Sleep or tennis? (CU Independent illustration/Adam Milner; Australian Open photo by Clive Brunskill courtesy of Australian Open)
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While most college students are sleeping, studying or partying at 1 a.m., for the last two weeks, I have chosen to devote that time of the night to a much different activity: tennis
I’m not out on the courts playing; rather, I’m sitting on my couch or wrapped up in a blanket in bed watching the Australian Open.
I would rather watch tennis than do just about anything else of value or importance.
Tennis has been an obsession of mine for at least the past six years. When people ask me if I play, I tell them no, but my love for watching the sport exceeds any kind of joy I could gain from playing. I’m not sure how it happened, but I can only assume it started the first time I set my eyes upon Andy Roddick.
Here was this young, American superstar with looks and personality to boot. I became truly obsessed while he was ranked No. 1, fresh off of his U.S. Open win. Alas, my love for him was not enough to keep him at the top.
There was another man who would stop him and anyone else who thought they had a chance of winning a Grand Slam. At first, I was annoyed that Roger Federer was so talented, composed and sweat-less.
However, over the years, my respect for him continuously grew and I—as a person who legitimately does not root for the underdog—wanted him to reign over the tennis world.
Watching my personal favorites and challengers such as Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro has taken over my time in college. Sure I could be sleeping or doing homework, but I’d rather be watching hours upon hours of tennis.
This isn’t the first time tennis has taken over. Every year around the Fourth of July, Wimbledon becomes my greatest priority. I have made my mom late for parades and I have consistently woken up way too early to have “Breakfast at Wimbledon.”
At the beginning of this year, my roommate and essentially anyone who came to my apartment would find me on the couch in the evening watching match after match of US Open action. Even though I got made fun of for constantly watching ESPN, I was not about to turn off the television.
Unfortunately for me, watching the Australian Open puts me on a much different time schedule than the other Slams. To watch the tournament in real time, I have to be awake at some unreasonable times.
It doesn’t matter what time I have to be awake till or what other duties I have to set aside to watch tennis—I always see it as being worth it. And in the times when I would want to go to bed instead of stay up, a certain voice would call me back to the television.
This year’s Australian Open made it especially hard for me to concentrate on anything but the game. I just had to stay up to watch Federer go after his 16th Grand Slam and see if Del Potro could upset Fed again the way he did at the US Open.
There were upsets such as Marin Cilic beating both del Potro, Roddick and Murray causing Nadal to retire in the third set. Despite these facts, Federer remained unstoppable and continued to break his own record in straight sets.
In times where love means nothing I know that tennis will always be my perfect match.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Marlee Horn at Marlee.horn@colorado.edu.
