TENNIS       

I remember having watched Wimbledon for many years because my mother and sister used to make it one of the highlights of the summer. For the last couple of years I have upheld that tradition with my mother (and sometimes my father) because I get caught up in the game. I have no problems watching a 2- or 3- (or 4- !) hours-game if the players are interesting enough to watch, because I find it amazing how much physical strength and precision you need to win a fair match; not to talk about the mental challenge it must be to keep up the confidence in yourself throughout a match. I have never played tennis myself though; I have only tried it a couple of times, so what do I know about what it takes to play a match? Nothing, really, I just wanted to add my two cents! :)

Since I like watching the game, of course I have noticed some players more than others. I know it is a classic but I really think that Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are great players. Their play is at such a high level it is no wonder they are called some of the best players ever. It is always a pleasure watching a match with one of them not to mention when they play against each other like in US Open 2001. I do not know anything about the technical stuff in a match but it sure was one of the greatest matches I have ever watched. 

In november '02 I went to an exhibition match between Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker. It was a fantastic experience to watch them play right in front of me; actually my first tennis match not watched on TV...plus I got Becker's autograph which was really cool. :)

Another player that I enjoy watching is Andy Roddick. The first time I saw him play was at Wimbledon 2001 and I was immediately impressed by his play. His serve is so powerful, I have never seen anything like it. Besides the fact that he is an awesome tennis player it is interesting to see how intense he is on the court. Sometimes it is even a bit scary to see the look in his eyes when he is playing: he can be so focused on the match that he seems to have entered another world of concentration. From what I have seen and heard I admire him as a person too. He always seems to respect other people and to be polite and down-to-earth (except when he goes berserk on the court.....just kidding! ;) ) It's players like him that make tennis interesting to watch.