It’s not the Australian Open.
And by no means is it the French Open or Wimbledon for that matter, either.
No, we’re not in New York for the US Open.
Nonetheless, the Countrywide Classic will provide intriguing matches, especially considering the likes of James Blake, Fernando Gonzalez and the Bryan brothers.
After getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch the Federer-Nadal battle at Wimbledon, which was perhaps one of the greatest matches I can recall, I got the feeling that no other match would quite live up to that one or be quite as enjoyable to watch.
What could possibly top Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal going to five sets in the championship match at Wimbledon, with Federer saving several break points in the final set before breaking Nadal for the first time since the first game of the match?
I’ve been asking myself that question ever since Federer fell to the ground in tears after winning his fifth straight Wimbledon title.
And it wasn’t until this past weekend that I realized that it’s not always about the classic five-setters or the record-breaking performances.
Tennis is unique. At any given time, on any given point, one can witness greatness. There’s nothing like watching a passing shot after an impressive rally, or gasping when the ball trickles off the net and the race to the ball begins.
The competition is getting tighter as players are beginning to close the gaps in the rankings. This year’s Countrywide Classic is a classic example.
On any given day of this tournament, the crowd may witness an underdog topple a fan favorite or even one of the higher-seeded competitors. There’s no telling what can happen.
Maybe that’s the beauty of individual sports ““ there’s very little room for error. And when errors are made, they must be corrected immediately. There’s no time between matches to work on aspects of your game if you’ve already lost. You just have to wait for the next tournament: a wait that can seem endless, no doubt.
Sure, you won’t be seeing Federer or Nadal on the courts of the Los Angeles Tennis Center at any point in the next week, but, even better, you’ll witness unbelievable tennis, even if it’s a match between Amer Delic and Michael Berrer ““ two unknowns to a majority of the fans, including me.
There’s no telling who will win that match, or any other match, for that matter. That’s the beauty of tennis.
And if there’s anything I learned from watching the Wimbledon final this year, it’s that it takes just a few points here and there to put together a win ““ even on the sport’s biggest stage.
What if Federer hadn’t won those two tiebreaks? What if Nadal had converted on one of his break opportunities in the fifth set?
There are so many what-ifs in tennis that even the smallest of matches can be exciting. And if you’re looking for excitement and drama at some point in the next few days, there’s no better place to be than at the Los Angeles Tennis Center for the 2007 Countrywide Classic, as each match will provide fans and players with never-before-seen trends and unbelievable shots.
And that’s why I will never again question whether or not a match is worth watching. Tennis will always be a novelty, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
E-mail Behniwal at abehniwal@media.ucla.edu.