Shotgun 21 Hits the Palisades on Sunday

Grab a racquet and get ready! The fourth annual Shotgun 21 World Championships take place this Sunday at the Palisades Tennis Center and once again spectators can expect a field loaded with top-notch talent.

Pre-qualifying begins at noon and costs $50. At least four qualifiers will earn wildcards into the 32-player main draw, which starts at 4 p.m. and is expected to finish by approximately 7 p.m. Matches will be played on the four upper courts at the public facility at the Palisades Recreation Center. 

The drop-hit, unisex tennis tournament made its debut back in 2008 and was the talk of the tennis world leading into that year's ATP event at UCLA, which began the following day.

Among those rumored to play this year are Undercovers star Boris Kodjoe, ATP Tour pros Robbie Ginepri and Ryan Sweeting and UCLA's Clay Thompson and Marcos Giron. Prize money will be between $10,000 and $15,000, with at least $5,000 to the winner. Admission is free and guests are encouraged to cheer on their favorite players.

Shotgun 21 is the brainchild of PTC owner and The Tennis Channel founder Steve Bellamy, who thought fans of the sport would embrace the concept of men and women playing against each other in singles. 

"So much of the game now is about the serve and it's led to shorter rallies and less shot-making," Bellamy said. "This evens the playing field and makes the game more entertaining to watch. It's amazing how great tennis is when you take the serve out of the equation."

Matches are played under normal tennis rules, only with several notable differences. Following are some of the unique twists to Shotgun 21:  

Serving: Overhand serves are not allowed. Neither are second serves or lets. Serving is drop-hit and fed from below the waste--similar to ping pong, squash, racquetball and paddle tennis.

Format: Players alternate serving five points each from the deuce court and the ad court, just like in ping pong. Balls are "in play" when they bounce anywhere on the opposite side of the court.

Scoring: Games are played to 21 points and at 20-all, the next point decides the winner. The player "up" in rotation feeds the last point.

"Every year the draw is incredible and we've never been approached by so many tour players trying to get in as we have this year," Bellamy added. "I have witnessed some of the best matches in the history of modern tennis from Wimbledon to the U.S. Open and the best points I've ever seen have been at the Shotgun 21."

Among the current and former ATP and WTA professionals who have given Shotgun 21 a try are Alex Bogomolov, Alex Bogdanovic, Vince Spadea, Sam Querrey, Jeff Tarango, Taylor Dent, John Isner, Eric Taino, Cecil Mamiit, Scott Davis, Derrick Rostagno, Donald Young, Ramon Delgado, Zack Fleishman, Andre Sa, Robert Kendrick, Kevin Ullyett, Phillip King, Alexandra Stevenson, Ashley Harkleroad, Jill Craybas, Sloane Stephens and Maureen Diaz. 

In addition to the pros, numerous celebrities have also participated, including actresses Donna Mills, Melissa Rivers and Elisabeth Shue, actors Kodjoe, Chad Lowe and Vince Van Patten, singers Gavin Rossdale and Josh Morrow and comedian Jon Lovitz. Many of the tennis center's top junior players have also been invited to play.

As of Thursday, Van Patten, Rostagno, Adams and the PTC's own Robbie Bellamy--one of the hottest 16-year-olds on the junior circuit--were confirmed to play. Bellamy lost to Spadea 21-9 last year.

Bogomolov won the inaugural tournament, beating King 21-20 in the final. In 2009, Spadea defeated Delgado in the final and last year Bogdanovic beat Spadea for the championship.

The Farmers Classic, the ATP event at UCLA beginning July 25 and running through July 31, will be co-hosting this year's Shotgun 21. Call 310-573-1331 to reserve a qualifying spot Sunday or order tickets to the Farmers Classic, which features a 28-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw.