I am
sorry, but it's difficult to be a tennis fan during the Aussie Open
and a normally functioning adult. I mean, here's Madison Keys mixing
it up with Venus Williams, and my kid needs a new diaper. Come on!
Change yourself, kid! And then there's the finals happening at 3 a.m.
my time. And then my boss wants me at work before 1 p.m.! Outrageous!
As it
turns out, I'm still employed and my kids and spouse are still around
(I think). What's left? Coupla thoughts:
1. It
took this tournament for me to figure out why I root for Venus
Williams. She was at the helm of women's tennis when I first became a
real fan. And then when there's someone who looks like you doing
something that no one who looks like you really ever did before, there's an
emotional thing there. When she would lose, it was like, "How
could you?" for me back in the day. Seeing her decline over the
years made me over-correct the other way -- "She's got nothing."
But deep down, you don't want to believe that. You still hold out
hope. Not enough hope to put it down on paper. You have to be
realistic. "Of course Venus isn't going to make the quarters of the
Australian Open. Of course I'm not going to turn on my television at
5 a.m. in time to watch her finish off Ags Radwanska and mix it up
with arguable the next big American tennis star for three sets in the
next round. Of course I'm not going to see her finish that match with
good tennis, not unforced errors strewn about the court, even though
she lost."
Is
Venus actually back? I don't know. Who cares? That was just too much
fun to watch.
2. Well,
well, well, Tomas Berdych. Lays the beat down to Rafa Nadal and then
fighting Andy Murray tooth-and-nail in the semis? (Much has been
said about Murray's girlfriend cursing out the Berdych camp in the
stands of the match. As far as the basic rules of tennis go, I am a
traditionalist, but if there's a situation where a tennis match
could get all soccer on a fan or observers, that is a good thing.
Let's just leave the riots out of it, but trash-talking your
opponent -- that's pretty great. Sorry if that's not classy.)
Anyway, Nadal crashed out early (as he expected, and for once, he
was right), but Berdych finally manning up is
good for men's tennis. Nadal and Roger Federer ain't gonna be around
forever, people.
3. Oh,
and by the way: Andreas Seppi?!? I have an old tennis friend
somewhere on the West Coast who called that years ago. Whazzup,
Morgan!
4. The
women? Not much to say there. I wish Ekaterina Makarova believed in
herself a little more. Because she would have given Serena Williams
a better run for her money than Maria Sharapova did. Watching
someone scrap so hard and come up short for the latest time in a
decade is almost enough to make you feel bad for that person.
Almost.
5. OK,
the last time I saw Madison Keys play was a long time ago, I'll
concede that, but does anyone else think that she all of a sudden
that her game style is a lot like Lindsay Davenport?
I know Davenport's her coach, and maybe it was watching Keys play
against the sisters Williams, but the heavy ball, the huge forehand
– it was like, it was like, when a thing has happened
before that seems familiar but you can't place your finger on it?
What's that called?
6. This deciding-point nonsense in mixed doubles: #fail. So now, we're going to take the best part of a tennis match out -- the constant battle. Good. Good.
7. BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS
8. Why don't Nestor and Leander Paes play dubs together? Did I miss
that experiment?
I
gotta go watch the mens final. Separate post coming on what the (*&#$#^ happened to Murray.
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