Inside Look

Spectating

“Watching Tennis for Self-Improvement” was my first post inspired by tennis, followed by several over the years rhapsodizing with the admiration I feel whenever I watch a grand slam tournament. Admiration and inspiration are always dominant themes though each post emphasized different facets. I celebrated the breaking down of divisions by players from all over the world demonstrating individualized excellence, so favorites transcend national borders. When the camera focuses on the facial expression, it feels like such an honor to see into the core consciousness and focused hereness exposed on the face. The pleasure of saying “WOW” is pure joy, erupting spontaneously over shots that astonish and seem impossible. Both finals this year provided plenty of that and in the case of the men’s final for almost five hours. Each championship match was historic for different reasons. Marketa Vondrousova was the first ever unranked player to win the championship, beating one of the top ten women, Ons Jabeur. In the men’s final, Novak Djokovic, the record holding champion of the most men’s finals played the current number 1 player Carlos Alcaraz, 20 years old and with very little experience on the grass. Sure to become a legendary match, shots were thoughtful and creative as well as powerful. The spectators were held in thrall, our own attention spans stretched by the drama. We were all one crowd going crazy over the big shots, holding our breath at key moments, and it was the oneness I felt with the crowd this year that got my attention. We shared something special. Whether the camera, which loves fame, was focusing on the King of Spain or Brad Pitt, we were all united in wonder, everyone standing up and cheering with appreciation. Racial and ethnic diversity was evident throughout the stadium and on screens of all sizes all over the world. Boundaries are erased by appreciation. Our shared enjoyment surely produced some wonderful brain chemistry, excitement, energy, pleasure at watching the results of the superlative dedication necessary to achieve such mastery in their skills. The pleasure goes deeper when a player is watching. Experience sharpens observation and my friend Xandi Egginton who was a champion in high school, could tell who each player idolized and how it inspired them. He said, “In tennis it is all laid bare; the game is so diffuse with personality, character, and feeling that these qualities become a part of the fabric of competition, which I think is one of the many reasons tennis is such a special sport.” Dedication is inspiring. The benefits of admiration fed by good examples of heart, courage and discipline were there for all of us as witnesses and though I was watching through a screen it felt like something shared. Tennis has power to keep people in the moment and be more focused witnesses. Something that Alan Watts expressed different ways in different talks is that we are portals through which the universe sees itself. To witness such excellence is to be reminded of what humans can do when they give themselves to something and that we have a choice about where we give our attention when bad examples dominate the news.