Better Than I Imagined (Day 14)

Dominic Thiem (5) v. Novak Djokovic (2)

The 2020 Australian Open Men's Final.

I rolled into the Men's Final like it was old hat, like I belonged on the grounds.  It felt right to be there. I could see myself living in Melbourne and working for the tournament or going back as a fan.  I truly hope that this wasn't my one shot to be there.  Out of all of my worldwide travel, Melbourne and the AO are one of the very few places I'd like to go back without reservation. I usually like to go somewhere, experience it, cherish my memories, and then try somewhere new, but I don't want Melbourne to be only in my memory. It's a place and experience that I don't think would be tarnished if I revisited it.  It's not something I want to preserve as it was, but I want to live the tournament again and feel its evolution over time. It was really cool speaking with people throughout the two weeks who had been coming for 10 or 20 years and hearing about all of the changes they've witnessed. I can't help but wonder how my views on the tournament would change if I had been able to go to Rolland Garos, Wimbledon, or the US Open. Would it be as special to me or would another one be even better? It would be so much more convenient if the US Open was my favorite. LOL This wasn't my year to get a Calendar Slam, but hopefully those tournaments are still on my horizon.  

I had so much fun at the Men's Final! It was a real party. I sat next to an Irish couple who lived in Melbourne for many years. They were a blast to chat and cheer with while we watched the match. We had great seats - the first row in the uppers. There's no bad view in Rod Laver, but ours provided us with a good perspective and we were high enough to be able to chat quietly here and there without being disruptive.

We were also sitting around a mass of Djokovic fans, which suited me just fine. Or at least it did until they became pretty obnoxious.  I loved the energy they brought, but some drank a lot and then wanted to always get the last cheer in before the next point started. It frequently delayed the next point and was pretty rude to the Thiem. I didn't like that at all.  I wasn't able to capture a video of when they were being pretty obnoxious because I was more interested in the play about to start, but here's a video of some of the fans around us. 

I was gifted the experience of watching my favorite men's player win after a 4-hour battle. As I mentioned in my post about the semifinals, I was nervous about Thiem's ability to bring it for the final. It didn't take long to realize that he was there to win, not to be satisfied with making it to the finals, and was going to make Djokovic work. Never in the match did I feel like Djokovic was taking a commanding lead or like the title was in the bag. I had a weird faith that he was going to win, but I also knew that assurance came from trying to will it to happen. 

The match was the exact culmination of my entire trip to Australia that I dreamed of.  From the moment I bought my tickets to the moment Djokovic held his championship trophy, I 100% took for granted that he'd win. I assumed from the start that he'd be in that position. There was one match where a little doubt creeped in, but I really never believed that he would lose. It felt fated. As I look back now and I think about how many players were in that tournament, I'm a little shocked that it came together like that for me. It's an incredibly egotistical perspective to take. Nothing in the tournament was done for me as an individual. The way this came together felt like it though. Knowing that this might have been my only shot at seeing these iconic players in person, I wanted so bad to see the tournament I imagined, the one I built up in my head.  It didn't work out that way for me on the women's side. I didn't see most of my favorite female players play before they were eliminated, but the magic came together on the men's side.  It was better than I ever could have imagined.  You can hear my excitement after match point was played in the video below.

With the conclusion of the tournament, my time in Australia came to an end. The next morning I boarded a plane for Malaysia. I was excited about what was to come, but really didn't want to leave Australia yet. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 13)

Sofia Kenin (14) v. Garbine Muguruza

The 2020 Australian Open Women's Final. 

The Women's Final.

I still kind of can't believe that I can say that I've actually been to the Australian Open Women's Final. And that I sat in a player's box. For the final. It's insane. 

