Last night Carlos talked me into trekking out to Flushing-Meadows, Queens to the U.S. Open. Probably not in the top 500 things I'd like to be doing in New York City, but hey, I'm open to new expansive experiences. I figured it may even be counter-cultural. Plus, I know several lifetime New Yorkers who are avid Central Park tennis players where the courts are more coveted even than affordable Manhattan rent. And, my secretary at work is a single mom, Jamaican immigrant to New York who's 12 year old daughter is a tennis prodigy. I've found a lot of pleasure in the excitement of her daughters potential stardom and dedication to hard work in getting there - definitely an American Dream type of story that is apt to move any American into a small fit of patriotism.
I had no idea the U.S. Open is such a sprawling campus of fountains and a boardwalk connecting it to the subway station, solely dedicated to tennis. Nothing else. Well, OK, tennis and $12 Heinekens, Ralph Lauren Polo clothing shops, and fans who look unlike any New Yorker I've ever seen - there was a very New-England-Estate exclusive air about the place. And at one point I even noticed fans handing ushers crisp $100 bills for showing them to their seats in the main Arthur Ashe Stadium. The contradictions here are way too fun, but I digress.
We watched Serena Williams in the women's and Roger Federer in men's category. Upon too loudly suggesting I would like to see a match between Williams and Federer where I would place a large sum of money on Williams kicking some northern European scrawny guy ass, I was hushed with icy stares from almost everyone around me. Oooops. I guess gender and maybe race are still big issues at The Open, or such flippancy is not appropriate whereby the matches lead to a $1.4 million dollar prize. What's wrong with matching a millionaire with a millionaire?
Also, I had no idea The Open dates back to 1881, only four years after the first championship at Wimbledon and has championed tennis greats such as Arthur Ashe, Richard Sears, Bill Tilden, Rene Lacoste (thank you for your fashion legacy), Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Monica Seles, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova. And on and on. Still, race, gender, and nationality aside, I pick Serena Williams as the queen bee when it comes to brut force and total knock down potential.
My ghetto bootay is in awe.
5 comments:
AT. AT. AT! Are you aware that the Roger Federer - a.k.a. the "northern European scrawny guy" - is already, at not even the midpoint of his career, widely considered not only the greatest tennis player of all time (he's on the brink of the inhuman feat of winning his fourth consecutive US Open, having just won his fourth consecutive Wimbledon) but also perhaps the greatest athlete, period, of all time? Do you now understand the "icy glares"? Making a Roger Federer joke at the US Open is like, well, it's like making a Roger Federer joke at the US Open. Or like accidentally escorting Henry Kissinger down a flight of stairs. In as many words - vintage AT foot-in-mouth.) I insist you Google "Roger Federer As Religious Experience" - my favourite author (David Foster Wallace) taking on my favourite athlete. In the meantime, know that there's now nothing I'm more jealous of you than the fact that you got to see the Federer Express live, at the absolute peak of his powers, in all his glory and genius. That, and the fact that it was just another night in the life of AT in New York City. Oh, well. At least I got to see the Stanley Park Open this year.
Blah, blah, blah, yackity-schmackity...
"I've found a lot of pleasure in the excitement of...Serena Williams...$1.4 million...queen bee...ghetto bootay..."
Honestly, JB, Serena plays a more aggressive game than Federer. Maybe Federer wasn't at the top of his game when I saw him, and the fact that he was paired with a Chilean who was not so great. I'm stickin' to my words. I want to see the tough, crazy muscled, frenetic woman play the scrawny guy. He was wearing all black with his socks pulled up to his knees. He kinda looked like an old man.
Driftwood: exactly. you summed up my whole post very succinctly. Look at that ghetto bootay, would ya? AMAZING!!!!!!
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