Maybe it's unusual to see such love for a game other than football or basketball in the US, but tennis is a different kind of sport. I would even consider it the most fascinating of all, but that being my statement doesn't say much.
It draws you in not with the usual common spirit and feeling of a team sport. It's more personal. It's easy to get invested in the players because they are so vulnerable to us. No helmets to hide their emotions, no teammates to commiserate with and no substitutes if one is having a bad day. Just two guys fighting each other on the court with no one to rely on but themselves. It can be a beautiful display of power and elegance or not.
Frustrating and maddening at times, it never fails to deliver some sort of excitement or heartbreak. Week in and week out there is always something to watch and to discuss. The seasons change, and so do the courts. Just when someone gets tired of the dirty red clay of Europe the green grass, then the U.S. hard courts call for what is, in my opinion, the most exciting time of the year.
Perhaps my favorite part of tennis is that it is a sport of not only ground strokes and volleys, as well as emotions and determination. Sure, we all have particular game styles that are appealing. I personally like consistent players and slicers. I mean what could be sexier than your guy going for a shot and painting the line like it was 10 feet wide!
The added bonus in tennis is that we get to see what's going on in the mind as well. Give me a good racquet smash or a debatable line call any day over a missed field goal or free throw. Plus, what's not shown in emotions on the court can often be found behind the scenes in press conferences or the rare off court interview.
For example, just recently when Serena Williams and Venus Williams faced off in a sister battle for the US Open Champion title, Serena unwillingly beat her sister. The cool thing about Serena is that she feels sensitivity for her sister, and doesn't want to harp on the fact that she beat her. She doesn't even want to bring it up to Venus herself. In the post interview, Serena announced that she wasn't feeling the need to run her win in the face of her own sister. I believe her exact words were: "To be completely honest, I really don't want to be here right now. You guys are asking me the same questions over and over, and I have practice tomorrow morning, and frankly, I'm really not in the mood." What a classy lady.
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Determination
ActionI'm Ana Grimpas and I am determined to be a professional tennis player one day. Yeah, it's a lot to take on at only 12 years old, but I am up for the challenge.
