Wimbledon impressions

Allow me to escape from the intricacies of the national election system for a while, or from intrigues masterminded by certain politicians whose influence is waning. Instead, let us go back to the finals of the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

Frankly speaking, I had hoped to see Martina Hingis or Venus Williams in the women's final. To my disappointment, Martina was eliminated in the first round by the hard-fighting Australian immigrant youngster, Lucic, who later earned the title of "giant killer". You know, I like to see Martina Hingis play, because I think she is so generous with her smile, whether winning or losing a point.

And Venus Williams? Well, because I suppose she had a difficult time when she was growing up, together with her sister Serene Williams, as the majority of the less fortunate people do in the U.S.. How wonderful it was to see a recent TV broadcast of the sisters in the U.S. final.

To my eyes, both men's and women's finals were lackluster events, in the sense that both matches rarely displayed tense and exciting moments, despite the players superb display of world class tennis.

In the men's final, it was if Sampras was giving the American fans' favorite a lesson in hard-hitting, although Agassi could teach Sampras how to return a rocket-like serve. If one was to enjoy the encounter, it should have lasted five or four sets, not three.

Had I paid to see the match, I would have returned my ticket to the organizing committee and demanded my money back in Euro currency.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta