It would be more accurate to say I hate team sports; this is probably because, in modern vernacular, I am not a team player. I don’t want to be a team player – I even dislike the term. Of course, to get on in modern business, you have to at least give the appearance of being a team player. However, although still employed by a large company, I am too old, tired and crotchety to maintain any illusions of being one, having long given up any pretensions of getting on.
But I do like tennis. It is the antithesis of a team sport: individuals battle physically and mentally – alone. When I was younger, fitter, thinner and taller I used to play tennis; I stopped when my son started beating me. But I still watch and enjoy Wimbledon; of course, the men’s finals is always on Sunday, so I always miss it.
I suspected Roger Federer would win and beat Pete Sampras’s Grand Slam record; watching Federer ply his trade is like watching grace in motion. He deserved to win and is probably the greatest tennis player ever – until the next one.