That McEnroe guy is pretty funny. I’m not entirely sure he meant it that way. At times he does look kind of serious. But, same thing was said about Sarah Palin. Then again, she has moose for dinner.
However, in all seriousness, you can’t really compare John McEnroe with Sarah Palin. McEnroe is a former World No.1 with 7 Grand Slam singles titles to his name while Palin is, well, basically McEnroe is a true champion. And the Showdown of Champions at the Putra Stadium last night provided an ample opportunity for young adults like me who missed his glory days to see the man in action.
Pitted together with one of his rivals, Bjorn Borg and along with the likes of Swiss ace Roger Federer and James Blake, it was truly a memorable exhibition tour for the local tennis fans. And, quite honestly, I didn’t expect such a huge turnout at the event. It was evident even from the TV screen. No, I wasn’t at Bukit Jalil myself and there’s a reason to it which I will indulge later in the post. Still, I was quite surprised by the amount of tennis fans in the country. I guess we have to thank Astro for that for bringing us all the live tournaments. Another sport to love and cheer.
Now, the reason I stayed at home and watched the matches within the comforts of my living room (which is always a good reason) is that it was held in the middle of the week. Why oh why? The National Sports Complex isn’t exactly located next door. From where I am staying, I have to cross the city to get there. And on a Tuesday evening, good luck with the traffic. I should know. I went to the Chelsea game. Honestly, what is it with these event organizers? Haven’t they heard about weekends? You know, when most of the people DO NOT go to work? When the evening rush hour is non-existent? Would that not result in a higher turnout? Please, correct me if I’m wrong. The way I see it, it’s just bonkers.
However, I should point out that traffic is not the true reason I didn’t bought tickets for the Showdown of Champions. While I have the greatest respect for McEnroe, Borg and especially Federer, okay maybe even Blake, truth is, taking away all the success and glamour, they were just four guys playing tennis. Two of them are dancing around the age of fifty. So, excuse me for the lack of enthusiasm for paying good dough to see a couple of old farts banging a green ball around with a racquet. Same argument last time Federer came to town. He was with Pete Sampras back then. Again, huge respect but really? He’s balding, for God’s sakes.
What I really loved to have done is to cross the causeway not long after the Sampras-Federer matchup because our good neighbours Singapore had a similar tennis exhibition match going on. Only they have someone named Maria Sharapova coming over.
See what I mean? It’s like the F1 story all over again. We have this great sporting idea and the Singaporeans took the same idea and bettered it. Instead of thin-haired, short-fused retired male tennis players, why couldn’t we have some blond Russians running up and down our courts? Do that and I’m sure as hell to be one of the first in the ticketing line. No matter what day it’s held.
Nevertheless, you do have to give credit to the people who have made the effort to bring these former pros to our shores. You can see what they’re trying to do here. That is, hosting our own ATP/WTA tournament. I mean, when you look at it, it’s not such a far fetched idea. They already have one in Bali and that place has a dark history of being notoriously targeted by terrorist. Twice. Over here, the only thing that gets blown up is ATMs. Don’t place one near the courts and we’re good.
Of course, to be included in the ATP/WTA calendar is not as easy as it seems. Exactly, like making spaghetti. With F1, you can build a world-class circuit and you’re good enough to be considered into the championship calendar. But, our facility-building expertise counts for nothing when it comes to tennis tournaments. More like in golf. Everybody has a world-class venue in their backyard. So, one way to do it is by bringing the number one player of the game to play in an exhibition match and only then people will take notice. Although, things haven’t quite turned out as well for golf.
Hopefully, this latest venture will succeed in bringing the likes of Nadal and Federer (again) here but this time for a competitive match. And, fingers crossed, Sharapova and her friends. Wouldn’t you like to experience the Siberian Siren in the flesh? I know I would. Or Dementieva. Or Kuznetsova. Safina, for that matter. Don’t even get me started on Ivanovic. My God, the list is endless.
