Wimbledon court memories<\/p>\n
By Russell Barlow<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): I count myself lucky to be one of the few to
\nfulfill every tennis player's dream to play on the Center Court
\nat Wimbledon, the world's oldest and most revered tennis
\ntournament.<\/p>\n
As a young tennis player growing up in Australia, I would beg
\nmy parents to allow me to stay up until the late hours to watch
\nthe tape-delayed telecasts of matches from Wimbledon.<\/p>\n
As I watched my heroes -- John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Roy
\nEmerson, Rod Laver -- I would try to imagine how it would feel to
\nstep onto the Center Court in front of a packed stadium.<\/p>\n
Of course, we had good grass tennis courts in Australia, but
\nthey could not compare with the images of immaculately
\nmaintained, lush green courts of England that I saw on
\ntelevision. And Wimbledon is more than tennis. No tournament has
\nwitnessed the history, drama or legendary matches of this
\ntournament, which began in 1877.<\/p>\n
Even its official name, the All England Lawn Tennis and
\nCroquet Club, and the use of \"Gentlemen\" and \"Ladies\" in
\nidentifying players is an echo from a distant, more genteel era.
\nWhat other tournament but Wimbledon can make Andre Agassi put his
\nflamboyant wardrobe aside and don all-white for two weeks?<\/p>\n
I realized my ambition to become a professional tennis player
\nat the age of 17, eventually ranking in the top 175 on the ATP
\nTour computer list and winning several Challengers, the second
\ntier of men's tennis tournaments.<\/p>\n
As I traveled the international circuit I kept my childhood
\ndream of playing on Center Court and in 1987, quite unexpectedly
\nand at the age of 26, my dream came true.<\/p>\n
Wimbledon<\/p>\n
Wimbledon in 1987 was one of the wettest on record, with
\nfrequent downpours playing havoc with the schedule. I was
\nentered into the doubles with my partner, Harald Rittersbacher,
\nas a \"Lucky Loser\" after being beaten in the final round of the
\nqualifying tournament.<\/p>\n
We drew the French pair of Guy Forget and Yannick Noah, and
\nexpected to have our match completed by the second day of the
\ntournament. The rain kept on falling in torrents and on Friday we
\nwere informed that we would play the following day.<\/p>\n
There had always been the chance that we would play on one of
\nthe \"show\" courts of Center or Court One because Noah was the
\nworld's best doubles player, but I was still taken aback when I
\nsaw we were scheduled for Center Court.<\/p>\n
Walking onto Center Court was just as awe-inspiring as I had
\nalways imagined. Some players describe Center Court as cavernous,
\nbut to me there is a great intimacy about the stadium. This
\nbegins from the moment players walk onto the court, as they are
\nalways greeted by applause from the English crowds, who are both
\nknowledgeable about the game and appreciative of fine tennis.<\/p>\n
Atmosphere<\/p>\n
This intimate atmosphere builds during the warmup when the
\nspectators start to return to their seats and the stadium is
\nfull. Of course, I was nervous because there is a tinge of
\nforeboding at performing in front of so many people, both in the
\nstands and on television.<\/p>\n
I still had a few butterflies when the match got underway.
\nGuy and Yannick were old friends of mine from my days of living
\nand training in France and I knew their games well. Guy served
\nfirst and, in my zeal to hit a great return and make a great
\nimpression, I missed the ball completely.<\/p>\n
Well, I almost got hit by it as it swung into my body and I
\nhad to jump out of the way.<\/p>\n
We all laughed and this little incident broke the ice
\nsomewhat. It is always enjoyable to play against good friends and
\nthe match was fun. We won a few games, gave Noah and Forget a run
\nfor their money and the crowd seemed to enjoy the match.<\/p>\n
I guess I have what is known as \"flashbulb\" memory retention
\nabout the match, where you remember specific aspects of a
\nsignificant incident in your life, but these are not necessarily
\nthe most important details. For instance, I cannot remember the
\nscore, but I do recollect certain shots that I hit, some faces in
\nthe crowd and when Harald accidentally hit one of the ballgirls
\nwith a shot (he apologized!).<\/p>\n
The BBC also gives videos of matches to players, and I was
\nfortunate that the late Dan Maskell, the so-called voice of
\ntennis, was commentating on my match. I sometimes sit down,
\neither alone or with friends, switch on the video and relive a
\nvery special day in July when my dream came true.<\/p>\n
Russell Barlow is the ATP Tour Consultant for the ATP Tour
\nWorld Doubles Championship scheduled for Jakarta in November.<\/p>",
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