"You've got to go to the first week of a Slam."

"The best tennis is during the first week of a Slam."

"If you've never been to a Slam, you've got to go in the first week."

I hear this all the time, and I've even said it myself. But why? Aren't blowouts rampant during the first week of a Slam? And, more importantly, aren't the matches we're going to be talking about 30 years from now usually played in the second week?

Like all things in life, it depends. If you only follow a particular player, going to the second week of a Slam may be ideal. For one, you can plan your trip accordingly because you'll probably have a better idea of when that player will be playing. Secondly, that player might be on court for more than an hour (women) or 90 minutes (men). Rarely are the top seeds tested in the opening week, but there are always exceptions.

But if you enjoy the sport of tennis more than one particular tennis player - which I implore all of you do to (you're missing out on so much if you don't) - the opening week of a Grand Slam tournament is heaven on earth.

The key word is choice. The opening week of a Slam provides the greatest number of matches. Not only can you pick what you'd like to see from a wide range (which you can quickly change if it doesn't suit your taste), you can change the type of tennis you're watching. Bored with a bruising men's singles battle? Switch to a more tactical brand of tennis like women's doubles (I find women's doubles to be more enjoyable to watch than men's).

As a writer, I'm also thankful for an abundance of matches to choose from. There are more stories to uncover, more things to learn and, thankfully for you all, more than one thing to read about. How many ways can sports journalists dissect what happened at the Super Bowl? I can count them on one hand. How many ways can the first round of a Slam be discussed? Give me an abacus.

I was discussing this the other day with a friend of mine, Clair Maciel of the USPTA. After rehashing some of the day's results at Flushing Meadows, we got talking about how much the Slams have to offer, as compared to other tournaments. With so many matches going on at once, there is bound to be something noteworthy to catch, whether it's a fantastically competitive match or a jarring upset. But once the second week starts, viewing options become much more limited.

For readers who've never attended a Grand Slam tournament in person, I have one piece of advice for you, no matter which one you visit: Come during the first week.

Related tags:

Tennis masters, Masters Tennis, Sports news