Tennis isn't the most exciting sport to those who are fans of American football, baseball, and basketball. It is, however, the most beautiful if you just sit down and watch what is happening. It's art in motion, beauty that flows through every stroke, every earthly grunt, every shriek, and every ounce of blood, sweat, and tear dropped to the court.
It's true that there's beauty in everyday life, and this includes football, baseball, basketball, and every other sport, but to me, and many other fanatics like me, the way tennis is played is what makes it the best.
It's two warriors going head to head, no one to blame for failures and crown for victories other than themselves. The sheer magnitude of one small point at 30-all in the fifth set of the final at Wimbledon is enough to break a man or woman. It's one of the hardest sports to play, let alone master.
There isn't as big a following in America as there is in Europe and South America, yet we yearn for another American to make it to the top of the game.
One of the best parts of the game is the contrasting styles. Like any great football game, a great defense facing a great offense is what we want to see. A team that can turn defense to offense, like my 2002 Super Bowl winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers, can beat even the best offense. A good analogy to that is Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Roger Federer plays with all of the elegance and class we've come to expect from the 16 time Grand Slam winner, while Rafael Nadal battles every point, scrapping to get to seemingly unreachable balls and hitting them for surprising winners. In the past year, Novak Djokovic has done the same, coming up with ridiculous angles, and adding extreme power and grace to his game.
How can you not love a sport that features people from nearly every country? Two Americans are ranked in the Top 10! That's equal to Serbia's #1 Novak Djokovic and #8 Janko Tipsarevic. Mardy Fish and Big John Isner are 9th and 10th respectively. We haven't had a #1 player from the US since Andy Roddick won the 2001 U.S. Open. Mardy Fish may be at the end of his career, but the youth movement is here! John Isner has beaten Roger Federer on clay, and Novak Djokovic on a hard court, AND is the only man in history to take Rafael Nadal to a 5th set at his beloved Roland Garros. Ryan Sweeting, Donald Young, and Ryan Harrison all are in the top 100, and are climbing every week. It's one of the most exciting times in the history of tennis to be a fan!
To spur your interest in the most beautiful game ever invented, here are some videos I'm addicted to:
Roger Federer Marchin' On
Rudyard Kipling's "If" read by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer - Beautiful points
TOP 10 Best Tennis Points HD (not according to me)
I hope you all will see the beauty of this game and become, if not crazy fans, at least interested in the game!
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