It's the time of the year again! Tennis Grand Slams.. the 2nd of the year. I'm excited. No, I'm definitely not a player.. hahah.. don't even think I can hold a tennis racquet the right way. But I'm a great tennis fan, and will definitely make a great tennis spectator when I get my chance to go to a Grand Slam.
I am so hooked.. and have been so for the past 3-4 years. Everytime a Grand Slam comes by, I will, without a doubt, try my best to work my schedule around it.. yes, even my work schedule.. just so I can plaster my face on the tv screen and catch my favorite players in action.
I started watching tennis with my focus and preference on men's tennis, but in the past 2 years or so, the women's game has rapidly caught my attention.. and now, I would say I'm definitely more into the women's game than the men's. I still watch the men's game.. but these days with the dominance of Roger Federer in the past 2 years, the men's game has become so much more predictable. Yes, I agree with all the tennis critics out there that Federer is so good, that his style is so graceful to the point that he makes the game look easy, but after a while, it gets kinda boring knowing that it'll always be Federer against some other top guy in the final.. and no matter who this top guy is.. it will always be Federer who would prevail in the end. No more element of surprise.. and that becomes boring for me. I had been rooting for Lleyton Hewitt for quite a while now, always hoping and praying that he would eventually carve out a win against Federer in the past Grand Slam finals, but it hasn't happened, and I doubt it's ever gonna happen now.. not with Hewitt anymore anyway, especially when it seems like he's going downhill. Not to mention that I don't quite like Hewitt anymore as well after he and Kim Clijsters split.
The dominance of Rafael Nadal on clay is such a welcome.. as are his recent wins over the Almighty Roger Federer, but still.. we all know it.. it's still Federer on everyone else's lips.
Meanwhile, the women's game is where my favorites are. Let's see.. there are quite a few players I am so so into... first off.. would be Venus Williams. Not sure why, but I started liking Venus when Serena was so outshining her back in 2003. I guess I've a penchant for the underdog.. but that was how my liking for Venus started. And I still like her now.. but I've added a few more onto my list after she was repeatedly kept off the courts due to injury and stuff. Anyway, when Venus won Wimbledon last year at a time when no one even thought of her as a serious contender, I couldn't stop grinning from ear-to-ear for at least a week.. hahah.. I still smile when I recall her hard-fought victory over the beautiful (but oh, so noisy and dislikeable) Maria Sharapova during the semi-final.. hahahah.. finally! That would be a classic match etched in my memory.
When news broke that Hewitt and Kim Clijsters had broken up, I didn't think much of it. But when news of Hewitt's engagement to a beautiful Aussie soap actress (I think) were splashed just a few months later across the Aussie newspaper while I was in Perth, my heart went out to Kim. Gawd, laid off from the circuit with a serious wrist injury and then dumped(?) by Hewitt.. I felt for her.. and I started liking her. When she returned to the circuit last year and played even better than she had before and finally won her 1st Grand Slam title at the US Open, I added her to my list of favorites.. and it hasn't changed since.
Amelie Mauresmo and Anastasia Myskina are also players I like.. and most recently, I've added Svetlana Kuznetsova onto my list. When Amelie played Kim during the semi-final at the Australian Open early this year, I was kinda sitting on the fence.. because both are players I like. But then maybe I was also rooting more for Amelie because I would love her to win her 1st Grand Slam. Kim had already won the US Open last year, so it would be great for Amelie if she could do the same also. Of course, Amelie did go on to win the Australian Open.. and boy, was I elated! Even though she won it in the most strange of circumstances, still, Amelie was definitely most-deserving of the title.. and nothing should take anything away from Amelie.
One other player who's caught my eye this year is none other than Martina Hingis. When she came out of retirement and played her first Slam this year at the Australian Open, I was blown away by her demeanor during play. Having never seen her play before, I was mesmerised by her cheerfulness.. the smile she has on her face when she played. It was unbelievable.. I haven't seen anyone with a smile on their faces during a competitive tennis match before. And that is such a stark (but great) contrast to the stern look of concentration Venus wears during matches and the seemingly-dark and unfriendly look Sharapova has on her face. And seriously, Martina is really good. She's a very smart player.. and it's really a joy to watch her play. I was happy for her when she won the Italian Open last week before coming into the French Open.. though I'd also wished Venus hadn't lost to her instead. But then, I'm still not exactly decided if I like Martina 100% 'cos I read somewhere that she's pretty homophobic.. having commented Amelie Mauresmo to be "half a man" or something like that years back after Amelie outed herself to be a lesbian.
As the critics will tell you, there's no clear favorite on who will win the women's title for the French Open this year, as has been the case for nearly all the past Grand Slams eversince the "Belgium Pair" and "Russian Army" broke the Williams Sisters' dominance. But I'm rooting for Amelie Mauresmo and Kim Clijsters to reach the finals.. and no, I definitely don't want Justine Henin-Hardenne or Maria Sharapova to win the title.
tags : tennis | Roland Garros | French Open | Venus Williams | Amelie Mauresmo | Kim Clijsters | favorite | Australian Open | Martina Hingis | homophobic | lesbian | Grand Slam |
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