7. Tennis

Having picked up the game early in my teens, I wished I picked it up much earlier as I did soccer. I think I could have been great at it, world ranked may be not that far but hey anything could have happened. I used to watch the games on TV back when greats like Stefi Graf and Agassi were still playing. I never thought I would actually get an opportunity to watch a top tennis player LIVE, much less more than one player at a Grand Slam event at the Australian Open. Funny how the US Open is a mere flight away to NY, but I haven’t made it to one. Yet it took a flight about 9,000 to 10,000 miles away from home to get me to a Grand Slam. Lucky for me the tickets were not as expensive as I thought they would be to attend. I was working on most days the tournament was here, but believe you me I definitely took a day off work to attend. I went during the second day of the tournament to check out all the no names and some of the bigger names work their way up to the top. The day was like any other Melbourne day, hot one minute freezing the next. I was dressed in layers when the sun decided to show up to make me almost regret that I bothered. My friend Kieran and I met up and were there early to watch Li Na play. She beat her opponent in straight sets. What a great athlete. After walking around, I realized quickly the venue for this event was pretty enormous with various areas of entertainment, food & beverage spots, pro stores, memorabilia stands and cool spots with lounge lawn chairs to watch the big names on a big screen. We watched a bit of Andy Roddick and Venus Williams on the screens while drinking a lovely cup of wine served in a plastic cup no less, classy huh? While roaming the venue I also randomly ran into a friend I had met in Sydney when I first arrived, such a small world. It was a really neat experience, but next time I’ll get a 5-day ground pass for only a $100.

It was a crazy turn of events this year as many of the top players were knocked out of the tournament early by these so called “no names.” Although the first time I attended will always be remembered, I’d have to say the highlight of the event is when I had the opportunity to watch top players, Nadal and Djovich play each other later on in the tournament. It seemed outrageous at the time to pay $100 dollars to see this match but at the end of it, it was definitely worth it. The atmosphere in the Rod Laver Area was amazing. Fans were going nuts. It was fun to yell and root for Nadal, especially when I told Rhett’s friend Nate to yell things in Spanish like “Te Quiero Nadal, muy guapo!”  Guess you had to be there but it was too funny. Learning Spanish was great fun for Nate ;p Plus the umpire told him to stop because he’d yell them at inopportune times. Overall, they were incredible athletes to watch with their precise and varying shots, speed, agility and determination. And while the outcome of the match was not favorable for Nadal, he was a very gracious loser. I felt like he should have won just because of this great speech. Hehehe. 

When I do get home, hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to make it to NY to see the US Open real soon and perhaps back here to watch the Australian Open once again. Also, for you tennis fans…keeps your eyes peeled for hopefully who will be a top player in the next few years, William Boe-Wiegaard. I had the privilege of meeting this humble guy while working in my little cafe right around when the Australian Open began. He was the #1 US Amateur Player...but now he's world ranked and moving on up with the ATP rankings!! http://www.willboe.com Shows me that hard work and determination can make any dream come true :)