So I’d been working on this piece for a few days. Something about the Arcade Fire’s comeback and the ongoing World Cup, but it seems destiny wouldn’t have it, as my computer dutifully crashed on me a few hours ago. I’m thinking it’s my RAM. It’s happened a few years ago, a couple of months after I had just purchased my computer. And today, right after I was seriously talking about finally getting a new one, my old MacPherson froze and gave me the shh treatment. Yes… that was indeed a Penguins of Madagascar reference. I love that lemur and his “Maurrrice!”. I guess my MackDaddy wasn’t too happy to hear he would soon be replaced. One Mac’s vengeance, is a woman’s nightmare. Call it schadenfreude.
Gah! just looking at this and I'm suffering from Mac withdrawl...
So in the meantime, I’m using a *sigh* “dude you’re getting a Dell!”, until my poor ol’ Macbro gets fixed, because after all, there are at least 5 years of my life in that metallic silver magic box.
But then I thought that perhaps my misfortune occurred for a good reason, since in the course of the past few days, I was going over the golden days of the emergence of The Arcade Fire and the so-called “Montreal scene”, of which I was a part of. Maybe this was a sign to close Pandora’s box, and instead, look ahead and focus at what I’m currently trying to achieve, which is basically becoming a successful professional tennis player, although I am currently patiently nursing an injury.
The past few months haven’t been easy, as I haven’t picked up a racquet since March. It’s hard to stay away from something you love, and it’s even harder to have a job, and not be able to be at it.
And so while at first I was disinterested in watching a sport I couldn’t be a part of (and let’s be honest, for the most part, tennis has been boring this year), I’ve recently been sparked in watching sets, here and there, in between football matches. Maybe it’s the smooth translation of the green grass, bouncing balls and sweaty heroes that’s sucking me back into it, who knows!
And so, I think it’s fair to say that this month is somewhat sports-awesome, at least to me, since not only is the World Cup taking place, but over in England, Wimby, commonly known as Wimbledon or The Wimbledon Championships, is also ongoing.
However, South Africa’s football arenas aren’t the only places where weird things are happening.
Today I watched bits of a tennis match which has been going on for a lobotomizing 10 hours, over the lapse of two days (today’s session lasted over 7 hours), and still isn’t over.
It is breaking every record so far, especially the one for “most pointless rigidity of tradition”.
You see, as much as I love Wimbledon and its tradition, which it has learned to bend over the years, in allowing Rafa (and Blake) to play with no sleeves, the introduction of hawkeye, and as recently as last years’ addition of a retractable roof on center court (in countering England’s lovely predictable weather: rain, rain and more rain), paired with lighting, it should also perhaps adapt itself to the new game brought about by towering giants (Isner stands at a daring 2.06 m or 6 ft 9 in) with booming serves. Or rather, since that was a terrible argument, Wimbledon’s committee should simply go over the rules a little.
It seems like Novak Djokovic, usually known among the players and to the public either as a wisecrack or a choker who can’t take a joke (Joke-ovic and Choke-o-bitch as they call him), once wisely suggested that there be a limit of 50 points in the last set, to be decided in an “emergency tiebreak”, as Roland Garros (The French Open), and Wimbledon, are the two of the four grand slams where the fifth set is still decided by a margin of two games, rather than a tiebreak.
Well if there was a time when this rule (which so far, is only an idea) should have been applied, it would’ve been today. Because I see no point in continuing this masquerade, since neither player (unless they are doped, something I would rather doubt) would ever be able to progress far in the tournament, after playing a 1st round match, mind you, which has lasted over 3 days, its lengthiness not due to the famous rain delays, but rather because of the olden rules. Not to mention the heartbreak it would cause to the loser.
Although, remembering the epic 21-19 El Aynaoui vs Roddick 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal, I’m almost tempted in thinking it might not be the case for the latter. I recall that, upon meeting Younes, myself at the Montreal Master Series, where I once worked at (now called Masters 1000), and had the chance to hit a few balls with (a day I will always remember! especially the moment where I hit a passing shot, which I then followed by a winning forehand volley, after which he jumped in the air with a cry of amazement as if he had hit the winner himself), I took the occasion to ask him how he had felt after being on the losing end of such a hard fought battle, to which he responded that it merely felt like a loss, because it had been a wonderful unforgettable experience.
But this is like comparing meat and potatoes, since Younes’ match was a quarterfinal, a feat he achieved twice in his career, and was therefore thrilled by, not to mention that his match lasted half the time (5 hours) this match of the ages has gone by so far.
To give you an idea, the Mahut-Isner mammoth of a match (standing so far at 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 59-59) is the equivalent of a mother going into labour, only to give birth to an alien.
Summer 2003 Younes and my skinny but quick legs, after we hit a few balls. An onlooker kindly offered to take this picture, which I went to get at his office a week later.
Today, even the chair umpire, Mohammed Layni, chuckled into the mic, as he could barely believe the score (a score the scoreboard itself couldn’t keep up with past 47-48) he had to announce out loud, 59-59, to the crowd, who meanwhile were chanting “we want more, we want more!”, while the players agreed with the tournament director, to call it quits for the day, as they could barely see the ball, with dusk finally settling in on court 18.
While it might be good for the sport, which always needs great stories for exposure and survival, this battle of David (Mahut is ranked 148th in the world, although he is a mere 6 inches shorter than his opponent) and Goliath (Isner’s world ranking stands at no. 23) isn’t good for the young and promising John Isner, whose booming serve and pretty decent volleying could’ve landed him far enough in the draw, as far as setting a meeting with Rafael Nadal in the round of 16. Instead, if he is to make it past Mahut, he’ll be too drained to play decent tennis in his next round. Although incidentally, should he win, he’ll face a man who also somewhat went the distance in the 5th set, the Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker, who got the best of Santiago Giraldo from Colombia, clinching it at 16-14.
Among the glory of it all, a few questions beg to be asked: at this rate, what is the point of keeping this butchery alive? is it beating a century of aces? (Isner has broken the record of aces in a match, 78, which was previously held by another giant, Ivo Karlovic, extending it to 98, a number which will most likely be outgrown by tomorrow)
One thing is for sure, this match is already going in the achives. And I think I’m liking the throwback interview (down below), post match interruption, with both players standing side by side, something which doesn’t seem to create any awkwardness nor extra tension between them, as they are both overwhelmed and amazed by the epicness of it all.
Well, that’s it for today, I actually ended up writing this post despite my computer fiasco, as I was highly amused by the excerpts of live blogging of the match, over at the Atlantic Wire
I wish I could pair this entry with a song, naturally, the Tenniscoats Theme by the Tenniscoats, but since I cannot find it on the internet, and since as you know, this isn’t my computer, there’s nothing I can do, at least for the moment. I guess you’ll have to check back when I have recovered my music library.
And lastly, to my fellow Quebeckers, Joyeuse St Jean!
P.S.: In case you get lost in translation, technically speaking, I started writing this entry on the 23rd, but finished it about two hours later on the 24th, at 12:45 AM, or the day when the epic match will finally be resumed.
