Tennis Australian Open

Australian open men's semi-finals tonight. Roger Federer vs Nicolas Kiefer. And Women's doubles finals. Can you believe it? Remember a few years ago, China won the olympic gold for women's doubles? Those two are back!! Zi Yan and Jie Zheng and in the finals against the world's Number 1 seats. For those of my friends who play tennis, don't miss it. :)

However, it is sad now a days in the tennis world where not a lot of people pick up tennis as their sports anymore. Back in the 90s when I started playing tennis, there are still a lot of people playing. People say that it is because of the lighter racquet. All the skills and techniques necessary to hit the ball correctly are gone. You can just wack the ball anyway you like and you can hit it back. Other people say that there are just too much other entertainment that tennis which requires a lot of time and discipline to master doesn't hold a interest in the younger generation.

But tennis to me is like a discipline and culture. To be able to anticipate your oppnent and control them just the way you want is very difficult. It is like a game of strategy where developing new shots adds to your advantage. It is a little bit like martial arts. Where everyday practice is necessary. And your fighting arena is in the courts. The difference is that for martial arts, you really have to fight with someone to practice. However, for tennis, everything is left at the courts.

And while playing tennis, you can actually find out a lot about your opponent. What kind of person he or she is? Does he or she have patience? Does he or she have the discipline? Does he/she have fast-thinking? Is he or she a strategist? All these are reflective of the actual person's personality. :)