Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Tennis, Anyone?

Watching the U.S. Open is one of my favorite end-of-summer traditions. As powerful as players have become, I find myself agreeing with those who say too many rely on outhitting each other from the baseline. Yes, it makes for longer rallies, but I prefer to see aggressive thinking, each shot setting up a pass or volley, not purely defensive.

People criticized John McEnroe for his meltdowns, but to my mind no one was a better strategist on the court. Add to this his excellent vision and coordination and I can see why he became frustrated. He was so often far ahead of his opponent and the chair umpire. And when his body could no longer do what he had in mind? Who wouldn't get frustrated?

1 comment:

Graham Powell said...

I'm just glad the final is not on Labor Day weekend this year. Every year I seem to miss the Wimbledon final and the US Open final because I try to go visit the family those days.

But I was sick over the 4th of July and stayed home, and I'll get to catch the final this weekend. Woohoo!