WIMBLEDON 2012
I wasn’t planning on writing about this year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament this early in the fortnight. (Today is only Day 4.) But I just had to expand on at least my latest tweet regarding some of what’s going on there. [Note: don’t forget to check out my tweets @KarenSalkin. I usually don’t write them daily, but rather when I feel it’s necessary to weigh-in on something.]
So, here are my latest ones, followed by an expanded rant on the last one:
Day 1: “Could Venus Williams be any ruder to reporters???”
Day 2: “Brian Baker is perhaps the most inspirational athlete ever! I’m rooting for him at Wimbledon all the way! Until Federer, that is.”
Maria Sharapova.
Day 3: “It’s not fair for female tennis players, like Maria Sharapova, to scream like that during the match! It’s so distracting!”
That last one is the one I really want to expand on!
Forget how unladylike all that grunting is; if I, just a fan watching at home, am distracted by all this screaming, what it must be like for the opponents? It’s just so unfair. At the French Open, I saw a girl penalized a point for a slight yell after she hit the ball. But many of the rest of them do a two-note grunt/scream, the sound of which hangs in the air for a second after it’s over, with no repercussions whatsoever! How is that fair?
And on Centre Court Wimbledon, when the roof is closed, that horrible shriek reverberates. Again, if we hear it on TV, how loud and uncomfortable is it on the court?
I believe the rules of tennis state that players can’t talk when the ball is in play, so how are screams allowed???
I always hear rumors that the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) is going to address the issue, (even just yesterday, right after I had written most of this column, as a matter of fact,) but the noises have been going on since the days of Monica Seles, and appear to be getting worse. Have you ever heard Victoria Azarenka? She’s the worst. But the aforementioned Sharapova, plus Serena Williams and Francesca Schiavone are right up there.
It’s just so jarring.
And if the wonderful Kim Clijsters, (who’s sadly retiring for good at the end of this year,) can be so classy at all times, under every circumstance, why can’t so many of them not even come close?
Brian Baker.
On the non-complaint side, I have to make note of all the health horror stories we’ve been hearing about, over all three days. It’s great that all these afflicted players are back! Brian Baker, about whom I tweeted, was out for over six years with five different horrible surgeries, including a “Tommy John” elbow one! And Jamie Baker, ( a young Brit, of no relation to Brian,) was in intensive care for three days with a weird blood malady where he could have died from a small cut! Kim Clijsters has also had numerous injuries that have side-lined her for big chunks of the past year and a half. But the granddaddy of them all is America’s own Mardy Fish, who had a heart procedure just five weeks ago! But I can barely watch it all because I have a broken back! What a wuss I am!
The Stranger I Love Most, Roger Federer.
I must say that the highlight of the tournament so far, for me, has been watching Roger Federer win both his early matches so easily; it’s like butter. We get to just sit back and enjoy his beautiful movement, with none of the worry that accompanies his later round matches. And that’s just the way I like it.
Look for more tweets on the tennis from me in the coming days @KarenSalkin. I’m sure I’ll have a lot on my mind to share with you. Let’s hope it’s all good! (But don’t hold your breath.)