I'm glad that I have the time to sit down and write about what the night was like and how I felt, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do it justice writing about it now instead of right when I got back to my temporary apartment or the next morning.  I was worried that I would lose the essence of what I really wanted to remember about my time in Melbourne if I didn't do it immediately. I'm sure that some temporal things are lost, but I think there's been value to me waiting to write about it because now I have the ability to step outside of the sheer excitement of the moment to recognize how privileged and unique it really was.  I'm not sure I could have done that in the same way if I reflected on it back in early February.  There were a ton of matches I didn't see, premium seats I didn't sit in, and suites I didn't have access too, but most of those things are things that I could have done if I had a few thousand dollars more to spend. What made my lived experience so valuable were all of the things I got to see and do that money can't buy. 

What I remember most about the Women's Final was how serious it felt. Duh, right? There's an argument to be made that it's more serious strictly because of what's at stake; that the seriousness could be felt no matter where I sat.  While I'm sure that there's some truth to that, I think the palpable feeling of what was at stake was amplified because I was with people who were invested in the outcome of the match in a personal way.  Everyone I sat with was either directly involved in Garbine's performance and career or were extensions of those relationships.  Winning or losing had different meaning for everyone around me.  

Sitting with a player's team is inherently a different experience than sitting among fans.  Anytime I sat in or around the box, I did a lot more self-censoring than I would normally. Sure I chatted between points or made small quiet comments to the people next to me, but generally I kept a lot of thoughts in my head, kept my voice quieter, choose my moments, and was super conscious about when I clapped and cheered. Someone who didn't know me wouldn't necessarily see how I was more reserved than normal, but I was holding back. I wanted to be my real, open self so that I could build real relationships with the people I was meeting, but I was always checking myself to make sure that I was being appropriate for the setting.  I wanted to make sure that I was friendly and approachable, but never intruding on experience of anyone who was "qualified" to be there.  That concept is probably pretty stupid to begin with because I learned that while players have different standards regarding who is in their box, most players boxes have people sitting in it who are "unqualified" friend of friends like me, or business acquaintances of members of the team.  There will be people in their box that they may not know, have never even met. For all the times I sat in Garbine's and Daniil's boxes I didn't once meet them, nor did I expect to do so.  The first two rows are usually filled with the people we'd call the player's team -  coaches, trainers, hitting partners, agents, spouses, etc.  I can't remember if the box is three or four rows, but either way both of those rows tend to have friends, friends of friends, business partners, etc. I think it's fair to say that the players in general don't care that much beyond the first row or two. I know Daniil was particular about the first row of his box, but other than that he probably didn't even notice the rest of us.  

There was a small group of people I got to know while in the boxes and we all commented that one of our dreaded fears was to cheer when no one else did, which is a lot easier to do than you think.  There were so many calls that I had initial reactions to, but I had to take a second to see how others responded. As a fan my view was awesome from the boxes, but not great to judge if a ball was in or out. Seeing a match in person and not having the commentators to guide your viewing experience will quickly make you realize how many more shots than you think are on the line in professional tennis.  I didn't consider my initial reactions as much during the early rounds of the tournament or when I was sitting in the seats I purchased. When I was in the box though, I was super conscientious about waiting a beat before I responded with close calls because the last thing I wanted was to show up on tv looking like I was cheering for a call made in favor of the opponent. I knew that if the box was on tv I wasn't going to be the focus, but I also knew that the chances of me being in a shot were great than if I was sitting pretty much anywhere else. In fact, I was spotted on tv a few times. I didn't want to look like an idiot.  I think I wrote about this before discussing the imperative to get in a seat as fast as possible, but we all talked about how none of us wanted to be the person that the umpire had to tell to be quiet, or to learn that ESPN had zoomed in on us and the commentators were chucking about any of our actions.

