Tennis is tough, gets a bum rap
When it comes to the majors, tennis seems to baffle many fans of sports.
Tennis gets a bum rap since it is most successfully played in private clubs, where there are instructors and well-groomed courts – and, you know, rich kids. That always sort of hurt its street credibility, no matter that many of the great tennis players like Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe and the Williams sisters came off of the public courts.
Too many people make the mistake of thinking it’s an easy game that is simply hitting a ball over the net with a paddle, but those who take to the court on a lark quickly find out that it’s not.
Tennis is an incredibly demanding game that requires the conditioning of a hockey player, the mechanics of a major-league baseball pitcher, the grace of an Olympic ice skater and the footwork and instincts of a boxer. In fact, outside of boxing, tennis is the only major one-on-one sport in the world.
Tennis also features that “last man (or woman) standing” vibe. The tournament structure – something that NCAA basketball fans can respect and appreciate – is even more pronounced in tennis. In tennis, lots of players go in, but only one person comes out. For singles players, it’s the ultimate in mental toughness: No coaching is allowed. There is nobody in your corner when you’re out on the court. You’re a gladiator with a racquet.
The major tennis tournaments also contain a lot of the finer aspects of other sports. Like baseball, every tournament features its own little quirks. For instance, the U.S. Open is plagued with noise from passing jetliners that completely mutes the sound of a bouncing ball, making it tough on concentration. The Australian Open is played in oven-like conditions, making it tough to stay hydrated. The French Open in played in France, in front of a lot of French people.
It is for all these reasons mentioned above that Wimbledon matters most to this sport. Wimbledon is the most prestigious of all tennis tournaments. And while British stuffiness may annoy some (you have to curtsy before the queen, and you get admonished with a curt “quiet please” if you dare applaud too loudly), they also run the tightest tournament around.
Like the Augusta National Golf Club in America, Wimbledon (officially named The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club) is an exclusive, private club that keeps its courts immaculately groomed. For two weeks, combatants fight until the rye grass recedes back into English dirt. When finished, the winner at Wimbledon dusts off his or her whites, having earned the right to be called one of the finest champions in sport.