Morning all - hope you're all well! whatnextfred lovely news about the proposal!! Didn't he get you Wimbledon tickets for your birthday? Sounds like excellent marriage material to me!!
I'm still reeling from yesterday tbh. That first match was just... Oh god. I've read the thread and it made me laugh so much because you all seemed to go through all the same emotions as we did sitting there. The third set was actually some decent (ish) tennis... but it just looked so inevitable that it was going to go to 5... and when it did, oh boy. I know I m always complaining about people not making the most of being there, having tickets, they should be enjoying it etc. But we ended up going out for afternoon tea at something like 6-7 - we'd never normally leave a match in the middle, but we were just so sick of the sight of them even by then! I don't blame the players in any way (well maybe Isner) but it was just a terrible situation for everyone. We came back for the final 195 games, or whatever it was and we were just delirious, basically. All the points just looked the same - massive serve, massive groundies, maybe the odd half-volley, etc. The worst bit was when it started raining because if they'd gone off then God knows what would have happened and everyone was so edgy, just dreading Rafa-Novak not coming on at all.
Anyway. When they did come on, it was literally the best moment I've ever seen on a tennis court. Honestly. The cheers that went up when their names were put on the board was just something else. We'd had two giant servebots bashing balls at each other, looking like dishevelled zombies, basically, with Kevin staggering over the line, no way to win a match, I really felt for him. Then Rafa and Novak came out, box fresh, absolutely wired and up for it, and everyone was going nuts, it was fecking amazing.
From the first point, they just seemed like wizards or superheroes or something - honestly, the creativity, variety, tactics, etc - it was just jaw-dropping, especially in comparison with the first match. Everyone was marvelling at it: "this is real tennis, now you're talking" etc. Novak straight backed, chest out, doing some light yoga while waiting to receive serve, such precise shots finding all the corners and lines. Rafa fist pumping and vamos-ing all over the place, hitting crazy inside-out forehands and drop shots. Talk about finesse - he's got it all, I'd never fully realised how much until yesterday. Wow. He hit this amazing overhead at one stage - almost with his back to the net - I need to see it on the replay but I was just laughing, it was so good.
I feel gutted and robbed that we couldn't see the end of that match - I was devastated last night really, but this morn I just feel so glad to have seen those three sets. And a little bit completely in love with them both.