This did not happen to me while at the Women's Final, but there were a few times when I felt noticed by players on the court, like the same way you think a singer on stage at a concert is looking at you, singing to you directly.  I think it's a lot more reasonable to think that happened in the earlier rounds when the crowds are smaller and you can be very close to them at times.  Sure they might notice, but it's likely nothing more than a general awareness and their focus is somewhere else - preferably on the match. There was once I thought Stan Wawrinka noticed me, and Shelby Rogers at one point too. I had a friend who played basketball at Valpo and I used to cheer him on from the student section. He told me that he could always see and hear me, even though he always seemed super focused.  I didn't believe him until he quoted back to me something I cheered in the game. I know that hockey players notice people all the time during warm ups or when they're going to the bench. So, who knows? 

Anyway, that was a long way to say that the mood around me during the Women's Final was much more serious because of my direct company in the box. It also didn't help that Garbine didn't dominate.  She took the first set, but she didn't run away with it by any means. It was tense because everyone knew that nothing was guaranteed. Sofia Kenin proved that she deserved to be in the finals. I was hoping that Garbine would build momentum, but I hesitated to make a prediction because elite tennis players have this uncanny ability to go within and sway the momentum of a match when it seems impossible to do so.  Even if she started the second set strong, that didn't mean that Kenin was going to roll over.  Garbine scratched and clawed to stay in the match, but to me it definitely felt like the match was Kenin's to win, as opposed to it being Garbine's to lose. Kenin won the second and pushed the match to three sets. Unfortunately Garbine lost. FYI: Sitting through the awarding of the championship trophy does in fact suck when your player comes in second.

I didn't feel the loss deeply because I'm not personally invested in Garbine's career.  I want her to do well for the sake of her, my friend and all the people on her team that I met, but it wasn't something I carried with me once I left the grounds.  I was bummed a bit because I can imagine what the energy is like sitting in a player's box when they win a championship. Everything up to this point was so amazing, that would have been the cherry on top. It was not surprising to think that Garbine would make it to a major tournament final match, but when I think about my chances of having a friend who introduced me to his agent friend who represents an athlete in one of my favorite sports who I casually follow. Then, as I plan to go to the other side of the world I am invited to attend these events to watch her play, and she keeps winning. I get two weeks of watching her advance in the tournament to have it culminate with the final match. I'm too lazy to look it up, but how many times did she lose in the first or the second round? My experience could have lined up with one of those tournaments.  When I consciously think about the fact that all of those stars aligned I am immensely thankful.  

I don't want to talk crap about Sofia Kenin because I'm aware enough to know this is going to be out on the internet and that there's a chance she could read this.  I never want to be hurtful or harmful. Plus, as much as I struggle with being a gossip like anyone else, saying bad things about another person isn't productive or valuable most (all?) of the time. At the same time, I do want to express that it was not a challenge for me to cheer against Sofia and for Garbine. LOL Had Ash Barty been in the Finals I would have publicly been cheering on Garbine, but also having a bit of an internal dialogue with fist pumps for Ash.  I can't put my finger on why I had some antagonistic attitudes toward Sofia. I know that the fit of her skirt bugged me like crazy, and there was something about her attitude that I didn't like. I try to be conscious of times when the public dislikes strong women who are confident, but choose to describe them at bitchy or cocky instead, and avoid doing that, but there was something about how she presented herself and her attitude that really bugged me.  I'm not sure if it's founded on anything of substance or if my expectations of how a 21 year old should present herself are unfair, inappropriate, and/ or unrealistic.  I haven't been able to fully identify why I was unsympathetic toward her then and now.

Oh, and here are two celebrity sightings from the night. Gladys Knight was in attendance. Apparently she's a big tennis fan and was doing a pre-match interview right below the player's box.

Adrian Grenier, a la Entourage fame and one of my favorite teen movies Drive Me Crazy, was in Melbourne filming and in attendance at the finals in some swanky corporate sponsor VIP seats that I didn't even realize were there until this moment. This isn't a great pictures, but he looked very handsome. For the record, he was not aware of me at all. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 12)

Dominic Thiem (5) v. Alexander Zverev (7)

Day 12 brought me only one match, the last of the semifinal matches. Up to this point I hadn't seem Dominic Thiem or Alexander Zverev play in person. I casually watched them play on television, but wasn't particularly invested in either. In fact, prior to the Australian Open, Zverev blended with Medvedev blended with Shapovalov blended with... Apparently I have issues distinguishing people with v's in their names. My AO experiences definitely changed that for me forever. Self check: I have no right to get frustrated with anyone who looks at my Polish last name and just gives up. 

