The Tennis Channel is bad for tennis

I hate the Tennis Channel.

Hear me out. I don't have the Tennis Channel. I already pay too much to Time Warner Cable. And I worry that if I did get this channel (and whatever other channels I would have to pay for to get it) I would never want to leave home.

Joking.

Sort of.

I love tennis, but I think the Tennis Channel is bad for the game. Why? Over the last few years I have seen fewer and fewer tennis matches aired by other channels, as the Tennis Channel has obtained the rights to air them. And yes this is bad for me as I can no longer watch the matches I used to. But I also believe that fewer people will be exposed to tennis on TV, so new fans will decline as a result. By making it so exclusive, it has made it unseen by the masses outside of the Grand Slams. Not good in my opinion.

Li Na's fun post-match interview

After Li Na beat Wozniaki at the 2011 Australian Open, she gave a fun interview on court.

Dead spot on court

Weirdest thing I have see during a match. Seems unreal, like special effects had to do this.


It was during a Sharapova match at the 2011 Australian Open.

Another sore loss for Serena

She frequently (now) will say her opponent played well, but always and immediately will then say she, herself, did not play well. For her there is no such thing as being out played. That would be too much a compliment to another player.
She's always so perplexed about a loss, because she could have beaten her. She is a better tennis player after all. But she didn't win, and is always in such a daze that she could not play the way she is capable. Whatever happened? It's such a mystery.
The arrogance and lack of humility never ceases to astonish me.

Do you remember the 1077 Austrailian final?

Me either. A wee bit before my time.

McEnroe's other legacy

It was John McEnroe--when calling matches--who would always say this or that shot "paid dividends" for this or that player. Now all the announcers use this cliche. And it is getting so old. Please stop it.

Agassi's memoirs

I am almost done with Agassi's memoirs. It's been very interesting. It is mostly well-written. And the book sets the stage right by describing Agassi's early years, and showing what a tyrant and plain mean man his father is/was. But I found myself realizing that I soon lost some of the sympathy for Agassi as the book went on. He surely had some hard times throughout his life. Who doesn't. But he becomes a giant in the game of tennis, marries a beautiful icon of a woman Brook Shields, is rich, famous, adored...he has it all. And still he is petulant and unhappy. And the book does nothing to explain why, because there is no explanation, other than that is who he is.

I was not a huge fan of Agassi. I always wanted Pete to beat him. (I felt for Pete, who was always pegged as dull. I just thought he was serious, and took tennis seriously, while Agassi did it for fame and money. And the book proved that with all the "I hate tennis pronouncements.) I did root for him more after his come back. It seemed to me that he took tennis more seriously then, and he seemed more settled. And the book supports that belief. But his moody and childish ways were not gone. Even after meeting Graf and becoming happy, he still dismisses losses on the court with weak excuses not befitting a champion.

I know he's only human, as they say. But this book only enforces my belief that he did not deserve my support. If you don't like what you do, then do something else. I will not feel sorry for you for doing something you hate for two decades--and getting huge cash for it. I haven't always liked my jobs, but I do them to the best of my ability when getting paid to do so.

So boo hoo.
But full credit for his honesty here. That took balls.