Fresh off a second retirement from the sport, The Bahamas' greatest tennis player ever said that he is enjoying his time away from the action at this year's U.S. Open which is currently ongoing in Flushing Meadows, New York..
In fact, Knowles is currently in Flushing Meadows, working as a correspondent and TV reporter for the Tennis Channel - the American speciality outlet devoted to providing programming about the game of tennis.
Knowles, who walked away from the game, again, after this year's Wimbledon Tennis Championships, said that the only time he misses the game is when he is at the actual tennis event, but in actuality, nothing trumps spending time with his family, which is the reason for the retirement in the first place.
"With the Tennis Channel, I really enjoy it because it allows me to be close to the sport know very well. It's a nice challenge," said Knowles yesterday. "It's a different routine than when I was playing. The dress has definitely changed, but I'm enjoying it. I know that I can still play, but the other factors that go into playing, being away from my family, it came to a point where I just was not willing to sacrifice it anymore."
Knowles, who will celebrate his 42nd birthday tomorrow, is a former world number one tennis player in doubles, and has won each of the four grand slam events - three in men's doubles and one in mixed. In addition, he is The Bahamas' longest serving Davis Cup player ever, a span that covered 13 seasons. Knowles won 55 career doubles titles, is a five-time Olympian, reaching as far as the quarters in Sydney in 2000, and has amassed more than $7 million during his 21-year professional career. This week's U.S. Open actually represents his first time being at a grand slam tennis event, and not playing.
"Television is something that I enjoy doing. It enables me to stay involved," said Knowles. "There's nothing like being in the actual action, but there's a lot of hype surrounding television, and it requires a lot of insight. It's nice to get started. I did some work with them earlier this year, and now that it's becoming more frequent, it's a nice change."
Knowles currently resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife and three children, but he frequents The Bahamas often, most recently, this past summer for three weeks. He'll be back again in November for the staging of the 13th Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational. The event is usually held in December, but this year, it will be held November 22-25, at the Atlantis Resort, and is expected to feature tennis greats such as Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, James Blake, Bob and Mike Bryan, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick just to name a few.
"This is the 13th year that we're doing it, and it should be very exciting. I'm looking forward to coming home," said the Bahamian legendary sportsman yesterday.
As for this year's U.S. Open, Knowles said that he favors Rafael Nadal over Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final, and really likes Serena Williams on the women's side. The event, the year's final grand slam, will wrap up on Sunday in New York.
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