The Thiem/ Zverev match was such a high for me. The tennis was off the charts amazing. Not that I need to justify any of my ticket purchasing, but this match was well worth the money and then some.  I was actually a bit nervous about this match being so good because it's not uncommon that the quarters and the semifinals are better matches than the finals.  There was so much build up to the final matches that a total engaging, sitting on the edge of my seat, nail-biter of a match made me question whether the final could be as exciting.  To watch someone like Thiem seemingly empty the tank to make it to the final round makes you wonder if it's possible for him to fill that tank back up within 48 hours. The players focus on fueling back up as a mechanism to give them the best chance win a championship, but my focus as a fan is for them to find a way to put on a good show. Winning a match doesn't necessarily equate to putting on a good show (for example: my post on Roanic v. Djokovic).  I wondered if either of these young players had enough physical stamina and/ or enough experience to find a way to push through to win the match in front of them and then be fresh two days later.

After losing the first set, Thiem closed out the next three to win the match. That score report makes it seem like Thiem ran away with it, but the final two sets were decided in tiebreakers. It was a nail-biter. I caught myself legitimately sitting on the edge of my seat and holding my breath during the points. It was exhilarating. I have very few experiences in my life that I was describe as exhilarating, but this was definitely one. It probably sounds really cheesy, but when I left the grounds that night I had a conscious thought, "This is what a major tournament is. This. Tonight." Everything that night felt perfectly in place. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 11)

Three months later and it's finally time to write about Day 11 of the Australian Open. This feels very "me".  LOL

Something really cool about the Australian Open is that they have a sunscreen sponsor.  I can't remember what this brand was, and I can't read it in the picture.  They had practical, useful sponsorship activation that included brand employees walking around giving away sunscreen.  I don't remember seeing sunscreen in the shops, but it wasn't difficult to find a representative giving it away any day of the tournament.  In addition to giving away these boxes, there were easy to find employees who had larger bottles so that they could just squeeze it into your hands.  I went to get some for my face on a day I didn't have my trusty hat. When I asked for a little more so I could put some on my shoulders and chest they were happy to give me as much as I wanted.  It was clutch.  I couldn't help but be a sport management professor and think about what an asset this sponsorship was to the tournament in terms of customer service, hospitality, and risk management.  I'm not sure how much the brand benefitted because I can't recall what it is, but I would definitely recognize it on the shelf if I were at a Chemist Warehouse (an Australian pharmacy with everything you could ever want at discount prices!). I'm fairly certain it was an Australian brand so I'm sure I would have remembered if I stayed in Australia longer.  Something I noticed in the Whitsundays and continued to see in Melbourne was that it was really difficult to find any sunscreen under SPF 50.  I'm not sure if you can see in this picture, but it was SPF 50. They take sun protection pretty seriously. 

Simona Halep (4) v. Garbine Muguruza

I have a few very clear memories about the Halep / Muguruza match, but none of them are really about the play on the court.  First, it was HOT.  The day before was the first in the string of peak temperatures, but it was on this day that I could feel it getting warmer and warmer and I walked down the steps to Muguruza's box.  I was conscious of how hot the court must have been.  This to me felt like the Australian Open.  Each year on tv you can see all of the fans sweating through their clothes, fanning themselves, and looking a little deflated by the heat. I was expecting to feel that way the entire time and only got a few days of it.  It turns out most of my time abroad would be atypical, so I guess in hindsight I'd call the weather pattern fitting. Anyway, I was happy I was watching, not playing any sort of sport in 100 degrees. 

