Watching It At Last
Who won? Nobody, yet - rain has stopped play for the second time.
Yes, I got home in time to watch the Wimbledon men's final. And if you want expert commentary, I suggest you stop reading right now, because I'm going to give you the benefit of my lack of expertise.
It's been years since I last watched one, though, as I said yesterday, I used to be an addict. When they say "there hasn't been a tie-break like that since Borg/McEnroe in 1980" I think yes, I saw that! And, by the way, it was before either of today's players was born, damn them.
So today we have Nadal, who really, really wants to win it, and Federer, who has won it lots and doesn't want to lose it.
Some things have changed since my addict days. There are lots more statistics, for a start "that serve was only 103mph". I rather like all that. And of course there are tie-breaks now, which I rather don't like. I used to like it when a set was 23 games to Borg and 21 to Connors or whatever.
And when the ball might have been in, or might have been out, instead of a twenty-minute barney where one of the players shouts at the umpire in a "You Cannot Be Serious" McEnroe Moment, you have instead a Computer Graphic which flies across the screen and says "Official Review" and either IN or OUT, that's it mate, shut it.
Fairer, no doubt - - but I used to quite enjoy a bit of a row about it all. And I don't think you'd get Ilie Nastase bringing on an umbrella these days when it rains. Both players just seem to look a bit sad and accept it. It's all got rather more professional, because there's so much money involved.
David Attenborough's there, I notice, and I'd really like a bit of commentary from him, perhaps in his best whispering tones, about the animal psychology of it all.
Because this match is really showing that, at a certain level of play, it's the psychology that's the key. If I were, say Federer, and I was two sets down I'd say look, Raffi, old chap, I reckon I've lost here, let's get it over with and go to the chippie. This is one (of many, I admit) reasons why I'm not a champion tennis player.
But that's not what Federer did - he just went off and had a bit of a rest, which helped him, being older than the Young Pretender.
Who am I supporting? Federer, because he's older, and I'm older, and Nadal will have more time. And (getting to the important stuff now) I don't like Nadal's vest top - - yes, I know he's got lots of muscles but I don't like it when men with muscles show them off that way. Just wear a proper polo shirt, Rafael! And, more significantly, on every single flaming point Nadal makes a grunting noise like a dying wildebeeste and I didn't like it when Monica Seles used to do it and I don't like it when Nadal does it, so there.
Okay, play's starting again now, so I shall stop writing and go and watch it.
Did I mention that this has been an absolutely cracking match? Fantastic, exciting tennis, lots of rallies? I think I stopped watching tennis because I saw too many aces and not enough rallies. But on this showing, I think I'll be starting to watch again.
Yes, I got home in time to watch the Wimbledon men's final. And if you want expert commentary, I suggest you stop reading right now, because I'm going to give you the benefit of my lack of expertise.
It's been years since I last watched one, though, as I said yesterday, I used to be an addict. When they say "there hasn't been a tie-break like that since Borg/McEnroe in 1980" I think yes, I saw that! And, by the way, it was before either of today's players was born, damn them.
So today we have Nadal, who really, really wants to win it, and Federer, who has won it lots and doesn't want to lose it.
Some things have changed since my addict days. There are lots more statistics, for a start "that serve was only 103mph". I rather like all that. And of course there are tie-breaks now, which I rather don't like. I used to like it when a set was 23 games to Borg and 21 to Connors or whatever.
And when the ball might have been in, or might have been out, instead of a twenty-minute barney where one of the players shouts at the umpire in a "You Cannot Be Serious" McEnroe Moment, you have instead a Computer Graphic which flies across the screen and says "Official Review" and either IN or OUT, that's it mate, shut it.
Fairer, no doubt - - but I used to quite enjoy a bit of a row about it all. And I don't think you'd get Ilie Nastase bringing on an umbrella these days when it rains. Both players just seem to look a bit sad and accept it. It's all got rather more professional, because there's so much money involved.
David Attenborough's there, I notice, and I'd really like a bit of commentary from him, perhaps in his best whispering tones, about the animal psychology of it all.
Because this match is really showing that, at a certain level of play, it's the psychology that's the key. If I were, say Federer, and I was two sets down I'd say look, Raffi, old chap, I reckon I've lost here, let's get it over with and go to the chippie. This is one (of many, I admit) reasons why I'm not a champion tennis player.
But that's not what Federer did - he just went off and had a bit of a rest, which helped him, being older than the Young Pretender.
Who am I supporting? Federer, because he's older, and I'm older, and Nadal will have more time. And (getting to the important stuff now) I don't like Nadal's vest top - - yes, I know he's got lots of muscles but I don't like it when men with muscles show them off that way. Just wear a proper polo shirt, Rafael! And, more significantly, on every single flaming point Nadal makes a grunting noise like a dying wildebeeste and I didn't like it when Monica Seles used to do it and I don't like it when Nadal does it, so there.
Okay, play's starting again now, so I shall stop writing and go and watch it.
Did I mention that this has been an absolutely cracking match? Fantastic, exciting tennis, lots of rallies? I think I stopped watching tennis because I saw too many aces and not enough rallies. But on this showing, I think I'll be starting to watch again.
posted by Daphne at 7:56 pm
2 Comments:
I have hardly seen any Wimbledon coverage this year. But I did see a tiny bit of discussion about the Williams sisters with somebody very important psychologically analysing their body language/behaviour especially in light of the fact that they were probably going to be facing each other in the finals.
They kept commenting on the way they covered their mouths when talking to each other and reading huge significance into it. Huge significance that is except for the most obvious possibility. They were hiding their mouths so their comments couldn't be lip read.
I miss the old days. It was tennis. That was it. Some balls were in, some were out. Some players were stroppy, others were boring. Serves were sometimes, but not often, aces. There was no psychological analysis. I think it was more fun back then.
PS Welcome home!
Oh I love wildebeests. I do, however, think that ONLY dying wildebeest should make a dying wildebeest sound! I mean, it's only right.
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