I Love Tennis!

My favorite sport is tennis! I've been watching tennis on television since the early 70's, when they began showing it--only weekends at first. They only showed the semi-finals and the finals. But evidently other people were watching too. Programming was expanded until now there is tennis to watch any time of day.

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Of course, I have my favorite players and don't have time to watch every match. But now there is a Tennis Channel that shows some of the matches of the on-going tournament, as well as some of their regular programming.

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There are shows about how to be a better tennis player, and where to go on vacation that has tennis courts, and tennis classic matches, etc. And all year, there are tennis tournaments that feature most of the top players. The U.S. Open Tennis Series goes on all year long in different cities all over the world, and the winner of this series at the end of the year can win a lot more money, if they'll also win the U.S. Open! So if you're interested in tennis at all, there is plenty of tennis to watch.
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And going on right now are the U. S. Open Tennis Championships, which began August 30 and will go through September 12. They are still in the first round. Of course, these tennis players are the best in the world, and they come to play from all over the world. Most of them enjoy the city of New York--one of the most fascinating cities anywhere--a city that never sleeps. The tennis venue is just outside New York City in Flushing Meadows, completely re-built just a few years ago. It is massive and beautiful!

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The weather is very hot and humid, which affects the players, sometimes dramatically with over 100 degree temps. The humidity makes it feel even hotter! Being one of the 4 Grand Slams--the year of tennis begins with the Australian Open, then the French Open, then Wimbledon, and the last one is the U.S. Open. Each Open has a different aura about it and is played on a different kind of court: the U.S. and Australian are hard courts though a different composite, the French is played on clay courts, and Wimbledon is grass. Probably anyone reading this will know all of this information, but I had to say it!
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The quality of tennis is extremely high and every player has his heart set on winning at least one Grand Slam title during his career. There have been a few men who have won all 4 titles in their career, but a very few. The Swiss player Roger Federer won the French Open last year, completing his goal of winning all 4 Grand Slam titles. But then Roger is the consummate player in many ways and fans all over the world cheer him on his way. So far, he's considered the best tennis player ever. Roger is #2 in the world right now after being #1 for several years.
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But there are other players who play very, very well...the Spanish player Rafael Nadal is now #1 in the world and plays with a physicality unseen before his arrival. And he's working on his ability to win titles on every surface and in any venue. All you have to do is watch him from year to year to see that he is improving every year, and he's already so good that it isn't easy. And if Rafa wins the U.S. Open, he'll complete his goal of winning all 4 Slams!
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Novak Djokovic is a Serbian player who is #3 in the world and has had one excellent year, but hasn't played as well in 2009 or so far in 2010. He's very likeable and does impersonations of the other players--even Sharapova.
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One of my favorite players is the Scotsman Andy Murray. He has improved both his physical stamina and his attitude--and both have had a great effect on his game. So he's now #4.
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And there are lots of American players who are playing really good tennis too. We have the very tall player, John Isner, who played an epic match at Wimbledon, and Sam Querry, Mardy Fish, the revived James Blake, and the recuperated Andy Roddick. I wish them all well.
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The women are also playing, and I really like watching Woznaki and Ivanovic, Clijsters, and a few others, especially our newest American star Melanie Oudin. But basically I prefer watching the men with all their energy and dynamics.
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If you enjoy tennis, this is one of the biggest and best, not to mention most well-attended tournaments in the world! Take a look!

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P.S. Congratulations to Rafael Nadal for winning the 2010 U. S. Open! This completes his career Grand Slam, one of 7 men who have completed this difficult feat.

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Blessings...Mimi