The second thing I remember most was thinking how tiny Simona Halep seemed.  I have heard commentators talk about how she's small. According to the internet she's 5'6", which isn't ridiculously tiny, but at the time she seemed so much smaller. It helps that Garbine was across the court a full 6 inches taller. Halep may be short in stature, but she was impressive. I would definitely call her small, but mighty.  

I was nervous about this match because while I knew Garbine was capable of beating her, I've seen enough of Halep's play to know that she could take control of the match and shut down Muguruza early. Muguruza won in straight sets, but it wasn't an easy win.  She won the first set in the tie break, and the second seemed to come easier, but it wasn't something she breezed through.  Muguruza worked for it all, no doubt. Looking back at the stats, Halep had a better first serve percentage and fewer unforced errors.  Muguruza won only three more points than Halep did.  How I saw any of the match I don't know because I was holding my breath through most of the first set in particular.  Paired with the heat, it's a wonder I didn't pass out.  

Third, this has nothing to do with anything, but I hated the Nike outfit that Halep wore.  The color scheme was weird to me - pink, purple, yellow, and white. Vomit.  I saw several players in variations of this kit. I hated the dress less than the skirt, but all of it missed the mark in my opinion. I thought it looked cheap and unfinished, particularly because the skirt was able to be pinned up and the underside of the fabric looked unprinted (known in sewing as the "wrong side" of the fabric).  The contrast in the photo isn't great, but you might be able to see what I mean in this first photo of Halep.  If you go back to my Day 6 post you can see that Svitolina had her skirt up like this too, but instead of wearing a white tank she was wearing a yellow body suit, I think. At first I thought she just tucked it up, which would explain why Nike didn't make it look like the "right side" on both sides. Then I saw Halep with her's like this too. If it wasn't meant to be lifted like this, which might explain why it shows the "wrong side", then it tells me that Nike didn't design a skirt that was functional for their female athletes and they were making it fit better for their movements. Either way, this kit and the skirt in particular disappointed me. 

Of course I had to take at least a couple of Muguruza. 

Roger Federer (3) v. Novak Djokovic (2)

As was with all of the Muguruza matches, I was gifted the experience of sitting with the box in the afternoon.  Luck/ fate/ whatever gifted me a Federer / Djokovic match during the evening.  You know, I bought tickets for time slots and didn't really know who would be playing at what time and on what court until the night before.  Night 11 was one of the hottest tickets of the entire tournament. I got to see two absolute legends play.  Everyone knows that Federer's days are numbered.  It's something he has admitted himself.  I think there's a chance that he plays another seasons or two, but no one would be surprised if Federer announced his retirement at any moment.  I think we all collectively hold our breaths a bit and wish it's not today each time he's in a presser. Hopefully Djokovic has several years to come, but who knows?  He's a bit younger, but he's still in his 30s. (Side note: I've had a sneaking suspicious that he was battling injury at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, but I have no real facts to support that.  I was wondering if he was going to withdraw at a few points.) How many more matches will these two play against each other in the majors? Each one is a gift to the tennis world that fans do not take lightly.  I was so happy to be at the match. I don't know how to put sufficient words to it, but I felt like I was hyper aware of how lucky I was to be seeing each of these men play live, and how special it was to see them competing against each other. 

We all know Federer wasn't at his best, as evidenced by his seeking medical attention a couple of times. We also know that being at less than his best doesn't mean he can't win. We saw him pull through in the match against Sandgren, despite Federer clearly hurting and Tennys playing excellent tennis while winning more of the points. Federer knows how to dig in to find the win.  Djokovic didn't underestimate him or let up, even though there were times I was quite nervous.  Knowing Fed's remaining matches are limited it's hard to see him eliminated, but I was PUMPED Djokovic advanced.  

You can tell I bought these tickets because the view changed slightly. BAHAHAH!

