Wimbledon specials - part 1

1. Wimbledon came to end on 3rd July and with it my favorite grand slam tournament. It was a year of domination and grit from some players.
   
   Wimbledon is my favorite for many reasons.
   • It is telecast live in the evening and all major matches can be viewed while having dinner or resting in the night. While other grand slams have schedules which don’t suit us. US open is late in the night. French open is in the afternoons. Australian open is early in the morning.
   • Being a grass tournament it is suitable for all almost players. Except for the clay court specialists, grass is comfortable for almost all players. Grass gives a beautiful look to the entire event.
   • It is the most traditional. Of course white looks boring but then someone has to be different from the rest. And even in white there is definitely good scope for fashion and variations. This was visible in the Nadal shorts and the Sharapova jewellery. The umpires and the ball collectors also have green dresses to match the green court.
   • It is a representative of the general state of tennis world in those few years. Every few years, a champion for that entire decade appears. This person has all the shots and a treat to watch on court. Wimbledon provides us that person. From 1990 to 2000 it gave us Pete Sampras who of course won 7 of them. Now in the new millennium, it gave Roger Federer. It also gives us the great rivalries of that period and the domination of certain players. This is proved by many of the 5 setters
   • The event organization and management is superb. The facilities provided are top class and a peek in the interior training facilities will prove that easily. The speed with which the courts are protected with covers during rains tells us about their readiness. Many matches are conducted throughout the day. They are of so many different types- men’s singles and doubles, ladies’ singles and doubles, boys’s singles and doubles, girls’ singles and doubles, mixed doubles, wheelchair and elders (35 and above, 40 and above).
   • Good courts and green pastures are good for your eyes. There are around 20 courts and arranged in a grid like structure. The Center court and court 1 are the biggest and beautiful. There is a ground where people sit on the grass and watch major matches on a giant screen. Food courts and stalls satisfy your hunger with strawberries and wines.
   • A beautiful audience ( :D ) is always welcome. When you have beautiful girls and handsome guys around the park, it turns everyone ON.
   • It attracts the spectators all over the world and the who’s who of industry and Hollywood for major matches. In the recently concluded tournament, we had the likes of Sean Connery, Ernie Els and others visiting center court. We have industrialists like Laxmi Mittal, Infy MD Nandan Nilekani, etc. also giving support for the Indians out there.
   
   
   
   
   
   Joke of the day:
   
   Desperate for a child, a couple asked their priest to pray for them. “I m going on sabbatical to Rome,” he replied. “I will light a candle in St Peter’s for you.” When the priest returned three years later, he found the wife pregnant tending two sets of twins. Elated, the priest asked to speak to her husband and congratulate him. “He’s gone to Rome,” came the harried reply, “to blow out the candle.”