the exclusive group headed into the tennis center, which was renamed for Billie Jean King, who spearheaded the women's movement in the game. King would not name her favorite - "You shouldn't ask me that," she chided - and later remarked that she was "humble and grateful" about the tribute. Agassi fans, however, were almost as prominent as Federer admirers. Crooner Tony Bennett said Agassi was his favorite because "he started a school for children."

"He has contributed a lot to New York City," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg with gal pal - and state banking superintendent - Diana Taylor. "I hope to see him at future U.S. Opens, whether he's on or off the court."

Former Mayor David Dinkins said he was a fan of James Blake, and Serena and Venus Williams. "They learned on the streets of Compton," he said. "Blake learned the game in Harlem."

Editor at large of O, the Oprah magazine, Gayle King, who dazzled in a leopard-skin print shift agreed, saying Blake "was as smart as hell." Not too many attendees mentioned women players, underscoring King's comments on the red carpet about the state of women's tennis: "We've still got a long way to go." Newsday