A few days before this when Jim and I had brunch he referenced a "milk bar" in conversation. He explained to me that it was basically a bodega, but that most of them had closed down because of the presence of gas stations, modern mini marts, and grocery store chains. I found the remnants of one on my way to the train station on day 5.
Alison Riske (18) v. Julia Goerges
I was interested in seeing Alison Riske play again and was happy to see that she was playing Julie Goerges. I'm not a huge Goerges fan, but I will keep one of her matches on if I'm watching one of the majors at home and they're covering her. I was also interested in scoping out this match because I suspected that show court seating would fill up pretty fast for the next match between Tennys Sandgren and Sam Querrey.
I originally sat in one of the corners in the very first row. It was a perfect seat for me ... perfect until there were a few small groups of Americans from various locations within the SEC that were asked about their political preferences by a European. After the man sitting directly next to me expressed his deep love of Trump, I knew I was going to need to leave. It immediately got awkward between the non-American and the Trump supporter. The tension was palpable. It wasn't that I am so intolerant of others that I couldn't sit next to a Trump fan, but I was on vacation and just didn't want to any of that to be in the forefront of my mind. I wanted to watch tennis, enjoy the sunshine, and have incredibly-disconnected-from-the-real-world fun. I knew I wouldn't be able to resist eavesdropping on the conversation and I didn't want any of that in mind.
A few games into the first set I decided to get up, get something to eat and drink, and move seats. Little did I know, I accidentally sat directly next to Julia Goerges' player's box... cheering for Ali Riske. In my head I was cheering loud and proud, but I decided to keep it outwardly quiet and respectful. I clapped for good tennis. LOL
This video is from my first seat.
Tennys Sandgren v. Sam Querrey
After Ali Riske won I stayed in my seat and watched Tennys Sandgren absolutely dominate Sam Querrey. I sat next to Sandgren's box, which was pretty cool because his team was definitely there to keep him hyped and that was fun to be around. I went into the match excited to see Querrey, but he was flat and frankly disappointing. He didn't even seem like he was trying. He didn't seem like he wanted to be there. Tennys Sandgren was energetic, dynamic, and really exciting to watch. I came out of that match a Sandgren fan for sure. Not only did I follow him throughout the tourney, but I will continue to follow him. I felt like this tournament was his coming out party and we're going to see him advance and really carve out a spot for himself among the top players.
I have never seen someone hit a ball like Sandgren. I've seen powerful hitters - Federer, Djokovic, Wawrinka, etc. - but when Sandgren hits the ball he flicks his wrist and snaps the racquet. It's fascinating. Other players do it when they go for the big hit, but he does it consistently. To witness it in person was awesome. I don't know if it looks the same on tv, but I was in awe of it. I kept expecting that power to diminish as the match went on, but it didn't.
Plus, like Michael Mmoh, he's very photograph-able because he is super strong through his legs and often strikes the ball after he's already off the ground. Too bad I didn't actually get any good photos. His quads and butt are super strong. I know I probably shouldn't comment on this, but the dude's ass is phenomenal. I mean, it makes sense - if his power is coming from his legs he's going to have a muscly ass too. I couldn't stop staring. That booty is legit.
Match point:
After this match ended I decided to go home, but on the way to the train station I heard chants coming from the stadium across the street. I made the false assumption that the local professional teams would schedule away competition during the Australian Open. That way public transportation and parking wouldn't be over crowded. But, I was wrong! One day I was on the train going to the tennis and there were people on the same train going to a soccer match and a cricket match. There could have been other things going on too, but that's all I knew about. Three professional sport events going on in the same area and they all seemed to be successful. It made that area of Melbourne feel so vibrant.
So, anyway, I decided to check out the match. While waiting to cross the street I asked a few people who were clearly going to the game what was going on. They told me that it was a soccer match between the Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC. I was told that while the soccer wasn't that great, this match was important because Melbourne and Sydney are rivals and fuck Sydney. They assured me that despite the fact that they were late to arrive at the game, there was still enough to see. So, I went over to the box office to see how much of the match had already happened and how much money the cheapest ticket would cost. If there was enough time left in the match for it to be worth it and if I could see it rather cheaply I'd go. While I was waiting in line one of the guys I was talking to before I crossed the street came over to offer me a ticket. It turns out the group had season passes in the supporters section and I could sneak in with a pass that wasn't be used.
It was great! I mean, it was awful soccer and I only stayed for about 30 minutes, but it was fun. Initially I thought everyone in the group was all the same age, but I learned that they ranged from older teenagers to middle aged parents with some cousins and friends in the mix. The guy that I spoke with for most of the time was from Chile and I feel bad because I can't remember his name now. Experiences like this one are part of what I like most about traveling - the random experience with total strangers that you never know you're going to get.
Oh, and I also learned that in Australia soccer is soccer, not football. You might hear it called footy, but in some parts of the country footy is rugby. It can be really confusing when talking with people from different regions of the country.
And then I went home...