How I rediscovered my long-lost love for tennis with Wimbledon 2021
Being an ardent cricket fan, the blogger says that he used Slazenger balls to play cricket in his room.
This blog post is going to be filled with a lot of pictures but less words.
I still remember I used to collect those paper clippings of Roger Federer whenever he wins a tournament. Out of the innumerable, he had won, I do remember the ‘Opens’ — French Open, US Open, Australian Open. Apart from these, the ATP World Tour. There used to be something very cool with the name Cincinnati which I used to love to get my tongue round* it.
The blogger desperately wanted some phrase to be used over there.
I don’t know about everybody, but I love his backhands. I love when he beats the opponent with his aces. I always wanted him to be on the winning side. I was the one hoping for a 40–0 opening in the game. And at the same time, I was one of those rare fans who wished for him to win even when he is down by 1–4 in the set. Being the best player, the one thing which surprises not just me, but the whole globe is his down-to-earth nature & the calmness he shows.
The blogger has expressed his love towards Federer Express & his backhands.
As much as I loved Federer, I directed my handful of hate towards Rafael Nadal. Especially, I hated this Spain Bull for his never-ending loud grunts. Known for his prowess on the clay court, being a lefty, he has got his bit of upsides & downsides. The one thing which I secretly admired in Rafa is his fighting back spirit. He’s an absolute beast. As far as I remember, there were times when he was down by 2–4 and I used to get excited to watch him lose, only to see the final scores to be 7–5. Oh, and his accuracy near the line is breathtaking.
The blogger wants to make a point on his loud grunts selectively using this picture.
If you’re a tennis fan, I know you would be anticipating Novak Djokovic next. Yes, I hated him too. Solely because he defeated Federer in marathons. But, when I read the story of his country, Serbia, and the hardships the people there face, I do remember, I had tears. He’s got lots of nicknames but I like these two ‘Joker’ and ‘Serb’. He can bring a smile to the ball boy’s face with his sweet gestures & at times, he can entertain the crowd. Also, adding to this, I was jealous of his recovery chamber that he had bought sometime around 2010. I don’t think I need to talk about his game. He’s a champ!
The blogger, though jealous of his success, loves him for his attitude.
Apart from this trio, I always empathized with Andy Murray. Poor guy, though he’s got the Olympic gold, he was always out of the tournaments due to some or the other injury. Would it have been different with his injuries, he would have crossed one of these three. He has got the ability to defeat each of the above three. I neither loved nor hated this guy much.
The Blogger has got a very rational & neutral opinion about him.
I won’t say I have learnt something from these guys. Because I was too young when I started watching them to actually be aware of learning specifically from them, but I have observed a few of their traits & tried to emulate them always during my childhood and somewhat in my teens as well.
Here’s a small list of my learnings. 1.I wanted to be like Fed with a smile on my face and calmness surrounding me even in all the anxious situations. 2. I wanted to be like Rafa just fighting back with all the spirit even when I am down only to prove that I can make a comeback. 3. I wanted to be like Joker, always making people laugh, at the same time, not needing to prove that he is the number one time and again. 4. I wanted to be like Murray, not giving up, even when life hits you hard again and again.
The blogger wants to exhibit his inner nostalgia through this classic picture.
Amidst these rank holders, there are few solid players like Joe-Wilfred-Tsonga, (Trust me, I haven’t seen his name on Google, I remember it, from my Eenadu Paper writing in Telugu as ‘Songa’.) There are players like Cilic, Wawrinka and then there is this Spanish guy, Fernando Verdasco, I don’t know why but I always liked this name out of the bunch & there is this David Ferrer, whom I supported in a match just because his name rhymes with Federer. And then, there is Kie or Key Nishikori (I can’t spell his name) but he is one of the decent players and he’s from Japan I guess. Before bidding a temporary goodbye to myself writing about Tennis, I want to remind myself of how good it was.
The blogger can’t find a purpose to post this, yet wants to show the beauty of Tennis.
Tennis has given me a lot of happy moments back then, which now turned into sweet memories. I ignored it for almost 6 years but the lost love has come back now. Watching Wimbledon 2021 revived that love and pleasure. And, I don’t want to leave this now. Always hoping to get hold of it with my love. Everything about tennis is so soothing and good to see and hear. Well, what’s there to hear? You might ask me. Let me get you there to hear those unique tennis sounds again. And before you hear, I want to end this here. Thanks for all those who are still awake till here.
Shoes squeaking, Players grunting, Chair Umpire warning, Audience clapping, and many more.
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