It’s the first day of Wimbledon and that’s enough motivation for me this week.
So, byeeeee!
Okay, okay, I’ll hang around a little longer.
I absolutely love this tournament and have been lucky enough to visit and soak up the rarified atmosphere.
Mum took me for the first time when I was 14. I’m not one for picking out good outfits but vividly remember my voluminous ankle-length white circular skirt and knitted yellow tank top. I thought I was the business!
A memorable moment - aside from the strawberries and cream, which tasted better than any other just because of the occasion - was seeing John McEnroe having a complete meltdown on Court Number 1.
He was such a charismatic player, one of my all-time favourites, and I loved the on-court tussles he had with Jimmy Connors, Goran Ivanišević, Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker. Many years later, I saw him singing karaoke at a bar in Malibu. That was surreal. The 2022 documentary, McEnroe, where he talks about his career, is a great watch.
Before everything became so oversubscribed, you could head to the All England Tennis Club after work and catch some of the action. When I was living in London during the Nineties and early Naughts, I went a few times. During the first week, in particular, you were guaranteed a good three to four hours of tennis at a much-reduced price, depending on the weather (always a factor in SW19).
It doesn’t look good for home-grown hero Andy Murray this year, due to his health issues, but his first singles win, in 2013, is one of the sporting highlights of my lifetime. My lungs flipped inside out from yelling at the telly. That, and Torvill and Dean getting perfect 6.0’s for performing the Bolero, at the Sarajevo Olympics, back in ‘84, are right up there.
The dedication and drive of those who choose sport as their profession is admirable, and frankly, almost unfathomable to the likes of us ordinary humans. I can only compare it to how I feel about writing; I’ve certainly got those 10,000 hours (and more) under my belt and even at this stage of my life, still feel the need to keep pushing and creating. I’m not even sure that’s an adequate comparison but it’s the only one I have.
However, even for a physical weedling such as myself, there’s something hugely inspiring about watching the best of the best slog it out on Centre Court. And this is a particularly interesting time for tennis. There’s a lot of talk about this year being the dawn of a new era; this is the first Wimbledon without a Williams sister since 1997, and the men’s singles is also wide open.
So, for the foreseeable future, you’ll find me watching and listening to as much of the action as I can. I just need to nip out for some strawberries and cream and then I’m all set.
Oh, and someone have a word with the rain gods. If they could bother another postcode for a couple of weeks that would be as perfect as a championship-point backhand from Djokovic.
Have a great week!
Lisa
Get yourself in the mood with this classic…
I would adore to go to Wimbledon one day!