Monday, July 06, 2009

O Life, How Cruel Thou Art


Life can be cruel.

In the wee hours of this morning, I was again reminded of this fact—not that it is something we need to be reminded of.

And so, as Roger Federer lifted his record 15th Grand Slam trophy up for all the 15,000 (and more around the world) Wimbledon crowd to behold—everyone, including the champion was keenly aware of the man with the backwards cap, silent, head bowed, lips grim, loosely holding the runner up plate.

After over 4 hours of tightly-contested, nail-biting, cardiac-arrestable tennis, the victor was—the usual suspect. From Fed’s point of view—one could say that he only proved to all and sundry that he is a true champion—one who knew how to fight like there was no tomorrow even when it seemed like doom was inevitable. Alas, some storylines give you all the drama of twists and turns, only to end predictably.

Alas for Roddick. He fought with courage—it was true grit in action. A lesser man would have just thrown in the towel halfway through the 5th set--and be consoled by the fact that he did try his best. But fought he did, with all his might but still he lost.

The problem with tennis is that it is a lot more like life than Hollywood: The brave David-warrior does not always win his war against Goliath-gladiator.

But just like life—tennis is unpredictable. And unpredictability can bring with it, hope.

Oh the drama! No wonder I am in love with tennis.

8 comments:

bing said...

i am not a fan of the sport. it is life's unpredictability that i want to share my thoughts. indeed, it is unpredictable, therefore we make the best of what is at hand. affirmations can help but it is always the hope that God provides that we survive.

Forever59er said...

You wrote so passionately and lyrically about the championship tennis match I feel I am missing out on something.

I caught the passion even if I don't know the first thing about the game, although a game that uses 'love' over and over in its scoring couldn't be all that bad. :)

Wil said...

Roddick did great even if it was just 2nd place. Everyone had written him off and he performed beyond expectations. Good for him. And also for Roger. :D

Unknown said...

You stayed up all night just to catch the match? Addict ka nga, hehe. ;-D

Gilchrist said...

Hi Gypsy. There was a time in the not so distant past when tennis was a little more predictable. Sampras would almost always win (when he was young, almost unbeatable before his 30th birthday, sigh). We can always predict the grunts and curses of McEnroe, Connors and the like. We can predict the smooth signature baseline strokes of Borg. We always expect the energetic and acrobatic shots that made Agassi an exciting player. Yeah, there are still those kinds of players nowadays but, as you said, the end result is unpredictable. Come to think of it, entertainment wrestling is maybe the only "sport" where the outcome is more predictable (scripted maybe? hehehe)

Gilchrist

vernaloo said...

patay tayo jan....hindi ako makarelate hehe mahirap sabayan or ma adik sa tennis. The players are getting cuter and cuter...nakakadepress

hello na lang mare and hope everything is well with you (at talagang na depress eh noh hahaha)

Toe said...

The game was fantastic. But was really so tired and had to wake up early pa the next day.

Roddick fought valiantly. He matured so much and this is probably his closest fight with Federer who always manages to destroy him badly.

For the first time nga, kampi ako kay Roddick. :) That says a lot especially coming from a staunch Federer fan. :)

7thstranger said...

i love tennis. used to play it regularly when i was younger. i recall hubby and i would be screaming our hearts out watching the games on tv... but it's been a long time, di ko na nasusundan due to busy sked.