Photo by Dusan Vemic
Here I am sitting and complaining about how cold it is, that I can’t really go out for more then a few seconds, as for some reason I was spoiled over the last 20+ years with a tennis life and got used to chasing the Sun.
Now, that said, the question is: is my -10C’ (15F’) better then +42 (108F’) in Australia, and we all know that 42C’ is not on the tennis court, it is at least “a bit” warmer then that..
That is the only problem with tennis today.. Days like this, as there are really no quick points anymore. Everyone is patient and deliberate in what their goal is and they start their rallies rather conservatively. So points last way longer on average then before. All in all, not super healthy.
My question is:
If -10 is too cold to play tennis outdoors, when is too hot to be officially unsafe to play? How many retirements, heat strokes? I am not sure what the answer is, but fellow female and male tennis players are hurting out there.. I mean, they will play–it’s their job– but 42C’ + at least 10C’ more on the hard court itself for at least 90min, is anything but walk in the park.
I wish all of them much milder weather until the end of the tournament, then they can hit the beach and enjoy an awesome time in Melbourne. Or, wait a minute, no they can’t! The next tournament awaits.. Back west, or East, for tournaments in (still very cold) Europe, and a couple of events in Asia and USA (Hawaii), but that is the “glamorous” life of a tennis players..
On a brighter note, I was checking out the doubles draw and I must say that there are quite a few new partnerships, and I see most of them doing well..
I especially see, that the team on a pedestal is not going anywhere, anytime soon! But these pairings will give BryanBro’s long time coach David Macpherson Macca little extra work to do learning about new teams.
Nothing unpredictable in a “new” old Belgrade team Nestor/Zimonjić. Those two veterans have decided to come back together, as neither of them were as successful with other doubles partners as they were while playing together. Pretty excited about this partnership.
Fleming/Hutchins, had stopped playing together for different reasons. Good old Rosco faced a very difficult battle in first 6 months of 2013 and now that battle is behind him he can enjoy his comeback on the TOUR! Very happy to see them back on track having their 1st rd win at the Australian Open under the belt!
Tecau/Rojer is another interesting match-up. Great guys. great competitors, great fighters. Interesting team since both really like that Ad side of the court, so it will be interesting to see how they will handle this little hurdle. I wish them all the luck!
And now at the last doubles team Brown/Monfils.
I know I know, they might be just having fun, as Monfils rarely plays much doubles, but… If you like to watch doubles, those boys are flashy!! So who knows, they just might enjoy this little event longer then planned!
Anyway, I wish them all a bit milder weather…I know that someone says it is the survival of the fittes. I say: Mother Nature in Melbourne, Victoria, please be kind to them tennis players, fans, ball kids, empires, ground staff, give them 10 days of that heavenly weather Australian summers are known for.
Thanks
Dusan Vemic
Topics: 10sballs, Australian Open, Dusan Vemic, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News