This was my view after I departed the train that took me back to my little neighborhood.  I took this picture because I thought the perspective was cool, but also because in this moment I recognized how spent I felt and like I could see that in everyone else. I have no idea if these people were tired from a long day at work or something else, but I was spent because all of my emotional energy has been poured out that day. It had been pouring out for almost two weeks and my tank was getting empty. I was still excited to be there, but I knew my days in Melbourne were coming to an end.  The finals were around the corner and I had all this excitement for it, but I started to get sad that I was set to leave.  

Better Than I Imagined (Day 10)

Garbine Muguruza v. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (30)

Garbine played solid tennis, was confident and aggressive, and kept on rolling. It was a good match. It looks like no one attended, but in fact everyone was just trying to escape the blistering sun by moving to the ends of the areas that were covered by the roof. It was the first day in a short string of wicked hot temperatures in Melbourne. A few days after this the temperatures topped triple digits. At this point it wasn't ridiculously hot, but it was unbearable in the direct sunlight. As the match progressed my seat went from being in the shade to being in the sun. Thankfully I was able to scoot over a few seats and watched the remainder of the match in the shade. 

Garbine's match was the only one on my schedule for the day, so I had a bunch of free time.  I wanted to use my time wisely, but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do.  I knew I should take advantage of a mostly open afternoon and evening by going to a museum or checking out a significant tourist attraction, but I had an impulse that was nagging at me.  When I was in the Whitsundays I had the urge to get a new tattoo.  I hadn't thought about a new tattoo in years. I had absolutely zero desire to get one, but it's like once I had a few enjoyable days in the Whitsundays the idea got under my skin and I couldn't let it go. In the past I have sworn that I would absolutely never get a tattoo in a foreign country, but you know what they say - never say never. :) 

I held on to the idea from the Whitsundays to Sydney and then to Melbourne.  It felt right in the Whitsundays, but I couldn't come up with an image I really wanted.  I didn't feel right in Sydney at all, but I kept the door open.  I was interested, but I wanted the moment to feel right and I didn't want to force it.  There were three things that ended up tipping the scales for me Melbourne .  First after asking around and reading some articles, I learned that the tattoo industry in Australia is just as stringent when it comes to safety, cleanliness, and health as it is in the US.  From a clinical perspective, it wasn't any riskier to get a tattoo in Australia than it would be in the US.  Plus, culturally tattoos are SUPER accepted in Australia. It's more uncommon to find someone who doesn't have one at all, as opposed to the other way around like most of us are used to.  I was surprised to see how many people have neck tattoos in Australia and have prevalent tattoo parlors are.  

The second thing that led me to go for it was the fact that I found what I wanted.  Like I said, I wasn't thinking of getting a tattoo at all before coming to Australia. In the Whitsundays I got the idea of doing it, but didn't have an idea of what to get.  I wanted it to be something "Australia" but I didn't want it to be cheesy. I wanted it to feel organic. A koala bear on a beach holding a tennis racquet wasn't quite what I was going for even though all of the elements would represent my time in Australia.  A few days before I actually went to get the tattoo I was walking down one of the streets in central Melbourne and I found a t-shirt that had a graphic I like.  Anyone who has seen my other three tattoos can attest that mine are all fairly simplistic and geometric. I wanted to keep a new one in the same vein and the graphic I found would do just that.  

The third thing that fell into place was that I found a well-respected tattoo parlor that accepted walk-ins at a reasonable price.  I found a few articles on the internet about the best tattoo parlors in Melbourne and several were repeated on all of the lists.  After the Muguruza match I called Good Luck Tattoo and they told me that if I wanted to could come over and get it done right then. So I did!

When I reached the tattoo parlor I started getting more nervous.  What if I was being too impulsive? What if I regretted getting it?  What if it turned out kind of cheesy and feel really juvenile?  These thoughts raced through my mind and were at war with the opposing ones. Spontaneous is not the same as impulsive.  What if I regretted not getting it?  I can always get it removed or hide it.  I've had some great experiences in life because I'm spontaneous, and maybe a bit impulsive. :) That's how I ended up with a shaved head, a nose ring, a trampoline, and I'm sure a ton of things that weren't momentous, but also never caused me real harm. So, I went with my gut at did it!  

