Today is the first day of the US Open tennis tournament. I have no idea how I'm going to find time to watch it, but I'm going to do it. I've been watching this tournament faithfully for about the last 15 years. It's a fun way to live vicariously through much younger, much fitter, and much more talented players than I am.
Tennis was always sort of "my sport." I played it in high school. Then I played a few tournaments around the Midwest. Then life sort of got in the way, and it became more of a hobby. I was never good enough for it to have been anything else but a hobby, but I wish I had given it a more serious shot anyway. Do you ever feel that way about a dream that you allowed to die?
I look at all of the tennis academies around the country now and wish that I would have had the wherewithal to attend one of them when I was young. Or I wish I would have hired a coach who could have helped me overcome my weaknesses and helped me to stay on track. But tennis is often called "the sport for life" and I agree with that motto. So I still enjoy getting out on the court on occasion and even writing about the sport once in a while--like I did for this website.
But today, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the opening round of US Open. I'm rooting for Martina Hingis on the women's side and James Blake on the men's side. I don't think Hingis has much of a shot, but I think Blake could make it all the way to the semi-finals against Roger Federer. Unfortunately, I can't see him winning that match.
Anyone else planning to watch a little tennis this week? Who are you rooting for?
