Because of the washout on Wednesday, the Miami Open was packed on Thursday. People who should have been at work (there were few seniors there) watching people hit a ball for work. They hit it so hard that it’s difficult to comprehend how it stays in the court and how anyone can get to it and hit it back. And yet, on the practice courts, the top players’ hitting partners do it with ease. As an old partner of mine once said, watching some juniors play in Holiday Park, “It makes you want to take up bocce.”
I’ve been going to the Open for three decades now and, while my fascination hasn’t diminished – especially as the athleticism has increased – my enthusiasm has. The people swarming the practice courts trying to get a ball signed by Sinner or Alcaraz, just as they used to for Federer and Nadal, and before them Agassi and Sampras – all because of how well they can hit a ball over a net – seem silly and misguided. Many of them play tennis too, and know how difficult it is, which fuels their admiration. But on the global stage, athletes play a very small role. They show us the value of hard work (and good genes), and the beautiful pursuit of excellence, which gives us a lovely, perhaps inspiring diversion. But in the end – no matter how serious they look on those practice courts – they’re doing nothing more substantial than playing a game.
