Dear Tennis

You have delighted me with countless hours of inspiration. I have a few guesses why this sport only and in particular is of such deep interest to me. 50,000 people in the stands are quiet, and then clap and scream at the magnificence of a shot or a rally. The skills required to be the very best at this are kind of still unbelievable. That what they do and how well they do it is a blend of born with talent, mixed with hours and hours and hours of practice is inspiring to me. That they can hit a ball and it actually goes exactly where they intend, even if they are in a dead run or falling backwards —I have seen it all, is miraculous. And, often, just the handshake after a 5 hour match, the hugs, the smiles and laughs that the competitors share (not always), the friendships they develop is so poignant. This has been the case for 20+ years.