( photo via xinhua/reuters)i love it precisely because you can't tell who won.
(happy to report it was nadal, in a 3-set, 3-hour and 3-minute, edge-of-your-seat thrilla, 6-7 (4), 7-6, 7-5...after having been down 2-5, in the third, no less.)
but at that moment, after shaking hands at the net, neither looked relieved, although i'm sure one was; neither looked happy, though i'm sure one was...they have similar expressions, but were surely at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum.
but the complexity of the match--or the complex "implications" of the match, that everyone, from reporters to bloggers to fans of either, neither, or both players, will reflect and speculate on--is captured in that moment. the photo is telling...
i actually can't believe i missed the match.
i can't even blame my job, because with this tourney being played in california, and this match scheduled for the afternoon, and my apartment being a 10-minute walk from my office (7 minutes, if i'm scurrying and catching "walk signs" the whole way), i could easily have made it home, popped some popcorn, made a root beer float, and lazed on the sofa and enjoyed at least the last 2 sets.
but alas. this--arguably one of the biggest, richest non-slam events for men and women--is being carried on fox sports network and they seem to know, or care, not one fat lick about tennis, as they've lined up a mere 4 hours of coverage per day (in 2-hour windows).
that just makes no sense.
perhaps next year i will just have to plan to attend the tournament in person. fans of the concrete elbow were treated to a behind the scenes, all grounds pass and it sounds like exactly the kind of long weekend i need... but honestly, after reading that post (and the one from today), i'm starting to wonder what i enjoy more...watching tennis, or reading about steve tignor, watching tennis.
is it crazy to derive so much pure joy from reading?
if so, then i am a goner...
