Fallen Leafs
Send me your lovely banter and your acerbic wit: fallen.leafs@ymail.com
In which Steffi Graf becomes my favorite tennis player.
I remember watching that Steffi Graf game in Wimbledon on television with my mom, who was an avid tennis fan. Steffi Graf was struggling to a much lower ranked player in that match, and I think she was even a set down. Graf wasn’t going to win that night, and the crowd was stunned and completely silenced.
When Graf uttered that classic response, her wit alone almost saved the match. People were genuinely surprised that underneath an intensely private Steffi Graf belied a sharp tongue and understanding. The crowd was finally buzzing, and they actually tried to encourage Graf to shake out of her current funk.
It didn’t happen.
Graf was obviously off her game, continuing to make unforced error after unforced error. Graf should have been eliminated from Wimbledon that night. But her wry sense of humour must have appeased the tennis gods. The match was suspended due to darkness soon afterwards.
I later found out that Steffi Graf quickly disposed of her opponent the following day, and she eventually won the Wimbledon crown. In romanticizing this particular Steffi Graf moment, I completely forgot that Steffi exhibited a fairly poor attitude for most of that night, seemingly determined to get the match suspended. As such, nobody expected Steffi Graf to indulge in that fan’s hopeful request.
Steffi Graf gained a legion of new fans after that Wimbledon, and it had little to do with her winning a championship. All it took was six words, which even brought a smile to my Monica Seles appreciating mom.
Caroline Wozniacki, serving aces and stealing hearts
I like to believe that Kim Clijsters and I would be best friends in another life.
The art of lunge.
Suddenly, a new contender has emerged in the Best Gif Of All Time discussion …
You mean “Best Jif of All Time”.
A year passes and Kim Clijsters wins another US Open crown.
And so, back-to-back victories for the fun, down to earth people who, by the way, also happens to be ridiculously talented. This I like very much.
When you see me play, you see a ‘beautiful’ player — and maybe after that you maybe see that he’s fast, maybe you see that he’s got a good forehand, maybe then you see that he has a good serve. First, you know, you have a base, and to me, I think it’s great, you know, and I’m very lucky to be called basically ‘beautiful,’ you know, for style of play. … With me it’s, like, ‘the beautiful player,’ and that’s really cool.”
~ Roger Federer (via “Federer as Religious Experience”, New York Times)
With fatherhood and a pestering back injury, the decline of Roger Federer is inevitably near. But not yet.
I’m simply not ready right now.
Enlightenment.
Kim Clijsters fresh off her US Open Finals win, sharing the trophy with her daughter Jada. Admission: I’ve always liked Kim Clijsters. Just a jovial, fun person who happens to be a pretty damn good tennis player.
As you can see, I’m in a tennis mood tonight. I’m not altogether uncultured. Even if I am strangely intrigued by the often unnecessary grunts of the Sharapovas, Serenas, Dementievas, and Seles’ of the tennis world.