I know that my foot/ ankle looks kind of grubby in some of these pictures. I took special care to wash and shave really well in the morning as I was tossing around the idea of getting the tattoo in my head, but I wore sandals that day and walked around the tennis grounds and Melbourne for half the day.  Once I got the tattoo parlor my feet were kind of gross. In general my feet have been pretty grubby this entire trip because of walking around so much in sandals. 

This guy isn't anyone special, just a guy I thought was hot waiting to get a tattoo. He was very tall. And Australian.  He was eventually replaced by another tall Australian. I enjoyed my time in the shop.

The thing about tattoos is that you can never remember exactly what it's like to get one.  I alway describe it as having someone drag a shard of glass through your skin.  People who don't have them assume the needles feel the same as getting a short or getting blood drawn. I couldn't disagree more. To me, it's a totally different sensation.  When the artist, Hwaro, started all I could think was, "Holy fuck this is way more painful than I remember!"  It was not great.  After a few minutes he moved on to a different section and it was almost like I wasn't feeling it at all. It turns out that the spot where he started was just the most sensitive spot.  I think it was probably the most sensitive spot I had with any of my tattoos.  

 

I'm really happy with my tattoo choice, the color, and it's placement, but I'll be honest and say I'm disappointed in the quality of the work by the artist, especially since this parlor was so highly praised.  The artist's other works are amazing with impeccable lines. I thought it would turn out that way, but once it healed and the scabs fell off you can the uneven thickness of the line.  The above picture is from right after I got it done.  The below picture was from two or three weeks after I got it done. You can tell that there is a distinctively thicker section of line on the kangaroo's back.  If it really bothers me over time I can get it worked on, but I'll probably leave it. The color will fade over time because it's brown and also because of where it's located/ high skin cell turnover rate.  When that starts to happen it'll probably be even less noticeable.  I'm also pretty sure that no one will be able to tell from a normal vantage point. I'm still glad I got it. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 9)

Day nine was a big tennis day for me.  I made a mistake when buying tickets that resulted in me having tickets for the day and the evening sessions on day nine.  What I meant to do was buy evening session tickets for days nine and 10 because most people recommend buying tickets for the quarterfinals if you're going to buy the pricier tickets in the second week of the tournament. Night matches are usually the more premier matches too. There's no guarantee that the top players will make it to the semi-finals or the finals. There are always upsets in a tournament and early exits of elite players.  If you hope to see a certain set of players, you have better chances of seeing them in the quarters.  It's also not uncommon for better matches to be played between the best players in the world during the quarterfinals and the semifinals.  I'm not good at remembering details like this, but I bet it wouldn't be too difficult to come up with a handful of major tournament finals matches that fell short of the drama and competition of the semi-finals matches preceding  them. I spoke with several people during the tournament who had been to multiple AO finals who confirmed this thought and said that they've seen good ones and boring ones that felt like letdowns. 

When I realized the mistake I made I was bummed out because I was missing out on an evening session of the quarterfinals. That was before I knew who would be playing. Once the schedule was released and I saw the match ups I was pumped about getting to watch the entire day.

Sofia Kenin (14) v. Ons Jabeur

You can see from my pictures that my vantage point was a little different than usual. My seats for the day session were in the very last row, but it worked out where I was able to sit at the very top of the stairs, which gave me a ton of leg room along with a great view.

