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This topic would potentially earn many myriad opinions and feedback but, still it is a topic worth addressing as the Wimbledon is going on in full steam. The sight of two players combating each other in an intense physical struggle is so fascinating. It is a one on one battle literally. There are many more such reasons as to why tennis is the most thrilling sport. I’ll detail each of these reasons briefly and try to convince the readers of my hypothesis :)
1. First of all, as I’ve said, it is a one on one, intense physical battle between two individuals where there is no violence or hitting involved unlike other individual sports like boxing, karate etc. The result of the game is often dependent on the individual’s skills and talents rather than a collection of 11 players or whatever. Even doubles has just 2 players on either side and it can also be taken as 2 individuals in combat with 2 more individuals on the other side, with a great amount of team work and co-ordination involved. But, if just 1 of the pair plays well, then the team is sure to lose. Whereas, there are cricket teams where certain players rarely perform and still the team wins. SO IN TENNIS, UNLESS THERE IS A CONSTANT EFFORT AND SLOG, VICTORY IS NOT ASSURED.
2. Secondly, the variety of surfaces and conditions – grass, clay, hard, indoor, carpet, high altitude, low altitude, under lights, under natural light etc. etc.
3. So many different types of shots – cross court forehand, down the line forehand, single handed backhand, double handed backhand, slice, volley, lob, smash, drop, tweener :) Such amazing variety of shots and each shot has a particular exponent.
4. Such wide importance of spin. Tennis is an art in the way the protagonists use spin on the ball and swerve their rackets accordingly. The revolutions on the ball is something unbelievable.
5. The wide spread importance of speed and power. The male players serve easily at 200 kmph and the world record is at around 250 kmph. Even the ladies can serve up-to 200 kmph consistently. Such speeds are unthinkable in any other sport.
6. The way tennis has adopted the Hawk Eye technology without much fuss is in stark contrast with the huge controversies prevailing in cricket and football regarding the adoption of the latest technology.
7. The action happens almost all through the year with barely a month’s off season. The players have to constantly be on top of their game and fitness. They have to constantly hone their skills and get better at their game. Else, they can’t sustain for 11 months. Players can’t afford to take long off periods because their ranking points will nosedive. Such is the competitive nature of the game.
A true people's sport
8. There are so many great ambassadors for the sport. Such charismatic male superstars can’t be found in any other sport. They are well behaved to the core and are absolutely loved by the fans. They do a lot of service to the world, have never been involved in controversies or drug related incidents and are the ultimate role models to young aspiring athletes all over the world. I’ll just mention 2 names – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Just read back the entire paragraph and you can’t but agree to each and every word that I’ve written.
9. To balance the formal and well behaved male superstars, we have the ultra glamorous attention seeking female bombshells on the other hand. The way they dress, the way they move in the fashion circles, the way they are seen on fashion magazine covers and other Page 3 circles and the way they wish to be ‘freely’ photographed prove their glamorous quality beyond any doubt. I’ll mention some names – Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki. Watching these female athletes would give a real hormone shoot-up for all the young things who are watching. Their photos circulating in the net add a totally new dimension to the persona of a female tennis athlete. Look in any other sport and you won’t find glamorous yet talented female athletes anywhere else.
Not the movie stars by any chance …
10. You won’t find players abusing each other, spitting at each other, making racist remarks, calling each other ‘monkey’ and all. It is truly a gentleman’s game in letter and spirit. Roger and Rafa are 2 perfect example of how one should behave on the playing field.
11. The game of tennis is customized for TV viewing. Tennis under lights is such a divine experience for the viewer. The sight of perfect color contrasts, colorfully dressed tennis players with perfect fashion sense is one to behold.
A cool sight to behold
12. The prize money is equal for both the male and female athletes. If you see in cricket and football, the respect given for the female sports-persons is so minuscule and they are treated as the poor cousins of their male counterparts. But, in tennis it is EQUALITY IN DIVERSITY. The females are respected and loved as much as the males. And the actual prize money is huuuuuge and cannot be rivaled by any other individual sport.
13. The rules of the game are so simple and they have been the same since time immemorial. No controversies regarding new technology, no ambiguities about any rule, no gimmicks regarding cheer leaders and new formats and it is all so simple and pleasurable to any tennis connoisseur.
14. The crowd is so disciplined. You won’t find needless singing, dancing, hooliganism, Mexican waves, rowdyism and other such silly tantrums associated with the crowd for a team sport, like cricket and football in particular. I prefer seeing a sport this way with ample attention to the actual action in the middle and treating the performing players with respect and dignity and not as some circus clown.
Like an assembly line … all in order
15. There is no time limit to any match. The matches can either get over in an hour or go on for as much as 11 hrs :) This unpredictability is what makes tennis tick. Whereas, in cricket and football it is so predictable and you can preempt everything. It is the same, day in day out. Lunch break, half time, drinks break, power play, tea break etc. etc. blah blah.
16. And finally the way the tennis stars market and present themselves can be rivaled not even by the football stars. This is the way of the future. Roger Federer has his own line of RF T-shirts, bands,shoes. Rafael Nadal has his own line of the Spanish Bull caps, shoes, bands. Venus Williams has her own clothing line. Maria Sharapova can rival the film stars in the way she grooms herself. Serena Williams is the perfect example of the healthy and immensely curvy woman excelling in sports as well.
Scores on the beauty quotient like none other …
I can go on and on. Such is my love for the game. But I will curb my enthusiasm and stop at this. It is already one looooong encomium that I’ve written.:)
Like any other sport, tennis also will have its share of low points and troughs. There can be many vocal critics of this sport too. But, I can’t see how some one can despise tennis. It has everything going for it and someone who doesn’t understand what tennis is about and is ignorant of all the great names and great history of the sport, is truly missing something special indeed.
But it is never too late to start following tennis. What better time than to start off from tomorrow, as the ultimate tennis tournament in the world, the Wimbledon Championships enters into the crucial second week. All the names that I’ve mentioned in the article will be seen in action. It’s time to see them and wonder about their talent and fitness.
Better late than never, all you non “tennis freaks” out there :)
