Tennis - the best sport?

Have you ever been so excited about something that’s about to happen, that you just can’t wait and when it does, you’re upset that it’s over? It has probably happened many times. For me, the Wimbledon final was like that. Though I wanted a Federer v Nadal Final, I was equally excited about Federer v Murray. In the 2 games prior to the final, Roger showed that form was temporary while Federer was permanent. He was dancing around the court like a ballerina. Getting around the balls and driving those forehands down the line. Andy Murray was his consistent self.

The eagerly awaited final lived up to expectations. Amazing tennis was played between a man who will go down in tennis history as one of the greatest ever (if not the greatest), and the other looking to win his first grand slam. The match went down to 4 breathtaking sets. Roger emerged victorious. The match was undoubtedly worthy of a final. The only complaint is it did not last longer.

The difference between a tennis match and a football or a cricket match, is that there is no definite end. Of course, the first to win 3 out of 5 sets wins. But one can never say when those wins will come. Each point could take a few seconds or last for 2-3 mins. Every set could last for over an hour. Tennis offers that which no other sport offers – the hope of the match going on and on. Perhaps, that is why one feels slightly more upset when a tennis match ends even though the person you support wins.

My player for the final was Roger Federer. It’s not because I have a strong affinity to his homeland. My reasons are not based on nationality, but on watching an artiste perform as often as I can. It is this same desire that made me wish he would lose the 4^th set. In that set my allegiance shifted in favour of Andy Murray. As soon as Federer was serving for the match, every last ounce of energy was used up in willing Andy Murray on. Alas! Federer succeeded. It was the desired outcome, just not at the desired time.

Star Sports, the channel on which I was watching the match, telecasted an ad which posed a question, “What makes Wimbledon great?” The typical answers of great rivalries and tradition etc. were part of the voice-over. For me, Wimbledon is great because it is a tennis event. The other aspects of tradition and the colour white only enhance it. Over the years, the equipment used in the sport may have changed/developed, but the essence of the game remains the same. Theories of courts getting slower and hence the serve and volley and the drop shots not being used, were all put to rest by Roger Federer. He maintained the tradition of the sport while playing the modern game. Hence, he is the most watchable player on court. If one were to draw parallels with other sports like cricket, the person who plays pure cricketing strokes looks much prettier than the power-hitters. Likewise, traditional shots, shots that have been handed down by the oldest players in tennis when executed, make tennis look that much more graceful.

Andy Murray is a pretty dainty player himself. Unfortunately he was outdone not only by the skills of Federer, but by the physical prowess of the 30-year old. After points when Federer looked as if he had just walked onto court, Murray looked like he had run a 200 metre sprint. He did not look like he could have lasted 5 sets. At the end of it though, I still continued ruing the fact that it did not last 5 sets. Tennis seems to be the only sport in which knowing the outcome hardly matters. What’s more important in the game is the Tennis itself.