I took this picture to try to demonstrate my leg room, but what's funny is that it reminds me more of the drama I had trying to walk in with my chai latte.  As I mentioned before, the AO lets you bring in pretty much any food items you want as long as they're not in glass bottles or alcohol.  There was a coffee shop in the train station that I liked and I got a chai latte several times before coming into the grounds.  As the tournament went on and security got more strict they started to ask me to open my liquid containers and they would smell the liquid.  On this day the guard kept insisting that there was something funny about my cup.  He didn't believe it was a chai latte.  He made a big stink about, told me something was funny about my drink, and suggested that I had wine mixed in with my morning beverage.  I was absolutely flabbergasted and asserted several times that there was nothing inappropriate about my drink.  He called over another guard who smelled my cup, rolled his eyes, declared it was a chai latte, and sent me on my way.

During this match I kept hearing voices and it was a little annoying because you're supposed to be quiet while play is going on.  The people around me were also looking around to see who was talking so we could shush them.  It turns out there was a broadcast booth behind us.  After a little bit I figured out that it was the tennis channel broadcast and Lindsay Davenport was in the booth.

Ash Barty (1) v. Petra Kvitova (7)

I was so excited to see Ash Barty play for several reasons. First, she's the number one player in the world. She's only 23 and I'm sure will be around for years to come, but she's clearly in her prime. It's just a matter of how long her prime will be. Because she's Australian there were huge expectations for her. There was a lot of commentary about how she was the first Australian woman in almost two decades to have a real shot at winning the tournament.  There was a whole marketing campaign centered around her in Melbourne and the tournament was referred to as the Barty Party, which worked out really well because she went deep. Unfortunately, she lost to the eventual AO winner in the semi-finals, but because she kept winning it was easy for promoters to keep saying, "Come for the Barty, stay for the party."  She had her own little pack of fans who sat together match after match in coordinating Vegemite*-styled t-shirts leading chants and cheers (Ash is an endorser). Barty is a real class act, has an extremely positive reputation, and is easy to get behind.  During this match I was definitely #TeamBarty.

* Side note: I tried Vegemite in the Whitsundays. While I stayed overnight at that amazing resort I saw that there was Vegemite by the toaster in the morning. I chatted with another guest about it and she offered me a small corner of her toast with it.  I was underwhelmed. She only had a light smear of it so it didn't taste like much.  

Tennys Sandgren v. Roger Federer (3)

This match was BONKERS.  It was the ticket of the day/ night.  It was also one of the best matches I saw the entire AO.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Tennys Sandgren played his ass off and somehow still lost the match. He actually won one more point than Federer and lost the match.  He led is several statistical categories.  It was crazy.  At one point during the fourth set I turned to the person sitting next to me and said, "Stick a fork in Federer. He's done."  And then Federer came back to win the match.

Oh, and did I mention that I got to see Federer play in person before he retires? Legend.

 

Milos Raonic (32) v. Novak Djokovic (2)

I was flying high all day knowing that I'd get to see my man Djokovic play again.  I was also pretty psyched to see Raonic play.  I've always liked watching him on television.  The Sandgren/ Federer match was so energetic. I was ready for some more.

Let me tell you, this match SUCKED. It was super slow.  The first set took about an hour, which is not completely unheard of, but it felt painful. I was bored out of my mind.  Raonic and Djokovic took forever to serve and there was practically no rhythm to the play with neither player getting into a groove. It was such a let down for me.  Plus, my seats were in a different spot than earlier in the day and I sat next to a man who literally called every ball. In. Out. Out. Out. In. In. And he was right only about 50% of the time.  

At the end of the first set I knew I needed to try to relocate. It wasn't as easy to pop a squat in an empty seat so I had to be strategic. I got a chicken sandwich and a Skyy vodka lime soda drink and snuck my way into the lower level when they ushers weren't looking. I thought I'd be busted when the ushers busted several other people, but I guess one person is easier to look over than a group of friends.  I stayed for another few games, but I ended up doing something I never imagined myself doing. I left the match early. I left my favorite player. 

In the end it was the right decision for me and I don't regret it.  I made it on the train before everyone else, didn't have to deal with 1,000 other people, and right as I walked into my apartment door I got the score update that said Djokovic won.  

Being frustrated with the tennis didn't make it any less gorgeous of a night.