If you would excuse me, I’d like to go and start collecting tennis memorabilia. You know, just to be ready for the meet the fans session. Cheers.
However, in all seriousness, you can’t really compare John McEnroe with Sarah Palin. McEnroe is a former World No.1 with 7 Grand Slam singles titles to his name while Palin is, well, basically McEnroe is a true champion. And the Showdown of Champions at the Putra Stadium last night provided an ample opportunity for young adults like me who missed his glory days to see the man in action.
Pitted together with one of his rivals, Bjorn Borg and along with the likes of Swiss ace Roger Federer and James Blake, it was truly a memorable exhibition tour for the local tennis fans. And, quite honestly, I didn’t expect such a huge turnout at the event. It was evident even from the TV screen. No, I wasn’t at Bukit Jalil myself and there’s a reason to it which I will indulge later in the post. Still, I was quite surprised by the amount of tennis fans in the country. I guess we have to thank Astro for that for bringing us all the live tournaments. Another sport to love and cheer.
Now, the reason I stayed at home and watched the matches within the comforts of my living room (which is always a good reason) is that it was held in the middle of the week. Why oh why? The National Sports Complex isn’t exactly located next door. From where I am staying, I have to cross the city to get there. And on a Tuesday evening, good luck with the traffic. I should know. I went to the Chelsea game. Honestly, what is it with these event organizers? Haven’t they heard about weekends? You know, when most of the people DO NOT go to work? When the evening rush hour is non-existent? Would that not result in a higher turnout? Please, correct me if I’m wrong. The way I see it, it’s just bonkers.
However, I should point out that traffic is not the true reason I didn’t bought tickets for the Showdown of Champions. While I have the greatest respect for McEnroe, Borg and especially Federer, okay maybe even Blake, truth is, taking away all the success and glamour, they were just four guys playing tennis. Two of them are dancing around the age of fifty. So, excuse me for the lack of enthusiasm for paying good dough to see a couple of old farts banging a green ball around with a racquet. Same argument last time Federer came to town. He was with Pete Sampras back then. Again, huge respect but really? He’s balding, for God’s sakes.
What I really loved to have done is to cross the causeway not long after the Sampras-Federer matchup because our good neighbours Singapore had a similar tennis exhibition match going on. Only they have someone named Maria Sharapova coming over.
See what I mean? It’s like the F1 story all over again. We have this great sporting idea and the Singaporeans took the same idea and bettered it. Instead of thin-haired, short-fused retired male tennis players, why couldn’t we have some blond Russians running up and down our courts? Do that and I’m sure as hell to be one of the first in the ticketing line. No matter what day it’s held.
Nevertheless, you do have to give credit to the people who have made the effort to bring these former pros to our shores. You can see what they’re trying to do here. That is, hosting our own ATP/WTA tournament. I mean, when you look at it, it’s not such a far fetched idea. They already have one in Bali and that place has a dark history of being notoriously targeted by terrorist. Twice. Over here, the only thing that gets blown up is ATMs. Don’t place one near the courts and we’re good.
Of course, to be included in the ATP/WTA calendar is not as easy as it seems. Exactly, like making spaghetti. With F1, you can build a world-class circuit and you’re good enough to be considered into the championship calendar. But, our facility-building expertise counts for nothing when it comes to tennis tournaments. More like in golf. Everybody has a world-class venue in their backyard. So, one way to do it is by bringing the number one player of the game to play in an exhibition match and only then people will take notice. Although, things haven’t quite turned out as well for golf.
Hopefully, this latest venture will succeed in bringing the likes of Nadal and Federer (again) here but this time for a competitive match. And, fingers crossed, Sharapova and her friends. Wouldn’t you like to experience the Siberian Siren in the flesh? I know I would. Or Dementieva. Or Kuznetsova. Safina, for that matter. Don’t even get me started on Ivanovic. My God, the list is endless.
If you would excuse me, I’d like to go and start collecting tennis memorabilia. You know, just to be ready for the meet the fans session. Cheers.
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