Tennis is unique in that it takes a special athlete and a unique level of dedication to play tennis. It’s more than a game; it’s a lifestyle. More importantly, a true tennis fan is unlike any other sports enthusiast.
Living in the polarised world of pro tennis, they perceive even mundane things differently from other people. With that in mind, here are 10 things that only tennis aficionados will understand.
1. Timezones never work out:
Waking up early in the morning is no big deal for you because no matter where you live in the world, the most anticipated and talked about matches, especially those of your favorite players are always played at midnight in your current location.
2. The Grand slams are your Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving and Easter
Grand slams are your favorite time of the year. Since only four of them are played in a single calendar year, you prepare yourself to withstand the physical stresses of staying up late for matches throughout the fortnight. Who needs sleep when you have Federer?
3. Fans with the same favorite player become instant besties
You become friends almost instantly with people having the same favorite player as you. You start to get excited and giddy, as you finally have someone to share your love and admiration of your favorite player with.
Anyone who is fan of your favorite’s nemesis becomes your archenemy.
4. All you want in life is your favorite player to win another slam
That feeling when your favorite player wins a Grand Slam! Ah, the goosebumps! Nothing can give you that level of satisfaction.
5. When your favorite player is injured
When your favorite player is not playing because of injury, you take it personally and be like “Oh God! Why is this happening to me? What did I do to hurt anybody?”
6. Trying to hit your favorite player’s shots
Put the video on a replay loop and swing away with your magical invisible racket, as you wave your arms frantically in thin air and that fateful moment when you hit the perfect shot(in your head anyway)… Pure ecstasy.
7. A long rally ends with an unforced error. (Nooooo…..)
Cheering your favorite player is all well and good, but there’s nothing like a fierce rally to build up the atmosphere in the crowd. But when the long rally ends with a silly unforced error, you feel like a 9 year old who was just denied ice-cream by dad.
8. Tiebreak tension
You don’t know stress until you’re watching a tiebreaker in the deciding set. Your favorite wins/loses a mini-break behind in the opening stages? Yell and scream “You got this!” in his home language. Ajde Nole! Vamos Rafa! Allez Roger!
And when it is against a big server, you just wish he’d double fault for once in the match.
9. Your side of the net always feels unlucky
Miracles do happen, especially when the ball hits the net and bounces over unexpectedly. But, it is all a matter of perspective depending on whether it goes in favor of (oh yes!) or against you (That’s so not fair!!!!).
10. That WTA crush every tennis fan has…
You never tell anybody because you’re too embarrassed but you hold onto that fantasy forever. Well, at least until they grow older and look like your aunt anyway.
You feel sad when you get word of their new boyfriend and the news of engagement/marriage is an even bigger shock. Yeah, like you had a shot…
Also Read: The 4 Kinds of Tennis Players you see on tour
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